.22 home defense.

I don't like .22lr or a small .380acp is a good idea.

There is no reason a woman can not handle a full sized 9mm if they practice just a few times. I say full sized because that should mean less recoil. I hate when people give a woman a small pocket sized gun and wonder why the recoil is so horrible.

.38 spl period!

Even better .357mag frame with 38spl loaded in it for her to use for home defense use.

If I could only own one gun it would be a .357 mag with a 6 inch barrel and target sights.

just my .02 cents

Threeband said:

Please don't just hand a gun to an untrained person and tell them, "Here you go."

Check out something like the NRA's Personal Protection in the Home class.

If she gets a little training, she should be fine with a 9mm or a .38/.357 revolver. If she has no training, a .22 is too much.

Click to expand...

Well most females are not interested in becoming shooters or taking classes, except for art or Yoga. I persuade my spouse to shoot a 22 revolver once a year. Better than nothing. .... And a semi auto is too complicated for most once a yer shooters.. Powerful enough ? Well being shot or shot at usually ends with the assailant running away. A 22 will do the trick ,believe it or not.
Of course many Md Shooters think you need a 308 for rabbit hunting!

Why would you want to rely on a psychological stop when it is your wife's heath and safety?

What if it was somebody actually intent on hurting her?

cowboy321 said:

Well most females are not interested in becoming shooters or taking classes, except for art or Yoga. I persuade my spouse to shoot a 22 revolver once a year. Better than nothing. .... And a semi auto is too complicated for most once a yer shooters.. Powerful enough ? Well being shot or shot at usually ends with the assailant running away. A 22 will do the trick ,believe it or not.
Of course many Md Shooters think you need a 308 for rabbit hunting!

Click to expand...

How else are you going to head shot it at 500 yards?

See good advice here, just be patient

.22lr revolver is a great starter gun and decent in skilled hands for self defense.

.357 mag and shoot .38spl through it, very easy training and in .357 much more formative.

5.7 is the wonder gun, and it generally fractures and does not over penetrate; those saying otherwise had not read the reports or tested it themselves.

Get training. Seriously, take a couple NRA classes together, this above all else.

Avoid conflict and treat everyone with respect and you'll never have to use the gun.

Stay safe.

How about a 9mm carbine? Like a AR in 9mm or gasp a HiPoint! With the AR you can use a 32 round if 32 rounds of 147 grain projectiles Properly placed don't do the job you have two choices reload and afterwards seek training or call in the Marines.

smokey0118 said:

Great advice

More great advice


silly. If anything, the 5.7x28 would penetrate LESS than the big/slow/heavy .38+p. Regardless, anything that puts meaningful holes in people will penetrate LOTS of drywall. it's better to use a cartridge that gives you the best possibility of stopping a threat without having to keep pressing the trigger. Interestingly enough, if you can deal with the noise issue, a proper 5.56 bullet weight and construction will do a good deal of damage, while fragmenting and losing energy through drywall faster than most handgun projectiles that stay intact and just keep trucking.

Click to expand...

Smokey is correct, everything I have seen suggets that 5.56 is actually the best home defense round when it comes to having enough power and not over penetrating.

ok...... first and foremost.... to everyone who posted after my 2nd or 3rd comment. THANKYOU its nice to know this site isnt full of douchebags that just want to flame someone. i gained ALOT of knowledge just from these posts. i didnt think about a 38 or .380. i just thought 22 cause her dad has an older 22 revolver that she loves shooting and figured something with a little larger mag cap. and semi auto would be a little better. but many good points.. i planned on taking her to the range and fire the guns but i wanted to get some recommendations before i went and spent crazy money renting 15 different guns lol...


and just to clear things up, im not just throwing a gun in her hand. shes had years experience shooting, im a Gunners Mate in the coast guard. a firearms instructor. my job is to teach the new recruits coming into the coast guard how to shoot a pistol. im not cocky i just know my job and i know im damn good at it. i dont think shooting thumbtacks at 25yds with a sig p229 and hitting 7 out of 10 is to bad..... but ill let you all be the judge...


i just got back from Remingtons armorers course and will be ordering my stainless 1911 in the very near future and plans once maryland opens up the reigns on out CCW law a little (fingers crossed) ill be getting a M&P 40c for my carry. i also have a weatherby 12ga pump that hasnt given me any issue in the last year and probably a good 1000 shells of all kinds of brands of ammo. so im covered.


