Women's Safety Information

357 mag or a 45 auto

That will do it.

I wouldn’t just rely on a gun. Strategically place self defense weapons around the house that you can get to.

Say you’re attacked in the bathroom. How are you going to get to your gun unless you wear it at all times or have guns all over the house?

Instead, get some pepper sprays and stun guns and as well as even some disguised pen knives. The more you want to be sure no matter where you are in your house you can get to some type of defense weapon.

NERF DART GUN

ease of use

easy to use

self defense against whiny children.

u deff nees a 45 or 9mm there easy to use and not to powerful

a 22 revolver a colt 45 semi auto or revolver. or a semi auto 9mm.

9mm is kinda weak. If your going to get a semi-auto I would go for a .40SW. Not as strong as the .45ACP but handles better/less recoil and you can hold more in a magazine. And it will stop a person. Thing is they probably said 9mm as it doesn’t have much recoil to other calibers. Revolvers are generally easier to figure out than handguns. Less moving parts but semi-auto handguns are not that difficult to use or take apart either.

If you want a revolver then go for a .357 magnum. They can fire .38 special and .357 magnum which has more power to it. Really the best all around handgun caliber.

Edit: Names? Ruger, SmithWesson, Beratta, Colt, Taurus, Kel-tec. Most will run over $400 and I would reccomend taking a defensive handgun class.

Avoid Hi-point. They are cheap, I watched one nearly explode. The side of the barrel cracked open and bulged out the housing. Could of been a lot worse.

Edit again: Looks like we got a troll…

I recommend range time at a facility that will rent handguns. Try it out see what you like. Auto’s are great these days, but a revolver is an old reliable. I would try a 357 magnum revolver 4 barrel and shoot 38 specials out of it. Later when comfortable you can try the 357 magnum loads. For auto’s 9mm are pretty standard, though they have a nasty habit of shooting through a would be attacker, or requiring multiple shots. A 40 or 45 is much more reliable but you need to be sure you are 1st comfortable and 2nd accurate before plunking down the cash. Comfort and accuracy will get you out of more situations than anything else.

Listen to the gun dealer. A .38 special revolver is a fine choice. It was standard police issue from about 1920 up until the 1980′s.
The best names are SmithWesson,Ruger and Colt. A .357 magnum will also shoot .38 special but not vice versa. If you find a good .357 you should add it to your list. .38 special is more than powerful for what you want. 357 magnum is overly powerful and difficult to shoot well. You don’t say wether you will be getting a carry permit or not. If the gun is for carry look for one with a short barrel a snub nose revolver. Otherwise one with a 4 or 6 inch barrel would be fine.
A gun made of stainless steel is less maitanance than one with a blued finish. I have seen good used revolvers for $300 and up. New starts at about $450 or so. Look on the SW website also Ruger. Colt 38 revolvers are only available used. The lighter the gun the more it kicks,the more powerful the gun the more it kicks.
Take an NRA sponsered handgun course,you can shoot there guns and decide on the one you like. And become a member protect your rights! Also lock that puppy up! You don’t want it falling into the wrong hands.

The revolver is an easy firearm to learn. A good Double Action .38 special or .357 magnum is a classic. SW makes a number of good models. I’ll recommend if you aren’t planning to carry the firearm (even if your state legally allows to) a 3 or 4 barrel is better. If it’s a carry firearm a 2 to 3 is easier to carry concealed. Ruger makes a great SP-101. It’s heavy for a carry gun, but makes a house gun. Like wise so does their GP-100. .357 magnum is as good as a .38 special, but will allow you to use .357 magnum rounds if or when you want too. For the most part revolvers are more reliable than an automatic. The Ruger brand more so in my opinion.

If you feel five or six shoots from a revolver won’t get the job done. You need to look at a semi automatic. They are more complex, require more cleaning and dis assembly to clean properly. They do have more ammo capacity. Three calibers to look at 9mm, 40 SW and .45 ACP. While I’m not a big fan I do recommend a Glock for the mear fact many police issue them to officer many of whom have every little firearm experience before becoming police officers. Other good manufactures include SW, Beretta, Sig, Khar and Ruger. Again Ruger is heavy, but reliable. Sig and Glock are on par with each other.

Google Taurus 85, I think you will find what you are looking for.
1. Revolver = easy to learn / use.
2. Extremely reliable
3. Available for $250 (get the concealed hammer model).
4. .38 special = great stopping power.
Good luck and best wishes.

