“Let me guess: a 38 special Ruger LCR. Looks beautiful under any Christmas tree. And don’t forget to include a brick of .38SP ammo to make the gift complete. Include a laser to make the shooter more confident.”
After having bad luck with a Kahr .380, my wife settled on the LCR. She likes it because her arthritis makes cycling the slide on an semi difficult. And unlike the crappy Kahr, this one goes bang every time you pull the trigger, whereas the Kahr wouldn’t run a full mag even after going back to the factory.
I’d like to pick up a .38 LCR too. My only revolver right now is a little NAA .22LR and Magnum.
I’m surprised to hear you say the Kahr didn’t work well though. Just about every report on the forums or reviews have been positive about the entire line of Kahrs. Of course there’s bound to be a lemon once in a while.
You don’t suppose she was limp wristing it do you? Did it malfunction when you shot it too?
There are two subcompact, low cost, semi-autos I’d recommend to someone. The Diamondback 9 or .380. The 9 is really too snappy and will actually hurt a bit to shoot so I recomend wearing a glove on the shooting had when practicing. No need for a glove when the actual chit hits the fan. Too many other things to concern oneself with.
The other is the SCCY CPX2 pronounced “Sky”. It’s a bit larger than the DB9 but is much softer shooting. Both of these are excellent concealed carry low cost firearms that I have personally found to be reliable.
I’m also a big fan of the CZ handguns and the CZ clones like the Sar’s, Canik’s, and Tristar’s but they are larger more open carry or home defense pistols. Very very reliable though. They also work well for a truck or car handgun.
Here’s a nice list put together by the Wash Times with pictures. I’d really like to have the Tavor but it’s currently out of my price range.
http://www.washingtontimes.com/multimedia/collection/21-best-guns-home-protection/?page=1