A special consideration for use of a weapon for indoors self-defense:
How many people besides you are in your home?
If you fire your weapon and miss, consider whether or not the type of weapon and the type of load in it will pass through your interior walls; and if so, who else might it hit?
S&W .38 Airweight with concealed hammer. Light weight, easily fits in your pocket or in a concealed holster, five shot and very safe. It shoots every time you pull the trigger but won’t shot until you pull the trigger.
First, ask yourself if you could kill another human being. If the answer is ‘no’ then do not buy a firearm.
Second, whatever firearm you get, make sure you practice, practice, practice. Enroll in one of the great courses out there like the following:
http://www.defense-training.com/
Third, if you have kids, teach them the NRA Eddie Eagle program. If they have an interest, get them a .22 rimfire so they can join you at the range. It makes for great bonding between parent/offspring.
Finally, you will hear a million opinions on what to buy. Try different firearms. If you join a range, make friends and ask to try what they shoot. There is no “right” answer.
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ping!...........
A good M10 S&W can be had for $300 or less. See http://smith-wessonforum.com/ You wll find what you are looking for. A good revolver will serve you and wife well. Stay away from off brand junk.
These are high-quality pistols at a great price.
Lots of good suggestions out here.
Get it and learn how to shoot it.
Wife as well.
Anything you buy must be range and backyard OK.
Plan on spending as much in practice ammo as you do
on the gun.
Let me be the first to congradulate you on making a decision to arm yourself.
My advice is to consider a revolver over a semi-automatic pistol (simplicity and dependability). If you obtain a .357mag, it will be a slightly larger frame than a .38, but it will allow you to shoot the .38 (cheaper and lighter recoil) for practice and still use a more powerful cartridge (.357) for Self-defense or Home-defense.
Your budget will limit you, and I hate to say it, but right now many people are feeling the pressure of a poor ecomony and I am seeing a lot of firearms for sale (used) at good prices.
You might decide after getting more information than you need on a thread like this, and more opinions that might seem to be contradictory to each other, that you will want to send a PM to just a few of the saner responses to help narrow your choice.
What part of the country do you live in?
A decent deal on a used Sig.
Best advice would be to find a firearms instructor and pay for an hour or so of training. Most instructors will have at least 3 or so guns you can try out.
The pistol sells for around $300, is very easy to shoot and is quite accurate because of the sight design. Even a beginner can shoot impressive groups with very little range time.
As far as home protection, a short riot gun in 12 gage would be a better choice. Mossberg makes a great pump action with a pistol grip. They are easy to master and are even easier to use. No home assailant would want to face a threatened woman behind one of these. It would open them up like a rotten water melon.
Hi Point .45 cal - retails for $185.00. Nothing drops a body like a .45.
There really are too many possibilities. I like to shoot .9mm polymer pistols. But I carry a S & W Airweight. I cannot wear a sport coat all the time in Texas, so shoulder rigs are out. I work in an office and have my shirt tail tucked in. The easiest way (for me) to carry is to carry the light Airweight in a pocket holster in my pocket.
As this is your first firearm, I would also add my vote for a good used .357 magnum revolver, 3 or 4 inch barrel. With a small amount of care and cleaning, a revolver is a simple and reliable tool.
But whatever you end up getting you have a responsibility to learn to handle the firearm competently. So find an instructor, buy several boxes of cheap ammunition, go to the pistol range and practice, practice, practice.
Then practice some more.
You’ll shoot your eye out!
Let me add to my prior post, that as in everything else in life, you get what you pay for. There are cheap guns out there such as the S&W Sigma series. But read the reviews. The trigger is horrible on many of these guns. It comes down to little things like that in a life and death situation. One of the reasons I will reiterate my belief int he 1911.
The 1911 is single action.....no heavy DA for the first shot. Additionally, the trigger weight is between 4 and 5 pounds compared ot the S&W Sigma (and others) which have it closer to 9 or 10.
There is a reason that LAPD SWAT, the US Marines and so many other use 1911’s......they have stood the test of time.
A Kimber Cutom II can be had for about $700 or so. A bargain when compared to most of the other guns you will see recommended here.
Remington 870 with 18” barrel.
SIG 232 (.380) is gentle in the hand, easily concealed
and quite controllable even for a novice.
SIG 232 (.380) is gentle in the hand, easily concealed
and quite controllable even for a novice.
Oh - whoops, scratch Remington 870. Didn’t see the “easily concealed” part.