# Lady with small hands looking for a handgun.



## kuffels613 (Aug 17, 2010)

I have really small hands and not a whole lot of upper body strength and I'm looking for a handgun thats not too difficult to manipulate. This would be my first gun purchase and I'm finding out that a lot guns are really hard for me to use. I've used my moms 9mm glock and it is somewhat hard for me to manipulate the chamber and break it down to clean it etc.... I've looked at some revolvers and with some I have to use both thumbs to pull (with difficulty) the hammer down. I'm sure its obvious but I'll say it anyway, I don't want anything that is going to rip my arms off in terms of recoil. The glock is not bad when it comes to kick so anything that has a similar caliber would suffice. I'm open to revolvers or whatever! Your suggestions would be awesome! Thanks!!


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## tony pasley (May 6, 2006)

Try to find a model 36 or 60 S&W should fit the bill for you.


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## unpecador (May 9, 2008)

This site may be of assistance... Cornered Cat. It's geared towards women and guns, lots of good information such as how to rack the slide, semi-auto or revolver?, cleaning a Glock, etc.


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## Kharuger (Jun 19, 2010)

Tony's suggestions are good and...

Have you tried a Smith & Wesson Ladysmith 642LS Revolver?...5 rds .38... 14.5 oz... internal hammer. 
Or... the Ruger LCR Revolver... also 5 rds .38... 13+ oz. 

Lots of women like the Ruger LCP .380 auto... It's size is great for small hands tho it's recoil is a little snappy 'cause it only weighs 9.4 oz. ... Gotta make sure you can rack the slide too!... it's kinda stiff... But clearly that slide-racking business is going to be a main concern for you with any automatic that you might try. 

If your hands are really small you may be able to get your pinkie finger firmly onto the grip of some small guns that most people can only get two fingers on... especially if they have a "pinkie extension" as many autos do these days (or you can buy them as accessories). I'm thinking that'll be important for you to pay attention to 'cause having that pinkie as extra grip support will make a lot of difference for you whether you go for a revolver OR an auto. 

But I'd guess that a majority of instructors suggest that women start off with a small .38 revolver.


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## Steve M1911A1 (Feb 6, 2008)

My wife, Jean, is short and slight, and has small hands.
She can rack the slide of a Kel-Tec P3AT (.380 ACP) only with the greatest difficulty. She can shoot it pretty well, but not for very long. After maybe 20 shots, it starts to hurt.
She is more successful with a .38 Special S&W Bodyguard, a short-barrel revolver that fires five shots. Its trigger pull is long enough to require her to hold the pistol at a slight angle, rather than use the more correct in-line-with-the-forearm-bones technique, but she shoots this gun well too.
Jean is most successful of all with a full-size, .45 ACP, Colt's Government Model (M1911A1). Racking its slide is easy, it recoils very gently (comparatively speaking), and it's easy to learn to shoot it well. The big problem is that it's, well, big. There is no way she can conceal a full-size 1911 on her body, but a short-barrel .45 semi-auto is very hard to shoot well.

Our experience leads me to suggest renting shooting-range time on a S&W revolver in .38 Special, and using in it the heaviest-bullet cartridges you can find (158-grain bullet at about 900fps). See if that is both comfortable and easily manipulated.
If that doesn't work, try a medium-size .380 ACP semi-auto. Don't try a Walther PP, PPK, or PPKS, because their trigger-pulls are terrible and heavy. Maybe a Taurus, a Kahr, or even a Bersa would work for you. Rent time on as many as you can afford, and see what they feel like in your hands.


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## Bisley (Aug 24, 2008)

Good advice, so far.

Consider going for some training, and letting the instructor suggest a hand gun for you, after teaching you some techniques and assessing your strength. I have been able to teach my young grandsons how to rack the slide on several semi-autos with strong springs, so I think it is not out of the question that proper technique, practice, and maybe a very small amount of muscle building might enable you to shoot a variety of semi-autos, if that's what you like.

