Mom needs a pistol

Roadrunner

Roadrunner

Joined
Jun 9, 1999
Messages
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I'm looking for suggestions on which pistol to get my mother for Christmas. She's a fairly experienced and very confident shooter, in fact I'm sad to say she shoots better than me with a pistol. :eek: So it isn't like she needs a super simple trainer gun, I'd like to get her something she won't be out-shooting after she has more experience. Here's the main features I'm looking for:

- Autoloader
- Mid-size (3-4" barrel)
- Light, but not too light (still comfortable to shoot)
- Available in 9mm

Right now I'm considering the Beretta Cougar, Taurus Millenium Pro, and the Springfield XD series. I'm pretty much open to suggestion at this point, so any input is welcome. Thanks guys. :)
 
How about a HK USP Compact 9mm? Good shooter! And it is still a mid size gun either way you look at it.

A few more choices of mine would be:

Glock 19
Springfield XD 9
Springfield UC 1911 9mm
Smith and Wesson 908S
 
Since she has a certain level of experience, why not print up a fancy invitation to have her accompany you on the buying trip?? She may have certain likes/dislikes she hasn't shared with you, for any number of reasons, and this way you can get her what she really wants, without worrying she'd rather have something other than your choice, but didn't want to hurt your feelings by telling you. Make sense?:)

Larry S.:cool:
 
Yeah, but that doesn't work so well for a surprise Christmas present. :p This is really going to be a present from my brother, Dad and myself, right now we're just trying to come up with a few ideas. She likes to shoot but isn't really 'into' guns the way we are, so it's best to narrow the field a bit before we go looking.
 
You'd be doing yourself and Mom a great dis-service if you didn't consider the Sig 239. Wrap some sticky Hogues around the grip, and she won't put it down.
 
I am very fond of my Beretta MiniCougar in 9mm. Shoots very well, very accurate. Forget .40, 9mm will do the job fine and is a more manageable and inexpensive (read: more practice) round. I'm a slick slide (DAO) fan myself.
 
Mini 9's are my favorite. and my favorite right now is a STI LS9 I just acquired. The Sig 239 is very good. As are most of the Karh 9's. But the one Mini 9 I'm still lusting after is the H&K P7M. Just ask Frontsite. Right after that is the new Robar Pocket 9.

On the econo model line, the Kel-Tec P11 isn't a bad choice. Simply because they have excellent customer service to fix their production issues.
 
Does she already have an autoloader? If yes, consider a revolver. I'm been drooling over the S&W .500 Magnum. :eek:
163504_large.jpg
 
I'm gonna guess that if we're looking for a small autoloader that's light and shoots 9mm, the big S&W 500 is out of the question. It is a sweet wheelgun, though. .

Maybe a P-Series Ruger would do the trick?? They're ugly but fun. .
 
Thanks for the suggestions guys, those HKs and Sigs are looking real nice. We're restricting this to autos since she seems to enjoy shooting them a bit more than the revolvers and has more than enough skill to handle the more complicated gun. Right now there's only one large caliber auto in the house (Beretta 96), so this new one will be hers to shoot at the range.
 
Roadrunner,

Get her a gift certificate from the local gun dealer. It is better to let her pick out something that works for her.

n2s
 
What N2S said, and take her to a range that rents guns for her birthday. Let her try before you buy.

Buying a gun for someone is like buying them underwear, they really need to pick something that fits them (size, personality, etc.)

One thing to consider is the size of her mits. Double-stack guns don't work well for everyone. Having a comfortable grip on a pistol is mandatory to feel good shooting.
 
Hi, I would take a long look at the Kahr P9 (polymer framed model) or if it is too light have her look at the K9 (all steel model). Both of these pistols are in 9mm but are also available in .40 s&w. In my not so humble opinion these are one of the finest pistols made. I have tried darn near everything on the market and the Kahr pistols are absolutely top-notch for me. They have the sweetest double action trigger period. Except for maybe one of the older Smith and Wesson double action revolvers. Not to mention the incredible accuracy and reliability after the required 200 rd. breakin period. They are single stack pistols so that means they have a nice slim grip which works well for smaller hands. I just picked up a P9 Covert for a song last week off of Gunbroker.com. The Covert model has a shortened grip frame for concealability. I couldn't be happier with it or the price that I got it for. I have also shot several of these pistols before and I have been very impressed every time. Either of these would work well for concealed carry if that is part of the equation. I think that your mother would be very pleased with one of these little Kahrs.

Take care, Heath
 
Since your Mom is an experienced shooter I would just get her a gift certificate to a good gun store. That way she gets to pick exactly what she wants. If she is not sure than I would suggest going to a indoor shooting range that has a wide selection of handguns to rent and let her try everything that strikes her fancy.
 
Thanks for the suggestions guys, I just talked to my brother and we're thinking of either taking her to the range and seeing what she likes, then surprising her with it, or giving her a bunch of brochures and a gift certificate. Either way we'll be sure she gets the one that works for her. I'm just looking for good background info and suggestions for guns I don't even know are out there, like the CZs (thanks for the link donovan btw). Also anything in particular to avoid would be good as well. So thanks again and keep 'em coming!
 
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