S&W model 10 or 67 w 3” barrel.
I don’t recommend the snub nose for accuracy.
I don’t recommend semi-autos because the women I know are reluctant to carry with the safety off, or train enough to take the safety off in a stress situation.
Recently purchased a Springfield XDE as a Glock replacement. My wife lacks hand strength to rack a slide on most semi autos but can easily rack the slide on this gun. Gun functions well and shoots 9mm, so I think it should have been included.
Mrs. L is partial to the XDS in .45.
L
I was a big proponent of 38 snubbed nosed until I found some women have difficulty with the trigger pull weight and length on some hammerless revolvers.
I guess women are pickier. Before you buy one for her have her get the feel. A compact or a sub compact is a perfect purse or glovebox gun.
My wife really likes the Glocks and with their safeties she can keep one in the pipe.
I gave a S&W Body Guard with a laser sight to my 50 yr old daughter for her birthday. Many of her friends are always packing.
Not impressed. The only two on that list I would go for are the S&W M&P Bodyguard and the Sig P238. The actioning on the Ruger LCP is for chit. As a general rule Glocks are a bad idea for women especially for CC. A much better choice would be a Springfield Armory XDS in 9mm.
Any decent quality .38 snubbie will do, though I’d suggest an all steel model. The lightweight models are invariably unpleasant to shoot with anything hotter than wad-cutters. I’m a male and my edc gun is a 3rd gen Colt Det Spl. from the early 1980’s.
Da revolvers, 38 special wadcutters.
Be happy.
Take her to a range. Let her try a number of guns. Let HER pick.
Use what I use. A Taurus snubbie. 5 95gr +p Silvertips. Just pull the trigger. No jam no fuss no muss.
First, the handgun must be in chambered in a cartridge powerful enough to reliably stop an assailant when the shot is placed properly.
This is Firepower, and I generally agree but I would state it this way: For self defense, you want to use the largest (or most powerful) cartridge you can comfortably handle. In the case of concealed carry, you will have to constrain that by what fits is your carrier (purse, pocket, etc).
Second, the handgun must comfortably fit the hands of an average woman. This is a very important characteristic to consider because a properly fitting handgun will have less perceived recoil and be more enjoyable to shoot.
This is the Fit. No disagreement here. You need to try before you buy, and keep in mind that for many guns today you can swap out grips for better fit.
Finally, the handgun must be reliable and easy to operate.
I think Reliability is a given, and probably deserves its own category, though an experienced shooter will know that reliability is part design, part maintenance and cleaning, and part choice of ammunition.
As for the remaining, Form and Function:
Function is simple here as the premise is this is a woman's self defense gun.
Form refers to semi-auto or revolver. Most new shooters quickly gravitate to liking one over the other. More experienced shooters see the beauty and advantages/disadvantages of both. Assuming one is comfortable with either, consider how you are going to carry. For example, a semi-auto (like a Glock) with no positive safety likely would not be recommended for a pocket pistol or purse arrangement. Better to have that on a holster. For a purse pocket, or jacket pocket, a double action revolver is a great option. No safeties to fumble with and still very safe in the pocket and upon retrieval.
I wont lecture more, but I always enjoy talking guns, so if anyone wants to debate or has a question, "fire" away.
PS - we tell our students, if you are looking to buy a gun, and you walk into a store and the person behind the counter starts the conversation with "I have exactly what you want right here", walk away. That's why if you want to know what I think of a certain type of gun, I will tell you, but I wont ever answer the question "what type of gun should I buy". I will simply turn the question around and start with "First, what do you want to do with it."
FRegards
Wife has a Glock 42...very nice size and feel.
S&W Shield