She can practice with .38 specials and keep it loaded with .357 hollowpoints for defense. Some people say you should always train with full-power loads but in an emergency your adrenaline is pumping, you have a kung-fu grip on the gun and muzzle blast and recoil aren't noticed much.
S&W model 36 with 3" barrel.
Don't just rule out of hand getting a snub-nose revolver in .38 Special either. A lot of gun writers and gun store commandos sneer at them as not being "real" weapons, but loaded with +P ammo and with good shot placement (which is what really matters with any weapon), they're more than enough to take the fight right out of your average scumbag looking for an easy mark to hit. And they're so small and light and easy to conceal that it's more likely she'll carry it all the time and have it when she really does need it.
Whatever you pick - practice, practice, practice!
I got a hand gun for my wife too,
best trade I ever made.
She's not going to be getting in a firefight. All she wants to be able to do is show a bad guy he better go elsewhere.
If you want something under the seat, you probably want a revolver. She won't have to think about working the action of a semi if she's operating the door/window with her left hand while reaching for the handgun with her right.
My ex's first was a S&W Ladysmith in .38, loaded with Glazer Silvers. She loves it.
Revolvers don't jam, are utterly reliable, no cocking, no safety, and you can keep it under the car seat for years, dirty and dusty, pull the trigger, and it will fire every time.
A woman is more likely to only fire once in a panic situation. So the five shot capacity should not be a problem. Also, get it in bright stainless steel, so the bad guy can see it (scare factor). She won't be sneaking up on anyone in the dark.
Glazers or Magsafes in .38 will do the trick with one shot. It will be a straight-on situation (in her case), so you don't need 13" of penetration, or a shot through a windshield or car door. The round pretty much explodes in the bad guy. Check out http://mysite.elixirlabs.com/index.php?uid=12665&page=1982
A lot of LE's don't like the fragmenting ammo, but this is not an LE application.
The .357 is quite a bit heavier, and muzzle flash will blind her at night (not good).
The .38 is gentle enough to use in (lots) of practice.
Think about it.
I'll weigh in here and second (or third) the motion for a Ruger SP101.
Automatics are problematic. I've seen some women (as an instructor) who can't rack the slide on a pistol, so revolvers are always the first choice, IMO.
My wife scored very high on the TX CHL qual with mine.
Now she wants one of her own. (She knows she's not gettin' mine!)
We walked by lots of tables and after a while, she liked a certain model. Turns out it was a pre-WW2 Nazi Walther.
Bump
Glock 40 cal.
If you must go for a semi-auto, I can recommend you at least look at a Bersa in a .380 cal, Argentinian manufacture, but accurate, well made, and affordable.
Beretta 40 cal. If you don't like the recoil you can buy a buffer that will take away most of the recoil. It is easy to install and you can do it yourself.
Hey there, this thread may interest you. Check it out. :o)
Once you've gotten familiar with the single action autoloader, the "safe action trigger" on a Glock is hunk of dog waste.
For this, and lots of other reasons, I say get a Springfield 1911-A1 .45 Compact or Ultracompact model.
For your enjoyment (and mostly mine) here's a picture of my favorite - a Stainless Steel Springfield 1911-A1 .45 Compact Model with custom grips and Bomar sites.
