Pistol for the wife

[Ohioguy]

I bought my wife a .22 a couple months ago. She has been shooting it extensively, and has become quite comfortable with it. So much so that she wants to start shooting 'something bigger'. along with something bigger, she alos wants something she can use in competition. It seems her competitve side has come out, and she is rather excited.

Problem is that she has small hands. My Glock 17 is a little too big for her. So can only get the tip of her finger on the trigger when she has a a proper grip. So I need to get her into a different pistol.

I am sure some of you guys have had similar situations, so I am looking for some suggestions. I am thinking of the big three-M&P, XDM, and Ruger (simply because it is narrow in the grip). Obviously, we are going to handle several different guns and shoot them if we can. But I was curious at others experience, what you came up with.

[halogrinder]

I bought my wife a .22 a couple months ago. She has been shooting it extensively, and has become quite comfortable with it. So much so that she wants to start shooting 'something bigger'. along with something bigger, she alos wants something she can use in competition. It seems her competitve side has come out, and she is rather excited.

Problem is that she has small hands. My Glock 17 is a little too big for her. So can only get the tip of her finger on the trigger when she has a a proper grip. So I need to get her into a different pistol.

I am sure some of you guys have had similar situations, so I am looking for some suggestions. I am thinking of the big three-M&P, XDM, and Ruger (simply because it is narrow in the grip). Obviously, we are going to handle several different guns and shoot them if we can. But I was curious at others experience, what you came up with.

i have a little wife and she cant shoot hardly any of my auto's, let alone rack ANY of them.

your chances of living on the bad side of my semi autos are pretty good with her behind the wheel .....lol

little weak danty hands that cant rack a slide = no good.

little weak danty hands that cant grip an auto's thick(er) grip = no good either.

so i got her a wheel gun.

she picked it out and wanted it......

we ended up getting a taurus .357 tracker w/ a 4 1/2 inch bbl.

i thought to myself (self heres a way to get a .357 and she wont want to shoot it cause of the kick)

"baby if you want it, you can shoot .38's and ill shoot .357s from it"......

i thought meh, another gun ill be "stuck" with :)

450 bucks later we went to the range.

i dont even KEEP .38's in the house any longer. this gun shoots SO easily and SO well, she blasts .357's out if it all day...

to the point where im like "HEY SLOW DOWN!!!!" you be burnin a hole thru the gun and the pocket book!

she likes the rubber grip, it doesnt want to flip over your hand, its nice and heavy and she likes the trigger pull.

i like the stopping power.

she even shoots corebonds and hot loads w/ no issue.

i shoot it @ 50 yards and can drop plates with it all day. its a GREAT gun.

ill be buying another tracker in some other caliber soon because of it.

hope that helps!

get EVERY gun you can get your hands on for her to shoot and make up HER mind on what SHE likes.

[Matt Cheely]

My 5' nothing fiancee shoots open. I built her a 5" open with Ti comp, cut the grip way down, and used a short curve trigger. She has no trouble with the grip size.

[G-ManBart]

My wife is pretty petite (5'2", 105lbs) with small hands, so I know exactly what you're dealing with. Primarily she's shot revolvers, but she shoots autos just fine. She recently started shooting my M&P Pro with a small backstrap and a 13lb recoil spring in it and she said "wow, this is a wuss gun, it's so easy to shoot". She can get on the trigger with no problem and can rack the slide pretty easily (although this is nearly as much technique as it is strength).

For comparison's sake, she absolutely does not like any of my Glocks....she's shot G22, 23 and 27 and said they were all hard to hold. She's had good luck with both her Kahr and my Trojan in .40 so the single stack guns are a little more forgiving. The M&P just happens to have a very narrow grip for a double stack...so they're worth looking at. R,

[open17]

My wife has the smallest hands I've ever seen on an adult. After a couple of years shooting a reduced grip

G17 in open, she has a new favorite gun.

Colt Series 70 Mk IV 9mm Single Stack

Thin grips

Short trigger

Right side mag release (currently S&A, I'm going to put a Mitchell on it)

Flat mainspring housing

S&A magwell

Low platform safety (Brownell's 340-100-044AB)

Champion adjustable rear sight

Dawson .090 FO front

11 lb recoil spring on a FLGR, 17 lb mainspring

Wilson ETM mags

147 gr MG CMJ's at 133 PF

I don't have big hands, and this thing is actually too small for me to shoot.

[jkatz44]

My wife has the smallest hands I've ever seen on an adult. After a couple of years shooting a reduced grip

G17 in open, she has a new favorite gun.

