9mm carry gun for small lady?

[dfwmiket]

Para Warthog in 9mm is a nice little piece, too, just FYI.

[Chris Keen]

Either a Kahr or a Keltec. Keltec is now making a single-stack 9mm compact that is perfect for this situation. Ruger now also has a clone of the Keltec 3AT. Either way, when it comes to CCW I prefer to carry a light gun that kicks hard, rather than the other way around.

[Nik Habicht]

Either a Kahr or a Keltec. Keltec is now making a single-stack 9mm compact that is perfect for this situation. Ruger now also has a clone of the Keltec 3AT. Either way, when it comes to CCW I prefer to carry a light gun that kicks hard, rather than the other way around.

But you know one or two things about shooting --- and occasionally practice or shoot matches.

I'm heavily in the Glock 19 camp, even if it needs a ROBAR grip reduction to fit her hands. Carol liked the Kahr guns when she was still occasionally shooting. All that said, one of Carol's aunts carried a S&W .22 revolver for years, before getting comfortable enough to transition up to another J-frame in .38SPL. I'd be a little less worried right now about caliber --- and get her into something that she'll want to shoot in practice that can also be carried. Baby steps --- and in a couple of years maybe she'll be carrying a heavier, bigger 9mm.

Other choices: Sig 239, Sig 225 (you might need a short trigger from Sig), the aforementioned S&W 3913, or one of the Ladysmith wheelguns, Walther apparently makes a small 9mm SS -- no idea how good it is....

[Flexmoney]

Nik and Fran make sense...baby steps going in the right direction.

[waxman]

Type of ammo used in the 9 might be worth considering too. Not sure what she shot in the subcompact xd, but If you compared a +P+ Ranger 124, side by side with a Atlanta Arms 147. You would not believe it is the same gun. We all try our best to load for limited recoil in this game, why not for a defensive pistol?

[AikiDale]

Kel Tec in .380. Standard rounds to practice then load it up with the good stuff for carry. With WWB it is pretty controllable and does not physically hurt to shoot it. Load it with the frangibles for carry. No it won't stop a charging meth head in his tracks. Yes It will make a rapist loose his erection.

I have a Colt Mustang Pocketlite in .380 which doubles as a watch fob. I know a wine bottle hits harder, but you can put an eye out with this thing.

[Nik Habicht]

Kel Tec in .380. Standard rounds to practice then load it up with the good stuff for carry. With WWB it is pretty controllable and does not physically hurt to shoot it. Load it with the frangibles for carry. No it won't stop a charging meth head in his tracks. Yes It will make a rapist loose his erection.

I have a Colt Mustang Pocketlite in .380 which doubles as a watch fob. I know a wine bottle hits harder, but you can put an eye out with this thing.

I like a .380, or .32 or even .22 that's actually carried and practiced with a whole lot better than any "perceived real carry gun" that sits on a shelf never being used....

...but then I'll readily admit to knowing almost nothing about the subject at hand.....

[JFlowers]

As amazing as it might sound, my 5'4" lady friend carries a full size 5" 1911 in 9mm everyday. She finds the single stack grip comfortable in her hand and the weight of the gun really kills the recoil. She uses a DayTimer style off person holster rather than an on person concealed holster. Plus, she can use the gun when she shoots with me. 115gr bulk ammo for competition and 124gr JHP +p for day to day carry.

[MichiganShootist]

I had a 75 year old lady in a pistol class last month. She came with a S & W model 317 Air weight. It's a 9 or 10 oz 8 shot .22 caliber snubbie.

Many of the guys in the class were joking about her "mouse gun" as such... but when we hit the range she was the second ranked shooter out of 12. Loosing only to a DOC guy who has shot a lot in his life.

Hitting a BG quickly with a half dozen rounds of .22 is a far superior solution to missing them slowly with a .40. 90% of the non-competition shooters I see in CPL (Concealed Pistol License) classes have more gun than they can handle.