When training to defend your life, learn how to force yourself to be tough, for short periods of time. It doesn't hurt for very long, and it will give you the confidence you will need, if you ever do have to defend yourself. Approach self-defense training as if it were a life and death struggle...which of course, it is.


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## recoilguy (Apr 30, 2009)

Steve M1911A1 said:


> Our experience leads me to suggest renting shooting-range time on a S&W revolver in .38 Special, and using in it the heaviest-bullet cartridges you can find (158-grain bullet at about 900fps). See if that is both comfortable and easily manipulated.
> If that doesn't work, try a medium-size .380 ACP semi-auto. Don't try a Walther PP, PPK, or PPKS, because their trigger-pulls are terrible and heavy. Maybe a Taurus, a Kahr, or even a Bersa would work for you. Rent time on as many as you can afford, and see what they feel like in your hands.


Excellent advice, I personally love the Kahr brand, so I rented one for my wife so she would love it too. She could not rack the slide without being frustrated and getting very upset. She now owns the gun she likes not the one I hoped she like. Rent as many as you can that is the best way to know what will work. If you cant rent go to the LGS and hold a few and manually work the gun, see how hard or easy it is.

Good luck, have fun and practice with the weapon you settle on.

RCG


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## MitchellB (Aug 14, 2010)

Many good recommendations. At the very least get to a gun store that will let you handle their display models until you find a pistol you can hold comfortably and reach the trigger. That is the first goal toward accuracy. There are many semi-autos that have smaller grips & frames for small hands. Revolvers are excellent choices for people who have a hard time racking a slide on a semi-auto also. If you can rent or borrow the guns you find that you like the most, shoot them before buying one that is similar to it. Many folks are often surprised that some large calibers and pistols are easier to shoot than they were led to believe. Sometimes it is just the opposite, but you’ll never know until you shoot them. 

As far as caliber, for a self defense gun I would not go any smaller than a 9mm or .38 special. No one wants to shoot anyone, but if you have to, you want your gun to stop the threat as quickly as possible. Yes smaller caliber guns will kill, but they will not always stop an attack unless you are very accurate with shot placement and even then you want to use as large a caliber as you are comfortable shooting to have an edge. As a general rule the lighter/smaller the frame, the more felt recoil. Heavy guns are much easier to shoot, but difficult to carry. Like all of us, you will have to find a balance that you can live with.

I chose a S&W over a Glock, because of the grip issue. I have shorter fingers than most and it just fit my hands better than the Glock did.


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## rfawcs (Feb 11, 2006)

Very good advice so far. I believe you'll have the best fit with a S&W/Colt/Taurus .38 Special revolver. There are many used models out there in great condition at reasonable prices. It takes a LOT of work to wear out a revolver, and .38 Special cartridges have been putting down bad guys successfully for over a century.


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## Kharuger (Jun 19, 2010)

kuffels613 said:


> I have really small hands and not a whole lot of upper body strength and I'm looking for a handgun thats not too difficult to manipulate. This would be my first gun purchase and I'm finding out that a lot guns are really hard for me to use. I've used my moms 9mm glock and it is somewhat hard for me to manipulate the chamber and break it down to clean it etc.... I've looked at some revolvers and with some I have to use both thumbs to pull (with difficulty) the hammer down. I'm sure its obvious but I'll say it anyway, I don't want anything that is going to rip my arms off in terms of recoil. The glock is not bad when it comes to kick so anything that has a similar caliber would suffice. I'm open to revolvers or whatever! Your suggestions would be awesome! Thanks!!


So, what's the deal, Kuffels? Here's a bunch of "awesome" suggestions and you haven't responded... Why the silent treatment?... (or maybe you're a one-post wonder???) Hmmmm...


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## dosborn (Apr 17, 2009)

Since you didn't mention using it for protection, I would recommend looking at a .22lr to learn with. It would be easy on your hand/arm and easier on your pocket book.

However, if your intention is for personal protection you have many options. Since you are familiar with Glock, that would be a good choice though (as well as Sig, Beretta, FN, HK, SA and many others).


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