IndyHunter83

For home defense the 38.357 will work just fine. I have one that is a butt nose and I can keep em in centermass out to around 30 yards with it. When deciding between the other 3 cartridges you asked about I'd answer the following question "some one breaks in and you have to shoot. Do you want to mame them or do you want to kill them?" The 9mm is a mame gun in my opinion. What I mean here is that if you shoot someone and they're coming at you hard then you may not knock them down right away. This is the reason that most police officers carry a 40 sw now. It offers a tad bit more knock down power than the 9mm. 45acp is just a kick ass round. You may only need to shoot something once with it that you may have to shoot two or three times with the 9mm. Personally I own all three and my main carry gun is a 40sw in the springfeild xd. That would be my recommendation.

harter66

My .02. I would say go for the 40 for the "punch"and capacity. That said I have a Hi-Powder clone Feg HP-9 in 9mm as an all-around target traveling companion ,bedroom gun ,well its staying around. It shoots well with every load I've fed it from 75gn hps to 158gn rnfp's. That platform is all steel and is available in 40 also. Its easy to shoot and has mags available in 8,10,13,15 and 20 rds. My next choice would be just to jump strait in to a 1911which can be had in at least a half a dozen cartridges and 22LR swaps for training.

andy da animal

those where the prices at dicks sporting goods close to my apt. Ilinois is the home of our president who is trying to raise all the gun prices, and ammo prices, so thats not really helping our prices stay down. and since illinois is (i believe one out of the two states that does not allow carry of concealed) with this first purchase am not super worried bout size for carrying concealed. i would love a glock, just not sure if i can afford it.

halfbakedi420

lol my buddy got his ol' lady a 380, cant find any ammo fer it lol..some hollow points he got, but who wants ta blow those down range at that price fer fun.

i say glock....xdm's are nice and a very sweet deal, but they dont pass the sand test, and the glock does. i own both , and have tested them both with a buddy and we drew the same conclusion, although he did by an xdm instead, cause he says it feels better to him. i adjust perty good to both just fine. your ol lady should be able to shoot a 40 just fine..my 11 year old daughter was shootin it at the age of 9.....single shots of course.(1 bullet at a time in the pistol) cause i need no accidents on my watch.

huntnteen

Ugh, i hate 9mms. Id either go with a .40, .45, or a 10mm myself, more knockdown power, and with semi-auto im not much worried about recoil, your used to a revolver where your arm takes the entirety of the recoil, in semis the recoil is partially absorbed by the ejection process

slowr1der

If you aren't worried about the size of it and and the Ruger P89 feels good in your hands it's a great choice. Really, the only downside I've ever seen to them is the size if you plan to carry it. Since that's not an issue it's probably a good choice. I don't have one but have a family member that does and he loves his and I have to say I really enjoy shooting it. For just shooting targets or cans the 9mm is all you really need imo and you can still get ammo for a decent price.

cuda67

Go to a gun store and handle all of the guns and see which fits your hand the best. I shoot a 9mm Beretta and my wife shoots a 9mm Tauris. The 9mm shells will be a little cheaper than the 40. I would stay with a name brand though. A 9mm or a 40 you won't go wrong. Good luck.

kpatte26

My .02 is you should go with a 40 cal... It has a little more A** behind it when it comes to self defense and you only lose a couple of rounds when it comes to magazine capacity. If you can get someone who reloads the ammo cost wont be so bad.
As for brand I recommend Glock or Smith and Wesson along with any other reputable brand... As other people have posted go to the gun dealer and pick the gun up to see how it feels in your hand. I would also recommend night sights on your weapon... statistics have shown that a majority confrontations happen in low light conditions so be prepared!
I would also recommend taking some basic, intermediate, and advanced handgun classes if possible.

sjsfire

My son who turned 21 a while back just bought his first handgun. A Springfield XD 40 cal. It's nice but not as nice as My H&K USP 40. He also recently got his late Granddad's S&W Highway Patrolman 357 and a little single action 22. I think the 22 is a "Herters" made in Germany.

Wolf killer

Glock makes a great point & shoot handgun, no frills just point and shoot. You can find a Glock at a cheaper price than some other handguns.

Springfield Armory XD or XDM would be a great choice also. The Springfield has a couple of safety features that you might like and they might make your girl friend more comfortable? The safety features I am refuring to:
The live round in chamber indicator
"****ed hammer" (there is no hammer on this pistol) or ready to fire indicator.

I own two Springfield Armory 40s&w one for me and one for the wife. My wife shot several pistols and decided she liked the Springfield better because of the safety features. She also shoots this pistol very well.

I also own a Kimber Crimson Carry in 45acp. this pistol has the crimson trace laser grip. I would think just the sight of the red dot on the chest should end 99% of all crimes?