A Smith and Wesson J frame revolver in 32 S&W long. It is 6 shot, very accurate, and should fit a small hand well. This caliber was a police service round for years. There are bigger, more powerful guns available, but this one in a 2” barrel version, it would easily fit a pocket or purse and serve you well. In a 4” barrel version, it would fit well in a larger purse or nightstand drawer.
This caliber has very little recoil, and is easy to learn with. Make no mistake, bad guys do not measure barrel diameter, they know a woman will shoot once she feels threatened.
If she’s totally new to shooting, I’d suggest a .22 to start with - ammo is dirt cheap so it’ll allow her to get comfortable through practice. Plus, there’s virtually no recoil. Then she move up in caliber from there, as she becomes more accustomed to shooting.
That’s the way I did it. I’m a petite female & had no shooting experience whatsoever 2 years ago. A friend took me to the range & I tried out a couple of his 9mm pistols - their kick was more than I was ready for at that time. Bought myself a .22 to start with (Ruger Mark III - major PITA to reassemble but a good learning experience). Then switched to a revolver (Smith & Wesson Model 15). Next one was a S&W M&P 9mm - doesn’t seem to have much kick at all, but then again, I’ve gotten much more comfortable with shooting. I expect it would’ve been too much for me when I first started out.
I’m happy with all 3 of my choices, but the 9mm is now my favorite - it’s dead accurate & 9mm ammo is still relatively inexpensive.
A revolver in .38 Special caliber. It has the advantage of being simple to operate, doesn’t kick hard, and is always ready to fire, without being a safety hazard. They generally tend to be reasonable, and I would recommend shopping for a used Colt Detective Special of more recent manufacture (they don’t make them anymore, but the later ones are safe to use with +P loads if those are desired.)
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For carry, two choices:
If you have the money, a Sig P232 alloy with Hogue grips. You’ll think they formed it around your beautiful hand. But it’s a 9mm Kurz or .380, and some think that’s enough power.
If that is too much money, or not enough power, then a Ruger LC9 with laser.
But if you don’t practice, no weapon you carry will protect you.......
Accordingly, she has a Remington 870 and we are getting a small J frame revolver.
The 870 is the youth model (20 gauge and the stock is not as long as the regular model). It is very good (correct size, inexpensive, and she can handle the recoil). But being a pump, she has to practice so that she remembers to pump in a round after every shot.
Concerning the revolver, if you have small hands, then a J frame is the way to go. The J frame is a small frame for a Smith and Wesson revolver, but most other manufacturers have revolvers of the same size. My daughter shot my Smith and Wesson M38 revolver (J frame, aluminum frame, soft rubber grips, 38 special round) this weekend and liked it, but she is also going to look at some small Taurus revolvers. With pistols, it is very important that you find one that fits your hand, because if it does not fit properly, then you will have a more difficult time shooting it properly.
I can go on and on, but the the most the two important things are to get the gun you are comfortable with and practice. It is amazing how easy it is to miss, when you are not familiar with your gun.
Wife also has a Ruger .380 LCP. After a half dozen trips to the range with it myself, my son, and my wife don't much like it. Sure it is small and dirt simple to operate. No sights to speak of (no big deal, not a long range weapon, but somewhat annoying). Long trigger pull. It has jammed (failed to extract properly) 4 times in probably 300 rounds through it, on 3 different kinds of ammo. (including decent Federal) Conversely, I've fired a friend's Walther in .380 and I'm in love. (one of those will become my pocket gun someday)
Other guns - wife hates my Mossberg 500 12GA. Too big, too heavy, too intimidating. (gee, all the things I like about it! ;-) I did replace the pistol-grip only option on it with a small adjustable/collapsible stock.
I'm currently looking for a 5.56 AR style carbine - will also no-doubt intimidate the wife. Want to pick one up for a bit more range than current defensive weaponry provides. Also figure I had better get one now before these so-called "assault weapons" get banned again. I *want* a 30 round mag, and I *need* the freedom to have one. Had a beautiful dark-haired brown-eyed beauty try to sell me an Olympic for about $650. But they don't have hardly any of the features I'm looking for. But she was beautiful...sigh
This is my Daughter with a Colt AR-15 HBAR. We had been shooting it earlier but she is just posing with it here.My husband owns and shoots lots of different handguns. He suggests a .38 caliber or 357 revolver. Not a snubnose and preferably with a laser sight. I have a lightweight Taurus.
for when the SHTFan.A word to the wise: The firearm you have with you is ALWAYS more effective than the one you left at home.
Get the one YOU like, and to heck with everybody else.
I am going through the same thing with my wife. She has to shoot them both and decide but I am recommending either a Glock G26 or a Kahr CM9 but she is planning on carrying it. I won’t recommend anything less than a 9 mm. There’s a reason, beyond capacity, why police departments quit using .38 Special revolvers. And .380, .32, .25, and .22 are just not enough cartridge for a serious self defense weapon. By the way, I carry a Glock G23 in .40 S&W or a Springfield Armory 1911 in .45 ACP.
All day Tuesdays and Fridays - FREE lane fee and gun rentals for the ladies.
You will have to use their ammo with the free gun rental but their prices are reasonable.
Snub nose .38 with a hammer that is buried in the frame so you can’t screw things up too easily.
Then practice with it.
Get a Glock 23 in .40S&W. Quantity has its own quality.
Better than a 9mm, could be a bit wide for dainty hands.
Its simple to use plus the latest generations have a rail to mount a compact light. And some even come with a laser and light.
My ladyfriend actually like the feel of a Smith and Wesson Sigma in 9mm. Sigma is cheap, triggers can be dodgy with a long hard pull until you wear them in. And they do have compact Glocks but you lose shots available, and unless you can get the first two shots on target the very first time having 13 rounds or so gives you an edge. And Glocks are super easy to tear down to clean plus have a lot of aftermarket options for the barrels, the grips, plugs, mag release and so on.
In all seriousness, if you are buying a gun for self defense, it is best to go for a two-fer, and get a knife as well.
A problem with guns is that they can have a “minimum range” as well as a maximum range. This is called the “Tueller Drill”, and is regularly taught to police officers.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tueller_Drill
In brief, if a *trained* and *prepared* person with a holstered gun is standing opposite an attacker with a knife, the person with the knife will be able to close and cut them from a minimum distance of 21 feet, *before* the person can unholster and fire their gun twice at the knife wielder’s center of mass.
This also applies to an unarmed attacker. A lot of the drunks police meet up with want to wrestle.
This means that the “minimum effective range” of a trained and prepared person is 21 feet. Now imagine how far that distance is, if you are *not* prepared or expecting a problem. 25 feet? 30 feet? This is why you should think of a gun as a “medium range weapon”.
Now women in particular have long faced the “bear hug problem” in self defense, namely that a large man will run up to them and give them a bear hug, and there is very little they can do to defend themselves at this point.
This was so problematic that Buddhist nuns in China actually invented a “zero distance” martial arts style just for that purpose.
But the time it takes to unsheath a knife and put it between you and an attacker is just a fraction of the time it takes for a gun. And, stab or slash, you *will* convey the message of “back off, Jack!”
Knives do not have safeties, nor do they need reloading, and the injuries inflicted by a knife slash are often worse than a bullet hole. Mortality from knife cuts is high.
Thus, while guns are good, it does not hurt at all to have a complementary knife back up.
First—a REVOLVER; needs little care, easy to load, will fire all the time ,every time
Next— .32 or .38 LIGHWEIGHT
try out each caliber to determine “comfortability in handling”
Bookmarking for further research