I've been looking around and came up with these:

Arcus 98DA/DAC in 9mm
Ruger P95 9mm
Stoeger Cougar 8000 .40 SW
Taurus 24/7 .40 SM
Taurus Millenium Pro .40 SW

Looking at something they can handle (Wife 56, Daughter 36, neither has high hand/arm strength) and use a concealed carry as needed.

Any inlut on these? They all have great reviews and are around $400.00.

Mike

You've probably heard this before but proper training is of the utmost importance. Price has nothing to do with it,they need to feel comfortable and confident in the use of any firearm. I'm not going to get into a discussion about 9mm compared to 40caliber. I hope you will get them someone other than you to help them learn the use of deadly force,safe gun handeling,proper shooting practices,and someone you both trust. Many times I've seen family members benefit from having an outsider teach them the basics and then you can take it from there. I hope and pray they are never in a situation where they need a firearm,but if they do we all want them to come home to you every night.

any one of those would do the trick,i would how ever purchase a 22 pistole.
then allow them to shoot it as long as needed to become proficient with it ,then move on to a gun with as they say more power.
my wife learned to shoot with a 22 buckmark semiauto pistole,and she still enjoyes shooting it because it does not kick like a mule,and the ammo is cheap.
her carry firearm is a 357 mag,6 inch barrel,with a 125 grain j.h.p,she will pull the trigger on it once or twice,but she will shoot her 22 for hours.
just a suggestion to you.

Posted By mault on 12 Sep 2010 11:03 PM
I've been looking around and came up with these:

Arcus 98DA/DAC in 9mm
Ruger P95 9mm
Stoeger Cougar 8000 .40 SW
Taurus 24/7 .40 SM
Taurus Millenium Pro .40 SW

Looking at something they can handle (Wife 56, Daughter 36, neither has high hand/arm strength) and use a concealed carry as needed.

Any inlut on these? They all have great reviews and are around $400.00.

Mike

MWikey1 already said it about training, so I won't beat the horse. 

As far as concealed carry goes, it will still come down to size and accessability.  A full size pistol (like the Ruger P95) will be more difficult to conceal and access (if needed).  The upside to it is it weighs a little more so recoil will be less than shooting the same 115 JHP 9mm round from a smaller framed pistol.

My personal advice would be go to a range that rents the pistols you're considering and have these ladies in your life fire a full magazine through them to see what they like.  Hope this helps.

I intend to have both of them do a shooting/safety course locally then all of us will be going to the 4-day Frontsight training next year. The .22 is a good idea and I plan on that already. Just want opinions as to which pistol would be best, anyone used the Arcus or Stoegar?

Mike

Wrong on all counts there, pal.  .38 Spl revolver.  Very few - VERY few shooters, even us macho men are really competent in semis.  We do not practice nearly enough and almost never practice in OMG! training.  Very few COPs or other LEOs are competent either.  You say neith has much arm/hand strength.  That means feeding and cycling malfunctions.  That also means it is hazardous for them to manually cycle the slide.  I have sold guns for many years and have seen this scenario hundreds of times.  The guy wants a new gun so he uses "her" as his excuse.  She gets a gun she doesn't like and is never competent with.  Don't do that to her or yourself.  They need the simplest most trouble-free most reliable thing that they can handle.

I gotta agree with Shiloh 100 Percent. The 38 Special revolver is probably the easiest and most practical sidearm to learn and practice with. The S&W is cleary at the top as far as brands go. If concealability is the target then a snubbie or a three inch. If it's home security than a 4 inch would be fine. Ammo in this caliber is available in just about any configuration anywhere in the world. As far as loading there is no magazine to contend with and as far as safety goes there's not much better than a double action revolver. I would bring the girls to the store let them pick the gun/grip configuration they feel fits them best.

In the 4 day class you are taught under the OMG! situation and you fire over 500 rounds in those 4 days. I agree the feeding and cycling are important hence my asking For feed back on the various offerings. I considered revolvers and will see what is offered. We use a gun safe so we keep the gun(s) loaded with an active in the chamber and the safety on (mine is the SW M410 so there is no way to fire it with the safety engaged as the hammer is disabled.) SO it is, open the safe, click back the hammer and disengage the safety and you are ready to fire the first round with a light trigger pull, or, disengage the safety and use it in double mode and have a bit heavier pull on the first round.

