This should be fun.
My vote goes to the .45 acp with hollow points. Get a good one. My wife is tiny and can handle it well. Great one shot stop capability.
.38s and 9mm are easier to handle but have less of a chance of putting an intruder down fast.
.357 and .44s are too powerful for home defense unless you want to shoot your neighbor at the same time.
a 12 gauge shotgun is also a good home defense weapon.
If your wife is going to be using it also, I would recommend some type of 9 mm, as the recoil is minimal and the damage to a perp is maximum.
Properly posted in “bloggers and personal” and noted as a “vanity”. No idea why anyone would complain.
You are about to be inundated.
Another consideration is how much range time you will get. Revolvers are simpler for people who do not shoot often.
Of course the proper answer is to go to the range and practice.
Anything is better than nothing and bury some cheap stuff with ammo as insurance.
TT
These threads are always fun.
You will get a lot of good advice and a tiny bit of bad. I personally would get a nice .22 either auto or revolver and enjoy shooting it a lot. I noticed CDNN has the Walther .22 target model for under $300.
Once you get proficient with the .22, you can get something more powerful. In the mean time, the .22 will do for protection tho obviously not the best choice.
Start by choosing the correct ammunition that fits your needs...defensive or offensive. Choose an ammunition that is readily available and purchase a fire arm that fits your hand(s) comfortably.
A rifle is easier to shoot well and is much more effective for HD than a handgun. The Ruger Mini-14 in .223 or the Mini-30 in 7.62X39 (the same round fired by the AK-47) are both low-recoil rifles. I also mentioned these because the ammo for practice is still much less expensive than other calibers. In a handgun I would go with at least a 9mm or 38 Special.
Get something that leaves a contrail.
A good rule of thumb with handguns is use the largest caliber you can shoot accurately. My thoughts are that if you are not a gun enthusiast, then you probably should look at a medium size .38 Special revolver. It doesn’t have any fancy bells and whistles to get out of order, fires when the trigger is pulled, and hits hard enough to defend yourself with, although in my opinion it is marginal. I think also, if you are going to have only one gun between you and your wife, it makes a good compromise- you probably can handle a larger gun than your wife. All the same, I think having only one gun between the two of you is an error- his and hers do not have to be restricted to bathroom towels.
Just my opinion, but the best weapon for home defense is not a handgun but a shotgun: Mossberg 500, Remington 870, Winchester Defender. 2-3 #6 birdshot rounds followed by 00 buck. Primary advantage: rounds will not penetrate walls and the sound of a racking slide will scare the piss out of most intruders. For a pistol, as backup, .45 ACP, classic 1911 model. Get yourself some defense training and practice, practice, practice. Plan for all contingencies; as examples: weapons storage and availability; who will call 911, creation of a “safe zone” for those who will not engage intruders; child safety. Know what you will do in advance, and in what order. There’s a lot to this business and I’m only providing an outline.
A .38 special medium frame revolver by S&W or Ruger. /thread
A double-action, .45 calibre, pistol is (in my opinion) the best, close-quarters, self-defense handgun in the world. Few moving parts, easy to operate, easy to maintain. What more could you ask for? I like the Sig-Sauer myself.
And hollow points make a good "point".
What handgun do I like....trying to remember....
Here is the suggestions from my 14 year old son who loves his time at the range: start with low caliber ruger for handguns and then you can eventually proceed upwards. If you/she likes rifle, he suggest a basic bolt action. He especially enjoy the mosin nagant, Remington 870, and the desert eagle. However, he suggests working your way up to these.
Define your budget.
Define your maintenance.
Revolvers can be loaded once and fire 20 years later and without fail.
Most Semis can as well but more care is needed in cleaning. For pure “pick it up, pull the trigger” a revolver is fool proof.
9mm or .45 for a Semi. Neither has excessive recoil, the difference in “takedown” power between the two is minimal.
If takedown is your only goal, a .357 magnum revolver is the one shot, one stop king. It’s also got a hell of a flash, a very loud bang and pretty heavy recoil. Not something I’d suggest for someone who doesn’t shoot regularly.
For around 500-600 bucks you can get a reliable gun that will fire every time you pull the trigger. For around $1000 you can get a Heckler & Koch or Sig Sauer(some other brands) semi that won’t fail in 9mm. .45s are usually an extra couple hundred more than a 9mm.
A rock solid Smith and Wesson Revolver in 38 special can be had in the same price, a .357 magnum will run a few hundred more.
If you can find a place that rents, that’s your best bet. Shoot some different guns, figure out what’s most comfortable for you.
Caliber is less important but nothing smaller than 38 special and frankly, I’d stick to 9mm/.45 or 38spcl. Every caliber has some issue that need to be taken into account. It’s the indian, not the arrow anyway. With some Cor-Bon DPX rounds, a 38spc/9mm/.45 is going to be pretty devastating.
The issue is what your wife can handle, while respect others opinions, I bought my wife a Lady Smith 38, by Smith & Wesson, she loves it, we live in the country and it has ammo for snake shot too..
Afterwards I bought her a very nice Winchester, lever action 410 shotgun, saddle gun, Of course will shoot ammo from buck shot to slugs to squirrel shot,,may I say she looks really good on the horse with that bad boy, almost no kick, hold it tight to shoulder.....yea baby...and its easy to handle and sure to back off any one..even at some distance..
I have several others but really like my cane sword..hehehehehehehehe
1. It's a damned shame that you need to worry about a scolding on this site when you ask anything about owning/purchasing/using a gun. I understand why you'd feel that way (some FReepers tend to be a little over zealous about stuff), but it's still a damned shame;
2. There are a Brazilian FReepers that absolutely LOVE these kinds of threads. Go ahead...ask their opinions about guns. See what I mean. The FReeper above that said you're about to be inundated is not prescient...only experienced.
3. I love the Springfield Armory XD (in almost any configuration if you're not going for concealment). I'd go for the .40 or .45 cal for home defense. Another terrific pistol is the Desert Arms "Baby Eagle" in .45 caliber.
Both of these are very accurate and the grips aren't ginormous...so if you're wife has wife-sized hands, they won't be too over-sized for comfort...
Oh, yeah...and you'll love shooting them, too.