[Zerstoerer]

Any Ideas Gentlemen?
My wife is gorgeous but rather petite with very small hands.
I would like her to have a gun for protection at home when I am not there.

I tried everything out of the arsenal and here is the problem list:

NAA Guardian .32 - DA pull too strong, too much recoil due to narrow grip !
Ruger SP101 9mm - Recoil too hard !
HK USP .40S&W - Too much recoil !
IMI Baby Eagle 9mm - Grip to big, too heavy, DA pull to heavy, to much recoil
Colt Python .357 - grip to big, but liked it with .38 wadcutters
Ruger Mark II .22 - can't cycle the action
PHX .22 - this is the only thing that works presently as long as it does not malfunction, but I would like her to have something with a little more power than a .22 LR
12 Gauge Pump- forget it, she refused to even try to fire it
AK 47 - same as above

I am just about out of ideas - any help ? The gun will stay at home so concealment in not a factor. I would prefer revolver to semi but forget anything with a heavy DA pull. Same with heavy springs to cycle an action or clear a misfeed.

Any suggestions are appreciated.
Need shopping list before christmas, will let you know what worked.
Thanks,

G.G.

[Dienekes]

How about the J frame Smiths? Lots of variety and loads can vary from wadcutters to full bore .357s. My wife has had a dehorned M37 for over 25 years now and likes it; can't interest her in anything else and quit trying. My daughter in law chose an SP-101 with 3" barrel. I slicked it up, dehorned it, and she likes that.

The model 60 with 3" full lug barrel is a very nice all-arounder. Mine is a 60-4 .38 Spl from about 1993; the current one is a .357 but of course any .38 Spl. load can be used.

[Zerstoerer]

Thanks for the quick reply - but what does 'dehorned' mean ?
Also, I wonder if I work up a load from .38 Spl wadcutter towards .357, at what point do I know if I have enough enery for defense work with tolerable recoil?

[Cueball]

A couple ideas come to mind... If you stick to revolvers, a S&W Model 10 might be a nice option.

Personally, I would give some thought to a SIG P230/232. They should fit her hand and have manageable recoil.

[CAnnoneer]

A .22 that is there and hits is better than something bigger that is not there or misses. Get her something she will carry, feel comfortable with, and enjoy shooting. Don't prejudice her with caliber sermons. Confidence is part of marksmanship. If she thinks her gun is useless, it will become useless.

Autos are better for women, because they generally lack the finger strength to fight the revolver DA triggers. Even if they overcome that, it takes them a lot of practice to increase accuracy over the DA. SA in revolvers is unrealistic in self-defense scenarios, unless you are a cowboy and wear gloves.

Finally, women like cute pretty things. Get her a pink Taurus .22 with nickel slide and pink or pearl handles, and she will always have it in her purse. Mission accomplished.

Good luck.:)

[BullfrogKen]

Last year my wife came out to study group after she went thru all my guns and didn't like any of the handguns. She liked the AK and SKS, though.

She warmed up to 3, a Kahr 9mm because it fit her hand well . . . uh . . . OK - I have yet to meet someone who has not said a Kahr in the original configuration did not feel GREAT in the hand. They just do. Odd, ain't it? But, the long heavy trigger was too much for her weak, small hands, and she just wouldn't be able to practice enough with it to become proficient before her fingers tired too much to pull the trigger.

She loved the 1911 Commander in 9mm. For all you folks who say this has no place, too big a gun for a 9mm, etc. This is one real good role. The trigger is easy, the springs are light so she can work the gun, and the mags are easy to load.

She loved the Browning Hi-Power in 9mm. Same reasons as above for the 9mm Commander. We decided upon this for her because it was easier to find than a 9mm Commander, cheaper, and already ambidexterous. We observed we'd have to spend more to acquire and set up the Commander for her, or we probably would have gotten one for her. The Hi-Power mags are harder for her to loadup, but otherwise she loves it. Women love the Browning Hi-Power . . . there's just something about it.