I can see the benefit of a revolver from the ease of reloading...as long as it isn't under pressure or you are competent with a speed loader. Reloading the auto is push the button, drop the clip, slam the next one in. If you have counted your shots, you still have one in the chamber when you do this so no need to manage the slide. If not, that is why I will have them test each model and see if suits them. If it turns out they hate the autos, then on to revolvers! I do not intend to force the choice on them.

I'm looking at the Stoeger Couger myself as it is actually a company owned and run by Berreta. I wuld love to get a Arcus 98 DA or DAC but can't find anyone who handles them here in Georgia, they are a Browning HiPower knock off that you can actually interchange Browning parts with.

There is a reason police went away form the various .38 caliber guns: no stopping power, a 38 special has about 218 ftpd out of the barrel, a 9mm, 350 and a .40, 500. I'll take 350-500 over 218 any day.

Miike

It's Benelli not Beretta thats in kahoots with Stoeger, Franchi, and A.Uberti.

Quite the contrary to what you believe the 38 spl has many load offerings, some much more powerfull than the hottest 9mm's anywhere. Additionally, statistics show that when under duress, even the simplest functions like disengaging a safety become the hardest to remember. For reasons like this the Glock with no safety has become the most popular duty weapon among law enforcement agencies. Other than its use in a sandy enviroment a revolver is virtually unjamable with factory ammunition. As far as all auto's go jams do occur. Period. Again a stressfull situation might contribute to the operator not maintaining a stiff wrist or grip leading to a jam. Or possibly operating an auto inside a dark bedroom at the waist level whereas the slide could injure the operator preventing a second or followup shot. The reason most police departments went to the auto was capacity. Again statistics predicted that with a larger capacity the officer would likely have more hits. After approximately 20 years and with only a few exceptions, this theory is not necessarily true. You are correct in giving your loved ones their choice but you as the knowledgable one must limit this to a practical one. When I purchased my first carry I opted for the long barrel, full underlug, six shot, big custom grip mother. A couiple months later I didn't want to carry it it was so heavy. I then realized my choice was not practical. Good luck with your decision. Let us know what you decide.

A 2" Smith will very rarely be shut down by purse lint either!

I do practice OMG and that's why I carry a GLOCK. I have to go with the revolver for ladies. Seen too many, small framed ladies, have cycling trouble with a larger semi-auto. A small framed 38spl has my vote. My theory is keep it siimple, point and shoot.

The .38 Spl got its un-deserved reputation for lack of "stopping-power" with the old 158 gr lead round nosed slugs it used to be cursed with. Today, a 125 gr +P JHP is on-par with anything out there. Truth is, however, "stopping-power" is a myth. No handgun round has 100% reliable "stopping-power" on 100% of the bad guys 100% of the time. There are those that believe that the mighty .45 ACP can stop the Earth's rotation, that the .357 Magnum can destroy the space-time continuum, and that the 9x19mm can take out 23 bad guys in a row. "Stopping-power" is a relative term that is thrown about by ammo marketing and gun magazine writers in the effort to sell us something, whether their product or their knowledge or their articles, etc. I have seen numerous films of actual shootings over the years. Seldom has the shootee been knocked down to the 1st shot. The only 1 I can think of that was taken down instantly was a large crazy man that had already soaked up about 5-6 9mm slugs from police before being dropped by a single muzzle-to-skin 12ga 00 blast to the chest. Even then, he just dropped to his knees for a second then fell forward. "Stopping-power" really is conditional on many factors and I firmly believe - and this is backed up by similar thoughts from many LEOs and trainers I deal with that what matters most is not caliber, super-cool-bullet names or pistol. What matters is a "BANG!" and ANYTHING impacting the goon. Sure, if he is crazed and hopped up on 8 drugs we may have a different scenario, but 99.997% of all goons have at the top of their person agenda the same rule we have; "1) Stay alive!" So, when confronted with a victim that suddenly fights back and has a weapon most of the goons will automatically reverse their course of action. And, when confronted by a gun that surprises them with a loud bang and flash of light, especially if something hits them. Training in the "OMG!" methods is great and is needed no matter what is carried if we are carrying all the time etc. But for most people, they only need to know the basics of loading, unloading, how to hold it, aim it and shoot it along with the 3 rules of safety. These are the house-guns that will likely never get used in real-life situations but need to be able to get into action without any special grip-stances, extra safeties, cyclic actions, or worries about dust and lint having reduced the gun's reliability in the past decade since it was last cleaned. Training in the "OMG!" methods has to be on-going, at the minimum annually and idealy about quarterly to really allow a shooter to master the methods and gun. It is fun watching a good instructor shut-down a SWAT member in an "OMG!" session by pulling one of the Murphy tricks on his beloved semi. One of the greatest things about the wheel-guns is that you just about cannot shut them down. While they can jam up, it is so rare and nearly impossible to force to happen for training that it really can only be talked about in theory. Personally, I think most LEOs do themselves a great dis-service by dissing good revolvers and heading toward the latest and greatest semis. They claim a need for rapid reloads. Why? What are they expecting? Who are they shooting at!? Practice reloading the revolver and you can master that activity about as fast as a semi-auto can be reloaded. Besides that, by the time you have run dry on the revolver you had better have the bad guy(s) down for the count and be reloading just in case one twitches. (Many smilies were supposed to be inserted but they aren't working for some reason.)

