Best firearm for home defense.
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My experience has been different than yours.
A polymer 9mm will have more typically have much more felt recoil more than a revolver with .38s.
I've found that folks have an easier time handling and manipulating a revolver than a semi, with quick reloads being the exception. This is why a revolver is suggested to folks with strength issues, arthritis in the hands and other physical issues. The first DA pull can be a pain, but I've yet to see a jam due to limp wristing or recoil anticipation on a revolver.
All guns are deafening and blinding in a room especially if you just awoke. Even a .22lr. Ammo cost isn't so bad if you shop. Just bought 12 boxes of .22 WMR online. Ammo cost isn't everything. If you learn how to use the pistol before needing it then it shouldn't be dorky. Just like anything else you have to learn all about what you intend to do and use.
To the OP
You know her better than any of us here, so I am pretty sure YOU might know the answer. I think it is great she wants a firearm for self-protection, and a blessing to see that she wants to flex her 2A right by taking self-defense seriously. IMO, any pump 20 ga or 9mm is perfect for the bedside, pick the brand/style that fits best and within her budget. There are 100's to choose from.
However, I will play devil's advocate here too:
Did you explain to her what having a firearm for home defense actually means? Having a firearm for home defense is just that... in the event, it is needed you WILL use it without prejudice, hesitation, and to the best of your ability to save your life or the life of your loved ones even if it means taking the life of another. Does she understand that and all that it entails? That is the question NO-ONE here is asking.
As I said earlier, you know her better than us; so if she is ready then by all means go for it... but if she is not, then maybe you need to talk to her about the realities of it before she makes the purchase. A firearm without a willing user behind the trigger is a liability, not a benefit.
That's a great point!
What folks think they will do and what they will really do (when in a particular situation) aren't always the same. Muscle memory might kick in and help make the decision for you or maybe you'll revert to your natural fight/flight/freeze instincts.
Taking the first step (deciding that you want to own a firearm) and then actually spending the time, energy and money training as well as having the will to survive is important.
Darqhelmet
You had one job, one.
Clearly you fail at reading. Her will to use a firearm has been brought up multiple times by multiple people.
Yep, guilty... I didn't read ALL 7 pages, just the first 2.
Really the only thing here that will have a spread worthy of "point and shoot" at home defense distances. I don't know how everyone else's shotguns pattern, but even my 18.5" Mossberg is pretty much one larger hole with buckshot out to 7-8 yards. Might as well be a rifle at that distance.
I'd somewhat agree with you depending on the revolver. If your talking large frame revolvers in .38... sure a little less felt recoil in the palm of the hand. Now if we're talking Smith Airweight in .38 vs a 9mm Smith EZ, the 9mm EZ will have less recoil in the palm.
When i was looking to get my wife a carry gun several years ago we tried revolvers & semi autos. My wife didn't like the .38spcl Airweight compared to the Sig P938 we ended up getting her. She said the Airweight hurt her palm after a few shots. She's not a small framed lady.... 5'9" & 200lbs. If you really think a little 100lb older lady with less strength is going to handle recoil better than 30 something year old with a larger body frame then we will never agree on this topic.
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Speaking from experience, you are 100% correct.
9 years ago, my truck was broken into one late summer evening. My wife heard it and woke me up. I got up, grabbed my 12 ga, and went outside with my heart racing like the "tough guy" I thought I was... (1st mistake).
I was expecting to find a giant monster guy rummaging through my vehicle as I turned the corner (2nd mistake-prejudice). What I found was a snotnosed 13-15-year-old little kid staring back at me with the most scared look on his face.
I had my 12-ga loaded with #4 shot, safety off, and had the barrel directly pointed at his chest 10 yards away. I hesitated and froze (3rd mistake): I was not expecting to see a little kid and I was definitely not mentally able to pull that trigger. Thankfully, he ran off with his other friend that I didn't see (4th mistake) down the street. I called the police, made the report, and the insurance took care of the damages...
Lots of lessons were learned, and I came to the realization that even with all the range time and preparation I had done up to that point, I needed more mental preparation because thank goodness they didn't shoot me first because I froze up like an ice-cube.
Thank god I didn't kill a kid that night, I don't think I could have lived with the guilt, especially over my now sold 2013 F150 which was only a material thing that could be fixed with insurance.
