Suggestions for a Handgun?

[ALQ]

Ladies (and Gentlemen),

I'm new to handguns and shot my first gun this summer at a gun safety class. I used a .22 Rifle Pistol. I also visited a gun range with a friend and shot a few of his.

My issues is that I'm looking for something small, but was told that there is a lot of recoil and aim is hard to focus on smaller guns. A larger gun is not practical for my small hands and for carrying concealed. Not sure what do do with all that info and I'd like to hear from other ladies what they have found that works for them (and yes, I know everyone is different and what I might like, may not be what others like and vice versa).

Thanks!

 

[Tink]

A friend took me to a range and I tried out a number of different guns in different calibers. My first purchase was a Taurus PT140 Mill. Pro. ( I have small hands) This is a nice conceal one that works for me. They (Taurus) also makes 9mm and a 45mm in the same size as the one I have. My second purchase was a Sig226 (9mm). Although this one is larger the grip is still easy this one is much smoother than my Taurus. You can change the grip in most guns. My suggestion: Go to a gun shop and look around, pick some up and see how they feel in your hands. Go the the range to get a feel for the different calibers to find out what you're most comfortable with.

 

[williamnewman1]

im not a ton of help but the wifey likes to CC a bersa thunder 380 ...... the carries and guns change from day to day and what we are doing , but thats her go to gun

 

[dwickstrom]

Take your time go to a gunshop and hold them in your hands if they rent guns rent a few to see whih one you like. Nothing worse than buying a gun then shooting it and not liking it. Also when it comes to guns a°°holes are like opinons everyone has one. Good luck

 

[SEIndSAM]

Try out a Smith & Wesson MP9c or if you can find one, an MP Shield. The MP9c has interchangeable backstraps so you can put the small size on for small hands. 9mm doesn't recoil much in either of those platforms.

 

[kludge]

ALQ, Welcome!

Taking a class and shooting a few other guns were good first steps. The more you shoot the more opinions you will form about what you like and don't like, and the closer you will be to finding THE gun for you. Sadly no one can tell you what that will be and it's not uncommon for people to go through a few before they find THE ONE. (At least "the one" for now. )

If you like to read, check out the site www.corneredcat.com. Kathy Jackson is a well respected trainer and author and addresses many questions that are typical, but not unique to women.

As you mentioned, smaller guns have more recoil, but larger guns are somewhat harder to conceal. However if you are willing to make a few concessions in your wardrobe, full size pistols can be concealed. The most commonly recommended gun for a woman is usually a aluminum framed snub-nose .38 Special. In my experience though, the majoity of women don't like shooting them. If you don't like shooting, you're not going to practice, if you don't practice... well you get the idea.

With respect to recoil, there is not reason why a woman in good health can't learn to shoot any handgun, and popular handgun cartrtidges for self defense don't recoil all that badly - considering the entire spectrum of handguns and cartridges. With practice you will learn to deal with the recoil, meaning that it won't adversly affect your shooting.

As for the size of your hands, that will be one of the big deciding factors. Find a gun shop in your area that has a reputation for customer service, or visit a gun show, and "try on" eveything in the store if you have to. Make the the grip fit you, that you can reach the trigger and all the controls, that you can manipulate them, that you can easily perform all the functions, open the action, rack the slide, etc.

Some of the guns that in my experience fit women's hand well and they like to shoot...

J-frame Smith & Wesson revolvers - most commonly found in .38 Special. $400-$600.(not the aluminum framed ones... steel framed J-frames have more mass and less recoil). My mother carries and aluminum frame "Airweight" S&W. It stings a a little, and since she is now in her 70's it might be time to begin the search for a replacement. Charter Arms ($300-$400) makes this size revolver too; however they are of somwehat lower quality. We have one and it's very likeable. But if you can handle the recoil of a S&W Airweight, more power to you, for me nothing was ever more comfortable to carry. REMEMBER... most revolvers allow to change to a better fitting grip.

Ruger SP101 - this is a heavier steel frame revolver, not much larger than the J-frame, but less felt recoil is the benefit. This is my favorite small revolver, and mine has a great trigger pull. It comes in .357 Magnum, but you can shoot .38 Special or .38 Special +P in it. $450-$550.

Ruger LCR - a lighter "composite" (plastic) frame revolver. Has a nice trigger. S&W Bodyguard is a similar size revolver, but the S&W feels a little "clunky" by comparison, IMO. ~$500.

Bersa Thunder .380 "CC" -- this has a slightly thinner grip than the Bersa Thunder .380 Auto and most of the sharp edges have been taken down. It fits small hands a touch better that the Thunder .380 too. The Bersa Thunder models are Walther PPK "clones". (You know, "Bond... James Bond".) Women in my classes really like Shooting the Bersa. ~$300.

Colt "Government" or "Mustang" .380 Auto - pricey, but for the smallest of hands it works. Pricey $700-$1000.

Browning BDA .380 Auto - slick and smooth, plus a wide grip tames recoil. Not in production. Good examples run $500-$700.

Stepping up to pistols in 9mm... Ruger SR9c (compact), Springfield XD-9sc (sub-compact) Glock 26, S&W M&P9c are smaller versions of the popular full size pistols.

Kahr Arms makes a few compact 9mm pistols ($500-$700), Kel Tec PF-9 is another ($250-$300), and Taurus 709 Slim (???) These smaller 9mm have some kick to them.

 

[Darkstar]

As most have said, go with what feels right. There's nothing worse than buying a gun that feels wrong in your hand. If you're constantly fighting with the feel of your gun, practice is going to be far more difficult and take longer than with a gun you're in sync with.

