LCP? And my girlfriend is awesome!

[Ryan]

Consider yourself lucky that she wants her own gun...

My wife has laid claim to my Sig 1911 Nightmare. It was a birthday / christmas present last year and already she refers to it as "her" gun. When we go to the range I ask what she wants me to bring. And then she says, " MY Nightmare"

Maybe I can convince her to buy me the .357sig version and she can keep the .45

[lildave40]

IMO Go to a gun range that rents all types and try them out. It is more comfort for her. Me I got rid of my LC9 and got an XD Mod2. My Wife got rid of her lcp and got a shield. She tells me the recoil is less on the shield for her.

[RoyGBiv]

I'll add my +1 for going to a gun range that has a wide variety of rentals and trying a few things out.
Typically they charge a single fee of $10 or $15 and let you try as many guns as you want from their rental fleet.
Little guns can be snappy. Small does not always equal easy/fun to shoot.

If she can handle a slightly larger gun than the LCP, my wife loves her Walther CCP and it shoots pretty softly.

[mcneyens]

Every person I've ever taught to shoot a handgun has shot my .22 first. It's takes all the scary thoughts away and makes the new shooter feel very comfortable firing a weapon. I'll then work my way up to my 9 and 40.

Same thing goes for riffle. I start them with my .223 before moving on.

It's all about getting the person comfortable and nothing is better than seeing that "Mikey likes it" expression on their face.

[Mahzik]

All great advice above. What fits one shooter doesn't necessarily fit another. I strongly recommend renting a bunch of different guns until you find one that fits your girlfriend and one she can manipulate and shoot well.

One other piece of advice from personal experience. Do not assume that because she has small hands she needs the smallest grip size. I was working with a female friend who decided on the M&P 9. She bought one and came to a basic tactical pistol class with the small grip on the pistol. She was having a hard time keeping her strong hand high on the grip which made it more difficult for her to control the recoil. During a break, we switched her to the medium grip and it ended up being much more comfortable for her and because of the shape of the grip, actually pushed her hand higher on the grip and into the beavertail giving her more control.

Best part of the process is you both will get to fondle and shoot a bunch of guns! Have fun!

[atx2a]

When my wife was new to shooting I started her out with my full size Ruger P89 9mm its a full size large heavy gun with Houge grips. Comfortable and easy recoil, also super accurate which built her confidence up quickly. She took her CHL test with it and scored a 249!

she did not and still does not like any of my sub compact smaller guns, XDs Colt mustang, P938...

I ended up getting her a Sig p239 its a 8rd single stack 9mm I put the comfy Houge grips on for her and she likes it. IMO its the perfect size/weight ratio for a small girl with tiny hands.

ATX2A- I noticed your in Austin, you might already know this but Reds indoor range in Pflugerville has ladys night on Mondays. If I remember correctly Free rentals and discounted range fees

Thanks for the reminder about Red's, JKETCHUM. I had forgotten about that. I've been a fan of Shady Oaks lately, but Red's is closer.

And thanks again, everyone, for the feedback. All good advice. And yes, I consider myself lucky/blessed that she wants one. And that she let me spend the day at Cabela's on Valentine's Day!