Now with my house. most of my rooms are about 15x15ft. yes even the living room. its a very small place. but alot of walls so if and when it ever happens and she locks herself in the room and waits for the door knob to jiggle she wont have but maybe 10-12 ft if that to react. so great point on a 22 not firing and having the recoil to cycle another round into the chamber.


Again thanks for all the advice. and if there are any more ideas please throw them up

You're a firearms instructor and are seriously considering a .22 for self-defense? Seriously man, the .22 is a joke of a round. It is not OK to be using one for self-defense. That's like choosing to ride a tricycle to work, instead of driving a car.

I would suggest you look into a full-size 9mm if she's recoil-adverse. You can get one with a .22 conversion kit for training if you'd like. Sig and CZ both have good options there. Some training would also be a good idea, we have several providers in the IP section.

Kilroy said:

You're a firearms instructor and are seriously considering a .22 for self-defense? Seriously man, the .22 is a joke of a round. It is not OK to be using one for self-defense. That's like choosing to ride a tricycle to work, instead of driving a car.

I would suggest you look into a full-size 9mm if she's recoil-adverse. You can get one with a .22 conversion kit for training if you'd like. Sig and CZ both have good options there. Some training would also be a good idea, we have several providers in the IP section.

Click to expand...

teaching people to shoot is different from knowing alot about guns. i know a 22 will stop someone becuase it has enough power to go in but not come out. its like saying a mechanic should be a world class driver. i just know how to shoot im still learning non stop about guns and the fundamentals of them. and still a million questions out there.

not directed personally towards you, but im really getting tired of this crap. i get it all the time. why is it so bad that someone doesnt know something about guns? i guess i should be like everyone else and say to hell with it go buy the biggest gun i can buy and just start blowing holes all over the place and then you all can shake your head when you see it on the news. instead im coming to people for advice and get flamed over it but the handful that are generous enough and patient to take the time and explain it will be the ones going to bed knowing they helped me make the right decision and possibly save my life or my fiancees life. i know a 22 will get the job done, but after the knowledge i found it probably not what i want her to have. so i will look into other guns. but im just looking around now

Get her one just like dads. Great first gun and she will shoot it. The others will come in time.

Nobody's really flaming you. Just letting you know that the .22 is probably the worst possible self-defense caliber out there.

There's been some great advice already in this thread. Even better than listening to us would be going to a range that has a lot of rental guns, and trying as many as you can. Most good ranges only charge you for one gun rental then you can shoot whatever they have, not $10 per gun you try. After that, she'll have a much better idea of what she wants.

jtb81100 said:

How else are you going to head shot it at 500 yards?

Click to expand...

I agree, need that stopping power for the musculature of a bunny.

1slo_camaro said:

ok...... first and foremost.... to everyone who posted after my 2nd or 3rd comment. THANKYOU its nice to know this site isnt full of douchebags that just want to flame someone. i gained ALOT of knowledge just from these posts. i didnt think about a 38 or .380. i just thought 22 cause her dad has an older 22 revolver that she loves shooting and figured something with a little larger mag cap. and semi auto would be a little better. but many good points.. i planned on taking her to the range and fire the guns but i wanted to get some recommendations before i went and spent crazy money renting 15 different guns lol...


and just to clear things up, im not just throwing a gun in her hand. shes had years experience shooting, im a Gunners Mate in the coast guard. a firearms instructor. my job is to teach the new recruits coming into the coast guard how to shoot a pistol. im not cocky i just know my job and i know im damn good at it. i dont think shooting thumbtacks at 25yds with a sig p229 and hitting 7 out of 10 is to bad..... but ill let you all be the judge...


i just got back from Remingtons armorers course and will be ordering my stainless 1911 in the very near future and plans once maryland opens up the reigns on out CCW law a little (fingers crossed) ill be getting a M&P 40c for my carry. i also have a weatherby 12ga pump that hasnt given me any issue in the last year and probably a good 1000 shells of all kinds of brands of ammo. so im covered.


Now with my house. most of my rooms are about 15x15ft. yes even the living room. its a very small place. but alot of walls so if and when it ever happens and she locks herself in the room and waits for the door knob to jiggle she wont have but maybe 10-12 ft if that to react. so great point on a 22 not firing and having the recoil to cycle another round into the chamber.

Again thanks for all the advice. and if there are any more ideas please throw them up

Click to expand...