A good 2" barrel 5 shot revolver in .357 Magnum, loaded with +P .38 Special 125 gr hollow point bullets will be a good choice.  Have them practice with wadcutters to start, work up to the +P hollow points and then try the 125gr hollow point .357 loads.  If that's too much, the .38 +P will be enough.  Taurus makes some fine 5 shot revolvers for about $325. 

Most CCW defensive instances don't require shooting at all.  Show the gun, the perp runs.  Where shots are fired, most often it's only 1, maybe 2 shots total, and it's over.  Even if there were 4 perps, shoot one of them twice, none of the other three are going to want to be next.

I like my S&W model 60 but also concidered the Ruger SP101 as well.

Take them to gun shows, gunshops. Let them find a gun that they are comfortable handling(remember this is about them not you so don't push them toward something that you want). Some ranges have rentals that they can try out. In the end it is about them being able to handle the gun in a safe and effective way.

I too have to agree with all who recommend a revolver except to recommend a .357 Magnum. This caliber can handle a number of rounds with less kick such as the .38Spl, .38SPl + P, etc. As time goes by and practice yields good results, they can move into shooting the magnum rounds.

I really like the idea of a revolver because it is clean in design and operation. No slides or magazines to mess with, just aim and shoot.

You can even go with a concealed hammer to reduce the chances of snagging while retrieving the weapon from a pocket, purse, etc.

I have plenty of hand/arm strength but I have small hands. My carry weapon is a Ruger SP101, .357Mag. The Ruger had small grips overall which fit my hands better (yes I practice with each). I also added after market grips for an even better feel.

buy the 357 revolver,you can shoot 38 out of it all day long,then if the need warrants it,you can use the 357 magnum 125 grain f.m.j.

the best way to teach a person to shoot one is by mixing up the bullets.add 38 and 357 rounds,and let said person shoot the firearm.
and by the way,dont tell them you have done that,so when they fire off the first round it will be a light round,then a womp round,after a while the flinch will be gone.
and i can guaranty,if a perp get hit with a 357 round.he or she will in most cases not get back up,unless body armor is involved.

I used to do that little trick to my friends when we'd go out and shoot my S&W Model 19. I loved the look on their face's when that 357 round went off.

I love to demostrate the versatility of the .357 Mag revolver to a new shooter in a dramatic way.  I use my Stainless Steel Ruger Police Service Six with fixed sights and 4" barrel and load 6 rounds like this:

38 Wadcutter
38 Special
38 Special +P
357 Mag
357 Mag +P
357 Mag Max Load

The muzzle flash and decibel level of each round increases with each trigger pull.  The wadcutter makes a pop sound and has no muzzle flash at all.  The last round recoils a lot, has a huge bright white muzzle flash and is so loud, some people who hear it think the gun may have blown up.  After I finish shooting the 6 rounds, I ask the new shooter which level of power would they like to try.  Their answer tells me what kind of shooter they are.  If they pick #1, they are afraid of the gun.  If they pick #6, I'm afraid of them!!


(#3 or #4 is the answer a normal person will choose)

Another vote for a .357 mag revolver.  plenty of stopping power when loaded with SD rounds and can practice with cheaper and less powerful .38 spcl.  Also as already stated they are virtually fool proof, just point and shoot every time, most of todays revolvers, S&W, Taurus, Ruger, are 100% reliable and the simplest firearm to operate under pressure and very easy to learn to shoot effectively.

