Author Topic: handgun for daughter (Read 958 times)

doghouse95 · « **on:** September 18, 2004, 06:19:35 AM »

My daughter is on the small side, she has very small hands. She has been shooting all of her life, and after graduating college has decided to go into L E.
Now the problem. She starts one of the L E academies this spring, and I have already been talking to them about a handgun for her. The rugers and berettas they use are way too big for her hands.
My question for all of you is this, what are the pistols 9MM or 40S&W that are small enough for a young lady with small hands. I'm looking at the Glock 19 and 23 right now. So far they are the best I have found.
Any suggestions???

Flash · « **Reply #1 on:** September 18, 2004, 08:20:10 AM »

There are several that will work for your daughter and the Glock 19 is one of them. Unless you/she absolutely has to have a 9mm Luger cartridge, the Sig P232 is a good choice in 380 for fit and feel with small hands. The smaller Berettas are good choices also and come in larger calibers. Two that come to mind are the Cougar and Mini Cougar and both are available in 45 acp. The Beretta 92 is made for double-stack magazines and the Cougar is single-stack. Thin as a 1911 but without a grip safety that requires a larger hand.

doghouse95 · « **Reply #2 on:** September 18, 2004, 08:54:01 AM »

Thanks for the information.
I think the minium caliber is going to be a 9MM. She will have to use this on the firing range in the academy, and I hope she can use it as a duty weapon later on.
I've found a Glock 19 and a 23 that she can try. I don't want to spend any money on anything until I know it is the one she wants.
I don't know of any LE agencys that don't have the Glock on their list of authorized firearms.

strider72 · « **Reply #3 on:** September 18, 2004, 12:23:03 PM »

Have you tried a CZ compact or P01? They are almost perfect in the ergonomics for a small grip.

redhawk44p · « **Reply #4 on:** September 18, 2004, 02:44:18 PM »

The Kahr would be excellent but may not be acceptable to LE.

PeterF. · « **Reply #5 on:** September 18, 2004, 03:57:50 PM »

I have smallish hands, myself, so I'm always on the lookout for guns that fit well. In my experience, the most compact double-stack 9mm is the Browning Hi-Power, but most LE organizations probably won't go for a single-action gun these days. The 1911-type 45s are actually pretty comact in the grip, because they're single-stack ... but again single-action. Try looking at the SIG 229, especially with the "short trigger" option. The SIG 239 should work particularly well, but, being single-stack, it has a limited capacity. Good luck ... & lt us know what you find.

sgtt · « **Reply #6 on:** September 18, 2004, 05:12:39 PM »

I am more than a little surprised they are going to let her use a gun other than those provided. They must have some criteria as to what they will allow. Most larger and suburban depts. here in the state of 10,000 taxes provide the officer with a weapon and do not allow you to carry your own. Glock being the most prevelent followed by Beretta.

IntrepidWizard · « **Reply #7 on:** September 18, 2004, 05:14:36 PM »

Go for a Wheel gun a Smith Chief or airwieght

TScottO · « **Reply #8 on:** September 18, 2004, 05:28:09 PM »

Most any hi-cap semi-auto will probably be too wide for her hands. I had a girlfriend once with small hands that enjoyed shooting my Hi-power. Even though the grip is a bit robust she said it was comfortable. The hi-power can also be had in 40 cal. I hate to mention a pistol that I have no experience with but I believe some of the Walther pistols come with a modular grip where you can adjust the size. Other than that I would recommend a K or L frame Smith and Wesson with a set of custom grips.

Be Safe,
Scott

SLAVAGE · « **Reply #9 on:** September 18, 2004, 06:11:35 PM »

well its not the cheapist way but go find a walther p-9
its 9mm
my friend had one he loved it small an shoots damm fine all so he is a state trooper an was alowed to carry an its a 9mm

New Hampshire · « **Reply #10 on:** September 19, 2004, 01:37:31 AM »

Ive handled the Walther P99 (the one I shot was 40 S&W) and found the grip very comfortable. I have big hands but preferr a smaller or medium sized grip. The Walther just tucked in there great.
Also the new Ruger P345 has a very nice grip too. But its a .45 and I dont know if she wants to go the heavy a round.
Brian M.

jgalar · « **Reply #11 on:** September 19, 2004, 03:53:28 AM »

THe CZ75 has a grip that fits most everyone. My sister who isn't very big, loves it.

papajohn428 · « **Reply #12 on:** September 19, 2004, 11:23:17 AM »

My dinky little daughter (age 17) shoots my Witness 40 well, the backstrap is similar to a Hi-Power and snugs down even in small hands. Another one to check out is the Springfield Armory XD, it can be had in 9 or 40, and is VERY ergonomic.

