help, my sister wants to get a .25acp

[newgunmike]

ok so my sister called me today asking if she should get a .25acp for self defense and i think i convinced her to not buy it. she wants a small gun that can fit into her purse for under $300, she said she wanted a gun that would hurt someone but not kill them. i am going to explain in detail to why why that is the dumbest thought ever tomorrow.

so i need a list of guns that are small and under or around $300 chambered in .380 or 9mm. i would search but im on my luch break.

 

[Coyote3855]

KelTec P3AT. But before she buys a gun, she should take a class where they will explain in detail "the hurt but not kill" thing. You can tell her, but my sister won't listen to anything I say. Maybe your's is different.

 

[PX15]

JMOfartO:

Please suggest to your sister, (can't tell a woman anything, I've been married almost 42 years.. Trust me on this.) that in YOUR opinion a 25cal. pistol is not necessarily the "best" choice for her.

If she is determined to get a pistol, vs a revolver, then there are a zillion 380cal. pistols on the market, and more coming daily. If the 380cal. is too "stout" for her likings, plenty of 32cal. pistols available too..

But I'm an old fart (almost 67) and from over half a century of experience with firearms, handguns in particular, I would SUGGEST a pistol of any caliber or description is not the "best" choice for someone with limited experience with firearms.

IF your sister were MY sister, daughter, granddaughter (get the picture?) I would recommend a quality 38cal. revolver. In fact I would just buy that person a Smith & Wesson J-frame (or if she insists let her use her money).

There are hundreds, heck probably thousands of good used J-frames for sale all over the place. Most of them were seldom even fired, and spent most of their time stashed away, in the same manner your sister will probably stash away whatever firearm she winds up with.

I've had J-frames of one model or another for over 40 years, and never had one to malfunction in any way.. If your sister had a J-frame all has to do is put 5 rounds in the appropriate holes in the cylinder. and then if danger comes her way, pull the trigger 5 times..

Not sure that "shoot to hurt" business makes any sense... Ok, it makes NO sense, but her brain is working the way it's working so no sense in even saying more about that.

I am willing to bet that, heaven forbid, she HAD to use a firearm in defense of her life she wouldn't be aiming for a flesh wound on the threat, she'd just be "pointing and pulling" until the threat was stopped or she was out of ammo.

I recommend you TEACH her to practice shooting from 3 yards (yep, 9') with just a point and pull method.. She will hit the target from that practice distance, and that will increase her confidence, and that's a good thing.

Don't be looking for logic in her desires, just love her for being a good sister (well, I assume she's been a good sister.. Crap if she's been a bad sister then let her buy a 25ca. Raven and go on about your business... Just kiddn')

I'm sure someon wiser than myself (not too much required to do that) will come along with a better suggestion.

But I'm telling ya, a good revolver is hard to beat, especially for someone not "into" guns.

No offense to those who might disagree.. I could be wrong, been wrong before.

Best Wishes,

Jesse

P.S. IF your sister is determined to get a "pistol" then for her budget I'd suggest the Ruger LCP, or KelTec P3AT... There are other great choices, but the best bang for the buck (no pun intended) would probably be one of these two.

 

[1KPerDay]

I have a Browning 25 and the ruger LCP is lighter and thinner. And shoots a much more effective round. And is under $300 if you look around.

A revolver is a better choice for new shooters, though, IMO


Hurt someone but not kill them, huh...

 

[Gunfighter123]

Good for you to tell her straight ---- a .25acp ain't much of a gun BUT it is still a gun. You may want to check out the Star Firestar and Firestar Plus ----- both are 9mm and hold either 7 rds. or 13 rds . I have had a Firestar Plus for about 10 years , have shot about 3000/4000 rds. thru it and it is both reliable and very accurate for its size -- the Firestar is about the same size as a 2" revolver -- the Firestar Plus is about a inch longer in the grip.

Photo of my Firestar Plus --- 13rd. mags;






HOWEVER ---- for someone that may not take the time to get used to a semi-auto , the .38 snub-nose is a very good choice.

 

[inherentical]

Tell her to get a .357 because it's smaller than a .380.

 

[CalebJns]

I carry a Kel-tec 32. I also work in a ministry related atmosphere, so a full size or even medium size is harder to conceal...