SEMPER FI 

 

I started all three of my daughters out with the .357, with reduced loads, when they were 8---9 years old. By the time they were 10--11, they had thier own .357s. My older two were very petite girls, however, my youngest was a big stappin' gal, and by the time she was 12, she was shootin' my .44 RBH, of course with reduced loads.  Niether of my older daughters got over 5'1" and 110 lbs. My oldest carryed and shot a .357 untill her passing. My middle daughter still packs and shoots a .357 to this day. Unfourtinatly, my youngest became a animal rights activist, and a full blown ANTI!
Oh well, two outa three aint bad!
Allen

and if you are in a fire fight,it makes one think there could be more than one of you,because they hear the 38 round go off,
and then they hear the 357 mag round go off.
just a good personal protection fact,that might help in keeping someone alive,when it is 2 or 3 scumbags trying to have there way with your wife or daughter.

Other than my usual "Amen" to Shilo's entry, I'll just add my usual comment about women and guns. Have them handle a LOT of guns ( with no pressure to buy any at that time - Think of going shopping for shoes) Every time she says, "Oh I like how this one feels." make a note. As with shoe shopping, expect her to fondle many dozens over a period of several months. Pretty soon the target zone will be bracketed and you can start having her actually shoot samples in that zone - with standard ammo, double hearing protection and no cute tricks - she's supposed to feel PROTECTED, remember. Only then is the time to get out the checkbook. Note that caliber and action type are irrelevant. Make it HER choice without your editorializing. A confident, well trained woman ( or man, for that matter) with a .22 is far more capable than one scared to pull the trigger on a 45.

My daughter, 27 recently bought a Walther PK380. It is not a big bore round,  but she can handle it very well, it groups good out to 12 yards. That is as far as she has really practiced. It is easily concealed and easy for her to operate. She says she recommends it to any female looking for a carry gun. CONFIDENCE is a very good thing when you're carrying for protection.

id go with a high point 9mm. hardly no recoil very easy to handle a relatively cheap but well made.

I can't agree more on the comment about the .357.  I carry a Taurus 605B and had excellent results from it.  It's my daily carry.  I shoot .38 the vast majority of the time for practice becuase it's cheap, and the occasional .357 cylider to keep the feel of it.  I carry the Hornaday .357 CCD rounds for dialy carry.

Unfotunately your second comment should never, ever be made during a conversation about self defense.  It is the most dangerous line of thinking that will end only in someone getting injured.  If the thought of the bad guys running a the mere sight of a weapon is in your head, then it will cause your reaction to be slowed.  If you have to draw your weapon, then you are all ready commited to shooting, and nothing will should stop you.  It doesn't matter what police reports or statistics show because statistics don't matter when it happens to you.  Most instances you are never going to be robbed or attacked or raped or murdered, but it does happen so.....

"Audacity!  Audacity!  Always audacity!"
Many of the old gun-fighters cited their ability to have won fights over ther lives to not hesitating.  "If you hesitate, you are dead" as some have said.  The surest means to defend is to be offenssive.  When a goon confrotns you, he thinks he is in command of the situation and of you.  His #1 goal at the moment is his own safety and if you go on a wild non-hesitating assault he is immediately thrown off balance.  He was no prepared to defend and has trouble altering his strategy on the fly.  By the same token, if you ever allow him to regain the initiative you are in heep-big trouble because he is not going to make the same mistake twice. 

A meek little 90 year old woman can drive away multiple teen punks when they attack her in her home by the above quote.  They are not expecting audacity form her, much less more audaciosness and they often leave with their tails between theri legs.  Accept that this is life-or death and that you may well get harmed in the process.  Decide that you are rightand then go ahead. 

As for the Hi-Point 9mm - my life is worth more than pot-metal el-cheap-os.  Will it work?  Probably.  Will it work when you desperately need it to?  Hopefully.

no body ever raped a 38.
enough said.

