Selecting a 9mm for my GF...

[Thrashard340]

OK, so I read through this forum to try and gain some insight as to what 9mm would be best for my GF. Based on numerous responses, I concluded that the best course of action was to take my GF to the range as often as possible so she could try as many out as possible.

We haven't settled on one yet, but there is a front runner. I will post our experiences and update as we go along. There is no rush, but we hope to make a purchase here within the next two or three months. We just want to ensure we make the right purchase for us.

The reason why we are going with the 9mm is because we do not want to have too many guns in the house. We need to choose a handgun that is easy for her to handle. At the same time, it will be a gun that I can take to the range and have fun with myself. 9mm ammo is cheap relative to its caliber. I originally considered a .380 for her, but ammo cost is on the high side.

So here is the criteria:

-Must be 9mm: Ammo cost relatively cheap, manageable recoil, something I can shoot and enjoy myself.
-Must be lightweight.
-Must have a narrow grip.
-Cannot have a grip safety (will explain below).

I have taken the GF to the range about 4 times in the last 3 months. Here are the 9mm's we have rented so far and the feedback. All of the guns below were manageable to her in terms of recoil. It basically boiled down to grip comfort. She is also a petite gal so the gun has to be relatively light. So a polymer gun would make sense.

Glock 19 - This is the front runner so far. GF likes the grip the best. We rented a Glock on two occasions. We rented the ported version (19C) last night and the muzzle flash was throwing her off a bit. When it comes to purchase, we will most likely go with a non-ported version. We will give the Glock 17 a try out on the next trip.

Sig Sauer P229 - This was one of my GF's least favorite. She was not comfortable with the grip. It was too wide. Personally, this was my favorite to shoot. I loved shooting this gun. I felt I had really good accuracy shooting a P229. I liked it so much that I rented a P226 with the same results. However, the 9mm will be my GF's primary gun so the Sig has been crossed off the list.

Springfield XD - The GF liked the grip. However when it came time to shoot, she really struggled. After the first pull, it would jam. The first time it happened to her, it was an FTE. The second, third and fourth times, they were FTF's. Here's the kicker...the XD never jammed on me once. I took the first 10 rounds with no issues. After the very first shot on the second magazine is where the gun FTE'd. I cleared the jam and handed it back to her. Same thing, one shot and then this time FTF. I cleared the jam and then I went through the remaining rounds in the magazine with no issue. I loaded up another magazine and handed it back to her. Same problem. After first shot, FTF. Cleared it again. Same thing. After first shot, FTF. By this time, she had enough. Again, I finished off the magazine with no issues. I loaded up one more magazine and went through it myself...no issues. For some reason, this gun wouldn't fire for her, but I had no issues with it myself. I can only reason that the GF could not grip the gun properly. IDK. Ironically, she did not have a problem shooting my 1911 yesterday. Regardless, I can't risk buying a gun that she cannot operate properly. Other than this, I liked shooting this gun. I was pretty accurate.

Smith and Wesson M&P - My GF wasn't with me when I shot this. Targetmasters has a grip display for the M&P and the GF really like how the grip felt. So I took the liberty of trying one out the other day when I went to the range to put some more rounds through the 1911. I didn't have a good experience with the M&P. I couldn't shoot straight with the thing. Maybe I was just having a bad day. Also, the magazine was extremely difficult to load up. Maybe it was just because it was a rental magazine. IDK. I've read a lot of good things on this forums on the M&P and I'm going to give it another shot and this time I will bring the GF with me.

Here are a few other 9mm's we plan on trying out:

Beretta PX4
Glock 17
HK P2000
FNP9

If I'm missing anything else, please advise.

Thanks...and I hope this post is helpful if you're helping your significant lady friend choose a handgun.

[Trapper]

Check out the Sig 225 and 239, both are available in 9mm and have a more narrow grip than the 226 or 229.

[Steyrlp10]

Small question on the jams as opposed to it not happening to you -- did you notice if the recoil was causing her wrist to break? Just curious if that could be one reason. Or, maybe the magazine wasn't quite seeded all the way enough to allow the rounds to not feed properly?

Glad to see you're trying to spend a lot of live fire time with her because some of the big problems with a semi-auto, as you may have noticed on this site, is squeezing the trigger and being able to rack the slide. Not everyone has the ability to work the mechanics of certain guns.

[Thrashard340]

Check out the Sig 225 and 239, both are available in 9mm and have a more narrow grip than the 226 or 229.

Thanks for the advice Trapper. I tried looking up the 225 on Sig's website. It wasn't listed. Has it been discontinued? We considered subcompacts, but want something a little more stable. So at minimum, we are looking at compact size 3.9 - 4 inch barrels.

[Thrashard340]

Small question on the jams as opposed to it not happening to you -- did you notice if the recoil was causing her wrist to break? Just curious if that could be one reason. Or, maybe the magazine wasn't quite seeded all the way enough to allow the rounds to not feed properly?

Glad to see you're trying to spend a lot of live fire time with her because some of the big problems with a semi-auto, as you may have noticed on this site, is squeezing the trigger and being able to rack the slide. Not everyone has the ability to work the mechanics of certain guns.

