mestdagh

I have no problems w/ anyone disagreeing w/ me. Good conversation. OK, I'll have to amend part of what I said above. Accuracy is important....
but it's the unusual woman (or person) that's going to practice enough to be accurate. So what do you do?
Skip the revolver & the semi- auto and get one of those 20" factory shortened shotguns. Yeah the shooter still has to be smart enough to have the kids behind her or know where they're at.

I still say first one goes in the floor >>unless<< you see the invader has a gun. That also gives the invader time to say "Hey don't shoot. It's your brother. I didn't want to wake you up and need a place to stay tonight."

Fronty Owner

www.galleryofguns.com is a good resource for browsing and finding a dealer near you.

I have shot several differnt pistols and I have to say, the one I like best is a Ruger P89 with a Hogue grip. good control, the gun fits, the gun points right the first time...

take her to a gun range, or atleast a gun shop that will let you use a laser bore sight to check the natural aim point. You can become a good shot with any gun, but a great shot requires a gun that "falls" into place when you point it

for personal defense, I dont think you want to go less than a .380. Consider who your most likely enemy is going to be.
1. Junky looking for something valuable
2. Car jacking (see #1)
3. Mugging (again see #1)
4. Store robbery.
You need something with enough power to take the fight out of the attacker. flesh wounds will just anger someone on Meth.

screaminbanana

I would say the best way to go about it is to take her to a gun shop and have her handle the guns. Honestly there is no way to know what will fit you till you try it and being comfortable with the gun in your hand is the first step to placing rounds accuratly. I just did this and decided on the XD-40 over my former favorite the Glock 21. The grip is just a bit smaller and I could wrap my hands a bit better around it. That and the grip safety sold me on that. Going to pick one up on gunbroker.com here tomarrow.

newriverSpecon

Hoss, it depends a lot on the gun. I have a Beretta 96D (.40 double action only, the only bad feature). It has 4" ish barrel and is full metal. One of the most comfortable guns I've laid hands on. I barrowed a 9mm CZ based italian made (can't remember brand) 3"ish barrel full metal pistol. My B-in-L, wife, and I had a hard time telling which one kicked worse. So I fired one in each hand (in the woods with no one in 25 miles down range). The 9mm kick harder. My wife still prefered the 9mm. She could get her hands around it better.

When talking about concealment there are some trade offs. Stopping power versus comfort versus concealability versus price (a concealed gun will be banged around even with the best care). I love my 96D but it is way to massive for anything but cold winter concealment.

As for the revolver people. I think she should try a variety of guns, but if she is happy with a semi then don't bother about revolver. If you don't maintain the gun and test/practice enough to know that it will work then you should not have any kind of gun.

As many other people here and myself have said the primary concern is for the individual to be comfortable with and able to control what ever they buy.

Randy

JKE

just throwing this in here. My wife is small (understatement) ....she shoots a sig P232 quite well. - JKE

Cumns-pwr

id find a 357 snubnose or somethin. then just load it with 38's.

Jeff in TD

Kind of on topic, safety wise, just be sure not to do what the guy in this video does...

Cop shoots self in leg during Speech

cincydiesel

380 Auto, low recoil

JKM

You guys scare me , you know alot about guns.. i don't know many canucks that know this much , although i assume they exist.

**makes mental note not to hit on girls whose dad drives a CTD**

Fronty Owner

If your in the states often, Remember, there are only 13 states and DC that dont allow concealed carry...

Jim Lane

http://www.moreammo.com/benelli.html
http://www.hkpro.com/usp45.htm

This is what I have for home protection except mine has the pistol grip, ghost sights, sure-fire tactical light in addition I also have a H&K USP-45.
Lots of self defense training to keep sharp.
We usually shoot at 1" dots on a standard target for accuracy.
Also get in some night training because a .45 or shotgun blast inside a house, at night is a whole diffrent world.
These are the finest pieces of machinery I have ever owned, second to my truck.
BTW All of the instructors agreed to never fire a "warning shot", If if you are in the situation where you have to pull it, be prepared to use it. All were police instructors.
I live in the republic of Kalifornia, LA County

Tiny

Jim said one thing I definitely agree with: If you pull it, use it. Never use a gun for intimidation, as a bad guy will see the non-commitment to use and take it off of you. I do not think it would be good to be shot with my own weapon.

Rattlerattle

There are lots of us.

Rauschbo

.....just about EVERYBODY got it right!

First, she needs to be able to SHOOT it (cancel the order on the .454!), and the projectile must perform in an efficient and effective manner, pretty much ruling out the .22's and .25's; Get her to a range and try out everything you can in a reasonable caliber( 9, .40, .45) , see what she's comfortable with and can shoot with some accuracy...

A few years back the DOJ data indicated that most gunfights take place at or under 7 yards / 21 feet. Bullseye capability is not necessarily a requirement for Self Defense!

Cumns-pwr

ive got a dan wesson 357 with a 6 inch barrel, and can set up clay pigeons 50 yards away, and hit them every time with opens sights, 38's and 357's. it just takes practice