Once again, I must agree with Shiloh!! I picked up a Hi-Point, .45acp in a trade. Thot that I had made a good deal. Boy was I fooled. Just about every other shot would hang up on the ramp. I took the barrel out, steepened the ramp a bit, polished so there was no way a round could hang on it. Cured the problem, but, I'll be durn if I could hit a bull in the hinney at 10 paces with that sucker!!! Now I'm lookin' for another sucker to trade it to!!
As we all know, wimmen are just as finnicky with thier weapons, as they are with  thier shoes.  We have severasl .380s', and my lady won't use any of them. If we go out shootin', she will shoot every hand gun I have---except those .380s'!! If she goes out joggin', walkin' or kayakin' normally she will eather have one of our Ruger Single Sixs' .357s' or her Browning Hi-Power in her fanny pack. If we are huntin', she will be wearing a shoulder harness with one of our 1911s'.  She is quite comfortable shooting any hand gun we have, includeing my custom .40 revolver!
Allen

Keep looking bretta,amt,davis,charter have some very seriuos contenders in 9mm 45 also check out some of the new rugers.. they go well with the ladies.

38 spc, ultralight... Ruger lcr is a good one. No hammer to catch, light weight so it'll actually get carried... Which is a draw back for the 357's, they are typically heavier and thus less likely to be carried... But what about a taser? Better at putting a man down, use immediately notifies authorities of an incident, cheap and easy to use. ANY hit is a fight stopper rather than just a center mast hit, as I am sure Shiloh can attest, as well as most leo's on here.

You know, a real Taser, not those silly little "stun devices" would be a great defense weapon. They are expenssive and you can't really practice with them since each "shot" costs about $50, but let me tell you from personal experience as a Taseree that it is instantaneous and probably has a better immediate fight-stopping record than any handgun. It short-circuits the goon's major muscle groups at the speed of electricity and gives him a 3-5 second introduction to what death by electric chair must be like. It can be shocked again and again as long as the darts are in him, and you can even then touch him with it for a similar effect. The down side is that the instant it is over, he is able to function like new again. In my experience and from tales some LE have told me, many really bad guys will fight all day long when a pistol is involved but as soon as the Taser comes out they will throw their hands up and stop. Something about electricity scares a lot of bad guys worse than bullets. Just be aware that you really need top-quality in a "tazer" and you need about 24+ watts of power. Do not get sold on the voltage. Voltage does nothing except get the wattage to the target. It is wattage that shorts out nerves. If a "tazer" seller spends a lot of time touting his unit's voltage, just ask the wattage. If he can't tell you, he doesn't know what he's talking about. If he tells you anything less then the 20s consider it a fun little toy. In the "tazer" game, start shopping with the real ones at Taser International. Check the laws though since in some States they are illegal for civilians, and in some others you must get licensed. I would encourage anyone wanting to carry one to get educated by a Security trainer or something on them since they are extremely effective ONLY when used right and useless otherwise. Also, take a hit with one to see what happens so you know what the goon will do when hit. You can specify a 2-3 second hit if you like. I took a full 5 second ride with the M-26 and am pretty sure I saw eternity's far side at some point.

I'll take you word for it Shiloh, as I'm not about to try it out, any more than I'd like to take a hit from a .357 Mag to see how it feels.


One drawback to the tazer, the goon is still alive and able to testify against you in court as to his version of the events that led up to his getting buzzed.  Well, in most cases he's still alive.

Tazers are expensive, but real tazer international brands are cheaper than a pistol, even cheap one, however, as Shiloh mentions you can't practice. Vjp does mention a downside, but the flip side is you also have no shooters remorse. Most people who are forced to kill and shoot someone end up with remorse, similar to survivor's guilt, that is typically worse for women to deal with than men... It's actually a part of what makes up/causes PTSD for soldiers...

If you watch, sometimes you can find sales, a local gun shop was selling them for 175 this spring

FYI: A tazer is a class E felony in Wisconsin. My friend is an officer and prefers the tazer for the required carry non-leathal weapon. He told me they were $20 per shot but perhaps that was the departments cost or I'm forgetting. In winter time with thick coats they may not penetrait, once my friend had one not penetrait when one of the probes struck the perpatraitors cell phone. If the political winds shift to the right in November and the WI legislator proposes the CCW bill again, there will likely be something allowing tazers for permit holders. There was something in the last one vetoed by Doyle.