Take her to a place she can rent guns to try, or call your buddies. Let her decide. I took her to the range, she already knew the folks there as mutual friends, and I pretty much walked away and let her do her thing. If she takes ownership of the process, she's gonna have a lot more enthusiam and embrace the decision moreso than she would if you were the one holding the reigns.

[Black Majik]

It seems many 9mm's are still too much for her. I was going to recomemnd a SIG P225, which is a single stack 9mm, but now I'm thinking her best bet is a .22 of some sort.

Now, what I'm surprised is that she isn't able to work the action of your MKII. What it comes down to, I feel the best is to go for a 1911 with a .22 conversion kit.

With the conversion kits, these guns are not difficult to rack the slide. Furthermore, its all single action, so the trigger pull will not only be light, you'll spoil her with a good trigger. Get the trigger tuned by a competent gunsmith, and even YOU will enjoy the gun very much.

My recommendation, would be a 1911 with a Marvel .22 Conversion kit. You can also try a ceiners kit. The frame/1911 is up to you.

[chopinbloc]

a handgun is generally a pretty poor choice for home defense, especially for a small, recoil sensitive person. you didn't mention price considerations but here are a few suggestions:
hi point 9mm carbine - cheap, reliable and anyone can handle it. it also has a simple manual of arms, relatively quiet and low muzzle flash.
kel tec sub 2000 bit more expensive, all the above advantages plus increased mag capacity.
ar-15 obviously you get a quantum leap in power over even pistol caliber carbines, still recoils very lightly. in my opinion it is the ideal home defense weapon. my lady is pretty small too but is absolutely in love with the evil black rifles.

it is understandable why your wife wouldn't want to go with the 12ga and it's probably good she didn't try it as it would probably just exasperate her recoil sensitivity if she attempted it before having a good background in lower recoiling weapons. her refusal to even try the 12ga or the ak says more, though. i get the impression that she's not a gun person, so you need to be very gentle and understanding in introducing her to firearms. you should also have a very serious talk with her about her willingness to kill another human being. if she is not 100% committed to the idea of using deadly physical force and taking someone's life, she shouldn't use a gun for defense. when the moment comes, she wouldn't shoot or she might try to wound someone and either case would end up very badly for her. don't expect quick results. after many serious conversations and testing she may be ready to defend herself in a year or so but it sounds like she's just not psychologically committed to it yet. let her take this slowly.

on another note, there is no reason that a serious caliber cannot be used by a small statured or recoil sensitive person. i think it's a mistake, chauvanistic, even to drop the power level of a defensive cartridge. as i mentioned, my smallish girlfriend handles an ar beautifully and my recoil sensitive mother is comfortable with a full size, steel framed 9mm (witness). i think a more realistic approach is to train with small, anemic cartridges such as the .22 to develop familiarity and proficiency but for the defensive tool, the gun should be as physically large as she can comfortably handle (remember, she'll need a shorter stock on a long gun) with the most powerful cartridge she can consistently hit with and comfortably control.

you didn't mention that she had any physical disabilities other than being small of stature. you may want to (gently) encourage her to work out, especially her upper body including her grip strength. several guns mentioned were difficult or physically impossible for her to manipulate the action and this shouldn't be so with an adult in good physical condition. ideally, i say you get an light ar with a ciener .22 conversion and collapsible stock so she can practice with .22s until she's comfortable enough to move up to 5.56mm and if she has to use it in the mean time for defense, the darn thing holds 30 rounds. four to five shot groups judiciously applied to the thoracic cavity and brain housing group are quite effective, even in .22.

[only1asterisk]

I think that being small might not be the main problem. She may be either afraid of recoil or very recoil sensitive.


Handguns:

Kahr K9
You may need to work up her recoil tolerance with some reduced recoil practice ammunition. They sell a reduced power recoil spring that reduces the force required to retract the slide, but limits ammunition to standard velocity (or less) 9mm. Trigger pull is light and the manual of arms is as simple as a Glocks.

