Advise on my current collection

Take the lil woman with you and let her choose! Bet ya get the XD cause they tend to fit female hands better. Also wouldnt be the first time bringing her into the mix might actually surprise you with her wanting to go to the range with you.

Sell the Judge, get something better. If a .410 from an 18“ barrel is a poor choice for defense, it won't be better from a shorter one. I've been looking at the S&W M&P and my wife who has small hands likes how it feels. Haven't shot one yet, though

In Your Shoes

I'd probably swap out the Judge for the XD9.

However, that's driven by a couple of considerations: I favor lower recoil for my arthritic hands, and I favor less expensive ammo -- 9mm is just about the cheapest widely available center-fire ammo I've seen.

I can't speak to a preference in shotguns, so I'll leave that viewpoint to someone else.


If the objective is to get something with which your wife will be comfortable, I can only suggest you do what I did: take her to the store and let her run through a few (or several) until she finds one that fits her. Rent one if you can, and let her try it out.

My wife surprised me. I was ready to plunk down for a nice little S&W auto, and she wound up picking the 9mm Taurus PT111. Her comment: "It feels like it was made for my hands."

The other big surprise was when I took her to the range for the first time, and had her start off with the Ruger Mk II, she got into the second magazine, stopped, turned to me and said, "I want one exactly like this one." It took me more than a month to find a twin for the Ruger 7" Mk II Bull Barrel, but she now has one of her own.

As a follow-on to the other surprises, I found that I shoot her PT111 better than I shoot my XD40. Sad, really. The XD cost me twice as much.

I hope some part of that ramble is useful.

Ok, just a few things, first I don't like the judge, if nothing else I think it is ugly, and would sell it now while they are still popular and selling at high prices. Once that is done then you can give thought to an HD handgun, you probably want to stay away from the .357 and maybe even the 9mm depending on ammo selection, an XD/XDM in .45 ACP might be a better choice, still fairly cheap to shoot, but with a slower heavier bullet (you don't want to shoot a supersonic bullet indoors without hearing protection). Secondly I would strongly suggest getting a good HD shotgun for most HD situations, it is possible to buy a perfectly acceptable HD shotgun for under $200 and a very good used one in the $300-$400 range, on a budget look at such guns as the H&R Pardner Pump Protector (a made in China Remington 870 clone), or a Maverick 88, ranging up from there are Remington 870 Express models, Mosberg 500 series, then up to the Remington 870 Police or Wingmaster models, etc.

^^Please tell be why 9mm isn't a good choice.

You don`t need a "cannon" for home defense. Especially for a women. Choose wisely.

Another vote for selling the Judge and maybe looking for a 9mm. for your HD needs and for your wife to use. A .22 would be nice for her to start out with but if the budget is tight then the 9mm. would be the way to go. If there's a range nearby and they have rentals, have her try them out to see what works and is the best fit for her.

The speed of sound is around 1100 FPS depending on altitude, temperature, etc. there are many 9mm loads with speeds well above this, some at over 1300 FPS, all other factors being equal a supersonic bullet will be louder than a subsonic. Don't confuse this reasoning with the "subsonic" marketing term that was popular for many years, selling relativey slow heavy bullets in 9mm and other transonic calibers. By comparison most .45 ACP moves along at leisurely 850 FPS or so.

I would try out the fullsize 9mms with her and also maybe throw the .45acp versions into the mix and see what you two agree on. Not because of velocity/noise, but because .45 recoil isn't bad and you might as well see what you prefer in a full size gun. A shotgun would be great and in the same price range, so if you're seriously considering that route that would be my preference for HD. Again, try before you buy, if the shotgun is too unwieldy for her it's a no-go. It's easier for you to adjust to a shorter stock than for her to adjust to one that is too long. Good luck with your search.

I get rid of the Judge. I’d get a Glock 19 over a 17. It would give you a backup carry gun and still have something large enough that it’s easy to shoot.

That said I’d get a shotgun before I got another handgun since you already have the PF-9 and the Sig 22.

Is the Sig of a model that you can swap out the barrel for a larger caliber?

I am a huge fan of a shotgun for home defense. Personally, I'd but the shotgun next and use one of your current pistols as backup.

The Judge is fun to shoot but ammo is expensive and I'm not sold on it being the best home defense gun for me. I'm considering selling it or trading it for a full size pistol like a Glock 17, Springfield XD9 or Ruger P95.

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I'd definetly go with selling the Judge. Its an interesting gun but not something I would rely on for primary home defence. Personally, I'm a Glock fan and the G17 was the first centerfire handgun I ever owned, so I would go with that, but all three choices are good guns, so it may be best to go into your LGS with the wife and see which one fits your hands best.

I've considered a .357 revolver but I figure she would have the same issue with that as with the Judge.

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Actually, a .357 is a much better choice for SD than the Judge (IMO at least). Its simple, powerful and reliable. The main drawback in a HD scenario is that with full power, mangun ammo the muzzle blast can be pretty bad, and firing one off inside a typical bedroom is going to be pretty hard on the ears and could potentially be disorienting to the shooter. Becuase of that, the .357 isn't my personal first choice for a bedroom gun.