I tell them it's like buying a Formula 1 car as a first "ride"... and that all they do is teach themselves to flinch, blink, jerk the trigger etc.

[Eagle40]

I was hoping that Smith and Wesson would come up with a 9mm Airweight. That's the caliber between model 317 and 642. I think that's a good carry piece for the ladies.

[kimel]

I personally don't think there is THE gun out there for a newbie shooter that hasn't done the range time. Without proper technique even a .22 auto is going to be too much.

My wife started shooting (finally!!!) last Spring. First trick was to get her to take a class full of other women taught by two real stand-up guys (and both USPSA competitors). They started her on a .22 revo. I then continued her training on a .22 revo (S&W K-22) then moved her to a .22 auto then to mouse fart loads in a 4" .357 revo (PF on the chrono was under 100) and then shooting those same loads in a J-Frame .38. For her b-day she got an M&P 9 as she wants to shoot steel. Starting load for the M&P was around PF 110. As her technique and comfort level have increased so has the amount of powder in each cartridge. She is now handling around PF 135 in both guns without much problem and will start shooting steel challenge matches once it decides to not be winter here.

At this point she still is not comfortable with the CCW idea. Hell, I can barely get her to carry her cell phone reliably. But she does have the M&P stoked with Hydra-Shocks in the house and that is a huge step forward for her.

I have a friend whose wife has a LadySmith in .32 H&R. That is a real sweet shooting gun. The new .327 S&W Mag also sounds very interesting. As competition shooters who predominately shoot autos, we tend to discount the wheel guns for carry and I think that is a mistake. Very simple user interface, very reliable.

But if the user hasn't spent the time to develop proper technique and become comfortable with the gun then no amount of new hardware is going to solve the recoil problem for them. Period.

[Middle Man]

The new .327 S&W Mag also sounds very interesting.

In some ways I wish it was .327 S&W Mag, the lightweight J-frame platform is more carry friendly. However, .327 Federal is initially chambered in all steel Ruger SP-101's.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/.327_Federal_Magnum

Edited April 10, 2008 by Middle Man

[Bergie]

A Smith & Wesson model 442 is a great carry gun for a lady.

It is only 15 oz. 38 special loads are not much different than a 9mm

Slim size works good for carry.

No hammer or rear sight to get snagged and they are easy to operate.

[shred]

Karl has some good info on the topic.. he teaches lots of beginners and women shooters :

http://www.krtraining.com/KRTraining/Archive/MakeItEasy.htm

http://www.krtraining.com/KRTraining/Archi...rstgun2006.html

[zhunter]

Without reading this whole thread, I will throw out my choice.

HK P7M8 is tough to beat.

Not a competition gun as it heats up too much, but for carrying a 9mm, it is THE choice in my opinion

[reneet]

Carried a S&W 36 for years but hated practicing with it. Acquired a S&W 3913TSW back in '94 and love it. It's fun and easy to shoot, doesn't take up alot more space than the model 36. I've carried the 3913TSW ever since and relegated the 36 to my hide-away house gun.

[kgunz11]

A small gun in the pocket is better than a big gun in the truck.

[Round_Gun_Shooter]

THx, guys... I sent the Kahr K9 series over as a suggestion, along with a couple of thoughts on the wisdom of making a small carry gun the only thing in the house for practice (ie, told them to consider getting something full sized that might be easier and more fun to shoot).

joe4d... I appreciate what you're saying, and yeah, I've been down that road before, too But... lighten up, man

The good thing about the S&W M&P 9C is the interchangeable back straps to fit her hand. The design also makes recoil minimal. If they decide they need more practice with a larger size, the M&P full size is a good second purchase.

