I have a female friend who wants a handgun for self defense, and is will to get training from me as well as others.  My question is what pistol should I advise her to buy?  I know once she learns it, it wont be shot alot.  My thinking is a Glock 23 in .40 little more than a 9mm but less than a .45 I have never cared much for the 9mm not that its a bad round I just think there is better. I also dont want it so powerful it scares her off.  But I do want it powerful enough that it does the job. Let the flaming begin.
Thanks,
Mike

ok--first off, does she have any handgun expierence?

let her try different ones at the store and see which one feels good in her hands and what she would prefer to carry (weight, contours, etc) as well as hopefully like the trigger as well as the controls and slide (if auto)

some will say that a revolver would be the best to start women off w/ (reliable, no slide to rack, no controls to forget ), but i think thats kinda silly as if any guy can manipulate and learn how to use a firearm, then a woman who is willing to learn should be able too

i think that the Glock would be a great pisol to start off with--makes em learn how to keep the finger off the trigger till ready to shoot (4 rules of gun handling)

as to caliber, i would start with a 9mm and practice initially with a .22lr (if she is a noob); if she can handle the recoil and place consistant, accuate, fast shots with it, then go for it
if not, i would try the G19

h/w, i will have to say that the .40sw is a tad too snappy for me--i prefer the push of the .45
since this is a carry gun, the caliber (w/in reason) that is good and comfortable to shoot should be the one to pick to practice with all the time
the .40 is not a lighter recoiling round (imo) than the 45acp

btw 9mm--.45acp, they are all good manstoppers--some a tad better than others, but they will all work

I agree with the above. The .45 feels like it kicks harder longer, but the .40 is a sharp kick.

9mm should work all around plus it's cheap to practice with. Grip size is also important. Unless you're talking single stack .45s, most women can't get their hands around a double stack .45.

Reagrdless, everyone should have a .22LR pistol for practice. My buddy told me I should start off with .22s, etc. Of course with the AWB ending I got an AK, AR, etc. etc. Once I got back and picked up some .22s, it helped me shoot much better.

But, again, go to a range with rentals (or bring all your toys, plus a good friends, etc.) to try everything. Personally, I ended up liking the .40 over everything else.