Compact 9mm Recommendation

[pleiades]

Springfield just released a new 9mm XDs slim at SHOT
Springfield Armory XD-S 9mm – Media Day at the Range SHOT 2013

I want to mess with one and see if it is as nice as he says...

 

[Glockowner]

CM9, my wife loves to shoot mine. Supprisingly little recoil for such a small pistol.

Just make sure she has the hand strength to operate this or other small pistols, if not get her a revolver.

 

[brotherbill3]

Gotta say - Suprise her by taking her to shoot / test stuff and get what she likes. Holding is nice; My wife held and thought the first 2 pistols we had were OK/good when just holding them - hated shooting them. What you "THINK" she will like and what works for her are very likely very different choices. ... the only way to 'surpise buy' is if she's already told you what SHE wants.

ETA - let her try EVERYTHING - even stuff you don't like.

 

[Cottong2001]

Walther PPS. Single stack 9mm, 7 rd Magazine that you can fit your pinky onto or 8 rd magazine that fits your whole hand. My wife was shooting a PK380 but we've been having trouble with it. Plus, she is a little uncomfortable with the external safety. The PPS fits her hand well, she's very accurate with it with only 100 rounds through it. She also took a Basic Pistol course at John Hall's in Eminence where she got to shoot several different calibers.

Also, +1 on the XDS 9mm. I love my XDS in 45 ACP, but it does have more recoil than most (not all) 9mm's. Alot less than you would think, in such a small frame though. The XDS 9mm is sure to bring a big following. I hope it's not as hard to find as an M&P Shield has been.

 

[mima07]

Springfield XDM 3.8 9mm was my choice. I practiced with a relative's .40 semi-auto pistol, which was OK. But the 9mm has less recoil.
It's your call but I wouldn't 'surprise' her with a pistol unless she can try it out a lot. It took me a few months to decide what worked best. The same can be true of anyone, woman or man, looking for a firearm.
Does she want it for home defense alone? Concealed carry- on her or in a purse? Something fun to shoot at the range? Revolver or semi-auto pistol? How much recoil is acceptable? How difficult/easy is it loading/cleaning a particular gun?
These are just a few questions I asked myself before choosing the Springfield XDM.
I also wanted a revolver and chose the Ruger LCR .38. Very nice trigger pull; a bit more recoil than the 9mm, but not too much for me.

How about 'surprising' your wife with a pre arranged long visit to a local shooting range or gun store with range and letting her shoot several pistols and revolvers? If she likes to shoot, she'll have a blast and maybe find what she is comfortable shooting/handling.

 

[undeRGRound]

Well, I'm going to Surprise BOTH m wifey and Daughter.
But with guns I plan on keeping regardless of their liking.
Win-Win situation. If the daughter does not like a particular
9mm, we will assess the reasons, and then decide if another
9mm is called for or maybe a .380 and then visit the gun store.
I'm going to try her out on my LC9 and my son's M&P 9c, and
see how that goes. Actually, we have those weapons so its all
Good! I suppose the only surprise will be the wifey, I'll get her
the same thing as the daughter. But she is a bit taller and bigger
than "the girl" so I expect she can handle the same gun. If she
does not like it we'll go let her try some out. Sound like a Plan?
At worst, I end up with extra guns. But if we go to a .380, that
will be an extra 2000 rounds of ammo or so...

PS: I have the S&W MP9 but kinda big to carry

 

[bakeman]

Beretta nano is a good choice, but a little blocky feeling for some. I am a big fan of kahr's cw9 also. I havent played with one yet but i am interested in an m&p shield or a XDs 9mm myself....heard alot of good things about them

 

[undeRGRound]

PPS: Good topic, well stated by all

 

[cosermann]

My wife likes the Glock 19, fwiw.

 

[BoldCourageousWoman]

As a woman who really likes surprises, this is one surprise I would not like. It took me a long time to choose my first handgun. I was considering many factors including carry plans, size, weight, caliber, etc. But even after making decisions based on those issues, I needed it to fit and feel right in my grip.

