OT: handgun question

[bsquared24]

My wife who when I met her refused to have my hunting rifles in the house this afternoon called me and asked if we could get a hand-gun and let her take some lessons. So question is what do y'all suggest we get that would be almost exclusively for home protection? I want her to have some stopping power if there is an intruder and I'm traveling for work. I've just had super basic "training" from my uncle out in the woods with his handguns so I'll probably take the class too.

I guess supply/demand for ammunition could also be a concern but those on the board would know that much more than me.

 

[DawgAudit]

A shotgun for home defense instead of a handgun.

 

[Lawdawg.sixpack]

This. A pump action shotgun is the correct answer. If there is an intruder, he will run when he hears the rack. And if he stays, she has a great chance of hitting him.

 

[Jimbob Cooter]

Hard for women to handle shotguns.

I recommend a Glock 40 compact. Simple, reliable. Just go to Bass Pro or somewhere local and let her hold a few of them. I stick with Glock, Springfield or Taurus.

 

[Xenomorph]

Racking the slide.... the universal attention getter. *

*

 

[Jim Anchower]

Glock 19 or similar

Simple operation, good trigger, crazy reliable.

Shotguns are unwieldy indoors, prone to user-induced malfunctions, have limited capacity, and contrary to popular belief, do not take out everything in a 12 foot wide area when fired. Nor should you rely on "the sound of a shotgun racking" to scare off an intruder.

Stopping power is a myth. Shot placement and penetration is what stops an attacker.

 

[starkvegasdawg]

My mom got a .38 Smith & Wesson. It is the same size as their lady smith. It is compact so it fits easily in a woman's hand and recoil is negligible. Put hollow points in there and you have all the stopping power you need. It is also easily concealed if she gets a concealed carry permit which I highly recommend.

 

[SkullCandy.sixpack]

The problem either way is that to be effective, you will need a loaded--or easy to quickly load--weapon in close proximity, but not where the wrong hands (i.e., a kid's) could get it. A chamber lock works great, but you'd have to keep it (and the key) nearby. That makes a pistol far more convenient.

I don't doubt you could handle a pump shotgun, but you'd better spend some time with your wife to make sure she can work the slide in a middle of the night panic. A pistol, especially a revolver, is far more reliable in that aspect (panicky women) but very inaccurate without training and practice. Load the handguns with Glazer rounds which are less likely to penetrate walls, and the shotgun with 6-8 shot. You do NOT need 00 buckshot at a range of 20 feet or less and the kick with buckshot is far harder than a low brass field load.

Finally, if you go shotgun, in the unlikely event you ever have to use it, be ready for an indoor blast effect you can't imagine if all your shooting has been outdoors. It's disorienting (for both the intruder and you) when discharged in a small room.

Personally, I keep a loaded but unchambered Glock with a bore lock in my nightstand with an ambidextrous key taped to my bedframe. Access time to loaded and cocked is about 9 seconds. Racking the slide for a semi auto handgun makes an intimidating sound too.

 

[WrapItDog]

Find some available ammo that doesn't require taking out a mortgage. Buy hand gun that fits ammo.

 

[Jim Anchower]

My mom got a .38 Smith & Wesson. It is the same size as their lady smith. It is compact so it fits easily in a woman's hand and recoil is negligible. Put hollow points in there and you have all the stopping power you need. It is also easily concealed if she gets a concealed carry permit which I highly recommend.

A gun with a heavy double-action trigger, short sight radius, low capacity, and no provisions for mounting a light? Sounds like the perfect nightstand gun!

Have you ever shot a snubnose .38 with defensive loads? Recoil is not in any way "negligible."

 

[starkvegasdawg]

I have shot my mom's pistol. If my mom, a 69 year old woman with arthritis, can shoot 200 rounds in an afternoon and be able to handle the recoil and "heavy" trigger pull then anyone can. If the gun is to be used in home defense then your longest shot may be 10 feet. Hardly a distance requiring a laser sight or light.

 

[AlSwearengen]

I like this answer and get some Corbon DPX or something of close quality for ammunition and she will be good to go. When outfitting women, you have to take into account the recoil factor. I like glock 17 if strictly for home defense because the bigger the frame of the gun, the easier it will be to handle the perceived recoil.

