Erik S. Posted January 18, 2011 Share Posted January 18, 2011 (edited) My wife has been shooting revolvers for several years now and is a good shot and has good gun handling skills. Although she is a bit intimidated about shooting USPSA with me, she has expressed an interest in owning a semi-auto pistol. I have semi-autos, so she has used (and can operate) them, but I want to find one that fits her and is easy to use with low recoil (or can be loaded to low recoil since I am a reloader). I realize that we will have to handle different models to make sure it fits HER and she can get a good NPA with it, but I'm simply looking for IDEAS of what to look at...just to narrow the list down a little. This is not a "best gun" thread, but simply some suggestions....maybe what your wives/girlfriends shoot, or some opinions from the ladies that are members here. Ultimately, the final decisions will be made by her on what she LIKES and what feels the best in her hand and while aiming. Sometimes the lines at the gun counters at gun stores get so long that you need to be on a mission and practically HAVE a list ready to make the most of your 5min at the counter. haha My wife has trouble racking the slides on compact frame pistols because of the increased poundage of the recoil spring, so I'm looking at something full size BUT, she has small hands, so that presents a problem with some models. I also think full size will be a benefit for recoil reasons. She can handle recoil, but I'd rather keep it to a minimum. I will outfit my 550B to whatever caliber the gun shoots, so there is no issue with ammo cost etc. Well, without starting a war, what are some of your opinions on models to check out? Thanks in advance for any input. *edited to add* I am not opposed to making some mods to a gun so that it might fit her better such as grips or recoil springs. Edited January 18, 2011 by Erik S. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Merlin Orr Posted January 18, 2011 Share Posted January 18, 2011 M&P Pro. Easy to hold - interchangeable/adjustable grips. Reliable and reasonably priced. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ncboiler Posted January 18, 2011 Share Posted January 18, 2011 M&P Pro. Easy to hold - interchangeable/adjustable grips. Reliable and reasonably priced. That was going to be my suggestion as well. Either the 4" or 5" Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
G-ManBart Posted January 18, 2011 Share Posted January 18, 2011 My wife is barely 5'2" tall and 105lbs, with very small hands. When she shot my M&P Pro (5"), she laughed and said "this is a wussy gun, anybody could shoot it". If she's not intending to shoot in competition just yet, I'd have her handle a Kahr K9...25oz, so it's only an ounce or so lighter than the Pro, but a nice, slim single stack grip that really works well for smaller hands. R, Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jerryinokc Posted January 18, 2011 Share Posted January 18, 2011 My GF has been trying pretty much everything. All the Tupperware platforms just haven't "felt" right. She's 5'2, slight of build with small hands. We are at the range looking at rentals and she says, "That one". I'm thinking she's talking the 3" EMP 9, but no, she wants the 5" STI Trojan 9. Needless to say, it "felt" perfect and she's able to A from 10 yards 6 of 8 rounds! I'm very pleased she found the gun for her, although I'm a little concerned about her hauling that around in her purse. Bottom line? Have your wife shoot, shoot, and then shoot some more. Sometimes it just takes time, but that makes the find that much more rewarding! Also, I reload myself and she now goes through 300 rounds of 9 like it was candy!! Back to the press... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
eric4069 Posted January 18, 2011 Share Posted January 18, 2011 (edited) For small grip size reccomend the MP with small grip adapter, or Gen 4 Glock using the smallest grip (without adding the adapter). The metal frame Kahr is also very nice as Bart says. Overall though as the guys say above, best is for her to shoot several and see what she likes. Have fun, Eric Edited January 18, 2011 by eric4069 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sdm74 Posted January 18, 2011 Share Posted January 18, 2011 (edited) Also try the XDM with the small grip backstrap. Edited January 18, 2011 by sdm74 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Erik S. Posted January 18, 2011 Author Share Posted January 18, 2011 I was thinking a 9mm or 40 1911 also...I have the STI Trojan 5.0 in .45 and she really does like it and shoots well with it. This will by no means be a carry gun and don't want anything "snubby" ... she carries a snubnose .38spl +P. Needless to say, this will be a range gun and maybe sometime in the future a competition gun, but she would not be in it to win it (at least to start with). I'll have her try the M&P Pro in 9mm but I already know she will say no to the DA only trigger. unless I'm reading it wrong, I don't see any SA in the Pro model. Would the standard model work? It does not specify SA on the website. I should have posted that double/single or SA only is what she wants. She does not want DA only. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Merlin Orr Posted January 18, 2011 Share Posted January 18, 2011 A M&P Pro has a pretty nice trigger but if No DA is in the running. STI Spartan in 9mm. Very good bang for the buck with endless upgrades available if/as needed..... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
