Best 9mm for a new female shooter?

I do not recommend the P938 for a newbie due to the need for stone cold competency of dealing with a cocked and locked gun with a safery.

I don't recommend carrying ANY gun unless you are committed to "stone cold competency" with it ..... and by carrying many different guns on different days, you are complicating the matter immensely...... I've drilled with the 1911 to the point that when I'm funnin' around at a bowling pin match with other guns, even revolvers, my thumb swipes the safety down, even if it is not there to be swiped.....

Crunch time is no time to be trying to remember which gun you decided went well with your outfit today. It's a self defense tool, not a fashion accessory...... pick one and stick with it, because trigger time is the only way to muscle memory, and it takes a ton of it to instill....and just as much to unlearn it.
 
She's new to shooting. 25 yo. Athletic. She wants something other than my Ruger SR22. She has been shooting my 226 Blackwater, but that's a little to heavy for her. Recoil is ok. She prefers the thinner grips, but most have way too much recoil for her. Any suggestions? Thought is she will be able to get confident enough to keep it on her nightstand at night.

Weight. "The g00gle sez" the 226 is 32 oz, presumably unloaded. So, lighter than that.

Recoil. It's a 9mm, expect for the really small guns, recoil is going to be negligible.

Thin is desirable.

Is a single stack OK? Ruger has an aluminum framed 9mm lightweight commander that weighs in at 29oz. http://ruger.com/products/sr1911/specSheets/6722.html

My own personal preference would be an XDS in 9mm, in either the 3.3 inch or 4 inch version. Thin. Weight is 23-25oz, unloaded. Magazine capacity 7 to 9 rounds (depending on which magazine is used.) 2 different backstraps, for some adjustability in grip size.

Also, yeah, she should try a Glock. 19 or 26.
 
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I don't recommend carrying ANY gun unless you are committed to "stone cold competency" with it ..... and by carrying many different guns on different days, you are complicating the matter immensely...... I've drilled with the 1911 to the point that when I'm funnin' around at a bowling pin match with other guns, even revolvers, my thumb swipes the safety down, even if it is not there to be swiped.....

Crunch time is no time to be trying to remember which gun you decided went well with your outfit today. It's a self defense tool, not a fashion accessory...... pick one and stick with it, because trigger time is the only way to muscle memory, and it takes a ton of it to instill....and just as much to unlearn it.
With respect, you are not me.

Each of the guns I carry routinely feel very different in the hand. I have drilled enough with each that picking it up blind in the dark i know which i have and how to use it.

I started out years ago shooting revolvers, and carried the 442 exclusively for several years. Each of the others was added over time, and only with care and practice.

They are most certainly not a fashion accessory, and if you knew me you would know that there is not a "fashion consideration" bone of any sort in my body.

One carries better in a pocket, another better in an IWB holster. I would rather carry comfortably depending on the season and what I am going to be doing that day than chained to a single tool just because. Even hammers come in different flavors depending on the job at hand, don't they?

The OP asked for opinions for a gun for a woman. As a woman, having been an enthusiast for years, and a collector, i felt qualified to offer one on the ones I own. I did not encourage in any way the necessity of owning multiple models. In fact, I encouraged a "do all" with the Shield.

You are certainly entitled to your opinion, but please don't be so dismissive of the opinion of another.
 
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If she likes the overall operation of the P226 but wants something a little lighter/smaller/thinner, then look at the P239. I got one for my wife and she loves it.

The fancy version is on my wish list but it'd be for me. It's a great little gun and I love the feel of it. It's enough to overcome the "do you really need another 9mm handgun" and the "do you really need a thousand-dollar handgun". I put a few bucks in the jar whenever money comes in. It just has to survive long enough to get there. ;)

https://www.sigsauer.com/store/p239-sas-gen2-compact.html
 
Go over to https://www.corneredcat.com/article/choosing-firearms/gun-store-miss-adventures/

and suggest that she look around there.

Originally Posted by bbousa
Nope. She refuses to make the decision.

She has to want to buy a gun or it's no good pressuring her to make a decision. She has to look forward to the process or it's no use laying 20 good guns in front of her. It's her call.

Give her a credit card and say "take this and get whatever gun you want or whatever else you really want." If she comes back with a new phone, a laptop and some shoes, then ya know, and she'e happy.

tipoc
 
The latest issue of NRA's American Rifleman magazine has a long article about a test they ran with 35 women shooting and evaluating 18 popular handguns. Top finisher in the 9mm category was the Walther CCP followed by the Sig P320 compact, the H&K VP9, and the Springfield EMP4.
 
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