Shiloh is absolutly correct in my opinion, I have been teaching handgun safety and basic firearms training to civilians for 25 years, the first rule is the handgun MUST fit the persons hand correctly or they will not be able to shoot accuartly if they have to reposition there hinad to put the first pad of the index finger on the trigget the grio does not fit, revolvers are more flexable with after market grips, they are simple to operate, and I have had a 2 inch 38 Smith and Wesson for 25 years this is the gun I carry most of the time, for its size, you cannot beat the concealablity and hitting power in that compact package. When I take women to the range 90 percent like the 38 it fits there hand better and low recoil, the only caliber semi auto most women like is the 380 Auto, Again because of fit, and low recoil

I bought my wife one of the baby Beretta's in .32 acp. (She was wanting a new diamond ring at the time) They appear to be made for ease of use with the tip-up barrel. It may not have been the biggest or best pistol to get her, but the next month when she pulled it on a man trying to car jack her at the gas station...it was big enough, along with her tellin' him she would efin kill him, to cause him to retreat with his hands in the air. Keep in mind she is a red-headed cop's daughter from Louisiana, so that dude got quite the surprise!!!

She got the new ring later...I ain't that stupid!!LOL!!!

On the Beretta Tomcats, be sure to keep the grip panel screw snug.  They tend to work loose and this allows the trigger bar to slip off the spring and put the gun out of action until it is repositioned and the grip panel and screw tightened again.

Got the S&W .38 special Bodyguard with the grip laser.

Got myself an XD 9mm, a Rugar MkII .22 and a Marlin .22 Auto. The XD and the MkII are dead on at about 15 meters. The SW laser was way off and had tro be zeroed substantially. After zeroing it was good.

Mike

Mault, you done good.

Ok, do the Hougue Grips for J-frames work on this (the Bodyguard)? I think it might make it more controllable.

Anyone have any experience with the new Smith and Wesson Bodyguard .38? I have been looking into this one for my 60 year old mother who has problems with her hands. She used to fire her Ruger Blackhawk .357 mag a decade ago on a regular basis but since the problem with her hands has gotten worse I thought she would be happy with a .38 and since shes used to revolvers it would be an easy transition for her to make.

We are having issue with the grip not giving good leverage to manage the recoil with. Getting lots of barrel flip.

Is it the way the grip was made? or the frame itself?

It is rather narrow in diameter and short so you don't get a full grip (expected in this size gun) but I would like to get some after market grips that have a little more meat to them.

Kauntry, you could load her Ruger with a lighter recoiling 38 special load like a 125 gr hollowpoint, or if a new revolver is warranted, maybe a 3" Lady Smith with a round butt. I'd even get an action job to ease up on the DA trigger pull for mom.

The ruger is just to heavy all around and i want her to have something comfortable in all shooting positions for self defense is why i was lookin at the bodyguard. I'll have to check out the Lady Smith. Thanks for the info.

Crimson trace grips for the lcr and sw ultralight have 1 more finger on them than stock grips.

Crimson trace grips for the lcr and sw ultralight have 1 more finger on them than stock grips.

I would suggest a small revolver in either .32 or .38 caliber and the revolver has less to deal with when using especially in a high stress situation. With a semi one has to deal with chambering a round and a safety whereas a revolver is draw, point, and shoot. KISS !!!

The XD 9 sub-compact has all passive safeties (activated without needing to think about them) and for a self-defense weapon, it should be locked and loaded ready for firing. What is the difference between a double action fully loaded with no safeties and a semi with passive safeties and one in the chamber? Nothing, other than most semi's give you more than 5-6 shots.

although the 38 is a great pistol for a starter i would recommend the amp 380 that is between the 38 and 9mm i bought one for my wife and she loves it just a thought

Both sides make valid points as to semi or revolver and with todays ammo either one will serve adequately . My personal choice would be for the .38/.357 revolver NORMALLY however I have had Ladies in some training classes who had difficulty pulling the trigger on a double action revolver , a good revolver, Ruger ,S&W, only my Colt Python gave them no trouble and they're a bit pricey nowadays, so when looking at firearms please make sure they can use it without difficulty.

I have a Ruger LCR, good size and weight.