IMHO if you surprised me with a gun I ended up not liking and you kept it, I would feel like your intentions were to get you a new gun, not me.

Good luck!

 

[Mr.Softball]

Definetly do not try to surprise her with a gun unless like she said you would want it because my wife definetly is picky on what she likes to shoot and prefers a revolver for the simplicity.

 

[looney2ns]

Yep, let her pick it out after trying out several. Surprise may be you in the dog house.

 

[undeRGRound]

As a woman who really likes surprises, this is one surprise I would not like. It took me a long time to choose my first handgun. I was considering many factors including carry plans, size, weight, caliber, etc. But even after making decisions based on those issues, I needed it to fit and feel right in my grip.

IMHO if you surprised me with a gun I ended up not liking and you kept it, I would feel like your intentions were to get you a new gun, not me.

Good luck!

LOL
Since we have the first 2 choices, IMO it will be OK.
Good read on the intentions, but actually the wife
will likely never want to carry. Even tho she was
a rifle Expert in Army Basic Training. But I know
she would defend herself or especially a child or
helpless person, given the opportunity. It's basically
a post-SHTF purchase for her. Daughter is the test case.

 

[PAMom]

Any time my husband wants to surprise me with a new gun - I accept! While it might not be what I would choose, I would never turn it down. (Just me I guess.)

Having said that, my personal favorite is the Ruger SR9C I bought for myself. Love the size and feel!

 

[88GT]

Any time my husband wants to surprise me with a new gun - I accept! While it might not be what I would choose, I would never turn it down. (Just me I guess.)

Having said that, my personal favorite is the Ruger SR9C I bought for myself. Love the size and feel!

Not just you. I suppose it depends on the woman, the man, and their relationship, but I know my husband well enough to know that any firearm purchased for me was purchased for me. He has no reason to scam a new firearm for him. He can just buy it.

If he wanted to surprise me with a firearm, I'd happily accept (who doesn't love a new firearm!?!?) and then we'd take it to the range to try it out. If I didn't love it, we'd discuss whether it was worth keeping for plinking variety for range days or something I hated so much it couldn't stay in the same house.

We'd keep it for a while to see if it grew on me. Would you believe there was a time I couldn't stand 1911s? I know. I'll recite the Second 5 times and reload 100 rounds for penance.

 

[undeRGRound]

Any time my husband wants to surprise me with a new gun - I accept! While it might not be what I would choose, I would never turn it down. (Just me I guess.)

Having said that, my personal favorite is the Ruger SR9C I bought for myself. Love the size and feel!

Not just you...
&
...Would you believe there was a time I couldn't stand 1911s? I know. I'll recite the Second 5 times and reload 100 rounds for penance.

You Ladies are AWESOME! So are mine!

 

[88GT]

You Ladies are AWESOME! So are mine!

Flattery will get you every where.

 

[ShyKat.22]

I just picked up my first 9 (graduated from my 22) and overall I LOVE my Sig p938.
My only issue is a personal one with the trigger. Its got very deep groves on it and this winter has been a nightmare on my hands so my fingers are super sensitive right now and the groves hurt.
It fits in my hand wonderfully (small hands, long fingers) The rubber grip feels secure. (many options available for this baby so you dont have to get the rubber grip) I wear the "baby-t" style shirts and i can comfortably carry it without 'printing' (im learning the lingo LOL)


@usaf64...the bf has an LCP and i know exactly how she feels. I dont feel like im holding it well enough. It has a pretty fat handle (imo) and it is hard to rack when you cant get a good grip.

 

[undeRGRound]

FINALLY got the chance to shoot the Ruger LC9(laser)

IT ROCKS!!! Not sure if my baby girl (26yo) will like it tho... healthy KICK!

We will get her to try my son's M&P9c and my M&P9 full size, but
grip size may be an issue. Less recoil though, we'll just have to see.

 

[parkerj112]

Keep in mind the recoil of a compact when picking out a gun for another person. I bought a Kahr CW9 and my wife liked the look of it but she fired it twice and said no thanks not for her. It is snappy that's for sure. CCW or range gun tailor the choice to the use.

Parker