Colt Series 70 Mk IV 9mm Single Stack

Thin grips

Short trigger

Right side mag release (currently S&A, I'm going to put a Mitchell on it)

Flat mainspring housing

S&A magwell

Low platform safety (Brownell's 340-100-044AB)

Champion adjustable rear sight

Dawson .090 FO front

11 lb recoil spring on a FLGR, 17 lb mainspring

Wilson ETM mags

147 gr MG CMJ's at 133 PF

I don't have big hands, and this thing is actually too small for me to shoot.

I would say any of the MPs. I have the 9mmL and love it. There is interchangeable backstraps for people with small, medium, and large hands. I have shot the xdm but it looks good. But my MP feels better than the XDM to me. Pick whatever feels the best to her.

[smokshwn]

Don't forget the CZ's. For a double stack 9mm they are about as narrow throught the grip as it gets.

[CocoBolo]

My wife Shoots her CZ 75B in Limited, and carries her CZ75 Compact. The CZ75B and the SP01 a little heavier are nice for small hands. They are also very accurate, reliable and inexpensive. Start her out with about 3.8 gr of WST behind a 115 or 125 then as she gets use to it bump it up to 130pf at about 4.7gr. By then she will be like us don't even hear it or know it recoils just heard the timer go off.

The 75B can be had in decocker or safety and the trigger can be lightened good enough for a novice USPSA shooter with just changing out the 22# main spring for a 15# main spring.

She let me use it once, and I shot a classifier, made C with ease in production, inspite of several errors on my part.

[redmanfixit]

I too have the small Wifey. A couple years ago, at a Glock match we were helping to put on, She wandered off with Chris Edwards. I looked over my shoulder after running a shooter through one of the COF's to see her going by on a golf cart with Chris toward the practice berms and she held up a Glock case and kind of wobbled it back and forth in the air with this look on her face that indicated a impending hemorrhage in my checking account.

Since She was a beginner, mostly, I was dubious about her choice but it has worked out extremely well. She picked a G26 9mm subcompact. We put Pierce Mag extensions on all the mags because even with her small hands, her pinky was waving around in the air, unsupported. The only mods to the gun were a lone wolf 31/2 pound trigger bar and a .25 cent trigger job. Later we added an Advantage Tactical sight mostly because she's cross dominant and has a little trouble picking up a good sight picture quickly. (We're a little older as well). I added grip tape decals and her groups tightened immediately!

She just pounds stuff with it. She shoots full power 9mm loads I build around a 124gr bullet. Steel falls smartly and she prints nice little groups in the A zone quicker and quicker all the time. No trouble racking the slide and even though her hands aren't the toughest, no trouble after a couple hundred rounds of practice with sore hands.

Plus this is what she carries. Even though She's small it tucks away nicely.

[MTBfarms]

My wife has the smallest hands I've ever seen on an adult. After a couple of years shooting a reduced grip

G17 in open, she has a new favorite gun.

Colt Series 70 Mk IV 9mm Single Stack

Thin grips

Short trigger

Right side mag release (currently S&A, I'm going to put a Mitchell on it)

Flat mainspring housing

S&A magwell

Low platform safety (Brownell's 340-100-044AB)

Champion adjustable rear sight

Dawson .090 FO front

11 lb recoil spring on a FLGR, 17 lb mainspring

Wilson ETM mags

147 gr MG CMJ's at 133 PF

I don't have big hands, and this thing is actually too small for me to shoot.

+1

A single stack 1911 in 9mm is a blast to shoot with minimal recoil. Light recoil springs make the slide easy to work with small hands.

[walter hornby]

My girlfriends went through the same thing. when she started she ended up using my single stack 45. she then graduated to a single stack 38 super in open. from there she moved up to a SVI open. she did put in the short trigger which helped immensely as well as the undercut. these days she is shooting a Shadow (she won it at the BC Provincials) with the aluminium grips.

My best suggestion is let a good coach work with her on different guns and then buy one she feels comfortable with.

[Calmwater]

Do you load?

Single stack 40 at minor power factor and once shes comfortable major loads would be competitive in single stack.

[FranDoc]

Small paws here. I shot an XD9 in Production for 2 years, before the XDM was available. The current Caspian in .40 major actually shoots softer. The Caspian has a different grip profile than the S_I -- longer front-to-back, narrower side-to-side. With no grips, just grip tape, it works for me.

Can't get my hands around a Glock and make it feel right (apologies to all my Glock-loving shootin' buddies).

You're welcome to come with me to the range and shoot both, just to see if either work for her. I know at least one guy locally with an M&P 9mm that he'd let her try. I can borrow a CZ in 9 minor Open that's an absolute dream to shoot -- recoil like my .22, essentially no dot bounce. Same gun can be re-sprung for 9 major.

Might want to try the rental counter at both Midwest & Stonewall. The other option would be to invite her to a match -- most people are more than willing to let somebody try his/her gun to see if it "works" for them.

With any polymer gun, strongly consider grip tape. See Eric Wesselman in the Dealer's Forum. It makes a huge difference.

