“What would you suggest for a 150 lb 50ish woman on a modest budget?”
For a handgun find a good quality USED .357 magnum revolver from a reputable manufacturer with a 4”-6” barrel. Do NOT start out with .357 ammunition. Begin with .38 Special. When and IF you’re comfortable moving up then go to the higher powered cartridge. If you don’t get there no worries. Quality .38 Special self defense ammunition will do the job.
For a shotgun look at a USED Mossberg 500 or Remington 870 in 20, NOT 12 gauge. Our personal preference is for Mossberg but either one will serve you quite well and most likely for the rest of your life. Between the two models something over 20,000,000 or so have been made.
For a rifle (here’s where people are going to jump on me. I don’t care. Neither should you). Find a Ruger 10-22, used if possible. I saw one last week at Cabelas for $189 in fine condition. But even brand new they’re around $350 or so if you shop around. $50-60 dollars will get you 1,000 rounds of ammunition so you can practice, practice, and practice some more.
That rifle has almost zero recoil, ammunition is back in quantity, it’s easy to maintain, and they last a lifetime or two. Mrs L can put 10 rounds inside a silver dollar at 75 yards with hers. People will tell you it’s under powered and unsuitable for defense purposes. That’s crap. If you can put 3 rounds into an eye socket at 50 feet you WILL stop Mr Bad Guy.
I’d rather you had a smaller caliber rifle that you’re confident using AND that you’ve had plenty of practice with than some $1,000 AR you haven’t put 2,000-3,000 rounds through. Does that make sense to you?
Good luck.
L
Perfectly sound advise for the intended user.
I love This Bar!
Three guns Required
For Every household
In Free America,,,
and the rest of
The Country too.
Sorry it took so long to get back to read replies. I thank all for the suggestions. I’m in better shape than I thought. I own 2 out of three from Lurker’s list. It’s time to find a comfortable handgun.
I love all the advice given. Freepers are the best