Your head must be reeling from all of the suggestions. And they re good ones. As a retired Law Enforcement (26 years) I will add my thoughts. Based on your info I would choose the Walther 380. Very well made, very reliable. I have carried both revolvers and semi autos. Both work fine. Recent studies have shown that the reliability between the two is virtually the same. The Walther being slim will fit in a purse, or a pocket with less bulge. I would also recommend that after purchase you have the weapon tuned by a COMPETENT pistolsmith, after market grips like Pachmayer and a laser would be a great option. I had my service revo;ver tuned by one of the best, it raised my scores on the Range from low to mid eighties to low to mid nineties. Teach your ladies that self defense has to be instinctive, there is no time to think. Unfortunately I speak from experience. Fortunately I was the recipient of some very good training, which is why I can type this missive. Your choice of a .22 for practice is excellent, practice makes perfect. I used to train first responders. One of the questions that I asked them is what do you talk about while you are driving to the scene. Usually they said oh nothing or talk abour work, family etc. As they know what type of incident they are responding to. I suggested that maybe their time would be better utilized if they talked about different scenarios and how thwey would handle them.I would suggest the same to you when you are talking to your family. Describe different scenarios and what would be the proper response. It will recuce their thought time in a critical situation, I know it did my mine.

Good Luck

NRA Life Member
FBI National Academy Graduate
26 years Law Enforcement
22 years Co-ordinator for Search and Rescue

If you can read this thank a teacher. If you can read this in English thank a service member
In memory Of Spec. James R. Wolf Iraq, 2003. All gave some, some gave all

Have you looked at the Ruger LC9?   I really like mine.  Small & easy to carry, and easy to shoot.  Only drawback, for me, is only 7 round clip.

Sig Sauer all the way... My wifes purse gun is the Sig P250 9mm loaded with 16rds of 124gr "Hydro Shok" ammo. I used to carry my IMI Jericho .45acp I now carry a Sig SP2022 9mm also loaded with 16rds of 124gr "Hydro Shok" ammo..... Control of your weapon be it a wheel gun or a semi all boils down to practice and learning how to "Shoot and Move". The Sig is easy to handle the P250 fits the hand of my 5-02 wife and is dead on. She loved her Taurus .45acp until she grabbed the Sig now its all dhe carries.

Probably a little more than $400 but a double action revolver in .327 Fed Mag. Smaller, less recoil and plenty of punch.

Not an expert, however I do know that if whatever you get is not enjoyable enough to shoot often, it will not be used for practice and with no practice, no OMG!SHTF! skills. Trained my sister in law and niece the way I wish I was taught. Start with what feels good in your hand and has a good trigger for you, then caliber. Start small and work your way up. Now both of them can outshoot almost all of the guys at the range, even most of the city cops.
And now IMHO something people tend to forget about selfdefense weapons.
Stopping the adversary has 2 parts, mental and physical. To mentally stop the enemy, many times a small nonlethal hit is all that is required. Many attackers stop after having part of their hand or ear, etc shot off. To physically stop the enemy, you punch holes through him until either the central nervous system stops working or blood pressure drops below operating levels. Some will say you can physically stop your opponent by shooting his kneecaps. Try that precise aim in an OMGSHTF! situation. Even if you manage to shatter both his knees, he can still shoot back so that is NOT a physical stop! Now others will say shoot his knees and elbows, yeah like the guy will stand still so you can hit those rather small targets!
Weapon you are skilled with and can handle the recoil? Head shot if possible, center mass otherwise. Weapon you are less than skilled or has too much recoil? Body shot!
To sum it all up in 3 words ... practice practice practice!

All I'm going to say is I started an anti out with the 40. I loaded the auto with ONE shell to begin with, to stop the double fire. She had NEVER shot a pistol before. Within 15 mins she was shooting full loaded clips and tearing up my popup targets at 15yds. I use solids for target practice and hp for self defending. I have found after yrs of training ladies to shoot, they are MORE instinctive than most men. For defense one needs enough gun to stop the threat but, you have to hit the target. FIT is first, then work on the cal. Get a double action auto if you decide on an auto , pull and shoot. Same goes with a revolver. Remember center of mass, no trick shooting.

If your worried about hitting your target in an emergency situation, then you want to use a Judge with 00 buckshot.

Posted By niemz on 29 May 2012 11:20 AM
If your worried about hitting your target in an emergency situation, then you want to use a Judge with 00 buckshot.

At 5 yards that gives you 2 inches of spread instead of 1/2 inch.  Check out the video by hickok45 featuring the judge.

-MD

While a Judge may be a good close range defense weapon, it isn't exactly concealed carry friendly?

Best home defense is a 12 gauge being racked!  If the perp still wants to enter, well, they know what's coming next now don't they?
357 mag would good enough.  That way the gals could could with low recoil .38 rounds while at play, and mag hollows for business.