Small hands, handgun suggestions?

OP here. So I have an update. I have managed to try a few:

* CZ 75: Way too big, including trigger reach.
* 1911 (Kimber, single stack): Nice grip but far slide lock made this a no go.
* M&P 9: Perfect fit, slide lock is a bit far but workable. This is a viable choice, although I'm not overly exited by S&W whatever reason.
* P226 (e2 grip): Perfect fit, slide lock awesomely placed. The first trigger pull (the DA one) is a bit stiff and far but cocked it's the best so far. My 1st choice at this point.
* Glock 17 gen 4: ok fit, good slide lock position, but PPC club members talked me out of a Glock (I know they are great gun, no offense intended) =)

Left on my list to check are the SR9 and P30. No actually one mentioned the P30 but it looks very convenient with the ambi slide lock and trigger guard mag release. Is the high price point keeping people away or is there some other nefarious downside that keeps it off peoples' list?

Thx all for the replies.
 
Requiem said:
OP here. So I have an update. I have managed to try a few:

* CZ 75: Way too big, including trigger reach.
* 1911 (Kimber, single stack): Nice grip but far slide lock made this a no go.
* M&P 9: Perfect fit, slide lock is a bit far but workable. This is a viable choice, although I'm not overly exited by S&W whatever reason.
* P226 (e2 grip): Perfect fit, slide lock awesomely placed. The first trigger pull (the DA one) is a bit stiff and far but cocked it's the best so far. My 1st choice at this point.
* Glock 17 gen 4: ok fit, good slide lock position, but PPC club members talked me out of a Glock (I know they are great gun, no offense intended) =)

Left on my list to check are the SR9 and P30. No actually one mentioned the P30 but it looks very convenient with the ambi slide lock and trigger guard mag release. Is the high price point keeping people away or is there some other nefarious downside that keeps it off peoples' list?

Thx all for the replies.
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if you really liked the sig grip (fits me really well with my medium/small hands as well) and want it for ppc get a X5 model
 
Requiem said:
I really wanted to get a CZ Shadow as my 1st handgun. I keep hearing good things about it, it's liked by widely different crowds and it would cover everything I'd like to get into: paper targets, casual silhouette, maybe PPC further down the line. I also like the look.

BUT. That thing is large. I have fairly small hands so I simply can't reach the slide lock without having to aggressively shift my grip, forcing me to turn my shoulders right to avoid pointing the gun left. I can also obviously point it down, so I'm able to operate it np, but I look like a dummy and it's a huge hassle.

So I'm now in search of something smaller. Hopefully something with the slide lock closer to the grip, so that I could reach with my (short :p) thumb without having to move my hand. Money is not really a problem. The P226 looks promising in pictures but I've yet to hold one to confirm. I'm also slightly worried that I wouldn't get as much millage from it compared to a Shadow.

What do you guys think? Any pistol suggestion that might fit the bill? Or should I just suck it up, give up and buy a gun that I look clumsy handling?
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I have tiny hands, kind of like an asian girl. I have the CZ75 SP-01 tactical and yes, it's too big for my grip, but it works well. If you want this type of gun, get a Baby Eagle, the grip is small. Try to get one without the safety on the slide. If you want a shadow-like gun, get the Baby Eagle. The only problem with this gun is that it has polygonal rifling, which makes reloading with cast bullets not practical (You have to clean every 50-100 rounds). Glock 19's and M&P's aren't bad. I actually took the grips off the M&P entirely and it worked well.

For revolvers, you're going to want to look at a S&W model 60 J-frame, it has girly hand grips. This is a hard gun to get and expect to pay like $600-$900 for one.

I'd also recommend the Walther P22 for a .22lr, the grips are good but you have to be really careful with the front sight. The Walther P99 is in 9mm and features great ergonomic grips for little hand people.
 
I was going to suggest the P226 with E2 grips, but it appears you have now held one and like it!

I own a P226 and P220, the P220 has a single stack mag, so the grip is narrower than the P226. Most P220's are .45 ACP, if you are looking for 9mm, there are a few P220 in 9mm on the EE from time to time.

The other pistol I would suggest you try holding/shooting is a H&K P30L. They come with several sizes of grip panels and I know a person that owns one with small hands and they really like the fit/feel.
 
Requiem said:
without having to move my hand. The P226 looks promising in pictures but I've yet to hold one to confirm. I'm also slightly worried that I wouldn't get as much millage from it compared to a Shadow.

