Whats a good pistol for a woman home/self defense?

[Tbryant]

I'm a Sig guy myself so if you're going to go out and test some guns, throw in the the P320 compact (9mm) and the P238 (380). Personally, my girlfriend likes shooting my 1911 the most but just like everything else, test and see what fits the best. 

[tcook8296]

13 minutes ago, nickmarch said:

If there arent any kids in the house screw the postol use a shotgun.   Flesh wounds and even vital hits from a small cal pistol isn't going to stop an adrenaline charged nut.  Just the sound of a pump being pumped will have them running!

We  have shotguns and rifles. My thought is if you can get to them in time thats great. In a situation that happened a few nights ago, if it wasnt for the security system triggering, they would have been in the house,unless the rifles or shotguns were under the bed or in a closet you may not be able to get to it in time. Im thinking a pistol would be able to be kept closer. No kids to worry about

Edited January 23, 2020 by tcook8296

[electric10162]

Glock 45 9mm

Compact and lightweight. Great for a smaller hand. GF just bought 1000 rounds at Cabela's this past weekend. Looks like a fun few weekends coming up!

[Nomad]

3 minutes ago, tcook8296 said:

 Im thinking a pistol would be able to be kept close

darn right.  right on your belt.  that's where mine is unless I am in bed, then it is  in reach on my night stand 

Edited January 23, 2020 by Nomad

[nickmarch]

I know that you all don't to hear this but if you are in NJ there are laws on self defense.  The criminals have rights!  Do a search I'm argued out from earlier.  From what I remember and I could be wrong you, the victim have to retreat before shooting.   Do a search ... nj gun self defense laws

Good Luck!

Edited January 23, 2020 by nickmarch

[Swamprat]

https://www.njportal.com/njsp/FARS

[Swamprat]

While waiting for pistol permits grab a Smith Wesson 15-22 AR.  Same as an 5.56 AR but shoots 22lr. Much cheaper, much quieter. Less recoil, less muzzle flash. 

As far as handguns...a revolver is the simplest choice but she may not like the heavier longer trigger pull.  

Simplest answer is a striker fired pistol. 

Load mag, rack the slide and put one in the chamber.  Ready to rock. Glock 19. It's the most common pistol. Cheyenne has plenty of them.  I would not go smaller as it may be an issue with recoil in a small package. Glock 26 is another sub compact option. 

[IronBait]

2 hours ago, tcook8296 said:

I got a call from one of my customers that he had an attempted break in while he was sleeping  the other night. He lives in a pretty densely populated area and they smashed out his back window. He never heard the window smash but the alarm went off and our dispatchers called him to verify the alarm. He grabbed his gun and went downstairs and found the window busted out. Apparently the guys (2 of them, neighbors camera picked them up)took off when the alarm triggered. The police were there in 3 minutes but a lot can happen in that amount of time. 

So, Id like to buy my wife a pistol. After seeing this happen in a populated neighborhood, it can happen anywhere especially rural areas. 

Any recommendations and whats the process on purchasing one?

I would recommend the Canik TP9SF Elite S. Excellent handgun, 9mm caliber. Nice weight, my wife shoots it and is comfortable with it and she has smalls hands.  Comes with an excellent trigger and great sights. Sub $400 gun that performs flawlessly out of the box. If you want to try it out, I would be willing to meet up at a range so she can try it.

[newjerseyhunter]

If I were in your situation I would get one of the bolt down long rifle safes and put a 20 gauge under the bed. As Dave Chappelle would say, "Birdshot, buckshot, birdshot, buckshot, buckshot, buckshot!"

In a moment like this most citizen's adrenaline is going to be pumping hard. You fire a shotgun down the hallway you are unlikely to miss. 

 

[MPSR]

I have a smith air weight in 38 special and takes + P. Can’t get any lighter than that. They make a lady air weight that has slightly smaller configurations. Accurate to 20 yards.

[johnyanu]

4o cal

[BillW0323]

I have a Taurus Judge as my home defense gun. It's loaded with Winchester PDX-1 (.410) Defender rounds. My wife shoots it with no issues. I have 2 kids running around so mine is in a BioMetric GunVault sitting on top of my dresser next to my bed. Very easy to program up to (20) different finger prints and once they are programmed it is very easy to open up. 

[optowalt]

I believe a shotgun.  Maybe a 20 or 410.  Enough to hurt, not kill and you won't shoot through a wall and kill your own kid.  And most ppl don't have the nerve to shoot someone.  That's where the bad guy grabs the handgun and uses it on the victim. But a shotgun is a "close your eyes and pull the trigger" type of protection. I have a Smth mod 39 in my bed stand but my wife has a Mossberg 500 with a short breaching barrel next to her.  (That's also the reason I don;t piss her off. I saw that scene from Goodfellows.)

[Bucndoe]

10 hours ago, username said:

Colt Pocketlite in 380 or 007's Walther PPK in 32.  

A PPK is only a Bond PPK if it is in 380 and made in Germany.

To the OP, I would look at the Sig 365 for her

Edited January 23, 2020 by Bucndoe

[TouchofGrey]

Hey T.. All these Posts are spot on. I would ask, does she want a gun and have the mindset to protect herself and take a human life. If yes follow up with these Posts. There are others here with military and law enforcement experience. And have seen this scenario .I have seen the toughest, manliness, blow hards not qualify on a handgun course.... That's simulated, stationary paper targets in low light with sound effects. Who have been instructed on firearm usage. I've also seen people who you would expect not  to be able to handle a handgun in these qualifications who cloverleafed the target. Good luck this is a very difficult question.