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Recommendation for a pistol for my daughter
- Thread starter Coolman
- Start date
have a think what you (or she) wants from the firearm. Frame size, double stacked grip or single, hammer or striker fired, external safety or not, how much are you looking to spend, are you sure you want a pistol and not a revolver.
If you don't narrow the options down a little all you'll probably get is everyone trying to sell you on their favorite handgun. Pick what options you're looking for and then find a firearm that has them.
If you don't narrow the options down a little all you'll probably get is everyone trying to sell you on their favorite handgun. Pick what options you're looking for and then find a firearm that has them.
It is a surprise for her I thinking small 9 mm.
TFred
Regular Member
Buying daughter handgun for Christmas: ~$250-$600.
Sharing with daughter the process of research, handling, shooting, selecting and then buying her best-suited handgun for Christmas: Priceless!
JMHO...
TFred
Sharing with daughter the process of research, handling, shooting, selecting and then buying her best-suited handgun for Christmas: Priceless!
JMHO...
TFred
SovereignAxe
Regular Member
It is impossible to answer this question without knowing more about your daughter.
Some good info to provide us would be:
-How old is she? If she's 15, I guess this is a target pistol and a 9mm might be pushing it for a 15yo. If she's 21+, I'd assume this is a carry weapon.
-Is this for target practice or carry?
-If for carry, is she interested in open carry?
-What's her/your budget? For the gun and for ammo. 9mm is great for those on a budget. But if she needs a pocket pistol and can afford .380 or .32, that'll help to know.
-Has she ever shot 9mm before? If so, how does she handle it?
-Are there any gun attributes she doesn't like? Loaded chamber indicator, manual safety, metal or polymer frame, semi-auto or wheel gun?
-Are there attribute she does? Interchangeable backstraps, extended slide release, laser grips, exposed hammer/concealed hammer/striker fired?
-Are ambidextrous controls important? I'm a lefty, so that's something I think about.
I realize if she's not real familiar with pistols you won't be able to answer all of these, but answering just a few of these questions would at least narrow your options down from about a hundred to at least 10 or so.
Some good info to provide us would be:
-How old is she? If she's 15, I guess this is a target pistol and a 9mm might be pushing it for a 15yo. If she's 21+, I'd assume this is a carry weapon.
-Is this for target practice or carry?
-If for carry, is she interested in open carry?
-What's her/your budget? For the gun and for ammo. 9mm is great for those on a budget. But if she needs a pocket pistol and can afford .380 or .32, that'll help to know.
-Has she ever shot 9mm before? If so, how does she handle it?
-Are there any gun attributes she doesn't like? Loaded chamber indicator, manual safety, metal or polymer frame, semi-auto or wheel gun?
-Are there attribute she does? Interchangeable backstraps, extended slide release, laser grips, exposed hammer/concealed hammer/striker fired?
-Are ambidextrous controls important? I'm a lefty, so that's something I think about.
I realize if she's not real familiar with pistols you won't be able to answer all of these, but answering just a few of these questions would at least narrow your options down from about a hundred to at least 10 or so.
^^^ what TFred said. By all means surprise her Christmas morning, but instead of a gun print up a home made gift certificate telling her you want to take her shopping for a firearm of her choosing as soon as possible.
In the meantime take her to a range with rentals and see if there's something she likes actually firing
In the meantime take her to a range with rentals and see if there's something she likes actually firing
user
Accomplished Advocate
If you think it ought to be pink, that limits your options a little.
Start here http://corneredcat.com/Gun_Store_Miss_Adventures/ and keep reading. Realize that just about anything that does not resemble a gift certificate is going to be one of the hugest mistakes of your life.
You get bonus points for wanting to buy her a handgun. You lose everything (not just points) if it turns out to be not absolutely exactly what she wanted and told you she wanted and showed you what she wanted and you confirmed that it is in fact what she wants.
Are you willng to take the risk?
stay safe.
You get bonus points for wanting to buy her a handgun. You lose everything (not just points) if it turns out to be not absolutely exactly what she wanted and told you she wanted and showed you what she wanted and you confirmed that it is in fact what she wants.
Are you willng to take the risk?
stay safe.
Marco
Regular Member
If she was my daughter I'd give her a trip to ProShooters class and an IOU for the firearm.
or
I would take her shopping and let her pick out what she wants that works with your budget.
I'd give the Kahr P9,K9, CW9,PM9,CM9, MK9 a hard look.
I'd also look at Ruger LC9, Keltec PF9 and Bersa.
