Just bought my wife a Kimber Micro Stainless .380. $535 out the door from local FFL. She loves it. Shoots great for a Noisy Cricket, less than 16 ozs. 7 shots by her, 7 by me at 7yrds off a sand bag. Bulk Italian ammo.
I was going to say the same thing. The easiest to handle with less felt recoil I think would be any of the mid size glock and the 1911 style. I would probably start there and as their time behind the trigger grows introduce the LCP and the Sr9. But does the LCP come in 9?
Those small handguns are nice for carrying, but for a first time shooter I'd be more prone to put them into a larger framed handgun like a Glock19 or similar size. They will be able to control the weapon better I.E. Get a better grip and the gun will soak up a little more of the recoil. My wife prefers carrying my G23, even though she has a Sig 239. The 239 is easier to conceal, but the control is better with the G23
If I were going out today to purchase a CCW for Mrs. TD my first choice would be a Glock 42 380. And a Crossbreed IWB holster. NO PURSE CARRY
My wife chose the Glock 43 when we tried out everything on earth at the range. Overall comfort and feel are really important for a first time shooter. She chose sites and enjoys shooting now. Crazy thing is that for about 8 or 9 of us that have fired it, this thing is more freehand accurate at short range than anything else in the arsenal of 50+ pistols in all calipers and price ranges.
Ditto even a full size 45 acp. The only people that complain are people with bad arthritis or serious old injuries. The Mrs loves the 1911s and her g23 with a snappy load.
Never mind the ladies, I want to be able to own a pint sized pistol! Our goofy laws up here prevent us (most people anyways) from owning a pistol/revolver with a barrel less than 4.2". Guys that had them in the early 90's were grandfathered in so to speak, with something called 12.6 class. I have a Canadian compliant Makarov chambered in .380, but it has a half inch of barrel sticking out like a sore thumb lol. It seems to have angry recoil for a dinky cartridge.