S&W Model 60/SP101 3" 38/357 or Model 36 with 3 or 4" barrels (esp. old squarebutt models)
She didn't have any trouble shooting the SP101 other than recoil? I think you may have found her first gun. She can work up her recoil tolerance with light 38 Special loads. You may also look at 32 H&R Mag in either the Ruger or all steel J frame. The ammo situation is not great, but loaded with 32 S&W Long they are recoilless.

Beretta 86
The Beretta 86 would be perfect with 4 exceptions: It doesn't have an extractor, it's a blowback, it's a 380 and it's out of production. Not very perfect, but what a great fit!

Colt Gov't 380, Mustang & Variations
They aren't blowback and they have extractors, but they are 380's and out of production.

Star D or S series 380's
Like the Colt's except cheaper and with lots of parts variation.

Not Handguns:

Beretta Cx4 Carbine

Ugly and expensive

Mossberg 500 Super Bantam 20ga

Not an 870



David

[carolinaman]

Hi there,

The absolute best thing you can do is take your lovely wife to a shooting range where there is a wide variety of rental guns and let here decide what action type and caliber that she is most comfortable with shooting.

If she is not a "shooter" and won't dedicate the time to learn to shoot, than simpler is better, i.e. a revolver Ruger SP-101 or S&W M-65.

My lovely Puerto Rican bride does care for shooting at all and won't even go to the range with me.

Now the blade, that's another matter!

Chris

[Mad Chemist]

She can't cycle a Ruger MKII? I owned one for a long time, used it for practice and as a trainer. Very easy to manipulate.

Does she have a disability?

I've trained 3 small-statured female friends w/ this pistol and no one had any trouble with it.
I've seen children(supervised)operate this pistol with no problem.

If she's that weak she needs to see a doctor. Something is not right.

[donkee]

Hi-Power. My 11yr old can cycle his and has no problems zeroing his "bad guy" targets at IDPA practice and matches. It also fits his hands very well, mine too for that matter and I have big hands with "guitar player" fingers (as my buddy in a band sez). The little rugrat has been going for headshots alot lately with it. Little show off! :D

[Scarface]

Hi Zerstoerer,

My wife is also petite, doesn't like recoil and has trouble racking some pistols. You may want to consider several different options that work for Mrs. Scarface.
1. Beretta offers several options with tip up barrels that allow a round to be directly inserted into the chamber getting around the racking issue.
2. If she can rack it, the CZ P01 is ergonomically one of the most comfortable pistols she or I have ever fired. The recoil seems to roll rather than smack (in 9mm).
I taught her to rack by holding the pistol grip normally with her strong hand, while pointing it down range. With her weak hand, she reaches across the top of the weapon and grasps the slide and pushes against the strong hand. I'm told this is the method taught by the State Police for diminutive women. She can also rack ou Makarov this way.

Be Well,

Scarface

[Shear_stress]

A couple ideas come to mind... If you stick to revolvers, a S&W Model 10 might be a nice option.


If she is not a "shooter" and won't dedicate the time to learn to shoot, than simpler is better, i.e. a revolver Ruger SP-101 or S&W M-65.

I am going with Cueball and Carolina on this. I've had various sisters and girlfriends try a variety of pistols and their complaints centered around noise, weight, trigger pull, and recoil. In other words, complaints that are common to a lot of people of smaller stature (male or female) who don't have a lot of experience/interest in guns. These issues are nothing that couldn't be resolved with training, but that depends on the interest level of the shooter. Unless your wife/mother/sister/girlfriend/mistress really wants to "get into guns" (and many do) the best thing to do is to find a pistol that best balances those complaints with defensive usefulness.

