Posted: 4/8/2012 2:51:07 AM EDT
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I took a lady friend to the pistol range for the first time. I decided to let her try the Glock. Well it is the G-22 in .40 so it is not the tamest handgun to start with. She is petite and has small hands. She had no problems with the size of the grip at all. She liked the Glock, but I want to have her try the 9mm versions. I am wondering if it is better for her to start with the G-17 or G-19? Of course there are other pistols she may like. Want something with tamer recoil so she learns to shoot well. |
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I took a lady friend to the pistol range for the first time. I decided to let her try the Glock. Well it is the G-22 in .40 so it is not the tamest handgun to start with. She is petite and has small hands. She had no problems with the size of the grip at all. She liked the Glock, but I want to have her try the 9mm versions. I am wondering if it is better for her to start with the G-17 or G-19? Of course there are other pistols she may like. Want something with tamer recoil so she learns to shoot well. My wife loves the G19. 
The 17 is too big for her. |
| Yea if you have a 9mm that would be the one to start her out on. However she should be shooting a lot more rimfire than anything else IMO. Let her get used to the tiny noise, flash and recoil of the .22 before she develops bad habits with the centerfire. Once she has her grip down there is no reason she can not learn to master a .40 glock. Besides my M&P its the softest recoiling .40 I have ever shot. |
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My GF carries a G19. But she's done lots of shooting and it wasn't what she started on.
I had her shoot a full size Kimber in .45acp as her first handgun. I like shooting heavier guns more too. Having an external safety is also confidence instilling in new shooters I have found. She also did really well on a K frame .357. The revolver was good because racking and auto can also be tough for new shooters - especially ladies or not so confident males. There is also no possibility of slide bite on the revolver. But overall, introducing new shooters of both genders I tend towards the heavier, recoil absorbing handguns. I actually don't like to introduce .22lr as a first gun to shoot because I found that when they move up in caliber they haven't developed a strong grip and the recoil shocks and surprises them after getting used to .22. First a real caliber, then .22 for practice after they understand what real recoil feels like. It's fun to bring in new shooters and it's good overall for the shooting community. Thanks. -JC |
Lightweight J-frame in .357 mag. 
Is there anyway you can get her behind a .22LR? If not, a G19 seems to be a good choice. How recoil sensitive is she? Was she able to hit POA with the G22? I took a lady-friend shooting and she was able to hit POA using center fire pistols, but she did not like recoil AT ALL. She would fire one round, stop for 5 minutes, then pick up the gun again and fire another shot. A .22 would have been ideal for her. |
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The hump in the G19's grip will make it difficult for her to keep her finger off the frame and still make a defined hook with it. Assuming she is a typical "small female" her hands are small too. The hump on the G19 grip hits right in the center of the palm, which makes getting the bore axis aligned with the bones of the arm difficult as well while trying to keep the trigger finger properly placed to keep it off the frame (to avoid low left POI.)
The "hump" on the G17 grip is lower due to the longer grip frame, which makes gripping and proper placement of the trigger finger MUCH EASIER. I'm a pistol instructor, BTW. We have used G19s for the past three years as our "loaner pistols" for our HCP course. Do to "small females" we have recently purchased three S&W M&P9s and switched the back straps out to the SMALL size for the reasons described above. I strongly suggest taking her to the gun shop, have the clerk put the SMALL back strap on an M&P9 and have her grip both guns. |
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for basic marksmanship instruction and skill development you can't beat a 22 rimfire! yes it is not a fight stopper, but developing basic marksmanship skills is still the most important.
My wife does her best with a 1911 in .45 beleive it or not. using light target loads with a steel frame it kicks less than most 9mm's with full loads, and is very comfortable for small handed people. |
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If say take her to the gunshop and let her try every gun she can.
I kept trying to push my high capacity double stack agenda on the girl, but none if them fit her small hands. She ended up with a sig p6. The single stack fits her hand much better than any double stack does. |
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If say take her to the gunshop and let her try every gun she can. I kept trying to push my high capacity double stack agenda on the girl, but none if them fit her small hands. She ended up with a sig p6. The single stack fits her hand much better than any double stack does. In my experience, doing this just confuses and intimidates the poor girls. 
