I’ve tried to have my wife shoot many different firearms. She has small hands, and a very weak grip. Of the many pistols I’ve had her try, the one she prefers above all others is my oldest pistol... Beretta 92FS. She can’t shoot it for very long, but the big grip gives her plenty of purchase, and it has very little recoil. I don’t have to make puff rounds for her for the Beretta. Since I don’t trade in any of my guns we now own 2 Kimber Micro 380s, a Kimber Micro 9, a Rock Island Baby Rock 1911-380, a Bersa Thunder 380, a Springfield 911, a Ruger SP101...lots of small, fairly easy to shoot firearms...and she prefers the Beretta 92FS. Go figure!
Best Beginner’s 9mm?
- Thread starter Mike H.
- Start date
yrsued
Operator
Believe it or not, some small handguns that are harder to fire. Have her try some medium size pistols. Find a range that has rental handguns, she might be able to find the best one that way.
RandomHero
Custom
When I instruct someone that is new to firearms, I always start them out on a full size 9mm. The XDm 5.25 is my starting point. Many may disagree, however this is what I start them off with. Reasoning: The 5.25 is obviously much easier to shoot from all aspects. Larger grip, more weight, less recoil, and better sight radius. I do not want the new shooter to develop bad habits trying to deal with a compact grip, snappier recoil and so on. I want the new shooter to obtain the basic fundamentals of shooting with as little difficulty as possible. Once the new shooter is proficient with the 5.25, I move them to the XDm 4.5, then smaller upon proficient results. And to further why I take these steps. I feel as though if the new shooter starts on a compact and experiences sharp recoil, small grip, they might and often do get discouraged. Exactly what should not happen. A new shooters experience at the range should be positive and enjoyable. My .02
I will disagree on a sub compact not being a good choice. One of my favorite guns is a H&K P30sk. The grip is so comfortable that it is easy to control the recoil. While I like the LEM trigger I realize it is not for everyone and the DA/SA is an excellent choice. For those having trouble racking the slide you can always grip the slide firmly and push the grip forward.