My thoughts on the caliber of gun is this...if she want to carry a .25 then she needs to put the time and effort into it, that it will require. Lets face it, I would say we would all agree that a .22, .25, and even a .32 would be considered a face and/or crotch gun. She needs to be able to place shots in that small of an area (no pun intended) under pressure and stressed. With calibers larger than that...you could reasonably hit someone anywhere and it "should" stop them...unless they are on drugs, etc. Me personally I don't have a desire to be shot by ANYTHING! A frozen paint ball hurts bad enough, I'll do my part to avoid anything more!

 

[ronto]

38 Special minimum and NO SEMI-AUTOS...

A 357 and/or 38 Special revolver is the best choice...check out a S&W "Lady Smith".
She wants to STOP the BG and not just HURT him...The 25 is the WORST choice she could make...a 22 or long finger nails would be a better choice than a 25.

 

[Fremmer]

At least she's being honest about her willingness (or fear) of using lethal force, you should respect that. So get her an effective less-lethal alternative. She should buy pepper spray. She can use it to protect herself, and it won't permanantly hurt someone. If she's unwilling to seriously hurt or kill someone, then she shouldn't carry a gun. JMHO.

 

[newgunmike]

first thanks everyone you guys helped. now i told her that we are going to a gun shop where they rent guns so she can try a bunch of different pistols and revolvers and see what she like.(and i get to play with some guns) then im gonna make sure she takes a class and understand that a gun is not something you just carry and use only when you need to but something she should familiarize herself with and get lots of practice. im just glad she asked me about the gun, or she might have bought it this saturday, and she doesn't know she needs to get a pistol purchase permit first.(danm nc laws) also ill make sure she gets her ccw permit and ill go to the range with her and hopefully we will have 1 more person on the pro-gun side.

 

[DAVIDSDIVAD]

Just get her some Cor bon +P+ and tell her they're magic bullets designed not to kill.

JOKE ALERT
WARNING WARNING
JOKE ALERT

 

[atomd]

Don't let her shoot things that are difficult and/or uncomfortable to shoot right away. If you give her an ultra light .38 snubby loaded with +p, she might put it down after a couple of rounds, say forget it and walk away. Also, if she can't hit the target with it...she may get discouraged and forget the idea too. Ideally, a .38 or a 9mm might be a better way to go for self defense, but it might not be the best thing for everyone to start with. Start small and move up. Don't push her too hard on anything.

 

[Leaky Waders]

"Tell her to get a .357 because it's smaller than a .380."

That made me spill drink on my keyboard

PX15 has great advice.

If she wants something non-lethal then maybe pepperspray on her keychain?

 

[The Lone Haranguer]

... she said she wanted a gun that would hurt someone but not kill them

This is a much bigger problem than her choice of caliber. Firing a handgun at someone is deadly force. If the situation did not justify deadly force, it did not justify shooting at all, period. Set her straight on this and work on the caliber later.

 

[jad0110]

Quote:
... she said she wanted a gun that would hurt someone but not kill them

This is a much bigger problem than her choice of caliber. Firing a handgun at someone is deadly force. If the situation did not justify deadly force, it did not justify shooting at all, period. Set her straight on this and work on the caliber later.

At least she's being honest about her willingness (or fear) of using lethal force, you should respect that. So get her an effective less-lethal alternative. She should buy pepper spray. She can use it to protect herself, and it won't permanantly hurt someone. If she's unwilling to seriously hurt or kill someone, then she shouldn't carry a gun. JMHO.

Agree 100% with these statements. In NC, as in most states, there is no legal difference between a wounded BG and a dead one. Certainly, there is a moral question here that your sister has considered, and she is not willing to take the life of another person, even if her own is in danger. That's a very personal thing that she'll have to address in her own way. That is the sort of thing that can lead to hesitation to pull the trigger in a life threatening encounter, perhaps even freezing. Not the kinda thing you want to do with a badguy closing in.

For now, I agree that pepper spray is probably her best option. If, one day, she her thoughts change on the use of deadly force, then you can help guide her in picking out a firearm.

 

[newgunmike]

well i talk to her today and explained what she needed to do to get a gun and the laws about using a gun in a sd situation and most of the laws. she didn't want to shoot to kill because she was uninformed and thought that if she killed someone in a sd sit. it would cause her more legal problems, but after i talked to her she understood and agreed to go test some guns this saturday and get her ccw permit. i thought it would be harder to convince her but she understood everything, maybe its because she knows i looked up all this stuff for myself and she trusts me or she just really gets it.either way we will soon have another person on our side and my sister will be safe and secure.

