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[SG Racer]

Double action S &W .38 special...Never jams, fit her small palm, knock down power, very concealable.  As good as it gets.

I bought my wife one of these also. It is a great gun. The one I have is a plus p. She does not like it that well though. I bought her a Bersa Thunder 380 a few years ago and she loves it. I carry the 38 sometimes myself. I have some FBI friends and they love S&W revolvers still. Never jam, always fires. Their Special operators still carry them.
 A side note about the light weight ones, they are very accurate but kick hard. Not something you want to shoot a lot.
 I agree it is still one of the best, IMHO.

[VaEagle]

I encourage you to check out the Glock Model 36, It is a very compact .45 that is about the size of many .380s with much more knockdown power. It also has a gentle recoil due to having two recoil springs and a polymer frame. It also has a very durable finish that won't rust or show wear easily. Being black it is easy to conceal and doesn't draw attention.
The Glock Model .36 is also very accurate out of the box and can handle many bullet types and load weights. The .45 is a known man stopper in any configuration from ball ammo to various hollow points.
As others have said practice a lot with one weapon that you carry and try to always carry it in the same spot and not all over your body so you will make movements smoothly and out of instinct, that way you don't telegraph your intentions groping around trying to figure out where the weapon is today etc.

[Crusty]

Gotta agree with those that say the caliber is far less important than the ability to effectivly employ the weapon and put rounds on target. With the ammo available today, a few well placed round will do the job. If the gun is too large to carry, no fun to shoot, or the ammo is too expensive to fire enough rounds to get comfortable with it, chances are you will either not have it with you when you need it or not be able to put rounds on target under stress.

While it looks great in the movies to pull out a Desert Eagle and watch everyone run, in real life, I'd rather have a .380 that I know I can comfortably carry all the time.

[ffltjeff]

Just picked up a Kimber Solo for my wife, nice easy carry 9mm

[skippy]

Look at the Ruger LCR in 38 its light easy to carry and has a recoil grip  great for a lady.... my wife carries one....

[LovemyCVOgirl]

This is the gun I carry.  The Kimber custom 45 

[Henrycm]

Sig 238 in .380. Just awesome!

I second this choice

Sent from my EVO using Tapatalk 2

[Rio]

For Carry!  The new S & W Shield in 9MM is an awesome gun.  I have an H & K P30 that I love, but its heavy and big....great gun.  I'm lovin the Shield and it's not quite broken in yet, I've only fired about 300 rounds through it so far.

[Midnight Rider]

Another vote for the Sig P238.  They also now have a Sig P938 (9mm).  The 238 is, IMO, the perfect carry gun and is a dream to shoot.  Not a single glitch in several hundred rounds shot through it.  Easy to control, accurate as hell, and with the right round, will do sufficient damage to a bad guy.  I haven't shot the 938 or even seen one, but it is just slightly larger.  They are not cheap, but it's a quality piece if you like the 1911 "style".

[Screamin_Beagle]

All,
   With all of this craziness going on these days, I'm in the market for a little protection for Suzy. As many of you know I travel quite a bit, and there have been break In's in my neighborhood.  She has small hands and is about 125 lbs, any suggestions or help is appreciated.  I'm thinking a small frame 9mm or a .380

[Mrs Rooster]

 Matt take Suzy to a range and let her try different ones and see what feels good in her hands. Okay keep your minds out of the gutter 

[Screamin_Beagle]

Thanks all,
   There are several indoor ranges here that will let you test fire anything.  My bro-in-law was a range instructor in th USMC for several years (G.SGT Hank) I call him Dirty Hanky, he's a better shot than Mel Gibson in Lethal Weapon.....no chit (His Colt .45 ACP is like part of him).  I'm not looking for her to carry, just something in the night stand that she can use to protect herself when I'm not here. I can surely fend off any threat when I'm home, but my .40 and 9mm are just too big and heavy for my little baby.

[ffltjeff]

Here is a picture of the Kimber Solo it is the stainless gun the other is my Glock  40 cal.  You can't beat Glock for dependability not a pretty gun but will never let you down. Kimber is small easy to conceal.  I just got the Kimber and have not fired any rounds through it yet, hopefully get to the range later today.

[VaEagle]

Matt take Suzy to a range and let her try different ones and see what feels good in her hands. Okay keep your minds out of the gutter 

I agree with above idea. Let the person who is going to use it pick it out after trying it and practicing at the range.
I have learned over the years that a hit with a .22 is better than a miss with a .44 but if all things are equal hit the suspect with the largest thing you can accurately hit with. Most shooting incidences only involve 2 or three shots so very large capacity guns are not statistically needed and just increase bulk and weight which you wife has trouble handling from your comments. A .380 is just a shortened lower power .9mm so don't expect much change except you need to be careful of which bullet weight and design you need to get best stopping power. You need to combine accuracy with stopping power to get best results. Remember that if you place the shot on target but the round has low velocity or small weight and penetration then it takes longer to stop the intruder. Which then gives them longer time to assault you.
It sound strange at first but I have found that the Glock 45 is very easy to train someone on and it has a gentle push as opposed to a sharp shove back like a .40 or 9mm, I think it's because the other calibers are high velocity and the 45 is lower velocity as well as the gun's design.
I have females in their 20's shooting the Glock as well as guys in their 80s and they love it.
Good luck choosing and I hope she finds a gun she is comfortable with yet never has to use it for self defense!

[Screamin_Beagle]

VA,
   Thanks for the insight, I have several that I enjoy shooting but Suzy is new to the trade, I just want her to be happy with what we get her. Again, there is no chance of her trying to carry, but I do travel and there has been strange crap going on in my hood.  I'm thinking about getting the Horsemen and Angels around again to put an end to this bullchit.
As a patchholder for 10+ years, It's time to stop this chit.

_Beags