J-Ho Posted January 18, 2011 Share Posted January 18, 2011 I've got pretty small hands and I love shooting my Witness Limited. A browning high power is also a pleasure to shoot. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GOF Posted January 18, 2011 Share Posted January 18, 2011 Another vote for the M&P. I have seen a number of women at various classes who showed up with a revolver (recommened by their boy friend/husband/gun shop saleman, etc) that found the M&P fit well and shot better. As for triggers, google Dan Burwell for a trigger job. If your wife is comfortable with a revo, a 3.5-4 pound trigger job on a M&P is going to be SWEET. A standard 9mm M&P (not expensive) and a Burwell trigger job (not expensive) makes a fine Production gun in USPSA and a solid SSP/ESP gun in IDPA. A .40 S&W works for USPSA Limited. If she doesn't like the factory sights there are plenty of after market sights available. It's a good platform, with plenty of accessories. If there is a range available in your area that has rental guns, tney probably have a M&P. Let your wife try one there. I think she'll like it. GOF Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bigpops Posted January 18, 2011 Share Posted January 18, 2011 Here's a tip of the hat to the ol Glock 34. My wife loves hers. I'll send you a PM with our contact info. She would love to help and talk...and talk...and talk about guns! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CocoBolo Posted January 18, 2011 Share Posted January 18, 2011 CZ Shadow, my Wife and daughters love this gun. I like it as well. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wild Gene Posted January 18, 2011 Share Posted January 18, 2011 I was thinking a 9mm or 40 1911 also...I have the STI Trojan 5.0 in .45 and she really does like it and shoots well with it. This will by no means be a carry gun and don't want anything "snubby" ... she carries a snubnose .38spl +P. Needless to say, this will be a range gun and maybe sometime in the future a competition gun, but she would not be in it to win it (at least to start with). I'll have her try the M&P Pro in 9mm but I already know she will say no to the DA only trigger. unless I'm reading it wrong, I don't see any SA in the Pro model. Would the standard model work? It does not specify SA on the website. I should have posted that double/single or SA only is what she wants. She does not want DA only. If she likes revolvers, and they are double and not single action, I would have thought the Glock or M&P would be a no brainer. Fairly easy to transition from one to the other, and Randi, Jessie and Julie, among others seem to do pretty well with them. SS is a fairly tough Division, lots to think about compared to others if she did want to compete. It is really nice to not have to worry about reloads as much. Show her an M&P9 JG (it has a few more palm swells) if size is an issue. The G34 is also just really tough to beat for a great multi purpose gun. Good luck, and what ever you do, make certain that she makes the ultimate decision. WG Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
strangedays Posted January 18, 2011 Share Posted January 18, 2011 My wife has no issues with the M&P line of pistols at all. She is under 115 lbs. She used to have a Compact XD but like you mentioned the sping was so hard to pull back I sold it and got her a full size M&P .40 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Erik S. Posted January 18, 2011 Author Share Posted January 18, 2011 Here's a tip of the hat to the ol Glock 34. My wife loves hers. I'll send you a PM with our contact info. She would love to help and talk...and talk...and talk about guns! Thanks! I'll mention this to her and see if she wants to give her a shout. I was thinking a 9mm or 40 1911 also...I have the STI Trojan 5.0 in .45 and she really does like it and shoots well with it. This will by no means be a carry gun and don't want anything "snubby" ... she carries a snubnose .38spl +P. Needless to say, this will be a range gun and maybe sometime in the future a competition gun, but she would not be in it to win it (at least to start with). I'll have her try the M&P Pro in 9mm but I already know she will say no to the DA only trigger. unless I'm reading it wrong, I don't see any SA in the Pro model. Would the standard model work? It does not specify SA on the website. I should have posted that double/single or SA only is what she wants. She does not want DA only. If she likes revolvers, and they are double and not single action, I would have thought the Glock or M&P would be a no brainer. Fairly easy to transition from one to the other, and Randi, Jessie and Julie, among others seem to do pretty well with them. SS is a fairly tough Division, lots to think about compared to others if she did want to compete. It is really nice to not have to worry about reloads as much. Show her an M&P9 JG (it has a few more palm swells) if size is an issue. The G34 is also just really tough to beat for a great multi purpose gun. Good luck, and what ever you do, make certain that she makes the ultimate decision. WG When she shoots one of my home-made USPSA courses, she shoots DA, but when she's just plinking, I notice that she cocks the hammer back every time, so I said: "I notice you like cocking the hammer back, do you prefer single action?", she replied, "I don't know, I don't cock the hammer back when I'm running the course because it takes too much time", then I replied, "If you could somehow have the hammer automatically cock itself while you're running a course, would you prefer that?"....her answer was yes. that is how I arrived at the no DA conclusion, BUT, there is no harm in having her try one and I could not agree MORE with letting her make the final decision. Just trying to be there to keep her educated so she doesn't pick out the Smith and Wesson Sigma with the pink handle I like the idea of the JG M&P...it has the visual appeal she often times succombs to yet it's a solid shooter. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
