Home defense hand gun?

[gwgn02]

6" barrel .357 or .38+p revolver

[Uriah02]

You can't reasonably know where to start without knowing her previous shooting experience. Why do you want a handgun vs a shotgun? .410 Shotgun has more power than a .44 Magnum. Take her shopping and find the right one for her. Make it an adventure.

[Steve_In_29]

You can't reasonably know where to start without knowing her previous shooting experience. Why do you want a handgun vs a shotgun? .410 Shotgun has more power than a .44 Magnum. Take her shopping and find the right one for her. Make it an adventure.

.410 is a nice option for a smaller woman. I got my wife (4'10"/98lbs) the youth model from Mossberg. Loaded with 000 buck (5 pellets) each pull of the trigger is like emptying a 5 shot snubby.

[hambam105]

4 inch early 1970s NIB Colt Python. Blue or Nickle.

[guitarmy123]

i dont think there is anything wrong with a decent 22 LR, bigger isn't always better

[teg33]

22LR is better than nothing but it is not the best in term stopping power, of course shoot placement also important.

[lt05deluxe]

38 revolver

[Vin63]

While my wife is proficient with all of our firearms, she prefers one of our 4-inch revolvers loaded with .38 special for a home defense situation...she is very accurate and comfortable with it.

[Timbob55]

If you get a revolver, do NOT get a tiny j-frame 5 shot. They are hard to shoot and are not fun to shoot.

Get a larger frame gun like a S&W 686 or a Ruger GP100

^^This^^ My wife wanted a J frame snubby. She hates it, the recoil is brutal and isn't very accurate past 10 feet. She does however love the GP100 that I own. .357 loads don't recoil nearly as bad as the J frame. Just heavy enough to tame the recoil.

.357 mag 125 gr. SP or HP = man stoppers

[Dano3467]

Revolver 4'' is perfect, but do let her chose... as it will come down to what feels right to her..

[BigPimping]

Revolver, four inch barrel with Glaser Safety Slugs. 38 special.

[nicegunsbro]

glock 21

[Steve_In_29]

i dont think there is anything wrong with a decent 22 LR, bigger isn't always better

Can a .22 kill a person?.....yes. Will it do it quickly?.....yes, with a WELL aimed shot. Can that shot be reliably made under duress by the AVERAGE person?....not usually.

In the event of a home defense situation the object is to STOP THE THREAT NOW, not to have him bleed out and die a couple hours later.

The .22 isn't capable of doing that given the levels of adrenalin (and probably other drugs) flowing in the invaders body. Many victims shot with a .22 don't even realize it is serious until they drop dead from internal bleeding later.

Now if a .22 is the only gun the person can get to then of course they should use it to defend themselves but it is foolish to risk your family's well being by depending on what is known to be an unsuitable round.

In a home defense situation, bigger is definitely better in this case.

[gun toting monkeyboy]

She-who-must-be-obeyed informed me that whatever handgun I put in the safe, loaded and ready to go MUST be ready for her to shoot if she needs it, without having to rack the slide, cock the hammer, or do anything else to it. She wanted point and shoot. So I went with an older S&W Pre-model 10, with .38 Special standard pressure, premium self-defense loads. Those were fun to try to track down the last few months, let me tell you. But it is idiot-proof, effective, mild recoiling, and easy to use. I much prefer a rifle or shotgun, but it is significantly harder to keep one of those around and loaded when you have kids in the house.

-Mb

[the86d]

Can you go to a range and rent some guns so she can see what she wants?

Variety is key, you don't want to buy twice...

M9/92FS is a good heavy 9mm handgun that has little recoil due to the weight up front, but my lady lives her Ruger SR-9 more due to the grip being slimmer. We rarely shoot each-others handguns.