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Posted: 3/19/2017 1:17:37 PM EDT
I'm guessing there are folks here with experience in choosing handguns for small (<5 ft tall) women with very small hands. What has worked and what hasn't worked? CCW isn't an option, as neither of them are U.S. Citizens but they are permanent residents and can legally own firearms.
Primary purpose would be home defense and recreational shooting. I'm thinking a 9mm, semi-auto would be the best choice but I'm not sure if polymer (lighter, more recoil) or all metal (heavier, less recoil) would be preferable. I also don't know which gun's ergonomics might best suit very small shooters. I have a Gen 3 G19 and the grip is a beast for their hands. What handguns have you guys seen work well for women with very small hands? |
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9mm all the way.
Take her to a LCS and let her hold a few. Let her pick it out. Smaller guns can be harder to shoot. Is she strong enough to rack the slide? If not you might want to look at revolvers. Then it will come down to what can she spend. Good luck |
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9mm all the way. Take her to a LCS and let her hold a few. Let her pick it out. Smaller guns can be harder to shoot. Is she strong enough to rack the slide? If not you might want to look at revolvers. Then it will come down to what can she spend. Good luck View Quote |
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Going to a local gun shop and letting them shop is the best answer. A good place to start IMHO, would be an M&P or Xd as they have smaller grips than the Glock. As for revolvers, I've come to believe that they are not the best option for women who might lack the strength to work the slide, because if they lack the needed strength they will likely not have the finger strength to smoothly run that heavy double action trigger. .02
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Ruger lc9 with the 9 rnd mag might be something to look at also. Always let women pick their own gun
My wife is a small woman Started her on 22/45 lite. She's now shooting a glock 19 and 1911's. It's usually gaining confidence more than anything. |
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Ruger LCR, especially in .327. Gives you six shots and the ability to shoot powderpuff loads like the 32s&w, 32s&wl to the more powerful 32 h&r mag, 327 and if moonclipped 32 acp.
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Smith and Wesson Shield (because its a compact, modern single-stack).
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Ruger LCR, especially in .327. Gives you six shots and the ability to shoot powderpuff loads like the 32s&w, 32s&wl to the more powerful 32 h&r mag, 327 and if moonclipped 32 acp. View Quote If only the long ammo is used, the muzzle-blast factor of that magnum ammo should be a real crowd-pleaser. That, and the fact that .327 ammo is so inexpensive, and easy to find at places like Walmart. |
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Ruger LCR, especially in .327. Gives you six shots and the ability to shoot powderpuff loads like the 32s&w, 32s&wl to the more powerful 32 h&r mag, 327 and if moonclipped 32 acp. View Quote |
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(Flame suit on)
Walther CCP - yes its a bit of a pain to learn the trick to easy takedown. But the lighter recoil spring and gas retarded slide action are perfect for people of smaller size. This is a fully capable pistol firing full power 9x19. I have to say vrs Glock 380 - it even beats the Glock in mag capacity. Have her handle one if possible before you whip out the plastic magic money card... |
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That should be real interesting when the "non-gun" person shoots a box of the short ammo, and then shoots the longer ammo without first completely cleaning the fouling "ring" left by the short ammo. If only the long ammo is used, the muzzle-blast factor of that magnum ammo should be a real crowd-pleaser. That, and the fact that .327 ammo is so inexpensive, and easy to find at places like Walmart. View Quote |
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My wife is 4 11 and loves G19s. Tried to get her to try a 42/43 but she hates how small the grip is.
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I am married to a very small woman, and we recently went thru this. Tried everything under the sun ...
The Walther CCP is the answer. Good ergos for small hands, and very easy to rack the slide. |
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In these cases, I always recommend the same thing, especially for non gun nuts. Also is one of the best deals going. S&W model 10 4".
6rds of 38special from a 4" barrel is enough power to get the job done. It doesn't require a hard to train manual of arms and failure is usually solved by pulling the trigger. The gun has enough weight to make shooting easy, and is extremely safe. Plenty of grip options for all size of hands. They can be had for $300 used and will last a lifetime. |
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I agree with those who say to take her to put hands on as many guns as possible and a range where you can rent them all out and see which she likes best.
From my experience, being 5 foot nothing and midget sized hands, i love my sig sauer 938. For as small as it is, the recoil soring is just right. Its nice and smooth when shooting, yet easy to pull the slide back to load a round/lock it open. I've had a lot of experience with many guns. The glock 19 may also be a good choice, or any gun in that size range. For home defense, can't go wrong with a pump action shotgun. |
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I agree with those who say to take her to put hands on as many guns as possible and a range where you can rent them all out and see which she likes best. From my experience, being 5 foot nothing and midget sized hands, i love my sig sauer 938. For as small as it is, the recoil soring is just right. Its nice and smooth when shooting, yet easy to pull the slide back to load a round/lock it open. I've had a lot of experience with many guns. The glock 19 may also be a good choice, or any gun in that size range. For home defense, can't go wrong with a pump action shotgun. View Quote |
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Glock 19 is my first offer, too.
If that's too big, I have them try a CZ P01 or CZ 75, with thin aftermarket grips if possible. Maybe a High Power if the CZ is too big, but that's the thinnest double-stack 9mm I'm aware of. If that doesn't work, might have to switch to a single stack 9, those being the Glock 43 or M&P Shield. |
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I started my wife with a bersa thunder 380. It is extremely easy to operate and shoot. Never had any issues with it.
