How tall are you?
Don’t get a gun that is too big for your hand. A .357 Taurus 5-round revolver with a shrouded hammer is an affordable, reliable, concealable and deadly pistol.
If the .357 is just too much recoil (more bang than jump), you can shoot .38 Special through it.
I always recommend that a woman who has little or no experience purchase an S&W LadySmith .38 revolver.
Smith & Wesson Model 67 4” barrel
Don’t be fooled by light weight models.
You’ll likely never get back on target for the 2nd shot.
Ladies don’t usually carry on the waist, so a special carry purse or fanny pack works well. You don’t have a lot of gun functions to remember in a stress situation. Nice sights, although I recommend learning “point shooting”.
Sights are great for practice and confidence building, but reflex is necessary for stress situations.
What rsobin said.....
Glock 19 or 26 (9-mm), Ruger LCP (.380), Kahr P-9, Ruger SP101 (.357 Mag or .327 Fed Mag), Springfield Armory XDM9 Compact,Sig Sauer P250SC (9-mm), Sig Sauer P226 (9-mm), Taurus Millenium Pro PT109.
Go to your friends, their parents, gun stores etc.... fire LOTS of different weapons. Find out for yourself the follow three descriptions of weapons
1) most comfortable in your hand both before and after firing
2) the one that you can shoot most accuratly slow fire
3) the one that you can shoot 5 rounds with the tightest shot group in less than 5 seconds
These will be the three that you will want to work with, but all three will take practice. You may find that one model will be able to cover a couple of those requirements.
#1 is the gun you can grab and engage with the fastest (think fast draw)
#2 is the one that you will be able to make the longest shot with (think pistol competition)
#3 is the one that will let you put rounds on target consistantly (think combat shoot)
The truth is that being able to get to your gun, engage with it, and shoot accurately is FAR more important that size, weight, caliber, looks etc.
I know a granny that can fast draw a .22 and shoot your eye out at 15 feet. The woman is scary accurate with the .22 and I dont care what anyone says, taking a .22 to the head will stop just about anyone. That same granny cant hit the torso with a .32 People are funny that way.
Anyway, get what works for YOU! and practice practice practice (repeat)
Oh, and dont be in a hurry to buy a gun.
Get thee to a good range, with a gun rental desk. Learn from somebody that’s a good teacher. Try lots of guns. Read everything that Massad Ayoob wrote.
The right answer is going to be the largest caliber gun that you can fire accurately and comfortably. I know some women that are perfectly comfortable firing a .357 magnum or a .45. Some others that prefer something smaller like a .380.
The truth is that *any* pistol is better than no pistol. If you want to carry... smaller and ligher is better, mainly because the easier it is to carry the more likely you are to actually have it with you when you really need it.
I carry a .45... and one of three that I have. When I can carry a full-size pistol in a shoulder rig I carry a Sig-Sauer P220 Elite. When I have to carry in a pocket I carry my Kimber RCP. It’s very small and light.
Beginners should start with NRA Certified trainingI would recommend training
from an NRA Certified Instructor inRefuse to be a victim
NRA training for women
Basic pistol
Personal protection in the home
and the newly released
Personal protection outside the home
NRA Gun Safety Rules
Always keep the gun pointed in a safe direction
Always keep your finger off the trigger until ready to shoot
Always keep the gun unloaded until ready to use
A compact Kimber .45 is a sweet pistol with one shot knock down power. You just can’t beat a 45!!!!!
I carry concealed, a ruger .380 in an in the waistband holster. When I save up enough money, I will get a crossbreed supertuck holster for my walther pps.
I would never carry in a purse, special concealment purse or not, as I figure a mugger is gonna run up and snatch it, then you are in deep doo.
The J frame & variants- revolvers by Smith and Wesson-They really, at least for me have a bigger profile than is practical for me to carry concealed on my person.
Seriously, the bigger your butt, the bigger the gun you can conceal in an In the waistband holster just above your hip..ditto for big boobs, and a shoulder type holster.
For me, anything bigger than a Walther PPS, is gonna show a lump, and my behind is not that small.
Ruger 380
Read......http://corneredcat.com/
This is your life we're talking about, and there is no screw-up wiggle room.
I suggest you find a range that will let you shoot few different kinds of pistols.
How do you intend to carry it?.
You can hide a big gun in a purse, And larger pistols are often more manageable for women than small pistols that have a lot of recoil.
Springfield Armory, XD-40, 3 1/2 inch barrel, 12 round capacity.
Springfield Armory, XD-40, 3 1/2 inch barrel, 12 round capacity.
taurus slim 709 because it has a real safety. 99 percent of semi-autos don’t....they trigger safety and/or hand grip safety will not prevent a novice from mistakes....
Test it at the store to see if you can rack “or work” it’s action....If you have very low hand strength, you may have to go to a 380 But this 709 is the size of a 380 with the stopping power of a 9mm
it should be around 3-400$
WhatEVER you choose, if you don’t practice with it at least once a month, you woud be better off without.
I would recommend the cornered cat website and thehighroad.org
one of the Mods on the highroad is the lady who runs the cornered cat website.http://corneredcat.com
for picking guns start here:
http://corneredcat.com/TOC.aspx#FirstGun
lots of useful stuff.
Take it from me, a Mossberg is your best bet. A good pump shotgun is the best for home defense. It also comes in handy for hunting season.