Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Ask The Gunwriters Handgun for a Woman - in home self defense

Hello all! A female friend of mine has asked my advice in the purchase of a hand gun. She wants to use it for self defense at her home in Texas. She is just learning to shoot a hand gun. I would like to hear from the experienced hand gunners on what a good model and caliber would be for this use. I am not very experienced in hand guns.

Take her to as many shops as you can so she find one that 'fits'. It's akin to buying shoes without trying them on.

Let her work the slide on the autos to ensure she can. Shooting a few will help greatly to figure out if she likes revolvers or autos.

Sage advice. I'd rather a gun she could and would shoot at someone than one she's scared of.

870 20 gauge youth with a cylinder bore choke. A two-handgun.

S&W .38 spl model 10 with a 4" heavy barrel. Fit it with the Pachmayr grips which fit her hand the best.

Load it with 148 grain mid range wadcutters.

As with any tool, teach her or have someone teach her the proper way to use it.

A gun for defense is also a place to not save money. Stick with the well respected brands and have her buy a case of ammo.

This one.

This Pachmayr grip fits the S&W model 10 square butt frame,..is designed for smaller hands, and is a very good accessory.

http://www.midwayusa.com/eproductpage.exe/showproduct?saleitemid=616076&t=11082005

Round butt M10's are nice. Had one with a 4" tube.

Never teach a woman to shoot better than you do.

Yeah,..they are.

Any time someone asks about a defense handgun for a woman to keep in the house, I always answer the same thing.

The 4" HB model 10's are no nonsense defensive tools,..are simple to operate, dependable as a stone ax, and they carry enough weight to absorb the recoil of the .38 chambering.

They're very tough to beat,...especially for a novice who wants a quality handgun for serious purposes.

I can teach a woman anything, so long as I'm not married to her.


Nice thing about the M10's is there are only a few million floating around.

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I can teach a woman anything, so long as I'm not married to her. [/quote]




dang I sure would enjoy watching you teach some of em to pizz standing up after about a 1/2 bottle of Crown or R&R!


not much sexier than a woman drunk enough to enter a pee writing contest in the snow.

I've seen one fill a Coke bottle while lying on a pool table.

some guys have all the freaking luck!



was it clear? did it look like she was well hydrated?

You're assuming it was a woman he watched........

I like to make 'em learn the Glock 19. When they've figured that one out they are qualified to pick another gun they can stick with. New shooters don't know what fits, they don't know how to hold a weapon. Pick one, get her classes.

They don't know if they can't get their hand around a double stack grip? Ok........

It was a her. And it was quite incredible. In fact a lot of guys lost a lot of money on that one. That was in Big Piney, Wy, but she may have moved on.

You had to be there.

My Wife carries one of these and likes it very well. I did replace the wooden grips with a set of Pachmayr grips though. Even though she is missing part of her index finger and must use her middle finger on the trigger, she has very good control of it. After many hundreds of shots the firearm has performed well also.



I might add Steelhead brings up a very good point about being able to work a slide on an auto. My Wife had trouble with that and didn't trust herself to be able to do so in an emergency. The revolver is straight forward and she has all the confidence in the world in it.