Hand Gun for Wife

[johnk]

I think the finest weapon for protection in your home is a shotgun. For a woman get a 20 gauge thats easy to handle and the recoil is light. Point and shoot. No worry to get into detail about lining up sights. If its a pressure situation a shotgun is the way to go. If its a pump...---... the racking of the slide is usually enough to scare off a perpetrator. Pistols are nice if you're away from home for concealment purposes but a shotgun is the ultimate. Just my 2 Cents...

 

[cp1969]

4" revolver is about the perfect size. (probably why they made millions). I would go no shorter, it's MUCH harder to shoot a snubby. You also lose a lot of velocity out of a short barrel. Again, it's not a concealable weapon, it's a house gun, small doesn't matter, just grip size.
I would not go Colt. I love my Colt's, don't get me wrong, but
a. Colt hasn't made a revolver in 10+ years (probably closer to 20)
b. Thus there aren't many gunsmiths that work on them.
c. They have gotten crazy expensive.

S & W made millions of revolvers, there are tons of police return model 10's and other .38spl ones. I think last time I saw a nice model 10 police return it was under $250 (last year though, could be more).

Ruger is a distant second. They don't ever break though.

I've never had any revolver break and I used to shoot them a lot. That's one of the reasons why I recommended a revolver--they are about as reliable as a stone axe and are not fussy about ammo in the least. You can put a .38 +P+ in one chamber and a shot capsule in another and function of the gun is unaffected. If you should encounter a misfire, you just pull the trigger again*--no need for two hands to rack the slide to clear the weapon.

I would think a used 4" Smith model 10 would be ideal for the intended purpose. However, if you want to step up just a bit, a model 15 is the same gun with adjustable sights. I picked up a a used M15 for $125 in 1995 and it looked like it had been carried but rarely fired.

However, we are rapidly approaching the time when police trade-ins of revolvers will be ending because few carry them any more. We may have already reached that point.

I am glad to see that so many people share my appreciation of revolvers. I thought I might be a dying breed.

FWIW, I have a few automatics but being a reloader, it annoys me to have to chase empty brass all over the place. Also, I always seem to be able to hit better with a revolver, especially moving targets.



*You would definitely not do this during practice. It is dangerous because you may be experiencing a 'hangfire', not a misfire. However, when the chips are down, you would not worry about this.

 

[Soundguy]

Tarus is a great name too. For carry.. i prefer a snubby

soundguy

And that exactly why I posted the question here .

I talked with her last night about going to a gun shop and letting her handel a few pistols. She is getting kind of excited about learning to shoot and handel a gun. I have confidence she will master the hand gun and will learn to shoot, load, clean, and handel safely.

I'll let you know what she picks out.

Any advise on barrel length? I thinking stub nose or no more than 4".

And since we are talking revolver would you stick with Colt and S&W?

David

 

[Soundguy]

revolvers are great guns. When i go hog hunting I always carry a .44magnum colt anaconda with me.. lots of stopping power.. and virtually no chance of a jamb in a pressure situation.

in a home defense situation.. i agree about the shotgun being ideal.. however.. again.. my wifey is a thin woman and not strong.. my only pumps are in 12ga.. and I wouldn't even try to teach her my bolt 20's.. and would not choose a dbl as a defense weapon due to limited shot.. that leaves the revolver.. etc. Since fbi statistics show that average defense shots are between close range and extreme close range (meele ).. then even a snubby is fine... if you can look down your arm.. you should be able to hit a target 6 to 10 feet away without 'aiming'. Just point and click.. and keep clicking till the threat stops.. etc..


Soundguy

I've never had any revolver break and I used to shoot them a lot. That's one of the reasons why I recommended a revolver--they are about as reliable as a stone axe and are not fussy about ammo in the least. You can put a .38 +P+ in one chamber and a shot capsule in another and function of the gun is unaffected. If you should encounter a misfire, you just pull the trigger again*--no need for two hands to rack the slide to clear the weapon.

I would think a used 4" Smith model 10 would be ideal for the intended purpose. However, if you want to step up just a bit, a model 15 is the same gun with adjustable sights. I picked up a a used M15 for $125 in 1995 and it looked like it had been carried but rarely fired.

However, we are rapidly approaching the time when police trade-ins of revolvers will be ending because few carry them any more. We may have already reached that point.

I am glad to see that so many people share my appreciation of revolvers. I thought I might be a dying breed.

FWIW, I have a few automatics but being a reloader, it annoys me to have to chase empty brass all over the place. Also, I always seem to be able to hit better with a revolver, especially moving targets.



*You would definitely not do this during practice. It is dangerous because you may be experiencing a 'hangfire', not a misfire. However, when the chips are down, you would not worry about this.

 

[the_sandman_454]

I would think a 12 or 20 guage shotgun with an 18" barrel and probably a youth stock would be the best bet if it's mostly going to be a home defense weapon. Or do like I do and have a 16" AR15 as your primary defensive firearm (around the home). Plenty of power, much less recoil than the shotguns, and still fairly light. Mine has an adjustable buttstock that collapses enough to allow a small framed individual a comfortable length of pull. I have never seen any evidence that the type of weapon used for self defense has made a difference in a criminal case provided the weapon was legally owned and the shooting was justified. Any defense attorney worth his or her salt should easily be able to stop a prosecutor on that tangent in his/her tracks.