Grip comfort is a function of the dimensions of the gun interacting with the physical leverage of the shooter. Felt recoil is a function of springs and how the ammo is loaded. You can "tweak" all of that to make it more comfortable and functional for her. (I've shot a Taurus Raging Bull revo in .454 Cassul that was loaded down for essentially no kick or muzzle flip. Ask Roy at Midwest about that one).

[Neomet]

First semiauto my wife liked/could rack was a 9mm Springfield S/S. She really liked that gun. Hell I really liked that gun. She now shoots our CZ Tac Sport with minor .40 loads. I cut the grip down quite a bit on the TS and she loves it. The CZ/Tanfos are harder for her to rack due to the smaller section of the slide she can grab than on a 1911.

The difficulty in racking the slide for a small woman even with good technique can't be overstated. Most don't have enough pinch strength. I found by putting grip tape on both sides of the rear of the slide, even over serrations, makes it easier/less painful for Leslie to rack the slide.

[open17]

Do you load?

Single stack 40 at minor power factor and once shes comfortable major loads would be competitive in single stack.

+1. I've done the same in 45 1911's. Fast powder/heavy bullet, 8 lb recoil spring. Lot's of "Bullseye" load

data out there for the 45. VERY light and soft. And if you watch the bullet and see that's it's going to miss,

you can run along side it and nudge it back on track.

[Ohioguy]

Thanks for the replies.

She added last night that she wants a thumb safety, so that narrows the field a little.

The M&P, as I thought, is a possiblity, so we will be sure to try that out. The 9mm 1911 is another good option. With the addition of smaller grips and a short trigger, it might be a little more customizable than the polymer frame guns. I was surprised at the mention of the CZ. Its been awhile since I have held one, and IIRC, the trigger reach seemed a little long. We'll try that one as well.

We are off to the gunshow this afternoon, assuming I don't have to go off and change out a door and frame. HSe is going to handle some and then make a trip to the range to actually test fire the ones she likes (if they are available).

Matt, the custom built is out of the question financially at this moment. Besides, I don't have a custom yet, so can't she can't get one....

[G-ManBart]

She added last night that she wants a thumb safety, so that narrows the field a little.

Interesting, but I never thought about this before....wonder if Smith will ever make an M&P Pro or 9L with a thumb safety? I would be slightly suprised if they did, but it wouldn't seem to be that hard to do since they already offer it on other, similar, models. R,

[gmantwo]

Browning Hi-Power. My wife is also small, 5'4" with small hands. Her carry gun is a Bersa Thunder, but she liked my Hi-Power very much, said it fit her really well.

[G-ManBart]

Browning Hi-Power. My wife is also small, 5'4" with small hands. Her carry gun is a Bersa Thunder, but she liked my Hi-Power very much, said it fit her really well.

Unfortunately, the BHP is the one gun that almost doesn't have a home in USPSA shooting....sad, but true. L-10 is probably the only semi-reasonable place to use it. R,

[gmantwo]

That's probably true, but it might be comfortable enough for her that she would want to shoot L-10. If he's not asking about a competition gun, I would definetely get her to try a HP. I shot L-10 and limited for a while with mine. I reload VERY fast, so 13 round mags really weren't a hindrance to me. I only switched to a 2011 to get optics. If there were a decent way to put a c-more on a Hi-Power I'd still be shooting that. Nothing feels better in my hand.

[dkemxr]

I would 2nd the M&P. I have the small grip panel on my Pro for the same issue and she can handle it well.

[G-ManBart]

That's probably true, but it might be comfortable enough for her that she would want to shoot L-10. If he's not asking about a competition gun, I would definetely get her to try a HP. I shot L-10 and limited for a while with mine. I reload VERY fast, so 13 round mags really weren't a hindrance to me. I only switched to a 2011 to get optics. If there were a decent way to put a c-more on a Hi-Power I'd still be shooting that. Nothing feels better in my hand.

The only reason I mentioned that was because he said she wanted something to shoot in competition. Sure, up to a certain point, gun choices don't make much difference, but after a while people always seem to wind up saying "but if I only.... I would have finished higher".

He also mentioned she has a competitive side. I don't see anybody who's competitive wanting to give free points (Minor) and time (reloads, except for L-10) to the rest of the field because of their gun choice. As much as I like the BHP, I would never recommend someone buy one to use in USPSA. If they already have one, cool, come on out and have fun, but if they're starting out there are choices that won't make them fit a square peg in a round hole.

You may reload "VERY fast", but while you're reloading, everybody else is shooting

[Ohioguy]

Well, we went to the gunshow yesterday, and spent close to three hours wandering.