Despite the fact that you're only a puddle jumper you still probably know more than half that post here. While not the best cartridge a 22 LR is still a LOT better than nothing if that's the route you want to go. Both noise and flash is pretty scarey to the unsuspecting democrat breaking in. They don't make them anymore but a H&R 9 shot wouldn't be a bad choice if you insist on a .22. Get what you want and what she's comfortable with, the .38 advice isn't bad if she will take that. Lots of old Smiths and Rugers floating around out there.... the Security 6 and it's cousin the Service Six with fixed sights in 357 are good choices.

Kilroy said:

Nobody's really flaming you. Just letting you know that the .22 is probably the worst possible self-defense caliber out there.

There's been some great advice already in this thread. Even better than listening to us would be going to a range that has a lot of rental guns, and trying as many as you can. Most good ranges only charge you for one gun rental then you can shoot whatever they have, not $10 per gun you try. After that, she'll have a much better idea of what she wants.

Click to expand...

Unless one considers a .25 auto.

OP, there's a more basic question than caliber: is she prepared to shoot someone in self defense? If she points a firearm at someone and isn't willing to use it, then she might be better off with a good telephone, because the intruder may take the firearm away from her. It's a question to discuss. You might also want to consider some of the home defense books and courses that go into this subject.

Other things to consider are the presence of children or visiting children/relatives in the home and the storage of the firearm in a way that allows quick access for the user without access by the unauthorized. A gun in the nightstand is easy pickings for a thief unless you're around to use it. An unloaded firearm on a shelf is useless in the middle of the night in the heat of the moment.

Once beyond those issues, without meaning to be unkind, I agree with other posters that a .22 is not the best choice of caliber, nor is a semi-auto the best action. A failure to fire in a revolver merely requires a second trigger pull.

A handgun might not be the answer. For pure pose value that tends to instill fear in the heart of an intruder, a pump-action scattergun is a real attention-getter. Some feel a shotgun answers the over-penetration issues, depending upon the ammo.

There isn't a perfect answer for you: everyone has an opinion. Take the information, discuss it with her, and come to a decision.

Nothing wrong with the .22, great choice. I prefer revolver in a .22LR. A couple companies make them in tiny snubbie frames. LCR-22 is very affordable.

Read this: http://www.chuckhawks.com/personal_defense_revolver.htm

Thank you for your service. Stay safe.

1slo_camaro said:

What do you think? ive looked at the mosquito and havent heard much bad about it. ive heard a few people online talk trash on it but they talk about the slide coming off and the slide cracking in half. i know enough about guns that sig isnt going to produce something that bad and its alot of the operator....

so im looking for a little .22 for when my fiancee comes to visit me she has something if im not home or something happens and she wouldnt be afraid to grab point and fire if the case calls for it...


other then the mosquito does anyone have any other recommendations?

Click to expand...

Sig makes fine handguns (IMHO) and stand behind them -personally I don't pay attention to bad internet reviews of firearms - one doesn't really know the source - if the gun is from a major manufacturer it can be made to work reliably. Learn the basics of gunsmithing, guns just aren't that complicated, and U can fix 90% of issues yourself.

Check out the sig 1911-22 sweet looking .22lr
If U want something really small check out Taurus PT-22- I think it is one slick little .22lr and only $220 price range.

I've played with a lot of small guns, as well as the light new releases, and came to the conclusion that your standard .38 special in steel, not alloy (actually prefer steel if it won't be carried) is the best choice for a lady like yours. Get a nice used one and save some cash -- will be heavier and swallow-up recoil, but not too heavy for home defense. You'll be able to turn around and sell it for near the price you paid if it doesn't work out. (avoid a .22 revolver, because they require a lot heavier trigger to make the rimfire fire).

I have a friend who teaches SD classes in Des Moines, and he often ends up loaning out his steel .38 Special to ladies who buy guns that they find recoil far too much for them once they start class. They usually end up begging him to take the .38 home.

Load it with simple flat-nosed target wadcutters if you don't want recoil. Far more effective than a .22, and with wadcutters, it should reach about 18" of penetration (the max you'd want/need).


Here is a great video to watch. This guy's wife is shooting the snubbie .357 version of an LCR. I wouldn't bother with that gun for your lady, but she tries several defense loads you might see for sale:



Remington UMC .357 Mag 1:41
Remington UMC .38 sp+P 2:59
Remington Golden Sabre .38sp+P 4:00
Remington Golden Sabre .357 mag 5:37
Federal Hydra-Shok .357 mag 6:44
Winchester "personal protection" .357 mag 8:24
Winchester target .38 special 9:38
Accuracy shots - 10:53