self defense gun at home for my sister

Status
Not open for further replies.
Originally Posted By: rubberchicken
Originally Posted By: JohnnyJohnson
Every woman I've ever seen shooting hand guns could shoot a 38 Special with and factory load that wasn't P+ after a short time they did P+ with no effort. My wife is 5'1" and has a S&W Model 60. She shoots it very well. She has arthritis her hands won't deal with pulling back a slide on a semi-automatic. She has the 38 down pat and she was shooting small groups with it the first time at the range.


Good info. My sister is a similar build. Our family was very comfortable around guns, but she never liked shooting anything other than a .22 rifle due to recoil, hand pain etc. The problem is that she has small hands. A 22 revolver or 22 Ruger might be something she is interested in, and the women-oriented gun training is an excellent idea.


If she can't shoot a gun big enough to kill them just get her pepper spray they'll take it away from her and hurt or kill her.
 
Originally Posted By: rubberchicken
Looking for suggestions for a gun to be kept at the house, for my sister: she is not comfortable around guns in general.
I am thinking semi-auto shotgun in .410 or 20 gauge. It needs to be something a petite woman can handle.
Suggestions or sources of info ?


rubberchicken,

Just passing through and saw your posting. I personally have a revolver 38 special loaded with hollow points. Like the others said your sister needs to be familiarize around guns in general. I don't know what Maryland is cuz I'm from L.A. All I know is concrete. If she has a wooded back yard then the 20 gauge is perfect although I lean towards the 12 myself.

Have a good holiday,

Durango
 
at local gun shop talked with a grandmother, daughter and infant daughter trio who were looking for a handgun “to have around the house and practice with.” i saw a likely single mother of limited means, salesman was seeing a fast sale. based on what was in stock i suggested that she first rent, etc, but suggested an (overpriced) ruger sr22: eats anything, soft shooter, cheaper 22lr ammo, easy to load/rack/fieldstrip, adjustable grips, handy. a handgun that is too expensive to feed or too harsh to practice regularly with will sit neglected in a drawer, unfamiliar and useless. i finished when the salesman jumped in to push a ruger lcp gen one. would she even fire one box of 380 through it before giving up? i don’t know...even a heritage roughrider single action 22lr/wmr revolver would be a better learning tool, with 22wmr decent enough for defending a barricaded bedroom while awaiting the 911 cavalry.

as for shotguns or rifles, if a cheap venue for extensive practice is close at hand then why not, but handgun-only ranges and classes seem more accessible for most folks.
 
Originally Posted By: clarkflower
38 revolver 6 pulls 6 shots- no jams
90 grain Critical Defense ammo - low recoil
12 inches in gel expands to .43 in a 2 inch barrel
https://www.luckygunner.com/labs/revolver-ballistics-test/


I tend to agree with this. Most people are absolutely not going to put in the time to learn a specific auto's controls well enough to function in a night intruder type scenario(or any other scenario, for that matter).
 
Originally Posted By: clarkflower
They shoot the barking biting dogs all the time
Two pit bulls shot and killed along with the owner
https://www.wwaytv3.com/2017/04/05/michael-malloy-life-sentence-murder/

You can’t count on pepper spray either


As much as I love dogs, here I must agree. No dog is adequate defense against an armed intruder. Deadly force must be met with equal opposing deadly force. Even well trained police K-9's are not sent in after an armed, violent criminal. A barking, biting dog is no match against a double stack 9 MM. Either get a gun and learn how to effectively use it, or else you are going to live at a disadvantage against anyone else who has one and is. There is no way around that fact. All "Taekwondo" and pepper spray is going to do for a woman, is get her killed.
 
9mm, 38, or 20 gauge. Take her to gun shop which rents as well as takes the rental cost off if you buy there and let her see what she’s comfortable with.
 
Last edited:
Originally Posted By: billt460
Originally Posted By: clarkflower
They shoot the barking biting dogs all the time
Two pit bulls shot and killed along with the owner
https://www.wwaytv3.com/2017/04/05/michael-malloy-life-sentence-murder/

You can’t count on pepper spray either


As much as I love dogs, here I must agree. No dog is adequate defense against an armed intruder. Deadly force must be met with equal opposing deadly force. Even well trained police K-9's are not sent in after an armed, violent criminal. A barking, biting dog is no match against a double stack 9 MM. Either get a gun and learn how to effectively use it, or else you are going to live at a disadvantage against anyone else who has one and is. There is no way around that fact. All "Taekwondo" and pepper spray is going to do for a woman, is get her killed.


In this small city there has been a rash of home invasions. The ones where the victims have been armed have worked out great. Many more than I have listed. You have a huge advantage being in the home you know. The ones where the victims have not been armed have worked out very bad. Rape- killed- kidnapped and killed- shot- robbed and shot- kidnapped and raped (both the male and the female!)