Personally I like J frame revolvers, full size 1911's, and a Sig P226. Most of you probably like something completely different, and that's great. Just make sure to expose your wife to as many different types of handguns, with different caliber and trigger options as possible so she can make her own informed decision as to what fits her best, is the most comfortable with, and most accurate.

You should probably look into some training courses for her, especially if she's not a shooter. Make sure you have her practice quite a bit. If there is a local range that offers basic firearms training and rents firearms, do that. If you do have a range nearby, it shouldn't be too difficult to rent a bunch of different handguns and let her decide what she finds most comfortable to shoot and operate.

I wouldn't go by noise, since my 3" Walther P22 .22LR is practically as loud as my 5" 1911 .45acp. They're all loud without proper hearing protection on.

In my opinion, a defensive weapon should be kept with a loaded magazine and a round in the chamber. You can keep it in a proper holster for the particular gun (covers the trigger so it can't inadvertently get pulled), and it should be more than safe enough. Remember for it to do any good at all it's got to be quickly accessable and ready to put into action.

However, the above assumes she will actually use the weapon to shoot someone if it becomes necessary. If she is not willing to potentially use lethal force to defend herself/you, etc, then a firearm is not going to help at all other than to help "feel" safer. If that were the case, it would make her less safe, since it gives someone access to her weapon if she hesitates to use it and they rush her, etc. I have never had to use a weapon in defense of myself or others, and I hope that trend continues for the rest of my natural life, but I try to be as mentally prepared for that eventuality as possible, since hesitation can mean the difference between you surviving an encounter or not. Might want to get some less lethal items as well, OC/Mace/etc because it's good to have options.

 

[LMTC]

Mybe this is just me, but I have read in countless places how the racking of a pump shotgun is enough to scare off most intruders. First....I would like to know where the evidence is for that. I truly suspect it is purely anecdotal. Any perp/intruder high on drugs, particularly stimulants, isn't likely to give a rodent's south end about a metallic click-click. Second....if I have to grab my shotgun at night, I am already in condition red, code 5, whatever you want to call it....I am at the extreme level of my defensive posture, and that shotgun is pumped the instant it gets in my hands. Besides the other things we have, we do have a Mossberg Persuader...I keep it with the chamber empty, magazine fully loaded, trigger pulled...so it is ready to be cocked without finding the slide release. Third....one of the very last things I want to do is help a perp/intruder indentify my location by making a distinctive noise. I keep a cell phone turned on at night with the all the noise-making stuff off....keypad beeps, etc. Who wants to dial 911 with a phone screaming "Hey! I'm right here."? I've even thought about setting it so all the lights stay off and just trying to dial by touch....but haven't done that....yet.

My wife has a 2" Taurus 85 because it gets carried. In the house the revolvers kept loaded are 4", all with 38 Special. Interesting site below re: penetration of various rounds.
Box o' Truth

Somewhere I had (switched PCs last week :>( a bookmark on a chart of documented shootings over a period, and the % of stops with given calibers. I will look for it....it was revelationary for me, as it was the second compilation I've seen that debunks the 40 S&W, which I have as a primary pistol caliber. The 9mm fared better, and as well as the 38 Special as I recall. Of the calibers with a reasonable number of incidents, the 357 was the clear winner, and the numbers on 22, 25, and 32 were just plain scary they were so low. I recall 45 being second, but more behind 357 than I would have guessed.


I've owned dozens of revolvers in my life (actually scores, but not hundreds). Older Smiths are masterpieces. Many older Colts are pretty nice too. I've never seen a Ruger that wasn't rock solid in terms of reliability and durability. I've had perhaps 10-12 Taurus firearms, all satisfactory to very good. I know of one fellow 15 years ago or so with a very old (maybe bought in the 70s or whenever Taurus first hit the US market) chrome plated Taurus 32 or 38 that had firing pin problems. Two friends of mine own what has become one of the largest volume gun stores in SW Ohio over the past decade. They see what comes back. I don't think a person will do any better buying a new Smith than a new Ruger or Taurus revolver. If you're going to shoot a high volume of rounds, buy Ruger. If you want junk, look for the first generation of Smith pistols with the decocker.

For all using rifle calibers as a primary home defense.....have you considered your neighbor 1/4 mile away? Even a factory 357 magnum is going through several walls. LINK

 

[hunterridgefarm]

The shotgun as protection is good and we have always had one cloes by. I have a 20 gauge pump, double, single, and auto. But I feel she would be more comfortable with the pistol in hand rather than the shotgun.

Someone brought up the cell phone. We also have the portable phones for landlines and if she was calling 911 she could have the phone in one hand and the pistol in the other. But it always depends on the situation; would she have time to call 911.

Someone mentioned the Ruger. One of my revolvers is a Ruger and it is a nice pistol and shoots very well. I have put a few thousand rounds througe it.


