Smith and Wesson 5 shot hammerless revolver. Very little training required for reasonable competency. No racking the slide (often hard for women). Very safe and as long as she doesn’t keep it in her purse with gummy bears for the grandkids, it will always be ready. And if necessary, she can fire 5 shots through her purse so she doesn’t have to draw it.
Smith and Wesson M&P .380 Shield EZ.
Hornady Critical Defense .380 rounds.
The pistol is the easiest to rack, easiest to load and gentlest recoil of almost any semi auto.
Find a trainer that the gun shops recommend who isn’t affiliated with the gun shop.
You don't want to get a new owner a semi that they have to remember if they racked it, or hand placement to not tear their hand up on the slide when shooting. Trying to teach my mother in law to shoot a semi scared me, she immediately placed her thumb at the back of the slide pointing up. It would have torn it off. Got her a revolver instead.
Just a thought.
BTW, the revolver is in .38 special.
My first question is this...does she have what it takes to pull the trigger in an extremely stressful situation? When someone is advancing toward you with the intent of doing bodily harm is not the time to vacillate. It’s for this reason I have never encouraged my wife to take up arms. She just doesn’t have what it takes to pull the trigger and possibly take a human life. Getting a firearm is the easy part. Coming to terms with using it is the hard part.
If she’s strong enough to work the slide, either the Ruger LCP or Smith Bodyguard in 380 are easily concealed little guns. I would be concerned that a CCP be valid across the distance she has to travel, unlike the states bordering the land of rocks and cows! Can’t comment on local training programs. If she’s not strong enough to work the slide, then I’d opt for a wheel gun... maybe a Smith LCR in 38 or something like it. .357 is too big for most women to carry. Other good guns out there, but with bigger calibers also comes harder to conceal and heavier recoil at the range. If the 380 or 38 is too much, there are some nice little 22’s and something is better than nothing.
Lots of them have a "ladies night" where they will let you shoot any gun. Just have to pay for the ammo.
She needs a gun that she is comfortable with, one she will practice with and one with ammo she can afford. The last is really important. If you can not afford to practice at least once a month you will never become comfortable with the gun.
If you are not comfortable with the gun you will not be able to use it when it is needed.
Desert Eagle .50 AE
j/k........
I’m in the same boat. A friend that has everything from Colt 45 to AR-15 is supposed to take me out to the range to just play and see what I’m comfortable with. She suggested a Smith & Wesson revolver 642 but the guys at the gun shop suggested Smith & Wesson M&P Shield EZ 9mm.
Like my friend said, if I don’t get the target within 5 shots, it’s gonna be over anyway.
Ruger LC380. It is very easy to rack the slide. Even my wife can do it. Much easier than her Walther PPK/S. That one is a booger.
My recently former liberal niece just bought a firestorm .380. Good chick gun.
Pull whatever trigger you have a lot.
Fwiw, I was a county/parish/state/federal LEO for over 3 decades & often had a female partner over those years. - Further one of my best friends in police work was a female Deputy US Marshal, who was 62” inches tall & weighed about 100 pounds.
“Dottie K” said that her favorite handgun for a lady, whether civilian or peace officer, was an old-school Colt’s Detective Special, Cobra or Agent OR any one of the S&W J-frame .38SPL revolvers.
(Fwiw, I agree 100% with Dottie.)
Just my OPINION, TMN78247
USACIDC, Retired
.38 hammerless revolver for somebody who doesn’t know anything about guns and doesn’t want to know.
P.S> Take her to a gun shop and let her handle the firearms and see if she can rack the slide.
The one she feels comfortable firing and using and maintaining