And if I got one of the mentioned guns as my primary home defense should I then think of adding a 12 or 20 gauge to the mix?

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A lot of people consider the pump or semiauto shotgun the "ultimate" HD weapon, and I certianly think they have a lot to offer. Generally more powerful than any handgun, they can be a bit slower to get into action in an emergency and more cumbersom is you have to move around the house. I certainly think they have their place, although I'm not sure I would replace a handgun with a shotgun, but rather have both.

I'd lose the Judge. I personally love my Ruger P345 but for my wife I think something smaller would make her more comfy. I like the Legacy Arms Encore 12 gauge made in Turkey for HD shotgun. Very well made for its low price.

I like a steel-framed revolver for home defense. No controls to think about or fumble with when you are half asleep and experiencing an adrenaline dump.

Load it with .38 Specials and the recoil is very mild.

You don't want to be shooting a .357 magnum indoors with no hearing protection. The flash of a magnum can be momentarily blinding, too.

Sell the Judge.

The go-to HD gun should be comfortable (especially recoil-wise) for the smallest/weakest of the family-unit.

Maybe a used 20 gauge pump. If she doesn't like the felt recoil of a revolver on the hands, likely she won't have any interest in 12 gauge felt recoil on the shoulder. With the trend toward expensive AR-patterned rifles for HD, SG's, especially used ones, get overlooked. You can find one for cheap.

Hasn't been mentioned, PF-9 .22 lr conversion kit (get the extra mag(s)):

http://www.twistedindustries.net/products/

(Oleg gets the coolest stuff.)

Maybe your wife will want a PF-9 for herself, eventually.

You'd only have to stock 2 calibers (.22 lr and 9mm).

IMO, trade the judge in for a 12 gauge pump. To me personally the felt recoil of a "reduced recoil" 12 gauge buckshot load kicks less than a 20 gauge turkey load in most shotguns.

Actually, a .357 is a much better choice for SD than the Judge (IMO at least). Its simple, powerful and reliable. The main drawback in a HD scenario is that with full power, mangun ammo the muzzle blast can be pretty bad, and firing one off inside a typical bedroom is going to be pretty hard on the ears and could potentially be disorienting to the shooter. Becuase of that, the .357 isn't my personal first choice for a bedroom gun.

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Stick a good, heavy .38 +P in that .357 revolver and it is an excellent option as a HD platform. In a medium frame steel revolver, recoil will be mild to moderate, flash and bang will be relatively low, follow up shots are a breeze (due to the low recoil and muzzle rise) and good .38 loads can meet the FBI's 12" minimum penetration depth while offering the bonus of expansion. Even when I was into the whole wonder9 thing, I still kept a .357 stoked with .38s at my bedside because:

1) I didn't want to mess with safeties at o'dark 30
2) I also didn't want to go grabbing for a manual safety-less gun with a short, light trigger pull (like the XD9 I had at the time) while experiencing an adrenaline dump right after waking from a deep sleep
3) I didn't want to have to chamber a round to avoid 1 and 2 above

I feel plenty comfortable with a fully loaded revolver, ready to go, at my bedside. No safeties, and the trigger does require deliberate effort to squeeze.

A .357 (or .38) revolver is worth look anyway. Since this gun sounds like it will be used by both you and yoru wife, you'll need to find a gun that works for both of you. That may mean giving a bit on your end for something that works optimally for her.

The shotgun is a pretty good idea as well. As much as I love my handguns (particularly my wheel guns), if I know trouble is brewing and I'm able to get my shotgun, I will most assuredly do so. There is something rather comforting about knowing I can blast 9 1/3" diameter lead balls at an intruder with a single trigger squeeze (from a 12 ga Mossberg 590A). A lot of folks don't like 12 gauge kick though, especially in versions with 22" or shorter barrels. So be sure to try before you buy.

Another option would be a carbine of some sort. On a budget, the 9mm HiPoints are on the fugly side, but they usually work reliably. Other options include the SKS, Ruger Mini 14 and Mini 30, the M-1 Carbine and AK and AR pattern rifles. Lot of options out there, have fun!

My 2 cents worth, ditch the Judge for the .357 and as already mentioned with .38's recoil will be nil in a full sized revolver and you can always buy aftermarket grips to get the right fit for you both. As far as a shotgun goes you might would like to try a (insert favorite manufacturer here) 20ga youth model shorter LOP and OAL for the house 20ga has less recoil and you can always get limbsaver slip-on recoil pad to soak up more recoil and add a little to the LOP for yourself if needed

I'd keep what you have and add a .357 and load it with .38 for HD, and .357 when out and about.

Isaac-1 said:

The speed of sound is around 1100 FPS depending on altitude, temperature, etc. there are many 9mm loads with speeds well above this, some at over 1300 FPS, all other factors being equal a supersonic bullet will be louder than a subsonic.

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That's an interesting point I hadn't thought of. Checking my shooting diary, I see that all the 9mm cartridges I have ever fired had bullet weights of 115gr or 124gr and velocities in the range 1150-1350 fps, therefore all were supersonic.