Criminals are generally stupid. If you point something like a saturday night special at one of them, they won't be as scared as if you were to take out a huge revolver. Both guns, if fired, will allow the victim to get out of a dangerous situation, but a flashing bigger gun carries a bigger message, and you will have to use it less and in turn, spend less time defending yourself in court. Those can certainly be practical factors worth consideration, but it's true too that it's generally better to carry on-body if at all possible [or at least as well] and that women's styles often make that difficult or near impossible.
There are many large caliber if not full-sized handguns thatcan fit that bill, but the fact remains that the choice has to be the ultimate user's own final decision.
My present ladyfriend is pretty well-served by her model 3914 pre-Quisling S&W, as well as the American Firearms .45 ACP double-barrelled derringer that accompanies the spare magazine for her S&W on her ankle holster. For her, that primary and backup combination works, at least until she can get to her AR15, her Mossberg 500 *bear gun* or her #5 .303 Enfield.
And she's a pretty good cook, too....
Here in Tennessee, our concealed handgun permits don't cover the carry of a loaded rifle or shotgun in one's vehicle, so that consideration requires either defiance [common] grudging but risky compliance, or creativity. I picked the latter, and for my *car gun* have a C96 7,62mm *broomhandle* Mauser service pistol with extended 20-round magazine, with add-on holster-stock as a particularly useful and handy accessory, giving me a pretty good *imitation carbine.* That may be a bit more than the average *full size handgun* you suggest, and is even a bit much for most purses [goes greatr in a nylon laptop case, though!] but it fills a particular need for me so long as the laws of this jurisdiction remain as is or I remain here, and it works for me.
And I can cook too...
-archy-/-
