Thinking Out Loud (Help with next gun)

[J8127]

Background- I'm military, qualify with the M9 twice a year, carry it deployed as a secondary, etc... etc...

I took two classes with Tom Bullins at Trigger Time with my issued M4 and M9 on the unit's dime, took a Magpul Handgun 2 class with my G21 out of my own pocket (worth it!).

I rarely shoot the M9 in training, I hardly get to shoot as much as you would think a combat arms guy would, and all of my progress over the last couple of years (barely qualifying to missing perfect by one or two pulled shots) I accredit to shooting on my own, sometimes as often as every weekend, and dry firing in my living room A LOT. I still consider myself a beginner and would never tell anyone I'm good, I'm just into it, which puts me at the front of the pack in my unit unfortunately.

I have gotten my girlfriend into shooting and she almost always comes with me and shoots my weapons. I own a DDM4v2 that looks like its sponsored by Magpul and a G21 with some Ameriglo sights on it (Orange font, blacked out rears, I love it).

At the end of the year I will have a large pile of tax free money and I want to pick up another weapon. I 110% believe in "shooting the damn gun" and prioritizing ammo and training over expanding a collection, but I still want one. I have a couple lines of thought on where to go I was hoping to share and get some feedback on.

I love my G21. LOVE it. My 110lb girlfriend would love it, but it is physically too big for her, she can not properly grip it with her firing hand, if she has it in the web of her hand she can't reach the trigger, and if she can reach the trigger the base of her thumb ends up under the slide and gets rubbed raw after a mag or two from the frame jumping in her hand, .45 is probably too much for her as well and she will occasionally lose her grip after a shot.

I love .45 and want to own only .45 so that I only have to buy/stockpile .45, but I want her to have fun too. I'd say I'm really getting a gun for her but I want to get use out of it too.

So here are the options I am thinking of and why,

A Beretta 92 - 9mm for her, smaller, plus it will allow me to train on my own with the same weapon I carry. Cons to this are I don't ****ing want one, I don't want her dealing with DA/SA, I don't want to deal with DA/SA, this is like trading my 10mpg Camaro for a 50mpg Prius, it makes the most sense but god I don't want to.

1911 - I want a 1911 (I feel obligated as an American to own one), she has gotten to mess with them and she likes them too, but it's still .45 which is good for me but may be an issue for her. Cons to this are that it does nothing for me training wise, may lead to me spending $3,000 on a custom handgun in the future.

G19 - Fits her great, I could actually CCW (although I probably wouldn't, I go on/off base too much unfortunately), 9mm. 9mm is probably the only con, like I said I would PREFER to stay all one caliber.

[MountainRaven]

Whatever you do, if this is something for your SO to shoot, take her to the gunshops to try the weapons on, so to speak. Last thing you want to do is sink a bunch of money into a weapon, bring it home, and have it turn out that your SO cannot handle it or cannot handle it comfortably.

If you want to stick with .45, I think that the 1911 might be the best choice, as it offers you the ability to swap the stocks out for something slim and/or replace the trigger with an A1-type short trigger.

If you're not-so-wedded to the .45, give the Glock 19 a go. If it's still too large for her (and they still are for some women), I would look at a SiG P225 or H&K P7. Unfortunately, there are not that many options left for full size or non-subcompact single-stack 9mms.

I agree that the Beretta would make the most sense for you, right now. But it may not be such a good choice for your SO, nor is it a particularly good choice for after you leave the service (not terrible, but look at the other choices). Again, get her to try it out before you buy, if this is the option you think you should take.

If you are serious about the 1911, you will probably be spending so much money that you could afford to get both an M92 for yourself and a G19 for your SO. Maybe even the P225 or P7 for her. Personally, I think the best option is to buy two weapons rather than just one, so long as you're willing and able to make a 1911 commitment.

[Mr blasty]

What about a .22? Everybody should have a .22 pistol. There fun and it gives you what dry fire can't yet wont hide your mistakes with recoil. The GF will love it! Mine loves to shoot .22's. My GF loves .22's, 9mm and .45 but HATES .40 do to the fast snappy recoil. If you teach your GF proper techniques she'll probably like .45 just fine. It's a slow soft recoil so it can be easily managed by smaller people with proper training.