While some of us may look at lightweight, blowback pistols as ideal for smaller folks, these guns also deliver fairly snappy recoil that can surprise inexperienced shooters. Hell, the first few Hyra-Shoks I fired through a Sig 232 surprised me as well. The women I've spoken to also did not always have the handstrength to comfortably pull back the slide (hence someone's smart recommendation for the tip-up Beretta 86). Shorter barreled guns tend to be kind of noisy as well, and this can lead to flinching problems for people new to guns.

On the other hand, wheelguns such as the S&W K-frame have enough weight to absorb recoil without being too heavy, are very simple to use, have no slide to rack, and tend to have smooth, low-effort actions. They tend to be pretty accurate too, and that can be a confidence builder. Plus, these guns can chamber a variety of cartridges, that would allow her to start with wadcutters and work up to more defense-oriented loads.


i think a more realistic approach is to train with small, anemic cartridges such as the .22 to develop familiarity and proficiency

This is a great idea as well because it will help her become comfortable with handguns in general.

[mosttoyswins]

Here are my wife's pieces...she is 5'3" 105 lbs and has small hands. She loves the Model 60LS "J" Frame .38sp. she is lights out accurate with it shooting single action, more of a "pop" than a hard "bang" when you shoot it.

For her autoloader SHE picked (very important) a S&W 3913LS 9mm, she likes the way it looks and once she gets past the DA first pull the SA pulls are easy as pie. This gun does kick a little but my wife is not that recoil sensitive.

The most important thing I learned is to let YOUR WIFE pick the gun out...don't try to push anything on her and be patient. She will find something she likes eventually.

What about a Beretta Tomcat .32? Its small and has a tip up barrel so racking the slide is not an issue. A lot more power than a .22.

http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c394/jstaudt/IMG_0956.jpg
http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c394/jstaudt/m601.jpg

[ARperson]

Sounds to me like she isn't really on board with this idea. Can't work the action on a .22? :confused: The recoil from the .32 is too much?

Not that I'm saying you're lying...or that she is? But even my mom, with multiple carpal tunnel surgeries on both hands could work the action on the .22. Sounds more likes she's making excuses for not having to pick. Maybe she's just scared of taking the big step and using these as the cover. Have you really sat down and talked with her about this or is this what you want for her (not that I blame you, we all want our loved ones safe and secure).

Since none of what you have seems to be working, it looks like you might have to pony up some dough. Given that assumption, I'm suggesting a shotgun of smaller oomph. Perhaps a 20g or even a .410. Pump or, since she seems to have some hang-ups, a semi-auto. Point, click, and ship, so to speak. User friendly. I don't know much about them since my little one isn't even born yet, but if she really has that small of a frame, perhaps a youth model would have a better fit too.

I think there's more to this than just recoil. Something you might want to consider delving into when you get the chance.

[Zerstoerer]

Gentlemen,

thanks to all of you for taking the time and suggesting such a variety of options.
I guess I will buy a few new guns shortly and have her try them out.

Sounds like a good excuse for buying more weapons.

[Hawk]

...cheaper to rent, but if you can afford to buy, so much the better.

Anyhow, my experience is limited. I've introduced perhaps a half-dozen young ladies where I work to handguns and I've never guessed right once.

First 4 wound up liking full-sized, steel framed 1911's. Totally untroubled by the .45 ACP. John Moses never ceases to amaze.

One can't decide between a Beretta 92G and Glock 21. This one had what I would have guessed to have the most petite hands of the lot. Black polymer brick? No prob.

One, as if to convince me that a pattern would never be discernable, settles on a Beretta Tomcat. This was a total surprise as a KetTec had been tried and didn't fit at all.

There was one case of P7PSP getting picked but it was tossed overboard for a 1911.

I may be missing some, but that's the gist. It may wind up being a voyage of discovery. Embrace it.
:D

[nero45acp]

S&W 432PD or Ruger SP101 in .32 H&R Magnum.

