Good but economical 9mm

xxclaro

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I recently bought a Norc 1911 and a M213 from Canam. I got the 1911 for myself,and the 213 for the wife to try,see if there was much interest there or not. I took her out today and taught her to shoot both,and she absolutely loved it. She's pretty tiny,and the .45 was a bit much for her,both in size and recoil. The 213 was much better for her,but it just whetted her appetite, and now she wants a "good" one. That's fine by me,as the 213 will revert back to me to tinker with,as I'd planned.
So, now I have to find a suitable pistol for her. It'll be a 9mm,since that's about the cheapest to shoot,and I already have my reloading and casting equipment cranking out ammo for it. However, I'm not planning on spending a bunch of money on it, since it's just a fun plinking gun for her. What would you recommend to fit a 5'0 girl with small hands,that's accuratte but won't break the bank?
 
A g-17 would be my choice as well.You can pick up a used one for about 500-600 bucks.
You could also look at the 9mm Norcs.The NP29 is a good choice if you can find one.
 
A CZ 75 or Tanfoglio clone would be a better gun than a Glock for someone with small hands. Prices are also quite reasonable.
 
What do M&Ps go for lately? They are good for people with small hands, attractive looking to ladies and are decent guns. You can shoot lead bullets with it too.
 
A CZ 75 or Tanfoglio clone would be a better gun than a Glock for someone with small hands. Prices are also quite reasonable.

+1 on that. CZ 75 is a good starter gun, I enjoyed mine for a while and moved to a higher quality product few months after. SP01 is sleek and reliable!
 
take her out to the store and let her pick out the gun she likes or beter yet take her to the range where other shooters will let her try out there guns.
 
At first I read good but Ergonomical 9mm, I tought STI GP-6

Then I read it's economical you wrote actually, so I tought STI GP-6
 
For small hands the CZ may not be the best option. It has been reported by many that they had to go with the slim grips to make it tolerable for medium to smaller hands. I've got big mitts and it fits me like a.....erm..... glove :D

I have to second the idea of taking her out to "try on" as many options as you can access even if it means a trip to the big city (you don't mention where you're located). She's got the advantage that you've either already shown her the correct grip or CAN show her so she won't be inclined to select a gun based on the wrong grip style.

It'll be HER gun after all. All the good intentions of the other posters notwithstanding what fits one person's hands well won't fit so nicely in the other persons.

I know that after trying about 8 or 9 different 9mm options I chose to stay with metal frames. Yes they are heavier but up here we don't carry so weight out on the range should not be an issue and I liked it for the reduced recoil to make things easier to get back on target for IPSC shooting.

Actually for small hands a single stack 1911 platform can't be beat but then there goes the "inexpensive" part unless you can find a used single stack Norinco but those seem to be plucked up fast when they rarely show up. However if you DO opt to bump up the budget the STI Trojan in 9mm is an AMAZING gun. Truthfully it was #1 on my original test list but the single action only would have bumped me to Standard in IPSC and I didn't want to do that for a number of reasons for my first few seasons at least. And if she liked the look and feel of your present 1911 then you'd be buying a known commodity.
 
The M&P works for most hands, the CZ and clones does too, when fired S/A. The Glock 19 grip is only marginally better than the 17, the 26 is the same diameter cut in half, so you can still have a trigger reach issue. The Browning HiPower works for most hands too. As far as economical goes............. the Norinco CZ clones are dirt cheap and have good reviews (the Norc Sig 228 clone might work for her too) The M&P can be found used for around 500-600, real CZ's and Brownings run 700-800 along with new M&P's
 
+1 on that. CZ 75 is a good starter gun, I enjoyed mine for a while and moved to a higher quality product few months after. SP01 is sleek and reliable!

I wasn't aware that there were any quality issues with the CZ. Granted, they aren't on the same level as a good custom 1911 or a Sig P210, but they are a good solid pistol. Mine has fed flawlessly for thousands of rounds. To what did you upgrade?

As far as double stack pistols go, CZs and Browning Hi-Power are as slim as it gets. The plastic grips the CZ comes with are rather chunky, but can be easily replaced. This is one thing you can't do with a Glock.

Another option worth considering is the surplus Walther P38/P1. These are usually in nice shape and are inexpensive.
 
hey ian in vic.. new browning pistols and smith m&p pistols are not even in the same ball park as far as quality, reputation, and price. You will have a hard time not payiny 3 or 4 hundred dollars more for a browning.
 
I wasn't aware that there were any quality issues with the CZ. Granted, they aren't on the same level as a good custom 1911 or a Sig P210, but they are a good solid pistol. Mine has fed flawlessly for thousands of rounds. To what did you upgrade?

As far as double stack pistols go, CZs and Browning Hi-Power are as slim as it gets. The plastic grips the CZ comes with are rather chunky, but can be easily replaced. This is one thing you can't do with a Glock.

Another option worth considering is the surplus Walther P38/P1. These are usually in nice shape and are inexpensive.

I upgraded to an HK USP 9mm with a stainless steel slide. I didn't like the way the trigger was always biting my finger when I was firing my 85 Combat. As if the trigger metal piece wasn't properly finished. Although I did try a few SP01 and I liked them. Very solid piece and mean looking!

I meant quality in an overall way. Like you would compare a Pontiac car with a BMW. You pay more but you expect more...
 
hey ian in vic.. new browning pistols and smith m&p pistols are not even in the same ball park as far as quality, reputation, and price. You will have a hard time not payiny 3 or 4 hundred dollars more for a browning.

I'll bow to your experience on this one, it's been a while since I'd even consider buying most guns new. There are so many virtually unused (1,000 rounds or less) "used" guns out there that I just buy those and save the cash :D As far as quality goes, that's subjective, I've never had a problem with any Smith autoloader, they've all been accurate and reliable and the triggers haven't been any worse than my last Hi Power.
 
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The Browning Hi-Power has been popular for a long time amongst shooters with smaller hands. Marstar lists a Norinco copy and there are respectable FEG copies of this model that come up from time to time for pretty low prices. I suggest you search the EE, I think there have been a couple of FEGs listed in the last few months and they might still be unsold.
 
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