Ignore your friend, and wait a while before you follow the good advise from your gun dealer.

As a total novice, you need a good .22 LR revolver on which to learn the basics of gun handling, firearms safety, and marksmanship. There is only one way to become a good handgunner, and that is to shoot a lot. Unless you are very wealthy, or start reloading immediately, the only affordable way is with a good .22. You can purchase 500 rounds of .22 LR ammunition for less than the cost of 50 .38 SPL or 9 mmP cartridges.

Another reason to get the revolver is simplicity. There are no magazines to load, there are no manual safeties to remember, and you don’t need to learn malfunction clearing drills. And a revolver is not as ammunition sensitive, if it will fit in the chamber, it will go bang until you’ve emptied the cylinder. And there are no flying brass (to fall down your collar) nor flashing slides to distract your aim, just aim, squeeze the trigger and repeat as necessary.

A .22 LR revolver is not the ideal defensive handgun, but it will fill the bill until you are a good enough marksman to transition to a centerfire handgun.

I strongly recommend that you attend some sort of firearms training class. If there are classes teaching basics for concealed carry permits attend one. At least, get a knowledgeable friend to take you to the range and give you pointers.

There are four major brands to remember and you can ignore the rest until you gain more firearms experience. Smith Wesson, Sturm Ruger Company (aka Ruger), Taurus, and Colt.

For a good .22 Double-Action revolver, I recommend the Smith Wesson Model 617 or Model 17, any of several versions of the Taurus Model 96, and the Colt Diamondback (available only as a used revolver).

After you’ve mastered your .22 will be plenty of time to go with a center-fire revolver. Like your gun shop owner, I heartily endorse the choice of a .38 SW SPL or .357 Magnum revolver. If you plan to acquire a concealed weapons permit, I recommend a small-framed short barreled revolver. IMO, the very best pocket/purse sized revolvers on the market are the Smith Wesson Bodyguard Series (Models 49, 638, and 649) and the Smith Wesson Centennial Series (Models 40, 442, and 640) The Bodyguard revolvers have shrouded hammers, and the Centennials are true hammerless revolvers, both offer a snag free draw from pocket or purse, and both can be fired from inside a pocket or purse. The Taurus Model 85, Ruger SP-101, and the Colt Agents, Cobras, and Detective Specials (the Colts are available only as used guns) all make good choices.

If you plan to leave the gun at home, you should purchase a small gun vault to secure the gun when you are away.

I recommend a medium or medium large framed revolver such as the Smith Wesson Model 10 Military Police Revolver, Model 15 Combat Masterpiece (used market only) Model 67, Model 19 (used market only), Model 66, and model 686, Ruger’s GP-100, one of the variations of Taurus’ Model 66, Model 65, or Model 82, or a Colt Police Positive Special, or Diamondback (both Colts are available only on the used gun market.) are all good choices. The Models 686, 19 or 15 would be my personal top picks.

There are lots of other good guns on the market, and if you become a firearms enthusiast, you will develop your own likes, dislikes, and prejudices, but the revolvers I mentioned are all highly suitable for novice handgunners.

Lots of the regulars here are probably sick of seeing it, but in over 40 years as a gun crank, I’ve never known a good shot, especially a good handgunner, that did not start with a .22.

Welcome to the wonderful world of gun cranks.

Doc

Ya know — I **** that word starter….. Its not like we are talking about roller skates here….

Your a grown adult so get what adults get…. No I am not going to suggest a real powerful cannon or something like that….

The most sensible pistol in my opinion is one chambered in 9MM… Its got plenty of stopping power. Avoid .357 Magnum, 44 mag or .45 ACP…. If your not knocking down doors in downtown Bahgdad or rousting crackheads in a Chicago housing project then avoid those….. Avoid any armchair gun guru that tells you to get more powerful than a 9mm…. The recoil is manageablee, the ammo is inexpensive and it will stop any attacker…..

I recommend the Springfield Armory XD pistol… These are reliable and fit nice in the hand….

Springfield Armory…….