I'm 5'4 and about 145 pounds.. My wife and mother are smaller. We have no shotguns because they suck to shoot and the recoil is outrageous.. Also if you like hearing you should never use a shotgun indoors EVER.
My recommendations are a 380 full sized pistol like the Smith and Wesson EZ 380 or something similar. If they are recoil shy to a 380 a 22 will do fine as long as they practice enough they can make a head and chest shot.
Don't let these caliber clowns dissuade you from smaller calibers. They'll still kill a full grown man dead as shit if they hit the CNS and follow up shots are a lot easier if you are using a caliber you can control the recoil on.
My recommendations are a 380 full sized pistol like the Smith and Wesson EZ 380 or something similar. If they are recoil shy to a 380 a 22 will do fine as long as they practice enough they can make a head and chest shot.
Don't let these caliber clowns dissuade you from smaller calibers. They'll still kill a full grown man dead as shit if they hit the CNS and follow up shots are a lot easier if you are using a caliber you can control the recoil on.
I'm a fan of pistol caliber carbines for inexperienced shooters. Easy to aim like a rifle, but low recoil and muzzle flash so it won't startle them as much to fire it. Plus ammo is a little cheaper hopefully encouraging them to practice more.
If it's going to be a shotgun, it oughta be a semi-auto. She'll never learn to pump a pump...
I'd be more inclined to recommend an AR-9 or AR-22, over a pistol in either caliber, as being easier for her to master.
My only other recommendation would be a revolver in .38 Special or lesser caliber.
I'd be more inclined to recommend an AR-9 or AR-22, over a pistol in either caliber, as being easier for her to master.
My only other recommendation would be a revolver in .38 Special or lesser caliber.
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A defender may not need to use 10 rds of .22LR to stop a perp. Some of you may remember this incident.
^
John Hinkley had a .22LR revolver and fired all six shots in a matter of seconds. The gun was loaded with "Devastator" ammo, a gimmick round that was supposed to be a super-expanding bullet, but had a reputation of not working very well. Out of his six shots, one hit James Brady in the head, another hit a Secret Service agent in the upper torso, and another hit a police officer in the neck. All of these men, strong, healthy, fairly young, were instantly put down on the ground from severe injuries. One other round ricocheted off the limo and hit President Reagan in his side, almost killing him.
All of these men were shot with just one .22LR round. Penetration was deep in all of the victims. Except for Reagan who was rushed to the hospital, these men were instantly stopped in their tracks.
Another famous .22LR killing: Robert F. Kennedy was shot three times from an 8-shot .22LR revolver, Sirhan Sirhan also injuring 5 other people, several of them put on the ground as well.
Some tend to forget that a defensive shoot is not to kill a perp, but to stop them in their tracks (if they die, so be it). A .22LR, not the best or most powerful, has demonstrated that it potentially can do this, and also kill. A shot gun or any other shoulder braced long gun is not the easiest weapon to use in close quarters; it also gives an assailant more of a chance to disable the gun from the hands of a shooter, especially one inexperienced and untrained.
I should have been more specific regarding revolvers. I was referring to something along the lines of a GP100 or a S&W model 19, etc... something that fits their hands and has substance to it (but not too much for a new shooter). I would only suggest something like the Airweight as a backup piece.
Felt/perceived recoil is different for everyone so we will disagree on that. I've had grandmother's in their 80's that had a blast (pun intended) shooting .357's & .44 revolvers and at the same class had a guy built like a linebacker that was one-and-done with the same revolver's.
My wife started shooting a few years ago also and was recoil shy and had (has) a difficult time racking the slide on most semi's (plus she's cross-eye dominate which is a completely different issue to deal with). We got her into classes (I don't suggest training your significant other - in the beginning at least) and started her off with .22 semi's and then my old 19-4 using .38spl. This taught her the basics and got her over the mental fear of recoil and use to the physical aspect of it.
After that we tried a LOT of different semi's (she really wanted to use one) trying to find the right one for her. Hellcat, Sig's, Glocks, Smith EZ's (I'll have her EZ Performance 9mm up for sale soon), etc... She always went back to my personal Walther PPQ M2 (9mm) though. It felt natural to her, she is confident with it and shoots extremely well with it. She does have a hard time with the slide still, but we are working on that.