What do you guys think? Any pistol suggestion that might fit the bill? Or should I just suck it up, give up and buy a gun that I look clumsy handling?
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I have the same issue with hand size. The P226 with the slim, aluminum grips works well. As you had mentioned that money is object; go get yourself a nice HK P30L with the fully adjustabe grips. I had one and it fit me perfectly!
 
I have the same problem, small hands, short thumbs :p I currently own and shoot a Browning HP 9mm fitted with VZ slim grips and its a dream, fits like a glove, shoots awesome!

I also shoot a Glock 22 Gen 4 and with no backstrap and it's very managable, I get 4-6" groups from both at 25m no problem (not sure if thats great but its good enough for me!).

Best part about the Glock tho is aftermarket parts. If you feel the slide stop is a stretch there are lots of extended slide options out there. The Gen 4's have an extended mag release built in which makes life even easier too!
 
Sometimes i think handgun fit is WAY less important than people make it out to be. There is always going to be things that are different about each and every gun that you try out. You may just have to practice to get accustomed to these unique features.

I guess what I am trying to say is: there is no magical gun out there, the only thing you need is a pretty close gun and lots of practice.

could your hands be smaller than this girls?:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bDlodGEp_9o&feature=related
 
Requiem said:
I really wanted to get a CZ Shadow as my 1st handgun. I keep hearing good things about it, it's liked by widely different crowds and it would cover everything I'd like to get into: paper targets, casual silhouette, maybe PPC further down the line. I also like the look.

BUT. That thing is large. I have fairly small hands so I simply can't reach the slide lock without having to aggressively shift my grip, forcing me to turn my shoulders right to avoid pointing the gun left. I can also obviously point it down, so I'm able to operate it np, but I look like a dummy and it's a huge hassle.

So I'm now in search of something smaller. Hopefully something with the slide lock closer to the grip, so that I could reach with my (short :p) thumb without having to move my hand. Money is not really a problem. The P226 looks promising in pictures but I've yet to hold one to confirm. I'm also slightly worried that I wouldn't get as much millage from it compared to a Shadow.

What do you guys think? Any pistol suggestion that might fit the bill? Or should I just suck it up, give up and buy a gun that I look clumsy handling?
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I am a newbie and I have used both a 226 and a shadow nearly back to back (just one day apart)

I was bringing the shadow and sig both closer to my body to rack the slide and lock it

I really dont mind moving my grip, you would have to do about the same even on the sig

Both are awesome pistols, I own the sig, its the elite and has rosewood grips, I have small hands and I didnt mind the chunky grip.

You can change the grips to the houge G10 or something (i have those aswell) and although I havent fired any rounds with the G10 hogues I find them much slimmer and think i would prefer them. But I didnt mind the wood grips, they were awesome.

The CZ shadow with the red fo front was a breeze to shoot...but I am not running out to sell my sig either.

I say work on your technique and practice before you get rid of it. I plan to shoot a lot of different pistols so I am not "tuned" to xyz pistol and then get messed up on a different one. I want to be a good shooter, not a good shooter with my gun

If you really want something more manageable how about trying a few 1911's? they are much slimmer to a sig or a shadow, it might give you the reach you are looking for.
 
R005t3r said:
I have the same issue with hand size. The P226 with the slim, aluminum grips works well. As you had mentioned that money is object; go get yourself a nice HK P30L with the fully adjustabe grips. I had one and it fit me perfectly!
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OP here.

That's exactly what I did even before I read this reply!

I got myself a HK P30LS.

Close behind were Sig226e2, M&P9 (also the most affordable of the three).

I shot quite a few on my list and held them all. In the end, the unconventional controls on the P30 that people generally dislike were simply a blessing for my hand size. Everything is within reach: mag release, slide lock, decocker, trigger and I can operate them all without shifting my grip or using my second hand.

In the end, I do agree that most of the suggested guns could have worked and having to shift your grip or use your second hand to eject isn't the end of the world. You certainly can get fast and proficient with many setups just by drilling with them enough.

But I'm glad I made the research and I'm confident I made the best pick for me =) Thanks for everyone for the pointers and suggestion.

Requiem

P.s.: I think I'll be looking into a .45acp soon, that P220 looks promising =)
 
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Small hands here, too. I bought a Steyr M9 and it's pretty good except I can't hit the slide release without twisting my hand. The perfect gun for my hands was the HK P7M8. That is a fantastic pistol, accurate, small, different but not cheap.
 
I have both a glock 17 and a S&W M&P 9 and can tell you that the M&P 9 is far and above the better pistol IMHO, espescially if you have smaller hands (my GF can shoot it and operate it fairly well, her being 5'6" and weighing no more then a rottweiler). (<---oddly specific comparison, I know:D)
 
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