The .32 H&R Magnum have energy levels between a .380 and a standard pressure .38 special, but with less felt recoil. The heavier, all steel Ruger SP101's (3-1/16" & 4") will have less felt recoil than the alloy frame S&W 432PD.

Both the S&W & Ruger would be reliable, and have a simple manual of arms.




nero

[RyanM]

You may want to try a Hogue handall or other type of rubber sleeve. Possibly in conjunction with a shooting glove. Other than that, I second getting a Ruger SP-101 in .32 magnum. Ruger factory grips are quite cushy and absorb a lot of recoil, in my experience, and with a Wolff Gunsprings reduced power spring kit, trigger pull can be reduced to a very smooth 8 pounds.

[bowline]

I tried my petite sweet with 1911's, Browning Hi Power, Colt Commander, etc. She ended up with a J frame snubby. She also ended up with an AR. She's about to try the Bersa 380 as a backup / 2nd Carry.
She didn't care for the Ruger 22 either, instead she picked a browning, but didn't shoot it very much. Seems very happy with the revolver, though.

[chopinbloc]

forgot to suggest that you have her wear plugs AND muffs when she shoots. this helps some shooters if they are a little more sensitive.

[Murphster]

I've been down the same road you're going down. I had a world of good intentions and good ideas about a gun for my small-handed wife. They were all wrong. Had her try on/pick up a ton of small automatics. After all my brilliant ideas had been tried and found to be lacking, the owner of the gun store handed her a S&W 642. Love at first sight. Fit her hand and she liked it. Problem one solved. She was a bit sensitive to recoil. Somebody on this forum suggested 2.5 grains of Bullseye behind a 148 grain wadcutter. Shoots to point of aim and has low recoil. She likes the gun and enjoys shooting it.
Ear protection is a must. After some discussion, to make shooting even more comfortable for her, we got her some of those shooting gloves with the gel in them. That was the final step in making shooting completely enjoyable for her. Good luck with whatever you get.

http://www.smith-wesson.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/ProductDisplay?catalogId=11101&storeId=10001&productId=14793&langId=-1&parent_category_rn=15704&isFirearm=Y

[Coronach]

The absolute best thing you can do is take your lovely wife to a shooting range where there is a wide variety of rental guns and let here decide what action type and caliber that she is most comfortable with shooting.

Yep.

1. If she's not into carrying, don't try to force her. First and foremost, carrying a gun is a huge decision- you have to be willing to kill someone, and many people are not willing to do that. That's a major life-philosophy type of decision, and not something you should force. And if she's not willing to kill someone, that gun will not get pulled when it needs to be pulled, but will always be there to be stolen, mishandled, misused, etc. If she's not into it, she's not into it. Get over it. She has. ;)

2. If she is into carrying, she picks the weapon. Rent a bunch. Go to gunshops. She picks!

If you disagree, very well. Your next carry gun is to be a S&W Sigma .380 ;) Why? Because I picked it for you. ;)

Mike

[AirForceShooter]

my daughter is 5' 0" at 98 lbs.
She carries a 1911.
Let your wife figure it out and don't try to steer her to what you think she needs.

Would you buy her shoes??

AFS

[8541]

My wife likes the Model 60 loaded with 38 SP +P 125 gr Speer Gold Dot's. Anyone with minimal control and hand strength can fire all 5 into a pie plate at 7 yards, rapid fire.

[Glocker]

The best weapon for a good looking woman is a really BIG guy with a REALLY BIG gun ( Glock ) and as for a back up weapon it will be a pitbull with aids:evil: buy the way if she needs a weapon like I have just explained please E-Mail me for a time to be interviewed.:D I'll leave the dog at home, I'll give him a good word;) . If she don't like that then I would suggest a Smith 642 if she liked wheel guns, but if she likes bottom feeders then a Glock G26 would be nice.

[MarshallDodge]

AirForceShooter is right, let her decide.