 

[Yossarian39]

Springfield XD .40 Subcompact or XDM .45 compact. The built in grip & trigger safeties make it much safer than a Glock & easier to use than a Smith & Wesson. I have an XDM .45 & carry a .45 XDS everyday. Both are very accurate, easy to use & reliable. My wife carries the XD .40 subcompact in a custom purse holster. If you choose a simi-auto, you cant go wrong with Springfield.

 

[AlSwearengen]

Also, don't discount a double barrel coach gun (shotgun). Really short gun that is easy for women to handle. Only downside is recoil but your wife may not notice it if she has to shoot someone. We have one of those in the walk-in closet. The first order of business if someone breaks in is for the gf to grab her 9mm out of the touch keypad safe next to her side of the bed and get into the closet with the coach gun. On my side of the bed is an 870 short barrel pump. Unfortunately, the good stuff has to stay in the safe in case someone breaks in when no one is home.

 

[karlchilders.sixpack]

Gee Wizz

So some of you guys are going to suggest a 40, or 45 to someone that has never fired a gun.

Continue on...

 

[AlSwearengen]

So some of you guys are going to suggest a 40, or 45 to someone that has never fired a gun.

Continue on...

and an XD on top of that.

 

[Jim Anchower]

I have shot my mom's pistol. If my mom, a 69 year old woman with arthritis, can shoot 200 rounds in an afternoon and be able to handle the recoil and "heavy" trigger pull then anyone can. If the gun is to be used in home defense then your longest shot may be 10 feet. Hardly a distance requiring a laser sight or light.

Have her shoot at Bill Drill with .38 Special +P ammo and let me know how she does. Seriously.

 

[MSUCE99]

Have her shoot at Bill Drill with .38 Special +P ammo and let me know how she does. Seriously.

Yes, then make her handle clearing a jam with a semi-auto in the dark with a burglar/rapist in the house. Let me know which she prefers, if she is not particularly adept with a handgun.

Seriously OP, the correct answer is to rent/borrow as many different handguns as you can manage to, and let her shoot them all. Then let her pick which one she likes best and will practice with, and get that one for her, whatever it costs.

 

[MaxwellSmart]

Yes, then make her handle clearing a jam with a semi-auto in the dark with a burglar/rapist in the house. Let me know which she prefers, if she is not particularly adept with a handgun.

Seriously OP, the correct answer is to rent/borrow as many different handguns as you can manage to, and let her shoot them all. Then let her pick which one she likes best and will practice with, and get that one for her, whatever it costs.

Best advice yet.

 

[starkvegasdawg]

The +p is exactly what she shoots.

 

[UpTheMiddlex3Punt]

Desert Eagle .50, maximum stopping power.

In all seriousness, there is no scientific definition of stopping power. If you hit the guy with anything bigger than a .22 he's going to notice. If she's never going to think about concealed carry, get her a large frame gun (revolver or pistol) at a reasonable caliber (.357 for a revolver or 9mm for a pistol). Large frame will be heavier, lessening the recoil velocity thanks to Newton's second law. I don't understand the approach of selling women subcompacts in large calibers.

 

[stinkfoot]

Best new user name i've seen in a long time. Is that still on The Onion?

Simple operation, good trigger, crazy reliable.

Shotguns are unwieldy indoors, prone to user-induced malfunctions, have limited capacity, and contrary to popular belief, do not take out everything in a 12 foot wide area when fired. Nor should you rely on "the sound of a shotgun racking" to scare off an intruder.

Stopping power is a myth. Shot placement and penetration is what stops an attacker.

And i agree on the glock as long as it feels reasonably comfortable for her. Glocks are the AK's of handguns. Most reliable semi made. You may want to see if she wants to carry in the car or purse because glocks tend to be pretty thick and heavy.

 

[Jim Anchower]

Yes, then make her handle clearing a jam with a semi-auto in the dark with a burglar/rapist in the house. Let me know which she prefers, if she is not particularly adept with a handgun.

Seriously OP, the correct answer is to rent/borrow as many different handguns as you can manage to, and let her shoot them all. Then let her pick which one she likes best and will practice with, and get that one for her, whatever it costs.

