Smallish 9mm?

[Ian]

One of my friends is looking to pick up a smallish 9mm, primarily for his fiance. She wants something small, so it can be carried in a purse if need be, but not micro compact. The other major consideration is price; the budget for this gun is about $250-$300. A Makarov was considered, but they discarded it because the ammo isn't common enough to be picked up at a place like WalMart. Right now the top runner is a Taurus Millenium...

Does anyone know of other guns that would fit these criteria?

Also, if someone does and would like to sell it, he'd be interested in purchasing (particularly in Indiana, where a face-to-face buy is possible).

Thanks!

 

[El Tejon]

If he can go higher, how about a Kahr P9?

If you're not studying (I mean books, not girls), drop by the office and borrow one of mine.

 

[goon]

You might look for a Star Firestar.

 

[Snowdog]

Adhering to that price, maybe he could do worse to than looking into a Bersa or Bersa Firestorm for the more potent calibers.

However, I would highly recommend that you advise him to allow her to test-for-fit a variety of handguns at a well-stocked shop. Allow her to decide what's right for her purse. Then, if he feels the price is too steep, he can search the on-line auctions to find a more competitive price on that particular model.

 

[ARperson]

I'd like to add that no matter what her choice, her purse will probably fall apart within a month or two with that kind of weight in it. I carried a Glock 26 and every purse that carried it was ripping out at the shoulder strap seams.

I suggest going with a lightweight model revolver in .38* for the generic purse or spending the money on a purse designed and built specifically carry purposes.

*Don't worry about going with the .357 option in the revolver as when the rubber hits the road, caliber won't mean as much as shot placement and, to fit the purse without too much trouble a snubby is a better option than not so you don't really want the .357 in a lightweight snubby frame. I recommend the Taurus M85ULT. Port the barrel and it's quite a bit fun to shoot. Which means she'll get lots of practice too!

 

[USGuns]

P11

Kel-Tec P11?
http://www.kel-tec.com/prod01.htm

 

[Mastrogiacomo]

Suggestions from another lady...

I think you'd need to go a little higher. Don't cheat yourself out of a quality gun. Give the Glock 26 serious thought or the Beretta compact type M (single stack, eight rounds) or even the Beretta 85 Cheetah (single stack, eight rounds) Mind you, the Cheetahs are .380's but they're compact. Wouldn't rule out a 3" Ruger GP 100 .357 and use .38's.

 

[10-Ring]

The first one that came to mind was one of the Kahrs, but the price restriction put a damper on that idea Maybe if you consider something used the Kahr gets back into the equation or maybe a Glock 26 or maybe even one of the S&W Chief Special 9's.

 

[bernie]

I would be the first to say consider finding a good used S&W 3913. They are great guns and reliable to boot. They even marketed one version of it as the "LadySmith".

 

[Ian]

Cool, thanks for the thoughts, guys. He thinks that Kel-Tec looks pretty good. Also, any thoughts on a particularly good .38 for the money (or a particularly bad one)?

El Tejon - Thanks for the offer, but he tells me that the Kahrs are too far out of budget.

Snowdog - Definitely. I have been.

 

[Jason Demond]

How about a Taurus model 85 snub? I had one, and was very happy with it. I ended up giving it to my Mother for Christmas one year.

 

[rde]

Makarov ==> in 380

Bersa Thunder ==> in 380 (haven't tried their 9mm, 40, 45 cal but it is in the budget)

Police trade compact S&W ==> lots of them with 3.5 inch barrels and are well made and reliable. Can be found in the budget.

Steyr ==> S series if you can find one. (Compact model)

 

[yayarx7]

I got a Taurus 650, blued, snub 357 w/concealed hammer for under $250 used.

I also had a Stainless model 85 .38 I picked up for $199.

good Quaility guns for a good price.

...my $.02

 

[incursion]

I think the Kahr K9 is probably one of the best pistols for women.

 

[tango3065]

cz-RAMI

Wait till Feb and get th cz-rami .

 

[Absolut]

if you can get up to around $400 then the XD Sub would be the way i would go, if not then prob. the Kel-Tech P11

 

[chevrofreak]

Kel Tec P11

http://www.gunbroker.com/auction/ViewItem.asp?Item=14178788
http://www.gunbroker.com/auction/ViewItem.asp?Item=14162381
http://www.gunbroker.com/auction/ViewItem.asp?Item=14161754

Ruger P95DC

http://www.gunbroker.com/auction/ViewItem.asp?Item=14086231
http://www.gunbroker.com/auction/ViewItem.asp?Item=14100505

Arcus Hi Power clone, may be slightly large, but they're good guns.

http://www.gunbroker.com/auction/ViewItem.asp?Item=14017881

Astra A-100

http://www.gunbroker.com/auction/ViewItem.asp?Item=14090815

Taurus PT-908

http://www.gunbroker.com/auction/ViewItem.asp?Item=14020803

Just a few suggestions

 

[Preacherman]

No contest in that price range - get a RAP 401! Under $250, a clone of the Astra A-75, very well made and reliable, a bit heavy (but that dampens recoil for the sensitive), and small enough to easily carry and conceal, even in a purse. Highly recommended.

 

[Ian]

Preacherman, do you know where one might find a RAP for sale?

 

[tbeb]

How about an older Charter Arms Undercover .38? It's a 5-shot revolver the size of a Smith & Wesson J frame. Empty weight is 16 ounces--which is easy enough to carry and easier to shoot than the lighter revolvers. You can buy a used one in excellent condition for $150.

Earlier in the year I bought one that had a couple problems. I sent it to Charter Arms for repair. For $50, they inspected gun and replaced a couple minor parts. I dealt with the plant manager. Communication and service was great.

 

[clubsoda22]

the taurus milenniums have had some reliability problems in the past. I'd look into a bersa .380. Definately gonna be contorllable enough for the GF and in nickle it should only cost a bit over $200. .380 is very commonly available.

 

[Preacherman]

Ian, THR member CRAYZCANESSPORTS used to sell them in our sales forum - you could PM or e-mail him to find out if he still has stock. You could also run a search on THR to find several threads dealing with this gun. I know that the last batch of imported guns was sold, and there was some holdup about the next batch - don't know if they're in yet. You could also try searching on Gunbroker, AuctionArms or Gunsamerica to see if one's available. I had a quick look, but only found two RAP 440's - the .40 S&W version - available at the moment.

 

[ChuckB]

Ian, I purchased a Kel-Tec P11 last month, and I couldn't be more pleased. Is it a target-accurate pistol? No, and it wasn't intended to be one. It does serve its intended purpose very well- a light weight, double action only pistol that keeps on shooting. 9X19 ammo is cheap for practice, and the P11 holds 10 shots. Once I got accustomed to the long trigger pull, I have no trouble keeping all shots in a child's fist-sized circle at 7 yards (smaller if I'm real careful!).

Chuck

 

[carpettbaggerr]

Google says:

Here

and Here

Looks nice, haven't heard of this one before. Learn something new every day.

 

[huaco]

Think a bit more about the Makarov. You can't buy ammo for it at Walmart but most gun shops around here carry it at a reasonable price and it's available online. Just buy a supply and don't worry about it for awhile. The Makarov is a great value and quite accurate and reliable and can be had for well under $200. You can get the gun and a two years supply of ammo for what you'll pay for something else. It's also a nice looking pistol and has all the right features for self defense.