I teach both civilians & security officers shooting basics. The under 30 crowd has to have a 9MM semi-auto stocked with as many rounds as made. This applies to both guys & gals. I always suggest a revolver in .38 Special for casual shooters, but few listen. At work the .40 Glock has become the standard & is a great caliber. Had an inexperienced female S/O trying to qualify who powder burned her a$$ & put a round into the range floor last week. I frequently carry a .357 SP101 when in the woods or as back up in my truck. Used a .45 in the military & recently purchased a Remington. Both the .357 & .45 will stop most 2 & 4 legged critters with the right ammo.
Ding! Ding! Ding! Another winner!
I live in a rural area and have a range at my house. Lots of friends and co-workers, both mine and my wife's, come out here to shoot so I see the above theme over and over. Typically husbands buy their wives some high capacity semi with a grip the size of a beer bottle then bring them out to learn to shoot. I've yet to see one of these instances when the poor woman left any better off than when she arrived. But the same goes for most men. They simply do not understand that they'll never be proficient with their hi cap semis when they only shoot a few times a year, but they're all convinced that a magazine with loaded with lots of ammunition will make up for their lack of skill. My wife's two best friends, whose husbands are also close friends of mine, started out the same way trying to learn to operate and shoot semis. After a couple of counseling sessions with their husbands, they finally wound up getting .38's.