9MM……

There are many opinions about this question. And we all have our reasons for favoring one gun over another. I have shot 45ACP, the 357 magnum revolver, 38, and 9mm. If money is not a real issue get a nice 45. Reason being is that the bullet won’t travel as far. But it will do serious damage. Especially if your life is in danger. But a 45 will meet all 4 of your questions. For in house protection or conceal carry, and its great for up close. Usually that is where most confrontations are going to take place. Never get a 22. That bullet travels far and could hurt someone in the distance.
But for me, I do have a 9mm. I’m currently toying with the idea of buying a 45. But I do prefer 9mm. The bullets are cheaper for practice shooting. I spend about $13 per month for a box of 50 rounds of the 9mm.
There is one other option for the home, which I also have. And that is a 12 gauge shotgun. Nothing scares more an intruder then to hear the universal language of a shotgun being cocked.

ease of use would probably be easiest with a revolver or a polymer pistol. Revolvers have been around for almost two centuries and are still popular today. Polymer pistols have been around for a couple decades and have become standard issue amongst many organizations. The most popular ones are Glock. Glocks are real nice overall weapons. Not the best at anything in perticular but good at everything. There are various models to choose from with different calibers. 9mm, .40, .45, .357 etc.
reliability… well… the truth is all pistols and revolvers have either miss fires or get jammed. It happens to all firearms. Revolvers are easier to clear as are most polymer guns too.
price.. this depends on you. Ruger pistols are usually cheaper than other companies but you don’t want to pay too low for anything. It depends on what you consider reasonable. I use and as rough estimates to what i expect to pay. In fact, the Gun Genie at galleryofguns is pretty good because you can narrow it down by zip code region.
stopping power, well, it should really be what caliber can you handle comfortably and still be accurate. You may be able to shoot a .45 or higher caliber but can you keep it on target for more than one shot. I’d say go to a range and try various calibers before deciding. Inform the shop you are trying to decide which to buy and you are actually really going to buy. Usually, they’ll give you a break on the rent or ammo.

There is only one, and it has been tried, true, tested, and proven to be the best no-nonsense man stopper the 357 Magnum. Get a Smith Wesson 4 or 6 inch revolver and use 125 grain jacketed hollow points for self defense ammo.* You can also shoot 38 caliber ammo in a 357 Magnum.* You get two (2*) handguns for the price of one.*

you see by the answers you got how much opinions vary,

my opinion, if you can go to a range and try renting two or three different types of guns that would be best, but expensive

most reliable and simplistic are revolvers, hands downs… they have been around the longest and stood the test of time…. the drawback is they only hold 5 to sometimes 8 shots (8 shots in a .22)

i **** polymer (plastic) on a gun, i think it belongs on toys

stick with good, well known name brands…. my fav smith and wesson in a revolver… kal tec is junk… just keyword the name and review with it and you will see most people agree

caliber: 9mm is good, 38 special +P is good, 40 cal is better with more knockdown power, i wouldn’t go any bigger… but a well placed shot from a .22 is better than shooting someone in the arm with a big gun

the most powerful handgun in the world, .500 magnum in a 8 inch barrel and all steel gun is easier to shoot than a snub nose super light weight revolver .357 magnum… point is, the longer the barrel and the heavier the gun, the more recoil it will absorb…. the longer the barrel the more time the bullet has to travel giving it a higher velocity and more power… if you compare a 357 and a 45 both shot from the same length barrel the 357 has more power, if you compare a 357 shot from a 2 inch barrel vs. a 45 shot from a 5 inch barrel, the 45 has more power

and will you carry it on you or just keep it at home?

my opinion… smith and wesson .357/.38+p, stainless steel in a 2.5 to 4 inch barrel… holds 5 to 7 shots, depending on the model=-1pageSize=10published=1beginIndex=0resultType=2attributeName1=CaliberattributeValue1=.357MAG%2F.38%2BPattributeValueType1=STRINGattributeValueOperator1=EQUALisFirearm=Y

2nd choice… find a .40 caliber, 4-5 inch barrel and all steel design

always use hollow point bullets for self defense, they expand and deposit their energy into the target, a full metal jacket will usually go through someone and it could end up hitting an innocent bystandard

one more thing, i do have a kimber .45 acp in a 5 inch barrel and all steel design, my friend thought it was 9mm because it was so easy to shoot…. downside, it cost me $1600… but worth every penny to me

good luck

I agree with doc hudson about using a .22 revolver before stepping up to a more powerful handgun. I personally learned on a .22 and became familiar with how the gun works, which is pretty simple, and how to aim and handle one. I’m also looking to buy a more powerful handgun, more for hunting, but I have been strongly advised from about everyone to get a .357 magnum revolver.

