small auto (.380) for small hands,,, have i missed anything?

[LarryH]

Thanks LarryH! I was too sleepy to be maiking such a bold statement. The Beretta 84FS is still marketed by Beretta but the Browning BDA has been discontinued, so only available as a used gun.

The only reason I know about either of these is that we have one of each. My wife's pistol instructor has a veritable arsenal of all sort of different handguns for her students to try. Shirley liked the BDA best of 'em, but since they are available, as you said, only on the used market, I got her a Cheetah, since they're VER-R-R-Y similar. A few months later, she found a BDA at a gun show, so we now have both. I used the Cheetah for my CHL class, back in the fall of '07. For what it's worth, Shirley is now carrying a Sig P229R in 9mm.

[CC Italian]

Well, I own a Bersa .380 thunder CC and the recoil is heavier for my girl then the Smith & Wesson 908 (9mm single stack) I bought for her. She went through the same thing. I have posted this a few times but she is 4foot 10in and has extremely tiny hands. She could hold the Bersa but the recoil was a little too snappy for her. The Bersa weighs only 18 ounces and the S&W weighs 24 ounces. The recoil to me is the same but my girl had a much harder time controlling the Bersa. To each their own but I would take a hard look at 9mm over the .380. The guns that worked for her were all at least 24 ounces in 9mm and single stacks for her small hands. The best fit was the Kahr K9 (all steel version and it weighs 25 ounces but was a little too pricey). Other options are 1911 9mms that weigh closer to 30ounces or if her hand can fit it a Beretta 92fs or Browning Hi-power are always great; they are a little heavier. If you want a small pocket gun that is completely controllable for any small lady look hard also at the Kahr MK9 or for a great hip carry the K9. Many don't carry these Kahrs because they are heavier and most men can handle a 15ounce Kahr CW9 so they don't spring for the extra $300+ for the K-series. Happy shopping!

[gigag04]

I'm coming in late....


I live an hour from you +/- in BCS. I have a Kahr P380. I have a friend selling a Lnib PM9. My roomate has an LCP. One of my partners has a Sig P238. PM and we'll get together with her.

[QB]

She really needs to test fire as many guns as she can. I don't like the "snap" of the .380acp at all, I guess because "most" of them are blowback design. With that said, I did own several Sphinx .380s and they were great. I really regret selling them and would recommend one but unlike when I had mine, they are now priced at a ridiculously high price if you can even find one (right now one on GB is $1200). My other .380s that were OK were a SIG P232SL (stainless with factory Hogue grips) and of course the Colt Mustang Pocketlite (not a blowback design).

I have some 9mms that in my opinion shoot softer (felt recoil, snap) than any of my 380s ever did. If she has small hands I assume you may be looking for a single stack pistol? If so and if you don't need the gun to be extremely small you could have her try the Beretta model 86 or 85. Still have the 380 snap but they are a little larger and the 86 has a tip up barrel in case racking the slide is an issue (which I don't think it was).

CZ 9mms feel really nice in my hand, something like the P101 or other compact. But they are double stack mags so the grip is fatter.

There's always the STI 9mms that come in all sizes and I believe they have some single stack models.

I even find a .45ACP to have less "snap" than a .380acp because to me the .45acp is more like a slow push. I don't know, everyone's tolerance level is different.........I just hope your wife can try out a bunch of different guns first and not only focus on a 380acp thinking that smaller = less snap/recoil.

Good luck in your search.

[LarryH]

There's always the STI 9mms that come in all sizes and I believe they have some single stack models.

Good luck in your search.

The Guardian and the LS-9 are single-stack 9mm STI models. From the picture, I believe randomoutburst's Ranger is also single-stack.

However, they are ALL well above the price point implied in the OP.

[QB]

Sorry, didn't pick up on any implied cost. I re-read the original post and actually it looks like they have decided ONLY on a .380acp anyway.

[LarryH]

Since the OP was talking Bersa and the like, I inferred the cost of the STI models was out of his price range.

[CJATE]

i don't have a price range in mind. cost was part of my consern, i originally correlated cheap gun w/ problem gun.

money does not grow on trees, but i'll drop coin on a gun,,, they last forever and my wife will trust her life with it.

[flintknapper]

Sig P238

My little brother came up to visit this past weekend and had a new P238 he wanted to "wring out".

We started by breaking it down, looking for any spots that might need deburring (found none). I polished the feed ramp to a mirror finish...(though it was pretty nice from the factory), then lightly cleaned up the breech face.

Other than that....I could find nothing the pistol needed (besides lube) to make it ready to carry. We put 250 rounds through it without a bobble. I was very impressed with the weapon.

Those of you familiar with a 1911 will find many features of the pistol to your liking.

It is an extremely easy weapon to take apart, clean and reassemble. It shot well and was easy to control.

I give it very high marks!

Flint.

[Matt Fleming]

The Walther PK 380 is accurate and fun to shoot. It has a very comfortable grip. It does have two "features" that may not appeal to some shooters: 1. No external slide lock - the slide will only lock back when the magazine is inserted; 2. No magazine safety - some shooters like this, others prefer a magazine safety. The external safety is not a decocker - however, a round can be in the chamber, the safety engaged, the triggered pulled and the hammer will fall, but the gun will not fire. Like any handgun, it takes some practice and familiarity to learn how it best operates.

[CJATE]

update:
found an all women handgun class, she walked away from the class wanting a compact 9mm over a mini .380

so we ordered a S&M M&Pc in 9mm today.


class was great, and it was not me advising her, is was another mom. it is funny the number of women in the class who had what there husbands thought they should have, and hate it / wish it was something else.

[Divided Attention]

Love my M&P 9C! Hope she enjoys it as much as I do! I also love my P238 - easier to conceal in a belly band and scrubs....the 9 pulls the belly band down... nothing worse than "jailin'" with your concealed carry holster

Glad she found a ladies class - I get so much out of CompVest's every time I go!