She handled just about everything. The M&P's just didn't fit her, which I was surprised. SHe had a gap between the top of her hand and the 'beavertail' of the frame of a 1/2-3/4 of an inch. SHe didn't like the trigger as well. The XD's weren't much better in terms of fit. The CZ's and the clones fit better, but she didn't like the DA trigger pull. At one point, she picked up a Taurus 1911 that just dropped into her hand. She commented on how it felt, but siad it was kind of heavy. Right next to it was an alloy frame Taurus, which she handled and said it felt great. So the next couple hours was spent looking at 1911's.

She has a bit of a tough side, and when I explained to her about 9mm 1911's, and minor PF and such, she told me she wanted a .45. I think what she said was 'so people that shoot 9mm are cheating then, right?'. I explained that it wasn't again, but she wasn't hearing any of it.

We ended up buying a Springfield 1911 for an excellent price. We took it to the range last night and put a box of ammo through it. After the first round, she was a bit apprehensive. The Black Hills ammo we were shooting is rather stiff- 230gr at 850FPS, with a PF of 195, but she was a trooper and finished off most of the box, while I shot the rest. SHe said the recoil scared her, but she knew I could down load it and make it softer shooting. We found a couple hotspots that need attention, like the bottom edge of the thumb safety and the bottom edge of the trigger guard. It also needs a thinner set of grips. The rear sight either needs opened up a little or replaced. We had one malfunction- as the gun didn't go into battery. I found a cartridge in the chamber, but the extractor wasn't over the rim, so it kept it from going into battery. I am thinking it might be a mag issue.

She dry fired it after we got home and discussed what needed to be done. Overall, she is happy. Now, I have to see if I can get BE to ship me out dies and a caliber conversion so I can have it before the end of the week.

Thanks for all the offers to try guns out by the way. The offer is very much appreciated.

[G-ManBart]

Well, we went to the gunshow yesterday, and spent close to three hours wandering.

She handled just about everything. The M&P's just didn't fit her, which I was surprised. SHe had a gap between the top of her hand and the 'beavertail' of the frame of a 1/2-3/4 of an inch. SHe didn't like the trigger as well. The XD's weren't much better in terms of fit. The CZ's and the clones fit better, but she didn't like the DA trigger pull. At one point, she picked up a Taurus 1911 that just dropped into her hand. She commented on how it felt, but siad it was kind of heavy. Right next to it was an alloy frame Taurus, which she handled and said it felt great. So the next couple hours was spent looking at 1911's.

She has a bit of a tough side, and when I explained to her about 9mm 1911's, and minor PF and such, she told me she wanted a .45. I think what she said was 'so people that shoot 9mm are cheating then, right?'. I explained that it wasn't again, but she wasn't hearing any of it.

We ended up buying a Springfield 1911 for an excellent price. We took it to the range last night and put a box of ammo through it. After the first round, she was a bit apprehensive. The Black Hills ammo we were shooting is rather stiff- 230gr at 850FPS, with a PF of 195, but she was a trooper and finished off most of the box, while I shot the rest. SHe said the recoil scared her, but she knew I could down load it and make it softer shooting. We found a couple hotspots that need attention, like the bottom edge of the thumb safety and the bottom edge of the trigger guard. It also needs a thinner set of grips. The rear sight either needs opened up a little or replaced. We had one malfunction- as the gun didn't go into battery. I found a cartridge in the chamber, but the extractor wasn't over the rim, so it kept it from going into battery. I am thinking it might be a mag issue.

She dry fired it after we got home and discussed what needed to be done. Overall, she is happy. Now, I have to see if I can get BE to ship me out dies and a caliber conversion so I can have it before the end of the week.

Thanks for all the offers to try guns out by the way. The offer is very much appreciated.

My wife has that same gap when she holds and M&P....it's because they don't have hands that are nearly as fleshy as men so they don't fill in that area, but it doesn't seem to make any difference. I see the same thing with our female agents that are smaller, but it's usually a non-issue.

195PF isn't really ll that much more than 170+ which is what you'll need for Major with a safety cushion...and it's possible that the loads weren't even 195 because box ballistics tend to be on the high side. Sure 170ish is a bit less, but not enough to really help a newer shooter. That would worry me considerably. Being a newer shooter the list of bad habits that can develp very quickly by shooting a more powerful gun isn't as much long as it is challenging to try and fix later. If you see even the slightest sign of pre-ignition push/anticipation (shots really low, low/left or wild misses) it's time to stop, back off and probably go back to something like a .22 or .38 with wadcutters and then maybe the .45 with powder puff bullseye loads for a while and slowly build up. You don't want to ruin enthusiasm by running into very frustrating problems at the outset.

I have a set of the thin STI grips that they put on their single stacks (came off my Trojan) that you can have for the cost of shipping...PM me if you're interested. Be warned though, it might offend the Springfield faithful R,

[Matt Cheely]

Download some ammo for it and put a 13lb recoil spring in there. It will help with some of the muzzle flip.