Sensory overload, and they lose sight of what is actually important. How are they going to know what "feels good" in practice? You are asking them to assess comfort in a gun store where they are already going to feel somewhat intimidated and overloaded. They are only picking up on grip comfort there. Nothing is being said about reach to the trigger or trigger pull (both important considerations with the fairer sex). Nothing is being said about how they recoil, or manipulation. If they are asking you, they are asking you to steer them past, rather than through all that bullshit.
Best course of action, get them out with maybe four max common CCW handguns. Glock 19, a small Sig or Hk, M&P, a CZ-75D, Walther, etc, and a medium sized revolver like a 10 or 60. Nothing in the micro-sized LCP/P3AT category. Also bring a reliable .22LR semi-auto to start them on and build confidence. |
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Yea if you have a 9mm that would be the one to start her out on. However she should be shooting a lot more rimfire than anything else IMO. Let her get used to the tiny noise, flash and recoil of the .22 before she develops bad habits with the centerfire. Once she has her grip down there is no reason she can not learn to master a .40 glock. Besides my M&P its the softest recoiling .40 I have ever shot. +1. Everyone's first handgun should be a Ruger Mk II/III or Browning Buckmark. The dividends that the gun pays will be immeasurable. A 9mm can wait a few months until the basics of sight alignment, grip, and trigger control have been grooved through multiple bricks of .22LR. |
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Yea if you have a 9mm that would be the one to start her out on. However she should be shooting a lot more rimfire than anything else IMO. Let her get used to the tiny noise, flash and recoil of the .22 before she develops bad habits with the centerfire. Once she has her grip down there is no reason she can not learn to master a .40 glock. Besides my M&P its the softest recoiling .40 I have ever shot. +1. Everyone's first handgun should be a Ruger Mk II/III or Browning Buckmark. The dividends that the gun pays will be immeasurable. A 9mm can wait a few months until the basics of sight alignment, grip, and trigger control have been grooved through multiple bricks of .22LR. Exactly. Its not so much a man or woman thing, as a novice thing. Shooting a handgun takes a lot of practice to be any good, and people can get discouraged. Make some progress with the rimfire, then move up to the centerfire. Once you move her up to the centerfire though, encourage her to go with 9mm. Ammo aint gonna get any cheaper, and for the slightest little balistic advantage that either .40 or .45 may have over 9mm, its not worth the extra expense. I am thinking hard on buying a 9mm barrel for my M&P40 just to shoot it more. |
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Get her an M&P22 first then an M&P9 after she has gotten the hang of the .22lr. If she has already shot a .22lr extensively, go ahead and grab a 9mm M&P.
My wife picked out her M&P9 and added all the Apex Tactical trigger parts (DCAEK and RAM) and their extractor. Then she put the small backstrap on it and stippled it herself exactly how she wanted it. The thing just runs and she loves it. BTW, my wife is about 5'1" and weighs somewhere in the 110lb range and has extremely small hands and poor upper body strength and she can handle about 200rds every other week through the 9mm. |
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I'm a tiny girl and I like shooting 1911s. I like the single stack mag, the big frame, longer sight radius and the big slow rounds.
I carry a g19, though, and don't even consider how it fits in my hand when I buy a gun. Feel has no bearing on my accuracy, so I just consider it like I consider the "prettiness" of a gun. Which is to say, not at all. I like how simple glocks are, how ubiquitous. I also love that Sub2ks take the same mags. |
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Most females I've taken shooting like heavier pistols. Have her try a CZ SP01 if you can find one. Quoted for the truth, here. My wife's favorite handgun is a S&W Model 28 .357. She has said she specifically likes the weight and heft (and the smokin' hot 158-grain GoldDots  ), plus she likes not having to "fool with a bunch of levers and buttons."
Let your GF/wife/SO pick what feel's best for HER, not what you think she may or may not like. |
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Most females I've taken shooting like heavier pistols. Have her try a CZ SP01 if you can find one. Quoted for the truth, here. My wife's favorite handgun is a S&W Model 28 .357. She has said she specifically likes the weight and heft (and the smokin' hot 158-grain GoldDots ), plus she likes not having to "fool with a bunch of levers and buttons."
Let your GF/wife/SO pick what feel's best for HER, not what you think she may or may not like. Are you seeing my GF  ?