M&Pman Posted January 21, 2011 Share Posted January 21, 2011 My wife loves my mp pro, but fell in love with the cw9. Yes, the slide is alot to pull back for the little lady for the first 500 rounds but, it is finally to the point were she is comfortable with it and there is no issue on slide pull. The pro was definetly her favorite until we put all the rounds through her cw9 and now I have one more gun back Good luck! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
59Bassman Posted January 21, 2011 Share Posted January 21, 2011 My wife's first centerfire handgun was a Beretta 92FS. She loves that gun like no other. It's big, soaks up the ferocious 9mm recoil, and is comfortable for her. Except she thought the grip was a smidge small (?? - no, really) and wanted Hogue grips with finger grooves on it. She also loves the CZ pistols, and had a CZ-75 PCR for a while. The compact CZ's ARE difficult to cycle, however. Other women I've worked with have really liked the XD pistols, particularly the full size. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Flexmoney Posted January 21, 2011 Share Posted January 21, 2011 Why not a .22 rimfire? Then, find a local Steel Challenge match for her to start with. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bob DuBois Posted January 21, 2011 Share Posted January 21, 2011 We have an indoor range in the area with a large selection of rentals, if there's something like that in your area might try before you buy. Might take her with you to a match and see if you can try some of the members blasters. Let her handle several and see what feels good to her. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mikegot38 Posted January 21, 2011 Share Posted January 21, 2011 You mention that your wife has small hands but she has been shooting a revolver. My wife shoots a 8 shot S&W revolver and is 5'4". She shoots a full size revolver grip and has not trouble with the Sig DA and the M&P on the odd time she shoots an auto. If your wife shoots a revolver with small grips I would suggest a single stack 9 or try an M&P with the small grip panel. We instucted a lady at my club this past summer and she could only shoot a 22 as her hands were very small. She is about 4'8" with very small hands. She has decied on Kahr 9mm as it fits her hand better than the 1911 single stack and a lot better than the earlier mentioned M&P. My suggestion is rent or better yet borrow a number of autos and let her try them out. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
M&Pman Posted January 22, 2011 Share Posted January 22, 2011 Flexmoney had a good point! A .22 rimfire is a great way to start. We have a Walthers P22 with the barrel extension and it is a great way for anyone to start and even just get some trigger time on. And cheap to shoot!!! Good Luck! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
breeze15 Posted January 22, 2011 Share Posted January 22, 2011 I bought a Dan Wesson Guardian 9mm for myself. It quickly became my wifes pistol, she loves it. She is 5.3 110# It comes with slim grips. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ray_Z Posted January 22, 2011 Share Posted January 22, 2011 Production is the place for a new shooter to practical pistol to start. By going to 9mm you take recoil out of the picture. The new shooter has one less thing to think about. I would suggest getting her a Julie Goloski M&P. Not only is it a full sized handgun of a smart choice in caliper, the Julie Goloski model is something special just for her. That goes a long way with the ladies. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jachin Posted January 22, 2011 Share Posted January 22, 2011 (edited) My wife has the same issue. She could not and I mean no way could rack my XD. So after a bunch of pistol squeezing we settled on the H&K P-30. It racks so smooth and easy you would think it was broke. The grip has multiple backs and side panels to fit any hand. In fact, I think there is no other plastic pistols with a better feel to the grip. Not saying other are not as good. There's almost to many trigger variant options and we have the double action/single action version, but I would get the version that is closest to double action only, if I could do it over. One draw back is the cost, of course she did't care about that. It went something like " all the pistols you got!!, cough it up sweetie." ( She doesn't know the half of it.) I still shoot and carry XD's, but for her, it's a prefect pistol. Good luck, Edited January 22, 2011 by Jachin Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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