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Lost Sheep · May 12, 2013, 04:27 PM

My recommendation is for a 22 rimfire (reasoning below). While not terribly good for defense against an animal (or person) intent on an attack, even a 40 grain solid does have a discouraging effect.

semi-automatics:
Ruger Mark I, II or current model III
or Browning Buckmark or
Smith & Wesson Model 41

Revolvers that come immediately to mind are:
Ruger SP101
Ruger Single-Six
Smith & Wesson's K-Frame K-22 "Masterpiece" (I had one a while back)
Smith & Wesson 617
Taurus (I forget the model #)

Here's my reasoning:

1 Practice is important for becoming a good shot. Practice (beyond dry firing) takes ammo. Ammo is cheaper for a 22 than for any other caliber. Example: 22 rimfire costs (around here) $20 - $30 per 500. 500 rounds of 9mm (a very inexpensive round) is at least $100 to $150 per 500.

2 Practice with a round that has almost no recoil makes concentration on sight picture, breathing and trigger control much easier without the distraction of recoil and excessive muzzle blast. You can add those elements later after you have gotten the basics ingrained in your subconscious. If you start out with a hard-recoiling round you are almost certain to develop anticipation (usually characterized by a flinch) which is devilishly hard to cure. Prevention is much easier to, especially while you are learning.

3 Having a good, accurate 22 will put her on the range (formal or informal shooting range) where she will get acquainted with other shooters, see their gun handling practices and see their guns. Most gun owners are proud of their hardware and if exhibiting good safety practices, a modicum of shooting skill and a little bit of polite interest, they will very probably let her handle their guns and even send a few rounds downrange. She can get to try out a wide variety of guns that way and collect testimonials from people other than salesmen in a store.

4 Most (accurate) 22 rimfire guns are cheaper to buy than similarly accurate centerfire guns and hold their resale value well.

I also recommend both of you visit a web site (mentioned before) owned by one of the administrators on The Firing Line, "Pax". It is principally written for women new to guns, but most of the information there is EQUALLY applicable to either gender. "New to guns" is "new to guns" whether male or female.
http://www.corneredcat.com/Contents/

Good luck. Thanks for reading.

Lost Sheep

May 12, 2013, 04:27 PM	#50
Lost Sheep Senior Member Join Date: January 24, 2009 Location: Anchorage Alaska Posts: 3,341	My recommendation is for a 22 rimfire (reasoning below). While not terribly good for defense against an animal (or person) intent on an attack, even a 40 grain solid does have a discouraging effect. semi-automatics: Ruger Mark I, II or current model III or Browning Buckmark or Smith & Wesson Model 41 Revolvers that come immediately to mind are: Ruger SP101 Ruger Single-Six Smith & Wesson's K-Frame K-22 "Masterpiece" (I had one a while back) Smith & Wesson 617 Taurus (I forget the model #) Here's my reasoning: 1 Practice is important for becoming a good shot. Practice (beyond dry firing) takes ammo. Ammo is cheaper for a 22 than for any other caliber. Example: 22 rimfire costs (around here) $20 - $30 per 500. 500 rounds of 9mm (a very inexpensive round) is at least $100 to $150 per 500. 2 Practice with a round that has almost no recoil makes concentration on sight picture, breathing and trigger control much easier without the distraction of recoil and excessive muzzle blast. You can add those elements later after you have gotten the basics ingrained in your subconscious. If you start out with a hard-recoiling round you are almost certain to develop anticipation (usually characterized by a flinch) which is devilishly hard to cure. Prevention is much easier to, especially while you are learning. 3 Having a good, accurate 22 will put her on the range (formal or informal shooting range) where she will get acquainted with other shooters, see their gun handling practices and see their guns. Most gun owners are proud of their hardware and if exhibiting good safety practices, a modicum of shooting skill and a little bit of polite interest, they will very probably let her handle their guns and even send a few rounds downrange. She can get to try out a wide variety of guns that way and collect testimonials from people other than salesmen in a store. 4 Most (accurate) 22 rimfire guns are cheaper to buy than similarly accurate centerfire guns and hold their resale value well. I also recommend both of you visit a web site (mentioned before) owned by one of the administrators on The Firing Line, "Pax". It is principally written for women new to guns, but most of the information there is EQUALLY applicable to either gender. "New to guns" is "new to guns" whether male or female. http://www.corneredcat.com/Contents/ Good luck. Thanks for reading. Lost Sheep