If you plan to obtain a concealed weapons permit to carry with you all around, I would invest in a Kel-Tec 380. The gun itself fits in the palm of most womens hand, which makes it perfect for them to carry. The object of a gun in self defense is to not really kill someone unless you have to. Most times just showing it to protect yourself is enough. Not to mention you can find a brand new Kel-Tec on gunbroker.com anywhere from 200-300 new.

Now if you plan to keep a handgun inside your home whether it be in the dresser on in the nightstand, a .38 or 9mm are effective. Just by going what your saying, in home, your looking to shoot no more then 20yds and thats a huge margin from being point blank. Both those guns will work at home defense level, and they wont go through walls.( a .40cal and .45 will more then likely penetrate someone and something else specially when a hollowpoint round is used and well recommended).

Your friend more then likely recommended a semi-automatic handgun due to its capability to hold more rounds and faster reloading, you know incase the 12-16 rounds werent good enough the first time around.

I myself use a Springfield Armory XD 40 compact and a Springfield Armory XD 9mm subcompact. Ive put over 1000 rds through each gun at the range, and it still looks and shoots like new, of course thats with proper care and handling. Best part is they carry a lifetime warranty. I got lucky and found both on gunbroker for 400 shipped both new. I actually sold my Smith and Wesson Sigma 40VE( .40cal) to purchase the XD 40, due to S/W trigger system feels to rough, its not smooth. Good thing for most people who dont care, is at most gun shows they can be found for 280 bucks, and 20 more can get you the 45acp version.

The brands you want to pay attention to for reliability which also accounts for your part of keeping the gun clean and oiled properly are, Glocks, Springfields, Taurus, Kel-Tecs, Smith and Wesson just to name a few.

Now in relation to stopping power. Any pistol except a .22 is gonna stop someone. With a 9mm your weak in power, but you have more of a distance of traveling. With the 45acp, you have extreme stopping power, but you sacrifice the travel distance. So for the 40, you get the best of both worlds with only sacrificing a little of each. But travel would not take into effect for home use, someone from 10ft away is gonna feel the same hit, except the hole in the back of them will be a bit bigger for each round you go up in.

In conclusion, all handguns are easy to use. Load a magazine, slide in magazine, chamber a round aim down range/at your target, squeeze trigger…repeat until empty. After you leave a range, clean your firearm and oil it lightly to keep it in mint condition.

Listen to the dealer. A .38 Special revolver is more user friendly than any semi-auto and with quality defensive ammo it is a good stopper. Rugers are good as are SW and Taurus. In fact I’d suggest a .357 Magnum revolver loaded with 110 grain Federal Personal Defense Hydra Shok rounds. The .357 Magnum also shoots .38 Special ammo. The Ruger SP-101 or Ruger GP-100 are great choices. These are not junk but excellent handguns.

Good luck.

H

By all means, start with a .22 revolver. My wife first shot a 9m and it scared her quite a bit. Then I bought a .22 auto, and she handles that much, much better.

Even if you think yourself tough, start with a .22 – if you develop a flinch (involuntary jerking of gun, which means you won’t hit a 8 paper plate from 15′) from shooting too big a gun to begin with, it can be difficult to get rid of.

After this, then go with a .38 or a .357, which will also shoot .38s.
Remember, a revolver can be lying around forever loaded, w/o you having to worry about tired magazine springs, etc. like in an auto.

Also, if a round doesn’t go bang in a revolver, you just pull the trigger again, and a new round is served up. If a round doesn’t fire in an auto, you have to manually rack the slide to chamber a new round – not the best thing to have to do in a stressed self-defense situation. A revolver can also better be shot from concealment (with a bobbed hammer, or a hammerless model). THink of it getting caught up in your blanket on the bed, your jacket, or something. Doing this with an auto will almost certainly result in a misfeed, stovepipe or other malfunction.

Regarding ammo capacity: If you can’t hit someone with the first 2-3 shots, you probably won’t get to shoot again or won’t need any more. Either the perp is gone, or he has taken the gun from you or, God forbid, shot you with his weapon). Practice getting a good hit in with the first few rounds, and you won’t have to worry about any more ammo.
Remember also, that for the police, a revolver may not hold enough rounds, because they are required to stay and fight. You, on the other hand, just need to get in a few hits, or make enough noise to scare away the perp, and then you can hole up and wait for the cavalry. As an aside, if you were hiding in your bedroom, would you really shoot up your whole house/room with 17 rounds of 9mm?!

