My girlfriend is tiny.

[Cleve007]

5'0 90 lb. We live in akron. I want her to get her CCW, but she needs a gun first. She has shot my 9mm and her dads PPK/s. Handled both just fine. She likes the .380 better. Narrowed it down to three guns,.. Kel tec p3at, walther ppk (not the S version), or bersa .380. She has held all of them except the bersa, and likes them all. Money is an issue. Will most likely purse carry but i think over time i can get her to carry IWB.

Thoughts?

[1911nut]

I'm a big fan of the 3AT and the Bersa but my exwife used to shoot a full size .45 and she was 5'3" and 110 lbs. It all boils down to training her to handle the wepon.

A.

[Morne]

REVOLVERS!!!

My wife is 4' 10" (I'd be found dead in the morning if I posted her weight). She has TINY hands and can handle the S&W 642 with ease. Best purse gun around.

[SMMAssociates]

Morne:

Yikes.... That makes your wife about half your size ....

Cleve007:

I don't know what 9mm you've got, but I'd advise against the others.... Nothing wrong with them, except that .380 is a minimum defense caliber, and that lot are a bit hard on you v.s. something like an XD-9SC. (Which is kinda bulky....) The PPK/S is more comfortable to shoot, but still a handful. (The S&W version needs serious de-horning for comfort. Not bad otherwise.)

A possible is the S&W CS9 if you can find a used one - the new price is kinda stiff. Also a little bulky, but in the "what recoil" category v.s. those little .380's....

(Think PPK/S but an inch thick.... At least that's what the .45ACP version looks like. The 9's a tad thinner. BIG Hogue grips make the .45 version shoot very comfortably for a small gun. 9mm ought to be nice and easy....)

I think the J-frame may be the best choice here.... Stay off of the super-light versions, and don't let her even SEE the +P or Magnum loads. A .38Spl JHP should be more than adequate for defending yourself against anything smaller than Morne. Don't carry a load you can't practice with (or practice with it's equivalent in recoil).

I hesitate to recommend the little guns (P3, PPK, etc.) for newcomers because they are just not all that much fun to shoot. You need to put a few hundred rounds through a carry piece before it's wise to carry it, and you're not going to enjoy that.... A 3" J-frame (hard to find) would be a LOT better....

I used to know a girl in Akron who was even smaller, btw. She married a buddy of mine.

Regards,

[Scavok]

1. Checkout this thread: "Input, please. Wife wants a single stack or thin 9x19"

2. Ammunition for the self-defense firearm

3. Mernickle IWB holster (esp. the "PS2" model). A self-defense handgun belongs on one's person when at all possible.

[Buckshot]

Cleve007,

If you are looking at the P3AT then look at the PF-9 and the P-11. Neither is a LOT bigger, and both are in a much better defensive caliber.

The J-frame is a good choice. There is a .38 Special load out there for just about anyone.

You might also want to look at the new .327 Federal Magnum, a 6 shot J-frame sized gun (Ruger SP-101 and Charter Arms at this point) that goes up from .32 S&W (not far over a .22 LR in recoil) through the .32 S&W Long, .32 H&R Magnum and right up to the .327 Federal Magnum, which is in at least the range of the .38 Special +P.

As long as she can reach the controls on the gun, she could EASILY be taught to shoot an M1911 also. I have seen very small women and 7 year old kids of both sexes shooting hardball in the M1911 with a little training.

Buckshot

[SMMAssociates]

Cleve007 (& Buckshot - I know I've posted this before):

The first time I took my daughter out to the range (long story about it taking until she was about 18) I'd picked up an S&W M22A for her - that's a "target" gun, long barrel, huge grips, etc. I'd not fired it, so I put three rounds in the magazine (safety issue) and put three in the X-ring.... Gave it to her, and after about twenty rounds, she demanded my Commander....

The last time we were out - maybe three weeks ago - she did best with a 5" Government Model clone....

However, the HUGE M22A (as "target" goes, these things are really just "very good plinkers") is nothing concealable, and a .22LR isn't really a home defense round either. The 5" Colt clone is fine for me to conceal (or Morne to palm), but Becka's not a lot bigger than your girlfriend, and she couldn't wear that thing in anything but the coldest weather. Not to mention being a little much for a purse....

OTOH, a 3.5" 1911, if you can find one that's reliable - most are - might be a very good choice, IF you can handle it. (A .40 may be just a hair easier, although not much. 9mm may be the best "real" choice in a small gun.)

I'd give Para's PDA or Springfield's EMP a good look. I'm a bit of a Para fanatic, but I've also shot the EMP. If I wanted a small 9mm, I'd buy one.... (Kimber's "Aegis" is also a good choice in 9mm.) Para's hinting at a .40 PDA, too - I'd give that some consideration. I don't think the .45ACP PDA is going to be small enough.

