Just received my pistol permit. I am female and need something small and concealable. All the guys at the gun range I've started going to recommend the p365 9mm. However, I don't think there's a safety on it, and I'm a little hesitant to carry something without a safety.
The sig P365 is an outstanding choice. It's very compact and remarkably accurate for such a short barrel when you take your time shooting.
A few caveats:
For some very small-framed women, racking the slide may be excessively difficult. Go play with it at the gun range. If you can't do it consistently/at all, you need to buy a gun that has an "easy rack" slide. This isn't a uniquely SIG issue; the slide on this gun is as easy/hard to rack as any other handgun I've fired. It has some cuts in the slide for better grip which helps when it's really hot and my hands are sweaty.
The recoil will be a little be snappy as it's 9mm in a package that seems more attune for .380. It's not bad at all. But if you're smaller framed and can barely rack the slide, take this into consideration.
As for safety concerns: You can purchase with or without a safety. I would avoid the SAS model because the controls are so shortened as to be virtually unusable. The trigger is pretty standard and fairly long; negligent discharge is of minimum concern so long as you maintain trigger discipline and carry it in a proper retention system.
Just received my pistol permit. I am female and need something small and concealable. All the guys at the gun range I've started going to recommend the p365 9mm. However, I don't think there's a safety on it, and I'm a little hesitant to carry something without a safety.
I would really appreciate some advice.
The sig P365 is an outstanding choice. It's very compact and remarkably accurate for such a short barrel when you take your time shooting.
A few caveats:
For some very small-framed women, racking the slide may be excessively difficult. Go play with it at the gun range. If you can't do it consistently/at all, you need to buy a gun that has an "easy rack" slide. This isn't a uniquely SIG issue; the slide on this gun is as easy/hard to rack as any other handgun I've fired. It has some cuts in the slide for better grip which helps when it's really hot and my hands are sweaty.
The recoil will be a little be snappy as it's 9mm in a package that seems more attune for .380. It's not bad at all. But if you're smaller framed and can barely rack the slide, take this into consideration.
As for safety concerns: You can purchase with or without a safety. I would avoid the SAS model because the controls are so shortened as to be virtually unusable. The trigger is pretty standard and fairly long; negligent discharge is of minimum concern so long as you maintain trigger discipline and carry it in a proper retention system.