The S&W MP's may have the ergos she's looking for. MY GF loves the feel of 1911's but I don't think she's ready to learn the advanced controls on them. There a lot more complicated than an idiot proof glock and right now I just want to help her get the fundamentals down first. If she doesn't shoot as much as you then getting 9mm won't be much of a pain since you'll only need small quantity's.

[blackboar]

You said you have a G21 and you really seem to enjoy it. Have you considered having your SO try a G21 SF or G30 SF?

[nobody knows]

Why not just get a 9mm 1911? The gf likes the 1911 already but you feel she's not quit ready for a 45 then a 9mm 1911 makes the most sense IMO.

[Dienekes]

I'm not a Glock fan but I've taught a fair number of women (including my daughter at age 14 or so) to shoot Model 19s well.

The important thing is to let her shop around. Just because you or I think she will like something doesn't mean she will.

[lloydkristmas]

The G19 would provide you a manageable platform for your girlfriend to shoot on, a cheaper training companion to the G21, and a solid CCW piece. Thats my vote.

[newyork]

21SF or Gen 4 21 with no backstrap. The should work if youre willing to have 2 calibers. I agree with taking her to shops to get a feel for them her self too.

[F-Trooper05]

If an M9 is what you're going to have when you're in harms way, than that's what I would get. No question about it.

[J8127]

If an M9 is what you're going to have when you're in harms way, than that's what I would get. No question about it.

Thats the big looming voice in the bag of my head, just...man I really don't want one LOL.


Thank you all for the input, I think I'm going to just have to rent some guns and let her try them out. Lets all hope she can handle .45 out of a weapon she can hold properly :D

[mizer67]

Some unconventional advice:

Learn to reload for .45 ACP.

Powder puff loads with .45 are as soft as a 9mm.

Lead, reloaded .45 ammo, buying the bullets at $.08 each is as cheap or cheaper than new, jacketed 9mm (yes, it's not a totally fair comparison).

Buy whatever .45 fits the GFs hand and you wouldn't mind owning also.

[5pins]

Either get something for her or get something for you. Trying to find something that is going to be perfect for both will more than likely disappoint each of you. If she is only tagging along with you when you go shooting then get something like the Beretta and let her shoot it. If she wants to really start shooting and not just come with, then find out what she likes.

[cop1211]

I'd say if its for her a Glock 19 would be a good choice since she if used to firing the 21.

I just got a HK P 30 lem V1 (light). And it is very nice, the ergo's cant be beat.

I carry a Glock 21 on duty and hate it.:)

[PlatoCATM]

Trade the g21 for a g19, and buy the M9 if you want to train with your issued firearm. 9mm ball sucks, but quality carry/duty ammo should not be discounted. To get into 1911s would be a step back or cost prohibitive for a lot of people to maintain them and their skills. I agree, combat arms personnel should be able to shoot more.

[PA PATRIOT]

9mm FMJ training ammunition is back to decent prices and a well kept used Glock Model-19 2nd or very early 3rd Gen version should be in the $350.00 range. I would suggest getting her something she likes to shoot and the Model-19 is very effective with any of the listed loads on DocGKR's list.

https://www.m4carbine.net/showthread.php?t=19887

[Plan]

While I realize that handguns are a fun hobby for a lot of people, and that having a lot of different handguns can be fun, it's clear that you are in a decidedly different catagory of people that are required to view the handgun as a lifesaving tool above all other uses.

Having said that, I would strongly suggest going with the M9 if you don't already own one. I think that as a soldier or LEO, it's critical that familarity with the issued weapon be held at the highest priority, even if the issued weapon may have certain undesirable characteristics. I would suggest setting the gf up with a different 9mm platform if she doesn't like the M9, but the way I see it the M9 is almost mandatory.

Here's a similar scenario. I am an LEO. I love running my carbine. I wish I could concentrate more on training with carbines. But the reality is, I don't carry a patrol rifle on duty, and am infinitely more likely to end up using my issued handgun in any incidents that occur than a carbine. Hence, the bulk of my training time is spent with the pistol.