Good hand gun for a young lady

vernsimpson

vernsimpson

New member
My daughter, who is 23, wants a hand gun for her birthday. She wants a semi-automatic but does not want to carry. At least for now. We live in Minnesota and I think she should have at least a 9mm because of heavy coats in the winter. I also think she should have a good thumb safety on it. Any good ideas what I should get her?
 
You probably need to take her to a place and rent some before you buy and let HER tell you what feels are works best.

There are a ton of choices, but the only one with a safety that I can recall is the M&P. Personally, I don't think a manual safety is all that smart. Unless she is going to practice a ton flipping that safety off and pulling the trigger. Honestly, I believe point and shoot is the best. Your brain and fingers are the best safety. The less a person has to think about under stress the better.

You will here Glock, M&P, Ruger and Springfield. Perhaps the Ruger has a manual safety. I have not shot that particular pistol and am unsure.

Still - RENT and let HER choose what works for her.

Good Luck!
 
Ruger has P89 with thumb safety, its been out a good while. Thats what I carry at time or my S&W MP 40 with no thumb safety . Like said in post before, take her out where she can try different pistols.
 
If those are the features that appeal to her, be sure to rent a Beretta 92 and give it a spin. The H&K P2000 is another one worth a good look.
MR
 
The Ruger SR9C has a trigger and thumb safety.A 9 and 15 shot clip also.I guess some depends on if she can rack the slide on a 9.If she hasnt shot much and wants to shoot cheap she might look at a Sig Sauer 1911 22. 22LR ammo is cheap and the Sig doesnt cost a arm and a leg.Its a full size 1911 and is fun to shoot and gain some gun handleing experance. My GF settled on a Beretta 3230 with the tip up barrel for a carry gun.Its not a bad shooter at 20-25' but she still loves to shoot my Sig 1911 22.JMO
 
Springfield's have a grip safety, which I think is a good compromise between a full manual switch and nothing.
 
In no particular order:

Smith & Wesson M&P (full, compact, or the Shield for subcompact)
Ruger SR9 (full or compact)
Springfield XD (full or compact, M series is better for a higher price. Also has the XDs for a .45 subcompact)

The best bet is to take her to the range and rent a few to see which fits HER. The M&P and XD offer multiple grips, so she can fit it to her hand size. Those are the first two I'd recommend trying.
 
Have her look at the Bersa guns... the .22, .380 are the same size and weight, learn on the .22 then get a .380.
I carry a Bersa Thunder .380 loaded with good defensive ammo and trust it completely.

You can also look at the Bersa 9mm's, Bersa guns are dependable and at a reasonable price. Check out BersaChatForum.com

Also the Ruger SR9c 9mm is one very nice weapon and has a safety also.

:dance3:
 
Numenor said:
Springfield's have a grip safety, which I think is a good compromise between a full manual switch and nothing.
Click to expand...

This is why an XD(M) was my first pistol. Plus it comes with 3 easy to change backstraps, so you can get a better fit, and the medium size one is not too huge for a girl to conceal. But have her rent a few first!
 
The Ruger SR9 fits the description of what you are looking for. The SR9c would most likely be the better choice, should she decide to carry later on. It is loaded with safety features to include a loaded chamber indicator, ambidextrous thumb safety, trigger safety, firing pin safety, and features ambidextrous magazine release, adjustable grip, elevation adjustable rear sight and comes with two magazines, one of which is larger with a sleeve that effectively increases the size of the grip that matches the SR9. I do agree with others about the manual safety, if the manual safety is disengaged, then this gun would still have the same safety features as a Glock.
 
I've only handled these two in the store but the Springfield EMP felt like a hot piece of awesome, and the new sig 938 would be a good option if she ever decided to carry it. Both are on my wish list.

My wife loves my 1911 officers...can never go wrong with a 1911
 
Good luck on the search! Let us know what you end up with

Personally...I like SIG's, I think they are amazing to shoot and not too tough on the wallet. I have had a few different female's shoot my SIG's (P229 and P220). The P229 in 9mm seemed to be preferred by them at the time. The SIG's also have the hammer release which I really like instead of a thumb safety (thats just my opinion though). Sig also puts out the P239 which might be better for her if she has smaller hands.

I am also one to let her choose which best works for her. Renting being the best option

Good Luck!

-Capo
 
I'm hoping she's had a good, comprehensive pistol class already. If not, that needs to be the first thing on the agenda. She should be able to shoot several different guns in class, and she would have a better idea what she wanted afterwards anyway. The instructor should be happy to help her find the gun that "fits," but in the end only she will know. And trust me, that will change as she gains experience. Renting several different guns and shooting a while would be excellent in any case.

A .22 might be a good start if she is recoil adverse, but if she can rack the slide and control a full size pistol... more power to her!! I've carried a .357M revolver, an XD .45 Compact, and now an XD 9mm compact. So far, the last is the best. :) Hopefully she will eventually feel comfortable enough with it to carry. Won't do her a whole lot of good sitting in a drawer. :)
 
Trying is always best. My daughter ended up with a Sig 238 (.380) because she could rack the slide easily. However there are lots of good choices out there.
 
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