One thing for sure is TBNers are ARMED! Looks like we are a bunch of tractor riding, gun toting, shoot-em-up........


David

 

[RoyJackson]

One thing for sure is TBNers are ARMED! Looks like we are a bunch of tractor riding, gun toting, shoot-em-up........


David

Is "Cowboys" the word you're looking for?

 

[hunterridgefarm]

Is "Cowboys" the word you're looking for?

That will work!

I can see John "The Duke" Wayne riding on a tractor with his six shooter on his hip and a gunrack on the ROPS .

Care to suggest what kinda tractor it would be?
(That would be a different thread)



David

 

[Soundguy]

I'd like to make a couple observations here. While all of us may harbor a few 'john wayne/clint eastwood' thoughts in the back of our mind about 'bagging' the bad guy on our own before the law gets there.. there are other practical matters to consider. In most situations.. the ideal scenerio is that when you make your presence known.. specifically 'armed presence'.. wheter that is verbally, visually, or an auditory clue lick a firearm slide / chamber racking.. etc... that the intruder will simply go somplace safer.. IE.. leave your home without a confrontation... That's the safest scenerio.. IMHO.. armed conflict, while it may be unavoidable in some situations, will be inherently more dangerous.. etc.

An intruder in your domicile can usually be broken down into 2 situations.

1, the perp is there to get your stuff.. IE.. he wants cash and jewlery or stuf he can 'turn into' cash.. etc. He's there for $$.. not to get killed. Once he knows you know he is there, and he knows you have the means to dispatch him... it's a good bet he will leave. ( now.. if he is prevented from leaving.. that's where things can get hairy...)

2, the perp is there, and you make your presence known, and he keeps coming... at that point.. you know he's not there for 'stuff'. .. he's there looking for a conflict.

While I would not even consider shooting a guy in the back running out the door with my vcr... I wouldn't think twice about defending myself or my family from a perp closing on me in a situation where i though imenent bodily harm or death was about to happen.

I've BTDT with #1.. came home early from work to find someone in my house in a spare room. I was armed.. he stayed put in the room.. and i didn't try to enter... when the law got there.. they entered.. turned out it was 2 guys in there.. neither armed.. but would have been a bad situation nonetheless.

I don't get paid to deal with thugs.. that's what the guys in blue with the bullet proof vests, tazers, teargas and glocks are there for...

I think we just need to keep in perspective the difference in good defense.. and how the threat to our safet yincreases as we 'spread' that defense out on the move during a confrontation.. etc.

soundguy

Mybe this is just me, but I have read in countless places how the racking of a pump shotgun is enough to scare off most intruders. First....I would like to know where the evidence is for that. I truly suspect it is purely anecdotal. Any perp/intruder high on drugs, particularly stimulants, isn't likely to give a rodent's south end about a metallic click-click. Second....if I have to grab my shotgun at night, I am already in condition red, code 5, whatever you want to call it....I am at the extreme level of my defensive posture, and that shotgun is pumped the instant it gets in my hands. Besides the other things we have, we do have a Mossberg Persuader...I keep it with the chamber empty, magazine fully loaded, trigger pulled...so it is ready to be cocked without finding the slide release. Third....one of the very last things I want to do is help a perp/intruder indentify my location by making a distinctive noise. I keep a cell phone turned on at night with the all the noise-making stuff off....keypad beeps, etc. Who wants to dial 911 with a phone screaming "Hey! I'm right here."? I've even thought about setting it so all the lights stay off and just trying to dial by touch....but haven't done that....yet.

My wife has a 2" Taurus 85 because it gets carried. In the house the revolvers kept loaded are 4", all with 38 Special. Interesting site below re: penetration of various rounds.
Box o' Truth

Somewhere I had (switched PCs last week :>( a bookmark on a chart of documented shootings over a period, and the % of stops with given calibers. I will look for it....it was revelationary for me, as it was the second compilation I've seen that debunks the 40 S&W, which I have as a primary pistol caliber. The 9mm fared better, and as well as the 38 Special as I recall. Of the calibers with a reasonable number of incidents, the 357 was the clear winner, and the numbers on 22, 25, and 32 were just plain scary they were so low. I recall 45 being second, but more behind 357 than I would have guessed.


I've owned dozens of revolvers in my life (actually scores, but not hundreds). Older Smiths are masterpieces. Many older Colts are pretty nice too. I've never seen a Ruger that wasn't rock solid in terms of reliability and durability. I've had perhaps 10-12 Taurus firearms, all satisfactory to very good. I know of one fellow 15 years ago or so with a very old (maybe bought in the 70s or whenever Taurus first hit the US market) chrome plated Taurus 32 or 38 that had firing pin problems. Two friends of mine own what has become one of the largest volume gun stores in SW Ohio over the past decade. They see what comes back. I don't think a person will do any better buying a new Smith than a new Ruger or Taurus revolver. If you're going to shoot a high volume of rounds, buy Ruger. If you want junk, look for the first generation of Smith pistols with the decocker.

For all using rifle calibers as a primary home defense.....have you considered your neighbor 1/4 mile away? Even a factory 357 magnum is going through several walls. LINK