Weapons for protection?

Question

My wife, after having been robbed at gunpoint wants to carry a gun. She is capable of handling one and is a pretty decent shot, so please no coaching about why she shouldn't have one. We live in Georgia and she will obtain the weapons permit to carry. What gun would you experienced persons in such matters, suggest for a woman who wishes to carry a weapon On her person....not in her purse.....something small, lightweight but still lethal. .22 is not what I am talking about.

I have a 357 magnum and that is also too heavy to carry on my person -
going shopping tomorrow and would appreciate advice on type of gun for her as well as myself.
Please - no anti gun responses, just would appreciate some serious advice.

Thank you

Answer 1

I would suggest the S&W model 340pd or the model 442 with 38+p loads. I know the 340pd is a .357 but it hurts like hell to shoot and practice with 357's in that light frame. Next I would say a Kahr cw9, p9 or anyother. They are really easially concealed light weight and have a very nice out of the box trigger. I like the springfeild emp http://www.springfield-armory.com/armory.php?model=24 With the modern law enforcement grade ammo available these days 9mm is no longer considered a wimpy round. I like the sub compact xd too but the trigger reset is alittle slow. Sig 229, 239, H&K usp compact, p2000, P2000sk, Glock 19, 23, 26,and27. It's really what feels best in yours and her hand. I am also a big fan of the NAA guardian and the NAA mini revolver. I know they're mouse guns but they're so small you always tend to take it with you and have it for the one time you may need to use it. Be sure to always carry an extra magazine or speed loader. Hope this helps.

Answer 2

Bound's hubby here:

I must concur, if someone gets the drop on your wife, she may lose the handgun, so she must be totally aware of her surroundings and expand her personal space ... and let no one broach it!

You have thrown me for a loop when you say the .357 is too heavy to carry, do you mean the physical weight/bulk of the revolver or the recoil?

When asking my wife how she would carry, she said a shoulder holster, so taking this carry method, I will offer my suggestions.

Revolvers: I would lean toward either a 2-3" barreled Smith & Wesson, looking at either: Model 36/60 Chief's Special, a 2" Model 10 (.38 Special), or a 2.5" barreled Model 19 loaded with .38 Specials. Any of these 3 S&Ws would carry quite well in either a hip holster or a shoulder holster. [Sorry, I happen to prefer S&W revolvers over other brands ... my personal choice!]

Semi-auto: Personally, I prefer .45s, but in a small package I think they would be very difficult to control. The Seecamp .32 (loaded with Silvertips) is an excellent carry gun, but both expensive and scarce! I personally dislike Glocks, but a 9mm or .40 S&W in the subcompact size (http://www.glock.com/english/index_pistols.htm ) may be worth considering.

I think you have to temper our suggestions with the action style and size your wife is most comfortable with!

Good luck!

Answer 3

The best defensive weapon is, as I've said here before, the one you have when you need it. No one on Yahoo is going to be able to tell your wife what she will be comfortable carrying ALL THE TIME or will be able to use most effectively. She needs to hit the gun stores and lay hands on as many different pistols as possible and figure out what will work.

A .22 in hand is better than a .45 left in a drawer because it was a pain-in-the-*** to carry.

Answer 4

Have her go to the range and try out several to determine the comfort level.My wife carries the Kimber ultra carry .45,at 25 ounces not too bad.There are many choices and a good gun shop will be able to show her many styles and choices.

Answer 5

I like revolvers.

Best choice for purse or pocket carry are J-Frame Smith & Wesson Revolvers with shrouded or concealed hammers.

S&w M-49 Bodyguard (blued .38)
S&W M-649 Bodyguard (stainless .357)
S&W M638 Bodyguard (aluminum framed .38)

And there is the M-640 Stainless Centennial .357.

The reason I like these guns for concealed carry is that they can be fired from inside a purse of pocket without jamming the hammer or cylinder.