That said, a J-frame - especially a good used one - is going to be a lot cheaper.... The only upside to the small semi's is the magazine loading capability and they're flatter....

Regards,

[dclaarjr]

Earlier someone mentioned a Ruger SP101 in 327 magnum.

Here's a spin off that I am doing. I bought a used SP101 in 357 mag. I am sending it to Ruger to have a 9MM cylinder fitted to it so I can use it as a BUG in the same caliber as my carry gun. If her hands fit an SP101 this might be an option for her as well.

[Morne]

Earlier someone mentioned a Ruger SP101 in 327 magnum.

Here's a spin off that I am doing. I bought a used SP101 in 357 mag. I am sending it to Ruger to have a 9MM cylinder fitted to it so I can use it as a BUG in the same caliber as my carry gun. If her hands fit an SP101 this might be an option for her as well.

How much does that cost to have done, if you don't mind my asking?

Seems like a solid plan. Ruger makes good guns, no S&W-style lock, built like a tank and American made.

[Stephen2]

My wife is the same size and she carries. Can your girl pull back the slide on a semi? My wife can but i have seen several smaller women who could not.

My wife carries a 9mm Firestar. It is heavy as it is all steel but it was a reliable inexpensive gun. ($325) It is pretty small for that type of gun. I did order her a LCP for her to carry when the other is too big or heavy. She most always carries in a holster so size is an issue on tiny women with small t shirts.

She felt that .45s were too big for her tiny hands. She liked the 9 so that is what she went with. I dislike the idea of her carrying anything less than a 9 but a .380 is better than nothing.

If we had to choose another i think i would go with the XD in 9mm.

If we didnt shoot lead for practice then i think the Kahr might be something to consider. If you wont be shooting lead then it might be an option.

[Cleve007]

She bought a kel tec p3at today. We went shooting, it was fun, but she was scared. I had to fire the first couple shots, she thought it was going to blow up or something since it was a new gun. That little bugger defintely takes practice to get control of. If you try to rapid fire, it wants to jump out of your hand. Great gun though, about 50 shots through it with zero failure, which says alot for its size since most mouse guns have problems.

280$ + tax. Shes getting a belt clip for it.

[SMMAssociates]

She bought a kel tec p3at today. We went shooting, it was fun, but she was scared. I had to fire the first couple shots, she thought it was going to blow up or something since it was a new gun. That little bugger defintely takes practice to get control of. If you try to rapid fire, it wants to jump out of your hand. Great gun though, about 50 shots through it with zero failure, which says alot for its size since most mouse guns have problems.

Cleve007:

A bit of fatherly advice from an old coot.... (OK, I'm only 62....)

Be sure that your young lady actually likes shooting, and actually likes shooting the P3, and wasn't just doing it for you.... Otherwise, that toy will end up in the drawer. The P3's fine for it's purpose, but pretty well assumes that you are familiar enough with shooting in general to be able to get away with a few rounds a month through it and a hundred rounds through something a little more comfortable. You just have to fire the P3 often enough to be sure it's working, and you haven't forgotten which end not to stand in front of.

(I've got one. I hate it. But for it's purpose, it'll do, and it's better than a couple of other pocket guns I've had, or have.)

You have to be really careful with the size of the gun for smaller gals. Otherwise you end up with something like:
.

(I don't know where I got that picture, but my daughter's only slightly bigger.)

Regards,

[dclaarjr]

Earlier someone mentioned a Ruger SP101 in 327 magnum.

Here's a spin off that I am doing. I bought a used SP101 in 357 mag. I am sending it to Ruger to have a 9MM cylinder fitted to it so I can use it as a BUG in the same caliber as my carry gun. If her hands fit an SP101 this might be an option for her as well.

How much does that cost to have done, if you don't mind my asking?

Seems like a solid plan. Ruger makes good guns, no S&W-style lock, built like a tank and American made.

I just got the gun today, so I haven't sent it off yet. The Ruger website lists a new cylinder at $95. I don't know if this is only for a direct replacement of the same caliber or if it includes fitting a 9MM. I am going to ask them to go through the gun and replace anything showing wear. (I doubt if they find anything, the gun looks brand new.) I want to shoot it before I send it off so it will probably be a couple of weeks before I ship it. When I get it back I will post on it.

[Brian D.]

Welcome paul120. What did you need clarification on specifically? The guys on this thread will be glad to help out.

[OldManTod]

Hey Brian D - looks like pauly was a spammer - I just closed a report and deactivated the account - these guys are getting craft huh...?

T