My wife does not like my Sig P226, Smith 39, Kahr E9, or the King Cobra in .357 . She likes the grip of a 1911 even with the recoil of a .45 . She also likes her Colt Detective Special in .38 . I have no idea why.

I reload so she shoots reduced loads in the .45 most of the time and then some full power 185 grain Federal Hydra-Shoks for practice. I bought the Colt for her a year ago after a friend that owned it let her shoot it. She really likes it even with +P ammo.
She has a hard time racking the slide on the 1911's with the hammer down so she carefully cocks the gun and then racks the slide. The gun is kept cocked and locked most of the time so this shouldn't be an issue in an emergency.
My wife likes to practice with my S&W 2206 (a .22 autoloader) and I think that has helped her learn trigger control.
Once your wife has decided on what she likes I would recommend lots of practice.

[raghorn]

How about a short-barrelled 20 gauge pump shotgun? Maybe a youth model remington Wingmaster?

[Shorts]

I'm a small petite woman, I carry a Beretta 86. Over 1200rds through it without much hiccup other than not liking WWB and flat nosed roounds. That was cured with a ramp polish. It is accurate and easy to use.

Anyhow, my 86 doesn't seem to mind it is out of production, it still shoots the same. And the no extractor ting isn't a problem either. It cycles all 9 rounds. Beretta has a warranty. I expect they will honor it regardless. My only gripe is .380 cost more to run than a 9mm :mad:

Anyhow, my decision, the gun works for me and that's what matters.

[LWCmdr45]

My wife, 5' 2" and ? pounds (I'd be divorced if I posted her weight!) has very small hands and simply could not get a good hold on the grip/trigger reach of a full-sized pistol. Add to that, she has arthritis and next-to-no upper body strength, so had major problems trying to cycle the slide of most examples she tried. The problem with most "pocket pistols" is the stiff recoil spring, whether you're talking a Kahr 9x19mm. or a blowback .380. The *one* semi-auto pistol that fit her hand *and* that she could reliably manipulate the slide of was the locked breech Colt Government Model .380. We picked one up in stainless for her and she loves it. They're no longer made, though, so you'll have to search around a bit.

Happy hunting!

Steve

[Wilson 17&26]

http://www.wilson-genealogy.com/pics/p32pbwnaa.gif
Maybe the gun needs to be a pretty color. How about a nice Powder Blue like the P-32 above or the Ralph Lauren Anchor Blue P-3AT below ;)

http://www.wilson-genealogy.com/pics/ralph.jpg

[larryw]

What I've learned (when it comes to finding the "right" guns for my better half):

- She is less sensitive to recoil than I assumed (she's small, I'm large; our kids are built like me: recoil is trivial compared to other events she's gone through).
- She is very sensitive to noise (baby farts three rooms away wake her up).
- She equates noise to recoil.
- High pressure rounds "recoil" more. 9 recoils more than 45; 40SW and 357Sig: get outta here with that!
- Doubling up on muffs and plugs means she burns through ammo like popcorn.
- Once we learned that trick, 44 mag and 12ga are FUN!
- Did I mention 45ACP?
- Making assumptions on what she wants, or what is best for her is usually a waste of time.
- I did buy her some shoes once...she and her friends still laugh...
- Discussing these things with her, well, she likes that... :D
- Ask her go go to the range, rent every gun they have and pick a gun (or two), any gun (or three). If that isn't an option, borrow guns from friends, etc.

Mine came home with a USP45C. I am not allowed to shoot it; I am expected to clean it.

Somewhere in this list there are a couple lessons that relatate, not only to guns, but also to happy marriages. ;)

[jeremywills]

now thats funny, you cant play with it, but clean it :D

Just kidding

My mom doesn't personally choose to shoot guns, she expects my Dad to take care of the HD duties etc...