Answer 6

reckless_republican not only broke your rule about anti-gun responses, but he plainly knows squat about the stats and even less about handling firearms. Heaven forbid that someone should be able to defend themselves from criminals. The truth is, where guns are banned violent crime increases and where they are allowed it decreases. The thought that she could be disarmed as he suggests is so much nonsense. A knife, yes, a gun, not likely.

You got some good advice here, even if some personal preferences are apparent. I think that for your wife's purposes, the 9mm is about right although Neoimperialist is correct that she'll likely want to fire more than one or two shots at her assailant if she wants to put him down quickly. Anything smaller than that risks the assailant staying on his feet long enough to retaliate.

One more thing. If the assailant already has the drop on her as you say, then the best thing she can do is just hand over the cash.

*Later*

Looks a lot like reckless_republican and dumb_southerner are the same person. Sigh, he'd be happier trolling a message board.

Anyway, if you are interested, here's some materials that might help you find the stats.

http://www.pulpless.com/gunclock/noframedex.html

It indicates that every 13 seconds an American gun owner uses a firearm in defense against a criminal. That works out to about 2.5 million incidents per year. On the other hand, a fatal accident involving a firearm occurs in the United States only about once every 6 hours. For victims age 14 or under, it's fewer than one a day, but that's still enough for the CNN types to get their panties in a wad about it. A criminal homicide involving a firearm occurs in the United States about once every half hour, so one is led to conclude that all those legal concealed weapons out there must be doing some good. I guess all those criminals shot every 13 seconds aren't surviving to get to dumb_southerner's hospital, huh?

Answer 7

She should stick with .380, 9mm, or .38 SPL. These are just fine. You startgetting into .40, .45, and .357 Mag and you open up issues of handling that do not need to be opened up. I am biased against anything smaller or less powerful than a .380.

Answer 8

I concur on the Springfields linked above. They also make the smallest .45 ACP handgun.

Kimber makes some nice ones as well.

I don't know what your budget is though, to give you a specific suggestion. But you can definitely find a lightweight handgun with stopping power, as evidenced by the springfield XD .45 acp's.

If she can't handle the recoil on one of those, I think you could go with the same pistol, but they also have 9mm and .40 S&W calibers.

For you, same thing. Although, if you have bigger hands, a compact might be too small for you. If you go bigger, your options obviously expand, and, oddly enough, lower in cost. I'll give my usual recommendation for a Ruger P90 or P345 for you there as well.

I just don't recommend going with anything less than .45 ACP unless you have to.

** To reckless_republican and dumb_southerner, who posted below (funny they both have names that are condescending to themselves...Freudian slip?):

You are both idiots. You want to back up those claims with statistics, or do you just want to hide behind statements of fear, as all good hippies do? I'd love to see you provide facts to back up your claims, but we know you can't, so I won't hold it against you. How about studies that show that in countries where private gun-ownership has been taken away or severely limited (Australia, England), violent crime, gun-crime, and overall crime has gone up?

You can both go take a long walk off a short pier.

Answer 9

9mm would work nicely but your going to need perfect bullets look at hydro shok or extreme shok NO full meta jacket stuff

she could get a snub-nose revolver and go up to a higher caliber but then she's probably going to need to get it ported that will cost about 100-200$

38 is the smallest i would ever go for CC after that i would rather carry a taser GOOD CHOICE STAYING AWAY FROM THE 22 THERE HAVE BEEN ACCOUNTS OF PEOPLE BEING SHOT 30 TIMES AND STILL KILLING THEIR VICTIM

Answer 10

You will get a million opinins on this. The best thing, if you are in the Atlanta area, drive over to Hotshots. Take your wife. They have a range and a wide selection. She can shoot them before the purchase to find out which one is best for her. That way she can make up her own mind, and then everyone has peace of mind.

I have heard a lot of guys say that the local county police or Sheriffs Departments are very helpful in helping first time shooters pick out suitable handguns.

Hope this helps.