My little sister is a college student. Last night
she barely escaped being raped or worse!

She was walking her dog (a teacup chihuahua....not exactly the kind of dog that could help her if she was attacked.) near her house when she was approached by a man. He moved across the street directly toward her at a fast pace, and she could tell from his body language that he intended her harm. She grabbed her dog, ran into the house with him right on her heels, and got inside and locked the door a split second before he got to the door. She called the police, and they took a report and searched the area, but by then the perp was long gone. This is not the first time she has seen this person hanging around near her house. There are several college girls that live in this neighborhood.

So, after last night's scare, she has decided to buy something to protect herself with. She is 22 years old. I am suggesting a revolver. My thoughts are a double action only .38 special hammerless snubnose in stainless steel. Very easy to conceal, lightweight, and the simplest to operate. No hammer or safety to worry about. A semi-auto is out of the question.

So, with that in mind, can you guys suggest a make and model for her to buy. She is a college student, so she does not need to buy a $400.00 handgun. She is not a novice with firearms, but this will be her first gun. Is the quality good on makers like Rossi, Charter Arms, and Taurus. I have only had S&W and Colt revolvers, so I don't have any experience with the accuracy and quality of these brands. Something in the $250.00 or less price range would be good. After she buys the pistol, I will take her to the range, and make sure she is safe and competent with whatever she chooses, and I will also help her find a carry class in her town so that she can get her permit and the good advice and legal info that the class teaches.

Help me out gang.....I will probably take her shopping (and shooting) this weekend. Please suggest what you would buy for your wife or daughter for a first handgun. Thanks alot,
Herman Snerd

Revolver Thread

Charter Arms is now Charter 2000.  Quality, workmanships, etc., is fine and always has been. It is not up to S&W levels, but the price reflects that. You will probably never wear one out in any event. I have the .44 Special version which is a bit too big for a pocket gun and have never owned the .38 version, but the same quality is evident there. It is cheap enough to get into to her hands even when there is a budget and that is the most important thing. I don't think anyone but a pro will notice any difference in accuracy between different snub noses, which I assume is what you want to get, and extreme accuracy is irrelevant anyway.

The main thing to compare is double action trigger pull. Some are very heavy. Then get her several holsters so she will carry it no matter what outfit she is wearing.

You might also consider keeping a few cans of Pepper Spray on hand. She should carry one with her inside the home and out, at least until this guy is caught. For nightstand and kitchen use the extra large cans are great, if you have time to get to it.

You should get some alarms for all the doors and windows as well. You want to make sure this guy does not get inside. If the outside is not will lit, some motion detecion lights are easy to install.

Taurus makes a fine revolver for the price. So does Ruger ( sp 101)  you can find used  for under $300. I would take a Ruger over a Taurus anyday. Make sure she is licensed before she starts carrying. No need to have her lose her license before she can exercise her right. With this is mind. The handgun will only do her good in the house.She may want to walk her dog with a friend  or make it a group thing with other people who own dogs in the neighborhood or before it gets too dark. A dog that size can't make too much of a mess in a house. Ample lighting around a house at night is a super deterant.   Peper spray is a nice idea if you know how to use it correctly. One of the best  deterants for a woman is to be vocal.  People tend to think twice when they are the focus of the attention.

www.gunbroker.com/auction/ViewItem.asp?Item=18306068

Thanks for the info guys. I will let you know what she chooses.
Keep the suggestions coming.

What SGB said! And a bigger dog.

Why is a semi-auto out of the question?

I have a Rossi .38 Special for sale, comes with a nice little leather holster. Email me if youre interested. Im looking for about 150$.

Get one of these:


And one of these:

I personally would recomend the SW 640 it is a snubnose hammerless .357 .  this would give the gun enough weight that she probably would not feel much recoil.  also it give the option of .357 rounds should she decide to step up the power.

In picking a snub revolver keep in mind that a .38 special will not fully consume it's powder charge in such a short bbl. A .357 is going to give you a hell of a lot more flash, noise and recoil for no real measurable benifit.

I am very happy with my S+W Airlite PD and my chief special. I bought the Airlite for $400 used and the chief for $200. With that said the steel chief is much easier to shoot than the 12 oz. airlite even with .38's in the Airlite. The extra weight of the steel gun is hardly even noticed and you can find them everywhere for cheap coin.

Quoted: A .357 is going to give you a hell of a lot more flash, noise and recoil for no real measurable benifit.