This case a career criminal just out on parole came up behind a woman entering her apartment, forced her in and tied her up with a phone cord right near a gun she had. Of course he didn't know about the gun. She got free and killed him http://www.starnewsonline.com/news/20170103/woman-who-shot-home-invader-recounts-ordeal

In this case the resident heard them come in the front door. Armed himself and took cover in his bedroom. When they came into the bedroom threw the door he opened up as did they. He was unhurt. The attackers... One staggered out the front door and dropped dead while the other got away dripping blood
http://www.starnewsonline.com/news/20171224/one-killed-in-wilmington-home-invasion
 
Last edited:
U.S. Department of Justice
Office of Justice Programs
Bureau of Justice Statistics

Victimization During Household Burglary

3.7 million household
burglaries occurred each year on
average In 7% of all household burglaries, a household member
experienced some form of violent victimization
• On average, household members became victims of violent
crimes in about 266,560 burglaries annually.
430 burglary-related homicides occurred between 2003 and 2007
on average annually. -My note..this is more than 1 everyday

• Simple assault (15%) was the most common form of violence
when a resident was home and violence occurred. Robbery
(7%) and rape (3%) were less likely to occur when a household
member was present and violence occurred.
Serious injury accounted for 9%

https://www.bjs.gov/content/pub/pdf/vdhb.pdf
 
Last edited:
Barking dogs, lights on timers, and alarms are good deterrents for sending the burglar to someone else's house that's dark and quiet. But once an intruder enters, the only realistic chance you have is with a gun. At that point the intruder has made his decision, and have committed themselves. And they will do whatever they feel is necessary to insure an outcome that favors them. The only way you can do the same is with a gun in your hand that you know how to use properly and effectively. And no one is going to convince me at that point, that there is ANY benefit to that gun having less ammunition instead of more.
 
Bilt,
I think the issue here is like in the case of my wife. She's not a "gun" person, and has arthritis in her hands. She can't rack a slide effectively, and the Hornady CDL 90 gr was the one she could shoot in the LCRX 3" without it affecting her hands. If not this load in this gun, then she won't be carrying. I'd rather her have this load and this gun, than none at all.
Now if it were me, I'd have her carrying something with more capacity, and a little more stout, but this, again, is way better than nothing, (or pepper spray, etc.)

Now at home, she has access to some heavier revolvers that she can shoot a little stouter load in. She has a 686 4", that can shoot the .357 Rem 110 gr, which is essentially the "Treasury" load in a .357 case.
 
Last edited:
Originally Posted By: bigj_16
A revolver is still simpler and CAN be operated with one hand. Reference FBI Miami shootout.


That shootout was the prime reason the FBI ditched revolvers for semi auto pistols.
 
Originally Posted By: bigj_16

A revolver is still simpler and CAN be operated with one hand. Reference FBI Miami shootout.

I know a lot of really knowledgeable folks that recomment the shotgun. I suppose they have their place when you have the luxury of holing up in your bedroom behind the bed, pointing it at the door and calling for police...who respind in mninutes when seconds count.

But for me that is not a preferred option. The wife son't shoot anyone no matter what and I prefer a pistol. To each his own. Circumstances vary.
 
Last edited:
Originally Posted By: billt460
Originally Posted By: bigj_16
A revolver is still simpler and CAN be operated with one hand. Reference FBI Miami shootout.


That shootout was the prime reason the FBI ditched revolvers for semi auto pistols.


That was a perceived power and capacity issue. I am specifically referring to the agent trying to rack the shotgun with one good hand.

Me personally, I would not have an issue deploying a pump shotgun. But expecting my wife to be able to deploy a pump shotgun effectively in a bad sit?

If you guys haven't read the Miami in a while, it might be worth it.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1986_FBI_Miami_shootout
I don't mean this like it is going to sound, but you have to figure lowest common denominator. For her, the revolver is that.
 
Last edited:
Originally Posted By: 147_Grain
A small 20 gauge shotgun is likely the best overall option:

http://www.mossberg.com/product/510-youth-mini-super-bantam-muddy-girl-all-purpose-50496/


I disagree with a pump shotgun being even close to a good idea in the thread scenario. Takes too much time and training to become proficient. Also likely to short stroke. A quality semi-auto 20 gauge could be a workable option, and in real world use, would be MUCH more reliable than a pump gun in the hands of a novice.

Honestly, IF she even wanted a gun, a 4 inch steel frame revolver (7 shot) would be a good option. The new Ruger 9MM carbine would also be a good option.
 
Status
Not open for further replies.

Similar threads

W
PCC vs Shotgun for home defense
4 5 6
Replies
101
Views
9K
football
spasm3
Guns For Wives
3 4 5
Replies
80
Views
4K
The_Eric
K
  • Locked
Ruger SR9c for home defense...lack of $$$ limits choices
2
Replies
34
Views
2K
Astro14
N
My firearms should be greased or not question…..for the experts….
2
Replies
21
Views
2K
samven
S
Which pistols etc should I select to shoot at the range?
2 3
Replies
49
Views
4K
Revving2Redline
Back
Top