My neighbor, a retired captain of the navy, keeps a loaded .22 revolver in his night table. He has 8 rounds in that one, and he figures that’s all he will need.

Try to find books by Massad Ayoob. He writes very well about practical self-defense and weapon/ammo choices. He is a police officer and has run a self defense institute for the last 20 years.

Hope this helps.

I suggest a revolver, specifically a medium framed 357 magnum with a 4 to 6 inch barrel and adjustable sights. One like a Ruger GP100 or Smith and Wesson 686, or a Taurus 66

So those are the 3 names to remember, Smith and Wesson, Ruger, and Taurus.

Smith and Wesson is generally considered the most accurate
Ruger is considered the absolute strongest

They are both more accurate than all but the most masterly skillfull shooter can utilize, and a smith and wesson will last for 500,000 rounds with basic cleaning and lubing, while a Ruger will last 800,000 rounds with basic cleaning and lubing.

Taurus is considered slightly inferior to both, but it is more expensive.
Taurus has a lifetime warranty, but it will cost you $50 to fed-ex the handgun to them. Taurus makes good product, and every gun company makes an occasional lemon, it just seems that Taurus makes lemons a bit more often than the other two.

Here is why.

A revolver is an inherently simple design. It will be easier for a new person to understand. It will be easier to clean. You don’t ever need to disassemble it. Simply swing the cylinder out and it is safe. With a glance you can see if it is emty or loaded. There are no complicated controls on the outside to worry about (no takedown lever, no fire/nofire switch, no mag release, no slidelock)

When both types of guns are properly cared for, they are extremely reliable. However, a revolver stands up to long term neglect better than a semiauto. A revolver sitting in a glovebox for years or at the bottom of your sock drawer for years with the owner never taking it out and oiling it or checking the magazine spring, etc, will be much more reliable than a semiauto.

A revolver with a 4 to 6 inch barrel and adjustable sights has a lot better sights than the average semiauto, making it easier to shoot. Further, if you manually **** the hammer (not necessary, but you can do it) it goes into single action mode and has a wonderful crisp and short trigger pull, again, aiding in accuracy.

Finally, saying the 357 magnum is two guns is putting it mildly.

Here’s what I mean by that. You can shoot 38 specials through a 357 magnum. Autoloaders can only fire one specific ammo type, or a +P version of that same ammo type. Let’s compare it to a 9mm. A 9mm bullet measures .355 inches in diameter, while a .357 and a 38 special both actually measure .357 inches, so as you can see they are very comparable. I’ll use power level 1 being low and power level 10 being high.

For a 9mm semiauto, you basically have two choices:
Regular 9mm ammo at power level 5
9mm +P at power level 6

For a 357 revolver you have a wide variety of choices.
‘Cowboy action loads in 38 special, power level 3
regular 38 special loads power level 4
38 special +P power level 5
357 magnum ‘managed recoil’ power level 7
357 magnum ‘standard’ power level 8
357 magnum ‘hot loads’ power level 9
357 magnum ‘buffalo bore Hot and Heavy’ hunting rounds power level 10 (suitable for defense vs grizzly)

Even a 45acp you get 2 choices
Regular 45 acp power level 7
45 acp +P power level 8

9mm ammo is the cheapest centefire handgun ammo, while 38 special is the second cheapest.

This means you can shoot cheap ammo for practice, and in the same gun load full power defensive loads for when you are worried about self defense.

A semiauto has the benifit of being loaded faster, and having greater capacity

[...] What’s a good starter handgun for self-defense? – Women’s Safety … [...]

My husband got me a 38 special revolver. We have been target shooting and that has helped me a great deal. I like our 22 but it has the slide and I’m not strong enough to do that. There is a little kick with the 38 but I want to be holding a gun in my hand that I know if I aim correctly I can kill them with a couple of shots. My 38 has a built in laser which is invaluable. I bought me a CCW purse and it works great..I carry it with me all the time and hope and pray I will never have to use it on a human being. But if I do, I know how to shoot to kill if necessary. So the 38 is my choice.