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I started my wife with a bersa thunder 380. It is extremely easy to operate and shoot. Never had any issues with it. View Quote |
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When will you Boneheads learn, woman/man DOESN'T MATTER when it comes to guns! Gun choices would be the same for MEN with small hands! And as for small hands, my wife's gun of choice is a S&W N frame Model 27/357mag! So throw all the SHIT you've been reading about online/magazines, and let the shooter pick his/her firearm they're comfortable with! Lesson over Newb!
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Don't make the mistake I made. I took my wife to the gunstore and pushed her toward a Shield, because I wanted her to have a 9mm. Problem was soon after she got it she would rarely carry it because of the size and weight. Now that she has an LCP II she carries regularly. Any gun is better than no gun.
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Make SURE she will use it.
The smaller the gun the more recoil energy will be present. While the 'felt recoil' may be tolerable make sure. Sometimes something a little bigger and heavier is a better idea. |
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Glock 43, S&W M&P9 Shield, and Walther PPS M2 would be my recommendations...
While a .380 is better than a sharp stick and has killed its fair share of people through the ages, 9mm is better. The mass of a larger gun is better in mitigating recoil (physics), but will she actually carry it? A smaller gun carried is better than a larger gun left at home in the nightstand. |
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Thanks for the recommendations. It sounds like I'm on the right track and there are some guns here I might not have considered. This will allow us to make a short list of guns to rent and try first.
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Guns don't need to fit hands, for the most part. Bigger is better for little ladies. I'm tiny and I like my G19 best.
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I would suggest looking to the Kahr K9. It's single stack and very slim, but the steel frame combined with hougue rubber grips make it a smooth shooting pistol. http://www.kahr.com/GetDynamicImage.aspx?dir=itemImages&path=SVimg-K9098.jpg Since CCW is not a factor, there is no reason not to go will the extra weight of steel, which will help reduce recoil / snap and also allows the use of rubber grips. I would not recommend a polymer single stack for a petit, new shooter unless they are very dedicated. The KAHR trigger is also very easy to learn to shoot well. As there is no wall, and it's very smooth, its easy to break the shot without moving the sights. Also it encourages a surprise break to minimize flinching. View Quote |
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Small guns don't make any sense if you're not trying to conceal. Bigger is better here, even if we're talking smaller calibers.
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Glock 43, S&W M&P9 Shield, and Walther PPS M2 would be my recommendations... While a .380 is better than a sharp stick and has killed its fair share of people through the ages, 9mm is better. The mass of a larger gun is better in mitigating recoil (physics), but will she actually carry it? A smaller gun carried is better than a larger gun left at home in the nightstand. View Quote |
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G43 for the 9 ... if that's still a little too much snap, then a G42 in 380.
Both are awesome little guns and a real pleasure to shoot. The only problem I've seen with them is it takes a little strength to pull the slide back on both. |
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Don't focus on just small guns because she is a small person. I've been getting my mom into shooting lately, she's 5'2 with small hands and her favorite guns of mine to shoot are the glock 34, m&p 9 and the ak.
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This is pretty sound advice. I would also throw the M&P 9c and FNS 9c into the mix. You can install the smaller back straps and give them a try. I would really recommend they shoot a variety of guns before you put down the cash. View Quote |
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Guns don't need to fit hands, for the most part. Bigger is better for little ladies. I'm tiny and I like my G19 best. View Quote Guns that fit her include: Walther PPQ Walther P99 HK VP9 Kahr 9mm Glock 42 and 43 CZ-75 9mm and Kadet single stack 1911 (short trigger helps) |
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9mm all the way. Take her to a LCS and let her hold a few. Let her pick it out. Smaller guns can be harder to shoot. Is she strong enough to rack the slide? If not you might want to look at revolvers. Then it will come down to what can she spend. Good luck View Quote |
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Guns do need to fit hands. My wife's hands are so small, she cannot properly grip a Glock 19. If her finger is on the trigger, the gun is recoiling through the outside of her second thumb knuckle. Guns that fit her include: Walther PPQ Walther P99 HK VP9 Kahr 9mm Glock 42 and 43 CZ-75 9mm and Kadet single stack 1911 (short trigger helps) View Quote |
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Guns don't need to fit hands, for the most part. View Quote As to the OP's question - tiny hands run in my wife's family, my wife, sister in law and niece all picked the S&W M&P 9c as the largest capacity grip that fit their hands correctly. They all expressed a like for the M&P Shield as well. Further the M&P line of handguns shoot soft Keep trying different makes and models until you find one than fits her hand and she likes. |
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The sprinngfield xds and the mod2 have fairly small grips and shoot great along with the special going on right now for 4 free mags and a holster. My glock grips are wider than the mod2 iN FEEL.
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Absolutely WRONG, if the handgun doesn't fit the shooters hand the shooter is at a severe handicap and will never learn to shoot that firearm as well as they will shoot a handgun that fits. As to the OP's question - tiny hands run in my wife's family, my wife, sister in law and niece all picked the S&W M&P 9c as the largest capacity grip that fit their hands correctly. They all expressed a like for the M&P Shield as well. Further the M&P line of handguns shoot soft Keep trying different makes and models until you find one than fits her hand and she likes. View Quote |
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Why can't they have a ccw? I got mine before I was a citizen (also had Utah and florida)
Wife has a glock 42 for ccw and a Bereta px4 for the house She decided at the range renting ands shooting a lot of diferent guns |
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How long have you been shooting guns with your tiny lady hands? View Quote |
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I'll 2nd both the FNH FNS Compact and the Beretta PX4 Storm Compact, both in 9mm.
The PX4 is a little heavier and with the rotating barrel lockup is a soft, accurate shooter right out of the box. Both offer swappable backstraps, so can be tuned for a specific user. |
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