[AustinMike]

How is she planning on carrying? Women have the advantage of the purse as a carry option, which allows a bigger gun to be carried easier. So, maybe instead of looking for a small gun, look for a gun that fits her hands and that she can control under recoil rather than letting size be the primary guide. If she still wants a small gun, you could also suggest that right she qualify with a heavy semi-auto, like a 92F, then carry a revolver. She could borrow a gun or possibly rent from the range. With the right grips and 38sp ammo, J-frames are a darn good carry option and simple for the casual shooter to deal with.

[dsb45acp]

I gotta go with ZH on this one. It's pricey but the H&K P7 is hard to beat.

Edit for my poor typing skills.

Edited April 11, 2008 by dsb45acp

[XRe]

Well... I have a philosophy on carry guns... It needs to fit, function, be usable under pressure, and be something that I'm likely to take at all times (ie, big/heavy doesn't fit this bill). It also needs to be something I can afford to lose if I have to use it - depending on the area of the country you're in, you're never seeing that sucker again (luckily, here in Texas, it isn't that way, but you're still not going to have it until after at least the grand jury...). The P7, while a nice nice gun, is too expensive to fit that bill, for me. I've also known of people - mostly small women, like my wife, who have problems squeezing the cocking lever. I personally couldn't stomach carrying a custom 1911, either, but I respect folks making that choice.

Personally, I've always been a revo guy for carry. Sooner or later, here, though, I'm going to pick up an auto of some form (leaning towards a G19C right now).

As far as this lady is concerned, I sent over the feedback. I'll leave it to them from there. I made several suggestions in my first conversation with the gent about other alternatives for training, etc. They can take it or leave it, of course I haven't heard back what they decided, at this point, so... we'll see...

[Allgoodhits]

Kahr MK9

Steel framed, nice revolver like trigger.

With Gold Dot 124s, quite unviolent.

Racking the slide might be a problem for a weak woman.

^ What he said ^

MJ

[chp5]

I gotta go with ZH on this one. It's pricey but the H&K P7 is hard to beat.

Yes, but you must dry fire it to the point that the squeeze cocker is an automatic reaction.

That may be very easy for a competitive shooter, but maybe not for someone who is a novice without any drive to practice or dry fire.

[bountyhunter]

I have a friend who asked me about getting a carry gun for his wife. He's got an XD9 sub-compact that she finds to be too violent to shoot. They're not big time gun people - just pro-2nd Amendment and pro-CHL folks who feel a need to be armed, so they don't have a ton of stuff laying around to try out. I also haven't worked with them on the range - I can probably help her technique and get her to where a 9mm of any size is manageable for her... But none of that can happen in the timeframe they're looking at.

So, they're thinking about a .380 for her - I pointed out that most .380s are blowback operated, and are going to kick about as much as a recoil operated 9mm (plus, well, .... .380 sucks, relatively speaking). I'm having trouble coming up with a good 9mm option for her, though. Small, lighter weight 9mm that tends to have a better recoil profile than an XD-9 sub ???

Browning HI-Power is one of the best lady 9mm guns. Short trigger reach, narrow grip makes it easy for a woman to grip solidly. Some pD's authorize them for female officers because they qualify higher when they can hold onto the gun properly.

Edited April 11, 2008 by bountyhunter

[Punkin Chunker]

Small, lighter weight 9mm that tends to have a better recoil profile than an XD-9 sub ???

It's going to come down to ergonomics and how each weapon fits her hands. Two different pistols can have the same "recoil profile" and yet some people will choose one over the other based on how well the grip design distributes and manages the recoil.

Bottom line -- as so many have already pointed out -- take 'em out and shoot 'em.

FWIW -- We went to buy a woman's carry gun, and initially with the intent of a G19. Wound up with the Walther PPS in 9mm.

It's nice -- concealable, good ergonomics, striker fired so it's basically point-and-shoot without dealing with safeties, etc. Rated for +P.

My wife can put two boxes of 115JHP at 135 PF through it without complaint.

There have been some reports of problems with the slide lock malfunctioning and jamming the slide open, but they seem to have worked through that (I've had no problems).