 

[Double T]

I liked the 1911 at first, so I bought two. Now I am into glocks. I also like the M&P pistols.

If you do not want large or small what about a 1911 commander, glock 19, or m&p with midsize barrel?

Those will give you a better management of recoil, and a larger sight radius than any "small" gun.

Also welcome to ingo :-)

Also, I'm a guy BUT my wife LOVES shooting my government 1911 due to the large sight radius and dampened recoil from the heavy frame. She knocks out the bull more times than not. (She does not carry, so I can't help in that department).

 

[JimmyR]

My fiance took my Beretta Minx out, and she loved it. Almost zero recoil (in a .22 short round), easily concealed, and the tip-up barrel removes any difficulty with racking smaller slides. They don't make them anymore, but they replaced them with the Bobcat (.22 long) and the Tomcat (.32 ACP). I'd say check those out.

 

[Fixer]

What feels comfortable in the hand is the first consideration. Picking a caliber that can do the job and be controlled is the second. I have shopped with a few women in my extended family to give them a bit of advice about types of guns they are interested in.

I have a niece that carries a Ruger SP101, my wife carries an LCR 357.
A couple other guns with relatively small grips are the Ruger LCR9, and SR9c. Both guns are not real heavy and have smaller grips.

Another gun that is a bit bigger but still has a grip smaller than a glock or XD is the M&P. My Mother actually is debating getting one of the M&P 9mm pistols, as she has small hands and was looking for something that was not too heavy also. She didn't want just a self defense gun, but something that she could take to a steel challenge match also.

If it is a short barrel defensive weapon a laser grip would also be a great advantage. Makes it extremely easy to put shots where you want them at any angle or position you happen to have the gun.

 

[BrandonHtwo0]

Ill throw my hat in here i suppose...

I recently had an opportunity to fire a kahr compact 9mm and found it to have very little recoil and was very accurate and i was quite impressed. Ive also owned a Ruger LCR for carry but found it not to be as fun at the range due to how it handles recoil.

The kahr struck me as being soft enough for fun at the range, accurate enough to be happy on paper, powerful enough with 9mm ammo for defense, and small enough to conceal in a pocket. Lots of other pistols like it, i only have experience with this one but have to say i was impressed with it.

Good luck and I hope this post was helpful in some way.

 

[BillyB]

The Beretta Cheetah is a nice gun in .380 with a small grip but enough weight to mitigate recoil.

 

[Mrs Evilwrench]

I'm also looking for my first hand gun. We went to Dick's and the salesmen there were very helpful. I found a few that fit my hand and felt comfortable. The next step was to fire a few, and that really made a lot of difference! I want to try a few more before I make my first purchase, but I am leaning towards a Sig...

 

[kludge]

Which Dick's has handguns?

BTW, In my original post I forgot to link this --> http://www.dccsafety.com/whatgun.pdf

 

[Mrs Evilwrench]

Oops, not Dick's... Gander Mountain. I'm so sorry for the confusion!

 

[Moosegirl46052]

Applied Ballistics in Lafayette rents a variety of handguns that you can try out in their indoor range. The staff there will also give you the rundown on each one, how it works and all that. I like the Ruger LCP for EDC, its small and i can wear it with most anything, i have the bersa thunder .380 for something a little bigger, i have good luck with both at the range.

 

[Mongoose1.1]

I own an M&P Shield 9mm and it's excellent. Little recoil, very manageable but hard to find right now. I'll let you know if I ever put mine up for sale. Bersa Thunder is a good one as is the Ruger LC-9. The post about the Sig 226 is correct. It's one of the best handguns ever and the grip is good. A cop friend of mine has small hands but loved the full-sized Sig 226.

 

[jgreiner]

Ladies (and Gentlemen),

I'm new to handguns and shot my first gun this summer at a gun safety class. I used a .22 Rifle Pistol. I also visited a gun range with a friend and shot a few of his.

My issues is that I'm looking for something small, but was told that there is a lot of recoil and aim is hard to focus on smaller guns. A larger gun is not practical for my small hands and for carrying concealed. Not sure what do do with all that info and I'd like to hear from other ladies what they have found that works for them (and yes, I know everyone is different and what I might like, may not be what others like and vice versa). Thanks!

Any gun (other than a .22) will feel like it has a lot of kick, at first. The more you shoot it, the more the kick seems to go away. You simply become accustom to it.

I would find a range that rents guns, or find a friend or friends that have several different types of guns. I would shoot some smaller revolvers. I would shoot some smaller semi-autos. First decide which platform you like. From there, then you can start considering calibers.

Personally, I like at least a .38 Special, or a 9mm. I carry both a S&W M&P 9mm pro, and a S&W .357 combat Magnum. Neither are small.

Now, my daughter, who HATES shooting my M&P, because of the "kick", loves shooting the combat magnum.

 

[jgreiner]

I own an M&P Shield 9mm and it's excellent. Little recoil, very manageable but hard to find right now. I'll let you know if I ever put mine up for sale. Bersa Thunder is a good one as is the Ruger LC-9. The post about the Sig 226 is correct. It's one of the best handguns ever and the grip is good. A cop friend of mine has small hands but loved the full-sized Sig 226.

That is a great little CC gun. I just wish the safety was ambi.

 

[88GT]

On the issue of "small hands"--don't self-limit. A full-size 1911 can feel better in the grip of a person with smaller hands than a fat double-stacked compact (like the Glock 26).

What you can comfortably conceal is differently than what you can comfortably handle.