I personally struggle with choosing handguns because I have small hands. Or, more accurately, I have tiny, childlike hands.

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This makes finding a gun with a short enough trigger reach and a comfortable grip a pain.

If you can relate, then this is your lucky day!

I’m using my experience to recommend some small grip handguns and some companies with a good selection of aftermarket grips so that you can get a handgun that works with your hand size.

Please note that this list isn’t just for women, though women are more likely to experience the small handgun buying struggle.

Anyone with small hands — whether man, woman, or child — can appreciate the guns and grips discussed here.

But before we dive in, let’s talk about how you should be holding your handgun and what you should look for when selecting a handgun that suits your hands.

Summary of Our Top Picks

1. 

   Editor’s Pick

   Sig Sauer P365

   12+1 capacity, easy to grip and use

   $499 at GrabAGun
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2. 

   Best for 1911 Lovers

   Springfield 1911 EMP

   1911 style but in a smaller package

   $1249 at GrabAGun
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3. 

   Best Revolver

   Ruger LCR

   Easy to shoot, easy to maintain

   $559 at GrabAGun
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4. 

   Best Ergonomics

   Walther PDP F-Series

   Designed for small handed shooters, best ergos

   $649 at Firearms Depot
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Checking the Fit of a Handgun

Before we get to the recommendations, let’s start with some tips for making sure your handgun isn’t too big.

(If you aren’t familiar with handguns or just need a refresher, check out the “Handgun Grip” section of our Ultimate Guide to Shooting a Pistol Accurately to learn the basics.)

To start, when you hold a handgun, your trigger finger should have a shallow curve, and the pad at the end of your finger should rest on the trigger.

On a gun that’s too big, your finger will be straight along the side of the frame of the gun in order to reach the trigger.

Next, when holding your grip, your thumb and fingers should comfortably meet at the side of the grip.

Your thumb should rest along the top of your fingers.

Adjusting Your Grip When You Have Small Hands

Now, for a grip that’s just a little too big, you can slightly rotate your shooting hand toward the trigger.

You don’t want to rotate it so far that your thumb is in the way of the beavertail or posterior bulge, though. If you have to, then your gun is too large to work.

You also want to make sure that the rotation of your hand isn’t causing you to compromise the strength or comfort of your grip or hold your gun at an angle.

For small hands, a two-hand grip makes it much easier to control your gun, especially since smaller guns, which are usually easier for small hands to grip, tend to have more recoil.

Bring your non-shooting hand under your grip so its heel rests against the heel of your shooting hand while helping to support the gun.

However, relying on a two-hand grip is less than ideal for a defensive situation, where one of your hands may be injured.

For a defensive gun, it’s best to go with a gun that fits your hand well, but a two-hand grip is good enough for just killing time at the range.

Best Pistols for Small Hands

Now that you know how to make sure a gun fits your hand, as well as how to adjust your grip for larger guns, let’s move on to some gun recommendations.

One quick note before we get started, though.

For all of these pistols, I prefer versions chambered in 9mm because it has less recoil than .45 ACP or .40 S&W.

Since small hands can have a harder time getting a firm grip, especially on full-size guns, less recoil means less need for adjusting your grip between shots.

With that said, these all come in other calibers, too, and if you prefer one of them, then more power to you.

I’m not trying to tell you how to live your life; just sharing my experience.

Best Handguns for Small Hands

1. Sig Sauer P365

First up is the Sig Sauer P365…

This micro-compact features a single-stack magazine for a slender grip. In fact, the P365 has an exceptionally slender profile in general. It’s just 1.1 inches wide.

Despite this, it’s still able to fit 12 rounds — 10-round versions are also available, though, for people in states with magazine limits.