ETA: I'm of course kidding, but the ladies have similar handgun preferences. -JC |
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Most females I've taken shooting like heavier pistols. Have her try a CZ SP01 if you can find one. Quoted for the truth, here. My wife's favorite handgun is a S&W Model 28 .357. She has said she specifically likes the weight and heft (and the smokin' hot 158-grain GoldDots ), plus she likes not having to "fool with a bunch of levers and buttons."
Let your GF/wife/SO pick what feel's best for HER, not what you think she may or may not like. Are you seeing my GF ?
ETA: I'm of course kidding, but the ladies have similar handgun preferences. -JC We got good taste in dames, what can I say
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I'm a tiny girl and I like shooting 1911s. I like the single stack mag, the big frame, longer sight radius and the big slow rounds. I carry a g19, though, and don't even consider how it fits in my hand when I buy a gun. Feel has no bearing on my accuracy, so I just consider it like I consider the "prettiness" of a gun. Which is to say, not at all. I like how simple glocks are, how ubiquitous. I also love that Sub2ks take the same mags. My wife is the same way when qualifying for her chl renewals and range time she loves my full size 1911 but she carries a springer EMP im 9mm . Shes like 5"3" 105 with a heavy coat.
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I taught my wife to shoot and got her into shooting a few months ago. We went through the same thing. She's about 5'8" and around 125 Lbs. We'd spent a great deal of time at the gun shop, and we had it narrowed down to something that was striker fired.
We'd rented and tried a host of them and it was a struggle for her to figure what she liked, because she had little experience and no frame of reference. Its fortunate that we "guy folks" are good and friendly folk. The guy in the lane next to us at the range overheard us, and said "Hey...wanna let her try my XDm 9mm...see what she thinks?". So she tried it...and it was like THE one. She knew immediately. She just looked at me and told me to return the rest of the rentals to the counter because this was it. Looking at her target...she was right...it made her look like an expert shooter. Tight little group at 10 yards. It was actually impressive. She shot it better than the guy who let her borrow it. It was perfect for her. Resonably priced and came with a nice beginners kit...3 magazines, a mag pouch, a holster, a mag loader, and 3 backstraps. Back in November when we picked it up, it also came with a coupon you could send in for 3 more free magazines. I put the smallest backstrap on it for her and ever since....she shoots this gun like a pro. It just works for her..and the best part....is that because she loves shooting it so much, its easy to get her to train and to come shooting with me regularly. She enjoys it. The only thing she didn't like about it in hindsight is that the bore-axis is a bit high, so with her very weak wrists sometimes she starts limp wristing and her wrists get sore. Its just personal preference, nothing against them, but I don't particularly care for shooting the XDm myself. However, for her, its amazing. That gun seems to have the ability to make a new shooter look like a pro. |
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I took a lady friend to the pistol range for the first time. I decided to let her try the Glock. Well it is the G-22 in .40 so it is not the tamest handgun to start with. She is petite and has small hands. She had no problems with the size of the grip at all. She liked the Glock, but I want to have her try the 9mm versions. I am wondering if it is better for her to start with the G-17 or G-19? Of course there are other pistols she may like. Want something with tamer recoil so she learns to shoot well. Bring a .22 RF and teach her on that. |
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I'd suggest avoiding anything that is light or has a short barrel. Those qualities tend to produce unpleasant snappy recoil. In this case, I'll say nothing smaller than a Glock 19. For most handgun threads, the correct answer typically lies in the CZ-75 family, but more and more CZs are coming equipped with an aggressively curved trigger that might be hard for her to reach. The ridiculous palm swell on Glocks may or may not be a problem for her. The M&P is probably a valid suggestion.
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I second the G26, My girlfriend shoots mine and loves it. Never liked the 26. Prefer the 19 or 17. I'd rather shoot the bigger guns. The concealability factor of the 26 doesn't come into play for the OP's GF, but even if it did, I find the 19 conceals better due to longer lines smoothing out its shape under clothing. I know a few women who love the 26 as much as I and a few others love the 19s and 17s. |
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Walther PPQ Comes with interchangeable back straps for smaller hands. While I love, adore, lust...my PPQ, my girlfriend hates it. She's actually downright scared of it. I know it's just a 9mm, but she doesn't like the snappy recoil being such a light and smaller frame handgun and feels it's too much. YMMV. Maybe mine's just a wuss.
She does love my SR22 Pistol, however, and hogs it when we shoot .22s together. |