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longhorn_92 wrote:

The EMP is indeed an awesome gun. It is a very hard gun to find. Does anyone know of a good deal on a Springfield EMP?

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My sister made a purchase this weekend. I wanted to thank everyone for their suggestions. I had her hold almost every weapon suggested in this thread. Some had grips that still felt too wide for her. Oddly, she felt the Kahr was too small . We had a chance to fire an S&W M&P in 9mm (CompVest Recommended) and a Rock island 4" 1911 in .45. She liked the M&P, but the grip was still a little big. They did not have the exchangeable backstraps available so we had to try another store to check that out. The recoil on the 4".45 was manageable, but she liked the 9mm better.

So we went to another store to see if we could try out the other grips for the M&P when she saw the SA EMP. I never really brought this gun up to her because 1) they are hard to find and 2) They were out of the price range she was looking in. After about a month of holding and firing various guns, she thought my SA micro-compact was the most comfortable, it just had too much recoil. The EMP and Micro-Compact are practically identical in size. She got the comfort she wanted, in the caliber that she liked (I warned her that it may have more felt recoil than the M&P due to shorter length), just not in her original price range. Two out of three isn't bad.

And, just as icing on the cake, we stopped by Walmart in the desperate hope that we could find 1 box of ammo. To my surprise, they had 8 boxes of 9mm (and about 20 boxes of .40). No .45 though, which is what I wanted. I guess a fully stocked Walmart ammo counter was just too much to ask for.

Thanks again everyone.

Dave

surprise_i'm_armed wrote:Dave01
Since you're in Rockwall, you're not awfully far away from the Bullet Trap
in Plano.

This gun shop has a large selection of new and pre-owned guns, as well as a range
where you can shoot a bunch of rental guns.

Some folks have complained that their range rentals for guns and ammo are pricey,
but hey, just like in the rest of life you have to pay to play.

Directions: From US 75 North, take the Park Boulevard exit, Eastbound.
Maybe the 2nd traffic light - you will be at Avenue K.
Take a left onto Avenue K, immediately go for the rightmost lane, and
BT is on your right.

PT745 Taurus - This is a SLIM powerhouse. 6 + 1 capacity and it's a .45.
PT145 Taurus - It's not that much bigger, but it's 10+1, also in .45.

My PT111 has been a great bargain and a trouble-free shooter.

Happy hunting and keep us posted on what she finally gets!

Thanks for sharing.

SIA

I have never been to the Bullet Trap so we might check that out. I normally got to Target Master in Garland. They also have a number of rental guns (including a 4" 1911 in .45). We may hit both places this weekend so we can try out as many of the suggestions as possible.

Dave

Thank you all for your offers to let her test drive various weapons. Unfortunately she is in the DFW area.

Dave

Jacob Staff wrote:
I suggest letting her pick up and if possible shoot as many different types as possible and let her choose. Try starting at a well stocked gun shop or a gun show.

We were at the Big Town gun show this weekend. I think she picked up every gun on the tables. Her issues were much the same as your wife's. The polymer frame pistols had grips that were too wide. Sig's don't have a manual safety (her requirement, not mine). Anything with a double stack/staggered magazine had a grip that was too wide. Many of the DA/SA or DA only pistols had a trigger that was too far forward. I don't remember if she picked up any HK's.

She really enjoys the 1911 platform. She does well with my friends 5" Kimber Gold Match in .40. My Springer 3" .45 (and my friends Kimber CDPII) is too much for her or at least her experience level. We are both confident that a 4" 1911 in 9mm is a good fit...just not available. Do we risk going the .45 route and hope she can "grow" into it? I think Ii will try to find a range that has a 4" 1911 in .45 to rent and see what happens.

My sister has decided that she wants to get her CHL. She has no handgun experience except the few times at the range with me. I am trying to help her locate a good all around weapon (CCW, target shooting, possibly IDPA). It is likely that she will only buy one gun. The problem I have is that her hands are so small, that the grip on most guns is simply too large (or the DA trigger is too far away). I have been trying to push her towards a revolver, but that seems to be a dead end (no interest).

After handling a number of different guns, the only thing she finds comfortable is a single stack 1911. Based on this, I feel that a "commander" size 1911 in 9mm would be appropriate for her. Kimber makes a few, Para makes one, and STI makes one. These guns are simply not available though (not sure on the STI, but that one is also quite heavy). I was told that everything from Kimber is back-ordered into 2010.

We were able to find a few 4" 1911 in .45 though. I am concerned that there is too much recoil for her. She has fired my 3" Springfield .45 and doesn't like it much (also has a lot of trouble with the recoil). So the question is, should she order a 1911 in 9mm and wait 6 months+, or go with a 4" .45 that might be too much recoil to handle? Or am I too concerned about the recoil, and maybe more experience/training will allow her to better handle the weapon?

Any thoughts are appreciated.

Dave