Good range pistol for a small lady

[GlockBlocker]

Probably other posts like this but I couldn't find one quickly that is so similar.

So, the g/f has actually been bringing up wanting to go to the range. She mostly enjoys shooting the 10/22, but that's because we haven't found her a good handgun to shoot yet.

She wants to practice shooting pistol, but my G23 is intimidating for her, maybe a little big in her hands. She's 5'2 and has small hands. The others are bigger, except for the S&W airweight... but it's so short it isn't fun to shoot very long.

I'm looking for something that would fit well in her hands with pretty tame recoil.

Walther P22 is at the top of the list, but only because I'm not sure of any 9mm that are small enough to fit a small hand, yet hefty enough to absorb some of the recoil.

Any other suggestions besides a P22 to make it enjoyable for her to shoot and become more confident with pistols?

One note is she did like my buddy's old 5" 38sp. That seemed to handle fine for her. I'd really like to find a good pistol though so we can have fun taking advanced courses together after she builds some confidence with the pistol.

[dalriaden]

My ex loved my non ca xd 45 4" so much so her sister bought the california version. Ca version has a larger handgrip though so it might be to big for her >.<

[movie zombie]

the problem with an airweight is THAT IT IS AN AIRWEIGHT. it is no fun to shoot because it is light and there is no metal to absorb any of the energy! i almost did not pick up another pistol after firing one.

there are many threads here in the Ladies Forum. i think you'll find the first and best rule is to take her to a range and rent a variety of pistols for her to try out. let her decide what she's comfortable with.

i found the ruger sp101 to be a fine gun but too big for my hand so opted for a s&w model 60 instead. i went on to purchase other j-frame and k-frame smiths as well.

many like the ruger gp100 and the smith 686 but both are too big for my hands.

it really is best to let her try them out and decide for herself. what works for one woman does not necessarily work for another.

good luck!

[LuluSS]

If she likes the 38sp then what about the Ruger SP101? Comes in 38sp and 357...once she becomes more comfortable. Plus it is small enough to fit in her hands. And oh yeah, it is made in America

[9mmepiphany]

The best that I've seen for learning to shoot well, for small hands, is the Kahr K9.

Simple to operate (nice trigger), not too snappy with it's steel frame and very accurate

I was working with a father/daughter pair the other day and the 12 year old daughter could handle my polymer framed CW9, but it wouldn't be fun for enough rounds to learn with

[onequickshift]

G26, 9mm. Comfy, small easy. As Lu said, Ruger SP101 357/38. I switched out my grip for hogue, and its been awesome. Either way, you can't go wrong!!! I just don't like "POCKET" guns, the ones slightly smaller than a G26? My hands are small, really small. And I fumble with these, so size does matter, and weight, cause will help with recoil.

Take her to range and do a day of rentals to see what she likes!

[bernieb90]

S&W M&P 9mm gets my vote. Cheap ammo, and very soft shooting. The small grip insert really slims things down, and the ergonomics are light years ahead of Glock. If SHTF 9mm with proper loads is also a very potent fighting tool.

Revolvers are fine, but the DA pull on some is too much for some people with poor grip strength so they resort to cocking the hammer all the time. Not a good practice IMHO if bad things happen. That said a 4" .357 loaded with .38 Spl. can be a very soft shooter, and can be very accurate without being too heavy.


I would stay away from snubbies in general for female shooters not looking for a CCW as they are often hard to shoot well, so people tend not to want to shoot them very often.

[davbog44]

I can think of a few that might work okay. The SIG P232 (.380) stainless typically comes with Hogue rubber wrap arounds that, because they are on such a slim pistol, aren't too much of a handful for small hands, and make for a very soft shooting blow back type pistol. Plus it's all SS construction makes gives it a little extra weight.

Also, a S&W K or L Frame revolver (357 loaded with .38 or just .38) with the old style service grips would not be too much of a handful either.

Or, anyone of the 9MM pistols like the M&P mentioned above that has interchangeable back straps. Also, H&K pistols like the P2000 are very soft shooters due to HK's recoil reduction system, and very ergonomic. The downside there is that they are expensive.

You might want to try a few different range rentals with her if you have that option. In my experience recoil is more psychological that physiological. I have a 16 year old daughter who is fairly petite and she has handled 357SIG, .40S&W and .45ACP. She definitely prefers 9MM, but she can and has handled more stout rounds. So I'm thinking with a range rental, you'll be able to get your G/F more comfortable with recoil without laying out your hard earned cash until you find the right gun.

[smeg]

I think the key points here are smaller size grip and tame recoil...allowing for a pleasant experience for a new, small, female shooter to enjoy shooting more and gaining confidence.

I went through a similar search for a gun for my petite wife. What I found that worked was a sig p239 in 9mm.

-Single stack 9mm...very small grip...very short trigger reach even in DA. The DA/SA trigger is superb in this gun.
-It's a compact with a small grip, but the frame and slide is not that compact. In fact that is one of the downsides of considering the p239 as a carry gun; it's just too hefty. But for the purpose of what I was looking for....small grip, more heft to tame recoil..it fit the bill nicely.

With a good high grip, the p239 in 9mm is a very tame, soft shooting gun with a grip that she can get her small hands around. It's been perfect for us.

[GlockBlocker]

Wow, very helpful. Thanks everyone for the info/recommendations.

[mag360]

my girlfriend likes shooting my 9mm glock 19(and just bought a gen 4 glock 26), but her favorite to shoot is full size steel 1911's, these have really tame recoil.

[clbshooter]

How about the GSG 1911 or the Sig Misquito? I have a GSG and my bro has the Sig. No recoil and quite a bit of fun as well as cheap to shoot.

[p1choco]

My wife LOVES her XD 45 and 1911's. The grip is a little big but not too big. She handles it very well. My GP100 shooting 38's is easy to shoot in single action only. Trying to shoot double action, the reach to the trigger is too far and the stock hammer spring makes her struggle to operate the trigger properly. The Ruger SR 9 fits her PERFECT. It's a wee bit slimmer than a 1911, has a grip angle similar to a 1911 and absorbs the powerfull 9mm very well. The SR9 is worth looking at.

[loose_electron]

How about the GSG 1911 or the Sig Misquito? I have a GSG and my bro has the Sig. No recoil and quite a bit of fun as well as cheap to shoot.

Yeah, my GF likes the Mosquito, good fit to her hands and nothing in recoil.

Get her to the range to try different things, you know the drill.

[SoCal007]

How about an XD 3" 9mm sub compact, very easy to shoot light and easy to grip.