Good choice on the 9mm. A lot of folks automatically go to the 380 for a woman's carry gun because it's so small. But the 9mm is a better defensive round than the 380 and, if done right, can be carried conveniently.

I don't have any personal experience w/ the Taurus you mentioned, although I do have 2 Taurus revolvers. Having said that, from what I've read, quality control w/ Taurus seems to be less consistent than some of the other gun makers. A good one runs well, but problems w/ Taurus seem more common than w/ others.

The Millenium Pro 111 is a DA/SA gun. I've had DA/SA in the past, but now prefer the simplicity of a DAO or SAO.

The S&W Shield should be a good gun, but I'm w/holding final judgemnt for now until it's been on the market a little longer.

If she's going to carry in her purse, you might consider a 5 shot 38 Spec w/ a shrouded/covered hammer, e.g. the Ruger LCR. W/ purse carry, I worry about the slide of a semiauto snapping on the contents of the purse if the gun has to be shot from inside the purse.

As far as semi-auto's, I many women find it easier to handle and conceal a single stack mag gun (Kel-Tec 9PF, Ruger LC9, Kimber Solo, Beretta Nano, Kahr CW9, Taurus 709 Slim and others) than a double stack mag (Springfield XD, nearly all Glocks, all S&W M&P's). Be sure she can reliably operate all the controls and rack the slide on a semi-auto you're considering.

Be sure she's actively involved in choosing the gun. If she doesn't like it (for whatever reason) she's probably not going to practice w/ it as much as she should.

Also consider buying a 22LR, w/ a similar action to the carry gun you gun, for cheap shooting and fun practice.

ETA: Congrats on the Shield! I hope you BOTH enjoy it:-)

This post was edited on 7/26/12 at 12:32 pm