looking for suggestions on brands and calibers. I have in my mind what I want them to carry but wanting some outside views as well. Both are 5'9" and wear medium size men's gloves if that will help.

Sig P365 9MM. Ease to shoot, load and maintain. My wife loves hers.

Lots of questions come up

Have they shot before
Do they currently shoot
Do they have their LTC
Have they completed hunter safety
Do they like a wheel gun or auto
Do they know how to operate either of the above
Do they want to carry
Do they want the responsibility of carrying
ETC.

A gun in an untrained hand is dangerous. Just bringing a few things into focus.

I’m a big fan of the Kahr CW9, or any of their more expensive midsized 9s. The CW9 is very accurate and reliable. Perfect for a carry weapon with a no safety and a very long but light trigger pull. Many will tell you how they hate the Kahr but when is ask if they followed the break in procedure they never return to comment. It’s built with tight tolerances and requires a 200 round break in. Which creates a very accurate, reliable pistol. In order to get the same accuracy without the break in you have to spend significantly more money. A pistol in the same price range that does not require a break in is built with looser tolerances to start with and will not be as accurate. Of course these are all just opinions, your mileage may vary.

Edit: I find that women find the slide and trigger easier to manipulate than most other pistols. S&W makes an EZ model with similar ease.

Tested by a shorter smaller framed woman leading to this conclusion:
Sig 238/938
Taurus TCP
Walter PPK
Ruger LCP

Mostly .380s and one 9

Same as if buying a gun yourself. You have to take them to a store and let them handle them and point them. You want a gun that points naturally and feels good in the hands.
I like the hellcat though and walther pps in 9mm

either the M&P Shield, the Ruger LC9 or a Glock


My favorite pistol is the glock 19

Go to a range that rents guns and try them there. Then go buy online and save $

My wife is 5'-2", 110 lbs. She does not have a lot of grip strength. The following have worked for her...

Sig P365
Sig P238 / P938
Glock 42
Glock 43X

Shield, Glock 43 or 43x

My wife doesn't have much grip strength as well and had a hard time racking a bunch of the semis at the store. She ended up with a PK380 and loves it.

My mom has some arthritis in her hands and really struggled with the slide on most autos. She ended up really liking the S&W EZ model. Tried a snub nosed .38, but found the recoil too snappy.

This x2. Handling and shooting them will give them a much better idea of what they like vs just holding them at a store.

how are they planning on carrying?

Glock 19’s Gen 5

Then Sig 320

Make sure whatever you get has interchangeable back straps

Don’t pick anything with a manual saftey

Yes!

Regardless of where they buy, trying out several is the only answer. My opinion of the perfect gun for your wife and daughter won't match yours and yours may not match their needs and comfort level.

I have since moved, but I used to frequent the Lone Star Gun Range. This is a small place owned and operated a super nice lady, so I'm sure that there are others with an even larger selection.

Link to list of rental guns: Rental Guns at Lone Star

Marc

Even the compact frame is huge compared to the p365.

Thanks Marc. I see some model I have been considering listed on their sight. Will be contacting them.

Definitely best to go shoot as many as you can or at the very least handle as many as you can get your hands on. Same debate I had with my wife. She wants to start shooting but has no experience at all. We went to one of the local stores with a big selection. Told her to not worry about size or caliber yet. Find something comfortable. Out of probably 30-40 she picked up the cz p07 felt best to her. Everyone is different and there is no right or wrong answer.

I have not been there in about 3 years, but I was a regular before I moved out of the area. Sandy, the owner is a wonderful lady. You will enjoy shooting there if you don't go during peak hours.

Marc

Good luck finding a Glock 43, 43x, or a 48. But the advice on letting them handle them and see what feels best for them is patent. Micro .380s have a tendency to hurt the hands on recoil. Preach to them that a cluttered purse is not a good holster.

What do you consider peak hours?

Same here for my daughter and her husband.

Great gun, low recoil

I love Glocks. Any model or caliber. I'll shoot it, however, one size does not fit all. Without knowing if either have any experience, like the other's have mentioned. Let them pick up and handle any pistol or revolver they show interest in. Narrow down a few choices, and then head to a range with rental;s

FWIW I taught one of my ding bat sister's how to shoot. She'd never handled a firearm. Ever. S & W .22 revolver. Zero recoil. But before I had her chamber that 1st round we covered every safety aspect known to man kind. I was/am a proud lil sis. She did extremely well.

Best of luck in your search and kudo's to you for getting them into firearms.

My experience as well. She picked the CZ P07. I liked as well and bought one for myself