Throwing knives. And you can practice all day long.
Posted on 09/04/2005 7:46:39 PM PDT by Shazbot29
My wife, after years (since marriage) of not wanting guns in the house saw what happened in NO and realized that some people beome barbarians at the drop of a hat. We are in earthquake country and she now knows she needs to be armed (as should I).
She is very slight and tiny, so she needs maximum blasting power with minimum recoil. And I don't have a lot of money to spend.
The good news is that my wife understands the statement I taught her: Never point a weapon at anything you don't want to kill and always kill what you point our weapon at.
I assure you, she is almost Heinleinian -- say prayers for anyone who comes into her gunsight after I get one for her.
If your considering a handgun get two; a .22 for her to learn on and later a larger medium caliber such as a 38/9mm/380.
I think a 22 that operates similarly to the larger gun is the way to go. For example in a double-action revolver a Smith and Wesson 22 Kit Gun and a 38 Model 10. Or a 22 auto and a 9mm that operate about the same. {In an automatic she'll need the hand strength to pull the slide}.
I definitely believe a rookie should start on a .22 and get the fundamentals down with the low recoil/ less muzzle-blast ammo. Less likely to develop flinchitis.
My two centavos worth---
I second the vote for the Bersa/Firestorm .380 A nice small frame shoots well, for about $200.
I carry the 9mm Mini-Firestorm (Bersa). It shot a perfect score (50 rounds) for the ccw license, and that's good enough.
My wife shoots the 9 just fine, and she is 100% handicapped with arthritis.
Your welcome. I'm no expert, but I have been an NRA member since about 10 years of age (27 now). I would recommend joining the NRA and I personally like their publication "America's First Freedom." That picture you posted would serve the purposes of a "non-gun" person. But that is strictly a close range firearm. For longer ranges, you need a longer barrel. The downside of a long barrel is that the barrel can act as a lever for an attacker to wrestle the gun from you (or your wife).
If I was to buy a gun for my wife, specifically for her, I would buy her a gun just like or very similar to the one you pictured (.38 S&W).
Victor
It’s all taste and feel!!!
Let her hold them and tell you what feels good to her. Let her shoot some and tell you what feels right to her. Insure she wears her normal cloths and takes her purse with her into the range. Let her put the gun into and out of the purse and determine herself what is right for her.
It’s her gun, let her pick it out! She will eliminate those that are to big, to heavy, awkward, have to much recoil, are ugly to her all by herself. You don’t need a gun genius to pick a gun for her.
Most people are quite rational. Most gun manufacturers are OK. It’s all about what’s right for you. I have huge hands, I’m 6’3’’ and a heavy gun is no big deal for me. I shoot a lot, so a 45cal is no big deal either. I carry a Kimber but my wife has a SIG 230. My wife does not feel right with my gun and I don’t feel right with hers. My little finger is off the her grip and this annoys the $hit out of me. But it’s perfect for her. There is no right and wrong answer here. Her SIG fits well where she carries it. My 45 would not.
We’re not going to war here. For a personal defense weapon even a small 9mm short will suffice. If someone wants to rape her and she shoots the fellow in the face, he will probably change his mind. She’s not competing for IPSC or going to Baghdad. Factors like common logistical support for a larger force, long term exposure to salt water and dusty/sandy environments are no issue I hope? The gun will most likely not even get fired that often. The criterion for selection needs to be what she is willing to carry and work with.
Red6
Good equipment, but I still think that the revolver is the best weapon for a newbie. It is about as fool-proof as a gun can be.
Hard to believe some of the replies I'm seeing on this thread.
Try the titanium hammerless S&W .38. NRA's #1 rated conceal carry weapon.
Fact is, with an auto, you gotta do one of two things in a dangerous situation-either take off the safety or chamber a round. The hammerless revolver comes out ready to fire. Oh, and NO revolver has EVER jammed.
Shotgun? Rather difficult to conceal, and, with the long barrel, easy to wrestle away from a small person.
The .38 revolver is what my wife has (S&W Combat Masterpiece). Isn't the choice of ammo just as important i.e. hollow point bullet to maximize stopping power?
I knew what you meant, but I couldn't resist.
Nothing yet. We are going "shopping" next weekend. Probably some small caliber handgun to start.
Throwing knives. And you can practice all day long.
that is what i carried as my ccw piece intially... until I found my conceal holster for my Ruger p89... :)
If they would only get on with making a lid for their wok.
The FReeper Rule is to get at least 1,000 rounds for each weapon. 2 .357s? 2,000 rounds, and reloading stuff.
Make informed purchase by Tuesday and get a quality holster and gun belt. There are lots of old FR threads on topic.
I'd never heard of the .38 round being used in an auto capacity before, but there it is.
If you're going with a pistol, practice, practice, practice. If the heft of a shotgun concerns you, you can find them as small as a 28ga. or a .410 ga.
Can't go wrong with the SIG-Sauer P232
review here:
http://www.gunweek.com/2001/feature0410.html
M-1 Carbine
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