It's definitely not magazine seating as I was the one loading each magazine into the gun. It's possible that recoil was causing her wrist to break...a definite possibility because she's still trying to discover technique.

She is still in the discovery mode with regards to trigger pull and grip, which is why thickness of grip is an essential in this search. I haven't been able to properly teach her racking the slide as she responds to training much better in private. It is difficult to teach her some things in a range environment. Although, I did have her rack the slide on the Glock 19 a couple of times yesterday. Another good feature on that gun is that the slide lock automatically locks when you rack the slide back.

Thanks for the input.

[9mmepiphany]

Just as a point of interest, all semi-auto pistols you've mentioned will lock the slide to the rear if there is an empty magazine inserted.

I just had a couple of ladies, mother and daughter, out for some instruction before they decide to by a pistol. They correctly decided that it made more sense to learn to shoot correctly so that they'd have a basis to decide which gun shot best for them. They found that my S&W M&P9, with the small backstrap, was a very good balance between fit and controlability...with longer fingers, the medium one seems to fit a lot of folks too.

I'm not surprised that she felt comfortable with the G19. The grip angle is more natural for new shooters. She must have long fingers for it to feel comfortable with it's arched backstrap

[masameet]

Check her grip and stance. Could be she could hold the pistol higher on the grip with the strong hand, which will cause her to take a firmer grip on the pistol, as well as bend her body forward slightly at the waist, which will let her extend her arms more and enable her to use her shoulders to absorb the recoil.

As to the recoil, encourage her to let the pistol muzzle rise and fall back to place in her hands. She doesn't need to control the pistol when it goes BANG! -- she just needs to hold it and follow through.

Also both of you will probably get a kick out of shooting an all steel 1911 in .45. She might even like it more than the 9mm. (And if she does, both of you could start reloading. lol)

[movie zombie]

i prefer all steel. i have a small hand and found that the colt officer's mark iv .45acp was a good fit and is fun to shoot. purchased from another calgunner AFTER he allowed me to shoot it at a range. however, this was not a first gun purchase for me and i was concerned re the .45acp kick. this gun was better than others i tried.

i realize you're looking at 9mm which i don't have experience with. i only mention my experience because masameet brought up the .45.

also, i thought there were some 9mm pistols that have backstraps/grips that can be changed out to fit a smaller hand?

kudos for doing this the right way! lots of research and then time at a range to make sure its the gun for HER.

[Thrashard340]

Thanks for the responses and good info which I will pass along.

I actually have a 1911. I let her shoot through one magazine the other night. She likes the grip on the 1911, but she's not comfortable with the weight.

Being the novice that I am, I'm indifferent to steel or polymer framed. I'm finding out with all these range visits that pretty much all of the popular guns listed are pretty accurate. I just need to find the one she falls in love with and then that's the one I'll buy.

[Flopper]

I actually have a 1911. I let her shoot through one magazine the other night. She likes the grip on the 1911, but she's not comfortable with the weight.

Grip angle/grip feel are meaningless compared to how one shoots the gun. Glocks feel like oversized bricks in my small hands but I shoot them well.

Weight and size of gun are funny things as well, especially for female shooters. Inexperienced shooters often make the false assumption that a lighter, smaller gun is easier to shoot, but that is the exact opposite of reality.

If she likes shooting a G19 I suggest you either get a full sized Glock (17 or even better, a 34) or a full-sized M&P since it sounds like this won't be used for concealed carry. Unless you have a good reason for a smaller pistol, don't short change yourself--go for a full-sized gun.

[Bolillo]

Check out a Ruger P95

Easiest centerfire pistol to rack the slide on I've ever felt.

[Steph]

I agree with the all steel. I've tried a Taurus 27/7 Pro (which I liked because of the amazing rubber grip, but alas....it fell off the "safe gun" list). I've also tried the Glock 17 and the M&P9, but after the advice of my bf's bro (LAPD) and his friend (Army) they both recommended an all steel gun because I was having a really hard time with the recoil on the polymer guns (I'm a small girl myself).

I decided on the CZ 75b and I actually prefer the all steel, even with the added weight. The extra weight helps with the recoil and it just feels a lot more balanced in my hands, which is definitely important to feel comfortable with the weapon.

[masameet]

... She likes the grip on the 1911, but she's not comfortable with the weight.

Being the novice that I am, I'm indifferent to steel or polymer framed. I'm finding out with all these range visits that pretty much all of the popular guns listed are pretty accurate. I just need to find the one she falls in love with and then that's the one I'll buy.

That's the thing about handguns -- the weight. Maybe instead of fixating on a 9mm, both of you could get a .22LR, like a new or used Buck Mark or Ruger. A few months later, after she feels comfortable shooting and can hit the target regularly, she can upgrade to a bigger pistol/caliber. By then, most likely she'll have tried other shooters' pistols at the range and will have narrowed down her choices.

[powaybob]

My wife had no problems with my XD .45, though she did not like the recoil. What you describe sounds unusual to me.

[movie zombie]

i shot a Ruger .22LR about 6 months ago. could not believe how accurate i was with the thing having never shot one before. absolutely no kick to the thing but it certainly is big when compared to my other pistols, including the .45acp.