I worry about my semiautos jamming in the same way that I worry about earthquakes. But I see a lot of people with snubnose .38s who can't hit a paper plate from 10 feet away.

I will say that's good advice as far as shooting several different guns and choosing based on that. Too many people fondle them in a gun shop and go based on "feel" instead of what they can shoot well.

 

[Jim Anchower]

I know it's been a long time since I rapped at ya...

...but I've been busier than a cat burying a turd on a frozen pond.

Is that a real poncho or a Sears poncho?

 

[MSUCE99]

I worry about my semiautos jamming in the same way that I worry about earthquakes. But I see a lot of people with snubnose .38s who can't hit a paper plate from 10 feet away.I will say that's good advice as far as shooting several different guns and choosing based on that. Too many people fondle them in a gun shop and go based on "feel" instead of what they can shoot well.

You probably aren't as prone to limp-wristing a semi-auto as an inexperienced shooter is, either. Revolvers and semi-autos both have their weaknesses. Lots of women choose revolvers because they have difficulty racking the slide on a semi-auto.If she practices with a semi-auto and either doesn't have issues with limpwristing causing jams or can competently clear a jam under duress, great. Get her that one. If she would prefer the tradeoff of dead-nuts reliability with a more limited capacity of a revolver, great. Get her that one. I'm not making money off of the OP either way. My wife likes and is proficient with her Chief's Special, and she's pretty good at hitting the steel plates at Turcotte at 7 yards.

As long as she's happy and confident in her ability, and enjoys shooting guns, I'm happy. I'd rather her practice more with something she likes and can handle, than have her frustrated and unhappy shooting something that she doesn't like but that I think she should shoot, and thus she's not practicing with it.

 

[Longmire]

If its for home defense, The Judge, 5 shot pistol, shoots .410 shells. Slap 5 buckshot loads in it and she will be fine.

 

[TUSK.sixpack]

38 revolver or pump 20 ga...

with a shell in the tube... don't trust the "racking sound" to deter in all situations.....

 

[Jim Anchower]

Agreed on all points.

 

[TUSK.sixpack]

nice

 

[karlchilders.sixpack]

My vote

38 in a 357, or a nine mm.

 

[DerHntr]

The problem either way is that to be effective, you will need a loaded--or easy to quickly load--weapon in close proximity, but not where the wrong hands (i.e., a kid's) could get it. A chamber lock works great, but you'd have to keep it (and the key) nearby. That makes a pistol far more convenient.

I don't doubt you could handle a pump shotgun, but you'd better spend some time with your wife to make sure she can work the slide in a middle of the night panic. A pistol, especially a revolver, is far more reliable in that aspect (panicky women) but very inaccurate without training and practice. Load the handguns with Glazer rounds which are less likely to penetrate walls, and the shotgun with 6-8 shot. You do NOT need 00 buckshot at a range of 20 feet or less and the kick with buckshot is far harder than a low brass field load.

Finally, if you go shotgun, in the unlikely event you ever have to use it, be ready for an indoor blast effect you can't imagine if all your shooting has been outdoors. It's disorienting (for both the intruder and you) when discharged in a small room.

Personally, I keep a loaded but unchambered Glock with a bore lock in my nightstand with an ambidextrous key taped to my bedframe. Access time to loaded and cocked is about 9 seconds. Racking the slide for a semi auto handgun makes an intimidating sound too.

Get a pistol safe if you are worried about the kids. A five digit code, spring loaded door, and an automatic LED light inside will run you a hundred bucks. Mine is screwed into the wall and a round is in the barrel.

 

[Uncle Ruckus]

Nearly all of these are impractical for an inexperienced woman. Get her a .38. Smith and Wesson 642. All you do is pull the trigger, no magazines, no chambering a round in the slide and it won't kick too bad for her it's gonna be about $400. The s&W bodyguard 38 is specifically made for women too. It had a laser and the cylinder release is located on the top with the laser so that everything you need is all in one location on the top of the gun.

 

[SanfordRJones]

What Uncle Ruckus said on the .38, but get a .357 Magnum instead and use .38 rounds.