I loved the Kahr P40,PM40 and P45 I owned...they were replaced by Kahr PM45's.
or
I would take her shopping and let her pick out what she wants that works with your budget.
I'd give the Kahr P9,K9, CW9,PM9,CM9, MK9 a hard look.
I'd also look at Ruger LC9, Keltec PF9 and Bersa.
I loved the Kahr P40,PM40 and P45 I owned...they were replaced by Kahr PM45's.
Last edited:
PistolPackingMomma
Regular Member
I'll second (and third and fourth) letting her pick out what is most comfortable for her. I was recommended to start out with a Sig p250, which was NOT comfortable to shoot (loooong trigger pull) and difficult to conceal. I traded that S.O.B. after only a few trips to the range.
I'd recommend having her try out a Bersa Thunder (I just got the CC for my BUG, and love it!) or a Taurus 709, Kahr CW9 or Glock 26.
I'd recommend having her try out a Bersa Thunder (I just got the CC for my BUG, and love it!) or a Taurus 709, Kahr CW9 or Glock 26.
45acpForMe
Newbie
Without more info on your daughter we are just talking in generalities.
Taking her to a range that rents guns and letting her shoot different models would go a long way as to what she can handle and want.
While 9mm is the least caliber I recommend she may discover she likes others better.
My 15 year old daughter is shooting .45acp (Taurus PT145) pretty well while my 13 year old is stuck on .22LR (Walther P22).
The kahr P/PM series is great for any concealment and most women because of smaller hands. There are also small revolvers out there in case racking the slide is too difficult for her.
Shopping for guns is like shopping for shoes in that you don't know if they fit well until you put them on. Now add women's fashion sense (color etc) and the chance of a man picking out the perfect gun for a woman is in the negative range. Picking one that she "should" like doesn't matter.
I agree with others in that a gift certificate for the gun and some training or range time may be better than finding it under the Christmas tree.
Taking her to a range that rents guns and letting her shoot different models would go a long way as to what she can handle and want.
While 9mm is the least caliber I recommend she may discover she likes others better.
My 15 year old daughter is shooting .45acp (Taurus PT145) pretty well while my 13 year old is stuck on .22LR (Walther P22).
The kahr P/PM series is great for any concealment and most women because of smaller hands. There are also small revolvers out there in case racking the slide is too difficult for her.
Shopping for guns is like shopping for shoes in that you don't know if they fit well until you put them on. Now add women's fashion sense (color etc) and the chance of a man picking out the perfect gun for a woman is in the negative range. Picking one that she "should" like doesn't matter.
I agree with others in that a gift certificate for the gun and some training or range time may be better than finding it under the Christmas tree.
W.E.G.
Newbie
OP has told us nothing about your daughter, and has not told us what is his budget.
Based on the amount of information we have, I recommend that the OP get one that "shoots hard."
Based on the amount of information we have, I recommend that the OP get one that "shoots hard."
ProShooter
Regular Member
MSC 45ACP
Regular Member
All of the above, in a homemade gift certificate that includes the tuition to ProShooter's class, AND User's class on the legal side of shooting situations.
As the "other Jim" (45 ACP) said: Each of his kids like something different. So do mine. My 20-year old OC's a Glock 21SF (.45ACP) and likes it. My 3rd daughter (too young to OC at the age of 14) enjoys shooting my Kimber Ultra Crimson Carry II (a .45 ACP pistol with a 3" barrel and a little more recoil than a standard-size 45). She also likes the LCR-357, but agrees that it's not a lot of fun to shoot for "more than a few minutes" at the range. Its a good self-defense pistol and great CC BUG, but it isn't an "all day range gun".
We're a .45 family...
DJEEPER
Regular Member
Lc9
JoeSparky
Centurion
redreed
Regular Member
Bertha Thunder
I like the Bersa Thunder .380 for a young lady. It is affordable, reliable, decent recoil, concealable, lightweight, looks nice, fits in a small hand, and excellent safety features. The grip is also small enough for a lady's hands. This assumes she has the strength to rack a slide. Some ladys do not. It is also easy to field strip and clean. They are also available in 9mm if you prefer, but I recommend the .380 because it is the proven bread and butter pistol for the Bersa company.
I like the Bersa Thunder .380 for a young lady. It is affordable, reliable, decent recoil, concealable, lightweight, looks nice, fits in a small hand, and excellent safety features. The grip is also small enough for a lady's hands. This assumes she has the strength to rack a slide. Some ladys do not. It is also easy to field strip and clean. They are also available in 9mm if you prefer, but I recommend the .380 because it is the proven bread and butter pistol for the Bersa company.