 

[Grey Morel]

The .32 isn't a terrible option either.

These days, even a .22lr with modern ammunition will far out-penetrate a .25acp.

you may also want to consider a 38 revolver.

Most of those micro 380's & pocket 9mms have a lot of snap in their recoil. If you talk her into buying one, I doubt she will want to practice with it.

I would be pointing her towards a PPK in 32, or a Sig 232 in 380. Those guns are still quire small, but there greater size and steel construction will absorb quite a bit of recoil over a P32 or P3AT size gun.

 

[hammerklavier]

Tell her since she would rather not kill anyone, a little tiny auto would not be good because any determined criminal seeing that would just laugh. But revolvers, now there's an intimidating looking gun. Get a J frame .38 instead.

 

[bigeye]

first things first

FIRST she should call her insurance carrier and see that she has a minimum of $1 million in liability. (no, that is not a smart A** answer, I mean it._) Once she is sure of that, she can 'hurt' someone with a concealed .25 (But not kill them) and her insurance will cover the law suit she has slapped on her for heinous injuries.
If you need to shoot someone, you need to kill them. If you shoot someone after publicly broadcasting you only want to 'hurt' them, you absolutely will need the insurance agent on your side. (Good luck) policy or not.
I will take a beating before I kill someone. ONCE I am confident I will not walk away from the encounter alive, it is time to KILL my attacker. She needs a session with a good civil attorney before she takes on this burden. (and it IS a burden) She will be able to make up her mind after that session. Remind her, she only gets ONE chance at this. Best of luck to her, honestly. She needs help and you can help her through this.

 

[snakeman]

i would go with a 22 with stinger rounds before a 25 anyday. Might I suggest a Rossi snubbie or a Bond Arms derringer or some sort. Even a 22mag snubbie.

 

[w_houle]

ok so my sister called me today asking if she should get a .25acp for self defense and i think i convinced her to not buy it. she wants a small gun that can fit into her purse for under $300, she said she wanted a gun that would hurt someone but not kill them.

Trying to figure out what the underlying issue is here. If she wants a .25, then fine. She's grown and can do that, as far as SD???
Meh, I'm not making assumptions as to what's going on: Your life, do what you will, bu my thoughts are to merely have you throw out the ones and to let her add them up. Her choosing her first gun might be a confidence booster. Take her shooting.

 

[chris in va]

I had a guy at work tell me the same exact thing. "Don't want to KILL them, just make them run if they try to hurt me."

It was funny, he was from Jersey and of a certain ethnicity, and knowing I was into guns came to me on the sly with the question. After our conversation though he was aware of the full legality of firearms ownership in Virginia with the proper qualifications.

 

[makarovnik]

Kel-Tec P32.

Actually let her get what she wants so she doesn't get turned off right away. Just make sure she gets a good reliable .25acp and hopefully it will feed Quick Shok.

Maybe after some practice she might want to step up in performance.

 

[.455_Hunter]

These days, even a .22lr with modern ammunition will far out-penetrate a .25acp.

Not quite...

When fired from the same short barrel (2" or so), the .25 ACP with the 50 gr. FMJ projectile will have higher energy and greater penetration than almost all available .22 LR loads. This traditional .25 ACP loading will penetrate around 14"-16" in ordnance gelatin (see brassfetcher.com).

Of course, all bets are off if your compare the performance of a 2" .25 ACP pocket pistol to a 6" .22 LR target revolver. Even worse, some people look at the ballistics charts and directly compare the .25 ACP (again 2" barrel) to the .22 LR out of a RIFLE length barrel.

I am not advocating everybody run out a buy a .25 ACP, but a citizen who is familiar and confident with their .25 ACP is a serious threat to the bad guys. A magazine full of 50 gr. FMJs to the torso is going to put even the most aggressive thug in the hurt locker.

The .25 ACP is a million times better than "please don't hurt me!"

 

[-eaux-]

the main thing you should be helping her understand is that she is trying to neither "hurt" nor "kill" anyone. ever.
if she is compelled to even draw a weapon on another person, it is to immediately stop a threat of bodily harm to herself or someone in her charge.
my dad always taught me: if you pull it and don't use it, you shouldn't have pulled it.
a close second in importance: aim for center mass.