I used to work with a little teeny female cop, her partner always said that since she always wore a vest, if they ever got into a firefight he'd just pick her up by the neck and hold her in front of him so he wouldn't get shot! :eek:

She didn't think it was as funny as we did, but what a mental image.......She eventually got her revenge for that remark by waiting until he fell asleep on a stakeout one night, and giving him a "moustache" with a black Sharpie pen. He was blonde! I had to keep them separated until he calmed down.

Papajohn the Puny Police Protagonist Protector

Savage · « **Reply #13 on:** September 19, 2004, 01:19:49 PM »

STOP!!
Don't buy anything untill you check the agency's list of approved weapons. If personal weapons are allowed you could buy something like the Glock 19 and have a grip reduction done. Otherwise she's stuck with the issue weapon or a career change.
Savage

doghouse95 · « **Reply #14 on:** September 20, 2004, 07:59:06 AM »

Savage.
We have been talking to the firearms instructor at the academy, and he has given the OK for her to shoot her own weapon while in training, (as long as he approves it).
This may turn out to be a two gun situation, one for training, and another handgun for wherever she lands a job. I have no idea where that will be yet, and neither does she.
I guess I'm more worried about what fits her right now, and that it woks every time she pulls the trigger. Hopefully it will be allowed by agency that hires her.
I so want to thank all of you for your information. This is my little girl going into a vocation that could get her hurt, and dear old dad, ME, isn't handling it as well as I thought I would.
I've built all of her rifles, and she has been shooting and hunting with me all of her life. Now she comes to me and wants me to come up with a handgun that she may carry to protect her life. It's a serious matter to me, and I really appreciate all the help and information I can get.
I will take as long as it takes to find the right weapon, and spend whatever it takes to have it customized for fit and function.
Paul M

Savage · « **Reply #15 on:** September 20, 2004, 09:17:07 AM »

doghouse95,
I'm sure I would feel as you do under the same circumstances. Still wouldn't hurt to do a survey of area agencies to see what's approved. It won't do her any good to find a handgun to train with that's likely not acceptable. This is a bit new to me, are you saying she will go through the academy before being hired by an agency? It happens the other way around in my part of the world. If acceptable, you might look at a single stack. I can't recommend them, (no first hand experience) but Para Ordinance makes an LDA that might fit her. Not sure if anything other than .45 is available, but possibly could be. Very few agencies permit SA autos these days, and most dictate 9mm/40/357 Sig. If SA autos are acceptable, the Kimber Pro Carry would be hard to beat! The Kimber, I can recommend! Good luck to you and your daughter, she has chosen a high calling with a low income. Thank God for those that do!

papajohn428 · « **Reply #16 on:** September 21, 2004, 03:28:56 PM »

Doghouse95, I understand your anxiety. It's one thing to have a diminutive daughter, that can be daunting in and of itself, just imagining all the things that can go wrong in daily life. Now yours wants to go into a potentially hazardous occupation, and you can't be with her to protect her. Scarier yet! While some bad guys find it humiliating to be arrested, it's more humiliating to them to be taken down by a female, especially a little one, and they react more aggressively. A sad fact, but most bad guys aren't very nice anyway, especially during an arrest.

But having worked with several smaller-statured women in LE, I can tell you one thing.......I wouldn't have messed with any of them, because they had an aura of toughness about them that I never wanted to test. In fact, thinking about them, the term "She-wolf" comes to mind. Toughness is 95% mental, and as long as your little girl is aware of her surroundings, has a good partner or decent backup, and good dispatchers, she'll be fine. Since you raised her, I assume she's pretty sharp to begin with, and a good to very good shooter.

Daddy down, let her instructers instruct, and don't fear the unknown. If she gets into the academy and realizes she's not up to it, she'll tell you, or them, or both.

The only cops I ever worried about as partners or backup were the ones who somehow thought they were glorified social workers that helped everyone and were adored by all. When the feces hit the rotating oscillator, they were usually the ones standing flat-footed with their mouths open, who said later they didn't understand why those bad guys were trying to do those things. For some it was an epiphany, realized they were in the wrong line of work and got out.

Police work is the only field I know where you can be thrust into The Dark Place so often, and so unexpectedly. As long as she retains her situational awareness, she'll do fine. After all, you raised her right. Right?

Sorry for being so long winded, but I know how Daddies can worry about their little girls. I have two daughters, one I worry about, and one I don't. Both shoot well, but there's a lot more to cop-work than shooting. Being a good judge of people matters a lot more. Thanks for reading this, I feel better now!

Papajohn the Protective Paternal Patriarch

Camille Eonich · « **Reply #17 on:** October 20, 2004, 02:25:35 PM »

Why don't you do for her what you would do for yourself and take her to a gunstore and let her check out several different guns to determine for herself what feels right? It only makes sense.

TennesseeNuc · « **Reply #18 on:** October 20, 2004, 08:30:19 PM »

doghouse,
Check out the Walther P-99. They come with three sizes of rear grip panels. The smallest size looks as though it would fit a fairly small hand.
Best,
TnNuc