I have a peer whose wife would like to get a handgun for self-defense. I went through the litany of questions we have all asked of those who have sought our advice on such matters. I have done this dozens of time.
First, I establish that the person is actually willing to take another human life. If they say something like “well, I will just shoot the bad guy in the leg”, I recommend pepper spray or something else – this isn’t Hollywood!
![Rolling Eyes :roll:](./images/smilies/icon_rolleyes.gif)
Then I ask about their need – will the gun be kept just a home, home and a car, or carried on the person? Depending on the answer – and the physical capabilities of the person – I then recommend a few choices. Anything from a 12-gauge shotgun for purely home defense to a handgun for concealed carry. For the latter I usually recommend a double-action snubbie in .357 Magnum. I prefer revolvers for those who aren’t going to practice enough, and as you know you can shoot everything from .38 Special wad-cutters that barely recoil more than a .22 to full-power .357 Magnums that will crack an engine block – and everything in between.
After a few discussions over the phone over the last few months, we finally had a chance to meet in town (they live 1.5 hours away), take an early lunch, and hit the range. We started the session again with more discussion and a safety lecture. She had fired handguns before. I brought three guns to try – a snubbie .357 that we fired .38 target LSWC’s through (a Rossi Model 877), a FEG Mark II APK in .380 ACP (a Walther PPK clone) and my FM Detective (a “commander” length Hi-Power) in 9mm.
Problem # 1 – she did not have the strength to pull the trigger in double action mode on the snubbie revolver.
Problem # 2 – she did not have the strength to rack the slide or pull the trigger when in double-action on the PPK-clone. She did shoot it well in single-action mode though.
Problem # 3 – She liked the 9mm, but it was a bit too large for her, and recoiled more than she liked. She shot it better than the revolver, but not nearly as well as the FEG.
So, I think we are at the .380 ACP now. Here’s the question – given this and the above, what would you recommend? Is there a PPK-size .380 ACP that has a slide-release lever? One in single-action only? Any you have personal experience with that you’d recommend?
Thanks guys!
![Very Happy :D](./images/smilies/icon_biggrin.gif)