One of my daughters (and our first) is getting married in a few weeks, Rather than buying her something for the house that she may or may not like, I’m going to give her a handgun.

Question:
Should I give her a G3 Glock 19 or a SIG P229 .40 S&W w/o a rail? Please explain your response.

Choices:
Glock
SIG
Money: let her buy her own handgun

 

Glock. Reliable, simple, and customizable. The universal handgun.

Does she currently own a handgun?
If yes, then do you think she wants another? If no, then why haven't you given her one yet?

If she wants another, then ask her preference between the two, or at least striker vs hammer.

If she doesn't want another, then that should tell you she'd prefer money.

If you're confident she'd appreciate being gifted a handgun, then I voted G19.3, as it's the quintessential do-it-all, low-maintenance, parts-ubiquitous handgun. The P229 is a reflection of what was popular c. 1994-2014.

On the used market, the G19.3 has greater resale value than the P229, despite the P229 originally having cost much more.

If you can afford it, I'd give her a gun + money.

Gen3 G19, which is rapidly becoming the universal pistol.

A bazillion aftermarket parts and accessories and Glocks are so easy to disassemble and work on. The best customer service in the industry.

The Glock is the perfect size and it's in 9mm. Plus, she'll no longer have to buy a Glock!

I would help her select a pistol that she might actually carry on her body or purse. As much as I love the G19, it is going to be too big for most women to carry on a regular basis. Something like a Shield Plus, P365, Hellcat, etc. would be a good starting point.

Does she have any preference one way or the other?

Thinking about my wife, it'd be G19, as she did not like the experience shooing a P239 40 & was a natural good shot with a G4 G19

Notice the Sig is a .40. So that tilts it to last place in my mind.

So the Glock.

Times have changed. For a while the traditional Bride gun, at least with my kin, was a small revolver or Derringer with a stainless or nickel finish. often with engraving.

I have a NIB S&W model 60 that I plan to engrave and give to my daughter on that special day.

quote:

Originally posted by Jupiter:
I would help her select a pistol that she might actually carry on her body or purse. As much as I love the G19, it is going to be too big for most women to carry on a regular basis. Something like a Shield Plus, P365, Hellcat, etc. would be a good starting point.

Yep.

G43x or P365 would be my choices

Need more information. Does she know or have an active enthusiasm for guns?

All my kids get some variation of Glock 19. My oldest has a gen3. My two others got gen4s.

Some very good comments. Thank you.

Para and others have a very good point about G3 Glocks being the universal pistol. JLJones and others have a good point about just giving her $$$ and taking her shopping to get the one she likes and fits her hand. She is tiny so that might be the better option.

I will ask her which she would like to do between the Glock 19 or cash for a smaller handgun.

To answer some questions, my daughter isn’t a SIGforum level enthusiast for guns but she is pro gun. However, her fiance recently talked to me about a 10mm. They plan on camping a lot after they get married and he was thinking about a woods gun. That got me thinking that I ought to give my daughter one of my handguns as a wedding present.

I'd go with giving her the money. She might want a 380 purse gun. That said, the Glock 19 is a solid choice.

I would take her to a store/range where she could actually handle & shoot a wide variety of handguns.
See what she likes best, fits her hand size and stature, and shoots well.

If that turns out to be a Glock 19, great.
If not, it will be something else she actually likes and fits her.

I'm voting to take her to the gun store for a personal "fitting," especially if it has a range that she can rent guns before blind buying one.

I like the idea of cash with a trip to the fun shop. As the father of two grown women, I find that they both prefer smaller guns. My eldest isn't a collector or gun girl, but she does carry for self protection, and her choice is a 938 with pretty rosewood grips. She handles it like a pro.

If your daughter isn't a gun girl, but is interested in protection, I would look at the SIG 365X as being small, concealable, but also still in 9mm with good capacity.

I like the 19, so don't get me wrong. It's a standard compact size, and when you are a good sized man, it's pretty easy to conceal. When you take the smaller frame of a woman into account, then add women's clothing, it's huge. It also has a substantial grip, which can be an issue for small hands.

Help her find something that fits her, AND that she will carry, rather than leaving home because it is too big, or hard to conceal.

Good luck, and have fun shopping.

Is this for her to carry? Or home use? I would say for MOST females these are all on the large size. Now if you had a Sig 365 or comparable size, it would be perhaps a better gift.

Unless she's a fan of the .40, the P229, which is harsher on the shooter, shouldn't even be in the equation.

I agree with others of letting her pick the one she feels most comfortable with. Does she have any handgun experience? Some classes and a trip to the range would be a great benefit to both your daughter and new son-in-law. Does your son-in-law have any firearms?

Having trained many female family and extended family members, you should take her to a range that rents pistols and let her try a G19, P365XL, and a 3” barreled 38. Quite a few women are somewhat fearful of the slide flying back towards their face and it severely impairs their ability to hit anything. Others are weak wristed and controlling the recoil and action is difficult for them.