What would you suggest for a 150 lb 50ish woman on a modest budget?
I know you asked Lurker. But if for some reason he can’t get the chance to get back to you I can offer a suggestion and why for your situation. :)
“What would you suggest for a 150 lb 50ish woman on a modest budget?”
For a handgun find a good quality USED .357 magnum revolver from a reputable manufacturer with a 4”-6” barrel. Do NOT start out with .357 ammunition. Begin with .38 Special. When and IF you’re comfortable moving up then go to the higher powered cartridge. If you don’t get there no worries. Quality .38 Special self defense ammunition will do the job.
For a shotgun look at a USED Mossberg 500 or Remington 870 in 20, NOT 12 gauge. Our personal preference is for Mossberg but either one will serve you quite well and most likely for the rest of your life. Between the two models something over 20,000,000 or so have been made.
For a rifle (here’s where people are going to jump on me. I don’t care. Neither should you). Find a Ruger 10-22, used if possible. I saw one last week at Cabelas for $189 in fine condition. But even brand new they’re around $350 or so if you shop around. $50-60 dollars will get you 1,000 rounds of ammunition so you can practice, practice, and practice some more.
That rifle has almost zero recoil, ammunition is back in quantity, it’s easy to maintain, and they last a lifetime or two. Mrs L can put 10 rounds inside a silver dollar at 75 yards with hers. People will tell you it’s under powered and unsuitable for defense purposes. That’s crap. If you can put 3 rounds into an eye socket at 50 feet you WILL stop Mr Bad Guy.
I’d rather you had a smaller caliber rifle that you’re confident using AND that you’ve had plenty of practice with than some $1,000 AR you haven’t put 2,000-3,000 rounds through. Does that make sense to you?
Good luck.
L
“What would you suggest for a 150 lb 50ish woman on a modest budget?”
For the least expensive: A 38 caliber revolver. ($300)
For semi-automatic: A Walther CCP in 9mm. ($450)
If you are looking for a centerfire rifle, the Ruger American line is very affordable and comes in lots of calibers. Check out 6.5 Creedmoor as an option. Great ballistics and very modest recoil, and it’s popular enough now so ammo is widely available.
Also, know that there are rifles in 357/38 specialso that if you have to go on foot mobile, 0ne size ammunition for two guns.
Buy a Hi point 9mm carbine for longer range work than a pistol. The recoil is a lot less than a shotgun and the price is right for people on a budget. 9mm ammo costs less than other pistol calibers. It’s American made and they have a warranty. Ask around, maybe someone will let you try one before you buy.
my 2 cents.
I’m not going to argue with what Lurker told you earlier, that’s some solid advice.
I have a tiny 70 year old Aunt who expressed some security issues, and her son thoughtfully bought her one of the nice S&W .38 revolvers. They’re great. Other companies make less expensive versions, you might want to look into (I think) the Rock Island M200 - if you google/youtube it, Hickok45 has a nice video review of it.
The 20 ga pump shotgun (especially youth model if you’re small), and 10-22 are also great.
The only thing I would add to those suggestions is that you might want to look into 9mm, and Ruger makes a very nice range of semi-auto 9mm pistols (LCP), and even a revolver (LCR). They also make a 9mm rifle (PC Carbine). So, if you’re looking to save money on ammo and use them commonly between a rifle and pistol, you might want to look into them.
Good luck :)