But my Best friends Mom has been divorced and single for many years now and she being a female by her self has been for years armed and ready. Being the small and petite, immediately the .22 was suggested, she said bah, whats the point so she tried the Glock 19 on the recommendation of the shop owner, absolutely hates it. Bought a Walther PPK, again hates it. She then tried the Sig 232, loves it. I been trying to buy that Walther off her for years, its a James Bond thing ;) Always wanted one. She says no only because what if the Sig is out of commsion, always good to have a BUG, ok fair enough. Point is it took her 3 guns to finally find the right one. Just take your time and let her decide what works best. I took the same approach and after many rentals and paying others range fees and showing up with an extra box of ammo as incentive, I finally found my personal favorite. Im a small 5-4 120 lb guy, so realistically larger guns knock me around a bit, you should see me with a 12 guage magnum and slugs, they say its hilarious. I like small guns because Im small, doesnt mean she will be the same. I seen petite women with .357 magnums and they were doing just fine out there. I personally think .357 is too much for me, so each to his or her own.

Best of luck

[waffentomas]

My wife is 5' 0", and 80 lbs. She has VERY small hands.

Here is what didn't work:

J frame SW, Taurus, Colt Det. SPL etc. (revolvers in general) - long trigger pull turned her off.
All Sigs, just too big, even the small .380s.
HK P7 - too big

What did work
Kahr - but it still kicks a little too much for her.
1911 with flat mainspring housing. She loves Kimbers - (so I bought a 10mm Eclipse for me. Hey, at least we have a Kimber)

What we bought was a Browning HP in .40 cal. Sent it to Cylinder and Slide for an action job, and further grip reduction. She loves the gun for home defense and it really was the smallest grip of them all, save the Kahr, which the the gun she carries in her purse. We load with with the Federal PD ammo, as she is also a bit recoil sensitive.

She has VERY small hands, and the aforementioned guns were the only ones that worked for her.

You have a lot of replies, hope this helps.

Tom

[Wayniac]

It seems this question has been covered quite well here. I will just add that I agree that caliber should not be the big concern here. A .22 in hand is better than a .45 left at home. My fiance had never shot a gun before, and when we first met she indicated that she never would. After a time, she agreed to go to the range with me and fire my .22 Ruger MKII Bull. I could not get the gun out of her hands after that!
She, too, did not like the recoil of my Taurus pt111 9mm. So I am prolly going to buy her a .22 soon.
Many say that a .22 is not an effective weapon, my retort is...
Do you want to get shot with a .22? Me neither!

"The first rule of a gun fight? Bring a gun!"

[evan price]

SIG239 in 9mm.

Whoever mentioned Highpoints; had one as a tossaway for plinking, cheap as hell, pretty reliable but I have problems with the slide slicing open the top of my right hand along the edge of the palm where my index finger knuckle presses up against the grips. I have to consciously not choke up so high on the grip when I fire. Wound up trading it off. (I have big hands)

[antsi]

If she liked the .357 wheelgun loaded with .38 spl, then that's what I'd get her. My wife likes the same combo.

You could argue all day whether .357 to .38 is a drop off in defense effectiveness, but I'd say if she can hit the bad guy COM with .38's that will slow him down a lot better than a .357 she refuses to shoot ;)

[jeremywills]

+1

38's will definately get the job done :) when placed correctly, so will .22's I do hope she finds the right one.

Once again, good luck

[kid_couteau]

Hi

I dont know if anyone said this but I suggest two things

Since it is in home get her a Rossi model 92 in 38/357 mag and a rottweiler.

The rifle has an easy lever action, is short and very little recoil with 38 special. It can also be used as a club.

The rottweiler? No recoil, always loaded and she can ride him like a horse to get away if necessary.

See ya
Kid

[twosigs]

S&W Model 60 21/2 inch barrel. I sent it to S&W to get a trigger job and bob'ed hammer. The trigger is light, smooth and DA only. Sweet gun for self defense. No safeties. No single action accidents. Just point and shoot.

[GoBrush]

The Sig 239 in Nine may be a good choice. It is a single stack and should fit small hands fine.