Suggest a pistol to try

[Grifter]

Dont know if you would consider it exotic, but how about a Walther PPS 9mm? very well managed recoil, very thin, not real heavy. adjustable backstraps, I find the thin one to be most confortable. But beware, there are 2 different trigger pulls from the factory, a heavy and a standard. the heavy is about 12# pull, the standard is about 5# pull (IIRC) I have the heavy, I didnt care for it at first, but after break in I dont even notice it. It smoothes out and you get used to it.

[Squib Joe]

Try one of these.

Beretta Model 86 Cheetah 380 ACP

Great gun but no longer in the Beretta catalog

[Stradawhovious]

Dont know if you would consider it exotic,

I don't think you would ever, EVER be in danger of WhiteHorseradish considering anything exotic. You should see the stuff he considers normal!

[Rogelk]

Not sure about trigger reach but I think a good defensive weapon for a women or anyone for that matter would be a Smith & Wesson M&P Compact 9mm.

[plblark]

Dont know if you would consider it exotic,

I don't think you would ever, EVER be in danger of WhiteHorseradish considering anything exotic. You should see the stuff he considers normal!

Oh, he knows he's not normal but he likes it that way

I'd second the PP/S as something to try. The mag release bugs me but that gun FEELS and shoots great for me.

[Grifter]

I love the mag release. It gets to be second nature, after I shoot the PPS, then switch to the 1911, my finger is reaching to the trigger guard for the mag release.

[Bessy]

As lame as it sounds.. I actually carried a pa-63 for a number of months. I found it easy to conceal. You can help reduce recoil and the harsh trigger pull by swapping out some springs. At the time they were relatively cheap and available, and they fit in most ppk holsters. I still think you can get them for around 200, I believe the 9x18mm makarov is marginally better than .380. I never had any malfunctions with the gun.

That being said. I primarily carry a s&w j frame now days, I would recommend a revolver to anyone who doesn't have allot of time to practice clearing drills. I like it primarily because it's relative easy to conceal vs a large frame auto (read double stack automatic). Also it can be fired it from concealment multiple times without fear of jamming(read I am a coward). YMMV

[White Horseradish]

Well, the recent testing showed that the gun she liked most so far was the service-size XD9. We tried a PA-63-class Waltherclone, but she hated the trigger. The XD trigger was much more to her liking. Also, the wide double-stack grip makes recoil feel better to her.

We'll see where this goes from here. I'm thinking given this information an M&P and a Beretta Storm might be worthwhile candidates.

As far as size and concealment, she is not terribly worried about it just yet, although she does have a permit. Someone in the family always drops her off and picks her up from work, and we are usually carrying. Home defense is a much bigger concern at the moment. She also likes the actual process of shooting, so a gun that is comfortable and fun for her is the primary goal. Once we get that out of the way we can work on carry.

[Bessy]

Well, the recent testing showed that the gun she liked most so far was the service-size XD9. We tried a PA-63-class Waltherclone, but she hated the trigger. The XD trigger was much more to her liking. Also, the wide double-stack grip makes recoil feel better to her.

We'll see where this goes from here. I'm thinking given this information an M&P and a Beretta Storm might be worthwhile candidates.

As far as size and concealment, she is not terribly worried about it just yet, although she does have a permit. Someone in the family always drops her off and picks her up from work, and we are usually carrying. Home defense is a much bigger concern at the moment. She also likes the actual process of shooting, so a gun that is comfortable and fun for her is the primary goal. Once we get that out of the way we can work on carry.

The stock double action trigger pull on the pa-63 is in a word... horrible It's amazing what lightening up the main spring in these guys can do. It went from horrible to decent. Single action pull is very nice. I've never really owned a carry gun that was fun to put allot of rounds through, unless you count my 1911.. and that was to large to carry around all the time for me. I think you have the right idea.... best of luck to you sir.

[Rogelk]

Well, the recent testing showed that the gun she liked most so far was the service-size XD9. We tried a PA-63-class Waltherclone, but she hated the trigger. The XD trigger was much more to her liking. Also, the wide double-stack grip makes recoil feel better to her.

We'll see where this goes from here. I'm thinking given this information an M&P and a Beretta Storm might be worthwhile candidates.

As far as size and concealment, she is not terribly worried about it just yet, although she does have a permit. Someone in the family always drops her off and picks her up from work, and we are usually carrying. Home defense is a much bigger concern at the moment. She also likes the actual process of shooting, so a gun that is comfortable and fun for her is the primary goal. Once we get that out of the way we can work on carry.

Another option is a SIG P239 in 9mm with Hogue wraparounds. If you're near the metro she can test drive mine sometime if you like.

[hoel6466]

Another option is a SIG P239 in 9mm with Hogue wraparounds. If you're near the metro she can test drive mine sometime if you like.

I would also suggest the Sig P229 SAS that my wife has. She likes her HK P30 more but the Sig is my favorite. +1 on the test drive just drop me a line.