Not true at all. Corbon 125gr. .357 mag does 1300+fps from a 2" sp-101. No .38spl is going to touch that.
Not a good choice as a carry load for a novice but it does do better than a .38.

Quoted: Not true at all. Corbon 125gr. .357 mag does 1300+fps from a 2" sp-101. No .38spl is going to touch that. Not a good choice as a carry load for a novice but it does do better than a .38.

But his sister IS a novice. If she's like most people who just want "a piece for peace of mind", she's not going to practice enough with it to adapt to the recoil of a .357 round. Firing .357's through a snubbie can be intimidating and unpleasant, even for some who have moved beyond the novice stage.

Get her a Smith & Wesson Model 649 Bodyguard, and keep it loaded with 110-grain .38 Special Hydra-Shoks.

 You should be able to find a used S&W Model 10 in good shape for under $300, J&G Sales has them listed for $160 wholesale price.  Have a gunsmith check it out, before purchase if possible.  If she's going to carry, she absolutely needs to get a permit and training.


mm

Quoted: Quoted: A .357 is going to give you a hell of a lot more flash, noise and recoil for no real measurable benifit. Not true at all. Corbon 125gr. .357 mag does 1300+fps from a 2" sp-101. No .38spl is going to touch that. Not a good choice as a carry load for a novice but it does do better than a .38.

I'd have to see that for myself to believe it

Quoted: Get one of these: www.taurususa.com/imagesMain/H_850SH2C.jpg And one of these: www.dpca.org/Photos/bluedog2b.jpg

DITTO.

I always recommend the Taurus 85 for a novice shooter.

Utterly reliable.

Simple manual of arms.

I for one would not reccomend to a beginning shooter woman with little practice that she buys the cheapest revolver made with the worst possible trigger pull guaranteeing a miss placed shot under stress.

Her life is worth more than $250, take her to a rental range and have her try a bunch of different guns, then have her practice.

Quoted: I for one would not reccomend to a beginning shooter woman with little practice that she buys the cheapest revolver made with the worst possible trigger pull guaranteeing a miss placed shot under stress. Her life is worth more than $250, take her to a rental range and have her try a bunch of different guns, then have her practice.

I agree.

Don't buy her a cheap piece of crap. Get her a quality firearm somewhere in the middle of the price range.

Her life is worth the extra hundred bucks or so.

I 3rd that. Its a protection firearm , not a range plinker. Quality you have to buy once.


S&W Model 640

Shoot .38 through it, maybe after a couple years of practice with it and carrying it she can dabble in the .357 area and practice with it till she is comfortable with it.

Posted over on rugerforums. I belive the source.

I was not making a sugestion. Just trying to clear up an often repeated mistake.

I can't see anything wrong with a used model 10 if it's in good condition. It might be a good idea to get the hammer bobed though.

When my girlfriend leaves the house for a walk without me, she takes this:

And this:

My Doberman looks mean but he is a big lover.  However when you see us walking him down the street you most likely will not approach either of us because he looks so mean.

Quoted: I 3rd that. Its a protection firearm , not a range plinker. Quality you have to buy once. S&W Model 640 Shoot .38 through it, maybe after a couple years of practice with it and carrying it she can dabble in the .357 area and practice with it till she is comfortable with it.

a .357 is not a bad choice and gives you the option of using .38's thru it until she is ready for more.

Quoted: I for one would not reccomend to a beginning shooter woman with little practice that she buys the cheapest revolver made with the worst possible trigger pull guaranteeing a miss placed shot under stress. Her life is worth more than $250, take her to a rental range and have her try a bunch of different guns, then have her practice.

I agree.  I am a petite woman, and I owned an Airweight S&W.  I think taking her to a range to shoot a variety is good advice.  My carry gun is a Glock 26, because it does not have an external  safety to mess with in an emergency.  They are also very reliable.   My first carry gun was a S&W Airweight in .38, and it was very difficult to shoot well.

The rejection of an auto does not make sense to me.  This is an odd area in which to bow to simple prejudice.  If autos becmoe an option, a compact Glock (maybe a 9 rather than the 45 pictured above) would be a solid choice.  Another nice pick is the Kahr.  I prefer the steel models, and haven't personally shot the plastic framed Kahrs, but many folks sing their praises too.  

If a revolver is really the only option, count this as a vote for the Taurus 85.  It is reliable and if the action doesn't smooth up enough to suit you after a hundred rounds, any decent 'smith do the job to slick it up.