voodoosmc

Thanks to all for the posts. As you all can tell I don' t know jack about handguns I' ve shot a few but other than that really nothing. I' ve got lots to think about.

eldeguello

You want the best self-dsefense pistol, but:
A. It can' t cost a lot
B. It can' t have significant recoil

You really don' t want the best self-defense pistol, because your criteria excludes it!!

(THE BEST self-defense pistol is not a 9mm or a .38!!)

diyj98

I' d stay away from the Glock and other autos. I have several Glocks, but I don' t think they are the best for your situation. Take a look at a medium framed 357 Mag. with about a 4" barrel. You can load it with 38 specials for your wife or you can load it up with 357 magnums for hunting or more powerful self defence loads. A revolver is much easier to operate for the average person.

thndrchiken

If this is for both of you to shoot you have to take the size of her hand into consideration. Outside of a single stack magazine the auto' s will probably not fit her very well. The DA revolver I say is the best bet. I would recommend a 357 and let her get used to it shooting 38' s. Then let her move up the the magnum loads. For a defensive firearm, power is not the most important factor, training and the ability to hit your target is, if you can' t hit what your shooting at with a 38 or 9mm, the 357, 40 or 45 won' t do you a damn bit of good. Look for a used revolver to start and move up from there.

round ball

i CARRY TWO DIFFERENT GUNS AND THEY ARE BOTH GOOD ONES IN MY BOOK. THE FIRST ONE IS A S/W 3913 9MM I LIKE THE SAFTEY ON IT THE BEST SINCE IT HAS A DECOCKAND I CAN CARRRY ONE IN THE TUBE. THIS ONE IS VERY COMPACT AND EASY TO CONCEAL THE OTHER ONE IS A GLOCK MOD26 9MM IT IS A LITTLE THICKER BUT WILL HOLD 10 IN THE CLIP BUT THEN IT DOES NOT HAVE A DECOCK AND SO I CAN' T CARRY ONE IN THE TUBE. IT IS ALL WHAT YOU WANT TO DO WITH IT AND WHERE YOU CARRY IT.I USE TWO DIFFERENT HOLSTERS ONEIS AN ANKLE AND THE OTHER ONE IS AN INSIDE THE BELT THEY ARE BOTH FINE BUT YOU WON' T WANT TO RUN WITH THE ANKLE HOLSTER IT WILL SHIFT ON YOU . GOOD LUCK TRY DIFFERENT GUNS AND FIND ONE YOU LIKE,OH THE GLOCK HAS A LITTLE MORE POP THAN THE S/W LET YOUR WIFE SHOOT BOTH AND HAVE HER TELL YOU WHICK TO BUY. ANOTHER GOOD ONE IS THE LADY SMITH. GOOD LUCK AND PRACTICE PRACTICE AND BE SAFE!!!!

paulyseggs

i carry a few different guns usually it;s just the same 3, glock 32 in 357, s&w 66 snubby in 357, or my colt cobra in 38spcl. the 2 357' s get 125gr hollowpoints and the 38 gets 158grain nyclad +p hollowpoints. i do alot of shootin with low recoil practice rounds (except the glock) cause i have some nerve damage in my right hand but i carry full power loads at all times. i once read a thing in a shootin mag i think it was layne simpson that said this is what his wife does she shoots 50-100 rounds of practice ammo then a dozen or so full house rounds to make sure, you develope good shootin skills when your not flinchin i found that out with my 44mag (i can empty it fast real fast and keep all the rounds center mass on one of those silloutte targets with 240grain mag loads, but that required alot of practice with 44spcl).

check out the kel tec line, their fairly inexpensive, light and for what your gonna use it for not a bad deal, you can get the super small 32acp the 9mm which is a bit bigger but still wicked light for a nine, and i do believe their coming out witha 380 thats the same size as the 32, if anything i;d stay away from 25acp i;ve watched racoons take a few rounds and keep goin, gotta remember their 35lbs at best. you;d be better off with a 22mag than a 25acp. but if you want a serious defense pistol i;d say 9mm, you can get the heavier subsonics for practice and carry the +p hot stuff for when the doo doo hits the fan.

Nomercy

In this arguement, I tend to agree with eldeguello, a 9mm or .380 isn' t the " ideal" self protectoin tool, however, I also agree with Grits Grisham (famous writer for G&A) that a " .22lr in the eye is more deadly than a .45acp in the knee" . A .45 in capable hands is probably one of the best personal protection devices available, but if you can' t hit what you NEED to, it does you no good to have that much poower, where a .380 under control would be much more effective. THAT SAID, I don' t feel that there is any real reason that ANYONE can' t control a .45acp, my fiance does quite splendidly and she' s a) 5' 5.5" (really only 5' 5" ) b)112# (but only claims 110 of it ), and c) a quite feminine woman, and her kid brother has since he was a 10 year old sting bean.

It' s beyond me as to why, but .380autos have traditionally been a favorite backup of law enforcement, which I think does say something: either they don' t have a clue what they are doing, or the round might be more worthy than most give it credit.

Vapodog

For a woman I' d be looking at a double action revolver in .38 Special or .32 H & R mag. If she shows she can easily handle more power, I' d be looking for a .44 Special or .45 LC

Power

12 guage pump. Period.

Just racking a shell will deter 99/100 robbers right from the start. EVERYONE knows that sound and if you' re too stupid to immediately jump out the nearest window, well you deserve to be shot.

I' d load it with #2' s or BB' s so you' re not punching through the walls and hitting your neighbors like if you were shooting buckshot or a handgun. With a shotgun you don' t have to worry much about missing either.

MR300WM

I agree with Power about the pump shotgun being the best but when you are talking about being involved in a very tense and fearfull situation I believe that most people will be better off with a double action revolver as there is no safety to fool with and no chambering of a round to remember. More experinced shooters can take the necessary actions of semi autos and pumps but someone thats not going to shoot and handle the firearm on a regular basies should stick with whats simple in a tense situation. IMHO.