re: My Daughter Wants Some Home Protection

380 ACP is what I would suggest. You need to enroll her and her husband/boyfriend in a gun safety course immediately and they can see what they prefer and feel most comfortable shooting. I got my 70+ year old mom to take it a step further and get her conceal carry. She knows how to properly handle, store and clean her ACP now. There's several dipshits in this thread and you do not need to take their advice.

I have two German Shepherds right now, one male and one female.

The male is 101lbs and the biggest pussy of a dog you could imagine, literally sits in my 5' tall wife's lap during thunderstorms and cowers at loud noises. On his hind legs, he's as tall or taller than my wife and could easily overpower her, yet he is submissive to both her and me. This is the most aloof, clumsy, and carefree dog I've ever owned, he's just happy to get cuddles and pets from my wife but is otherwise just happy sleeping all day and lounging around.

The female is 85ish pounds and would tear your throat out in a heartbeat if you came here unwanted. She is infinitely more athletic, impressively coordinated, and protective, and scared of absolutely nothing - fearless. She is all business and would have made a great police dog, just extremely intuitive and responds to commands that blow your mind. Regularly uses her nose and other senses to solve problems or detect things we can't as humans.

The funny thing is, they're brother and sister from the same litter and couldn't be more different. It just depends on the dog itself what you get. Before these two, I would've told you that breed and pedigree is the most important

Much longer than I originally intended but wanted to give an honest review of them since it was mentioned…

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Check out one of those Byrna non lethal guns

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I bought one for my wife and each kid this past Christmas. I also bought their target that keeps the practice projectiles contained. Several times we’ve set it up at the end of a long hallway in the house and run through several magazines. Both my kids and wife have shot guns for years but I wasn’t crazy about my kids going into their first apartments with real firearms. I trust my kids but I don’t trust the other 18-21yo kids that party/drink at their places.


Pros:
The accuracy and velocity of the projectiles is very impressive. It would hurt like hell to get shot with one. It’s really cheap to practice with - reusable training projectiles so only cost is CO2 cartridges.

Cons:
The guns are bigger than I expected. I’d consider them full size, not compact. Someone with a smaller hands might have trouble with it. The first trigger pull seems slightly longer/harder because it has to puncture the CO2 cartridge. I’d compare it to a double action / single action (DA/SA) hybrid if you’ve ever shot one.

I really am impressed with them. I think I paid about $1500 for 3 guns, 3 packs of cartridges (10 ea), the target, extra pepper projectiles and bottle of training balls.
Both my kids are planning to get their CC when they turn 21 and I think this was a good “first” step for them. They are getting comfortable with the responsibilities of handling, storing, etc. on a daily basis instead of just showing up to the range and shooting with dad.

But…personally I wouldn’t use it for home protection. Most home defense firearm needs are going to be close quarters. I think these are better used in the 20-40ft range. Great for my kid walking from the car to apartment at night but not so much in her bedroom.

As others have said…the best option is going to be whatever she is comfortable with and takes the time to learn, train and practice with. Maybe there could be some consideration for the type of living space (such as apartments/shared walls) but comfort is top priority.

An AR-15 is by far the best home defense weapon in literally any scenario, but considering she is a liberal in a liberal city that is obviously a no go, so I will recommend something different that would likely be the most happy medium you can get.

Shotguns are awesome but too intimidating for women as they are scared of recoil and noise.

She must buy hearing protection and she must train with her firearm. If she trains she has a shot at actually saving her life. If she doesnt train, it’s just a hammer at that point.

She doesn’t need much training. Once a month or even every couple of months is better than no training.

Subcompact 9mm’s and .380 are last on the list. They are terrible to shoot, rack, and have considerably more muzzle rise than larger frame pistols. The biggest error men make when buying firearms for ladies is they buy the smallest gun thinking it makes it less intimidating. They suck in every way making them far less likely to train with.

Best choice in this scenario is a K frame or L frame revolver in .357 magnum. She can train with .38 special loads and tame recoil tremendously (especially compared to a sub 9mm). You sacrifice in round capacity a great deal and that is extremely important, but again, competency is more important and that only comes from training. She will only train if she doesn’t hate shooting.

Depending on price point, Smith & Wesson 686 (7 rounds of .357) or a Ruger GP100 (7 rounds) are two extremely nice firearms for the money.


3 rounds of 00buck out of a 20 gauge is absolutely awesome firepower, but she will not train with it, not even light 7/8oz bird loads.

If you wanted to go 9mm, go with the biggest one that she likes without a safety. SHE should pick it out because she will be more willing to train with it if she chooses her own gun.

Go to a gun shop with her and grab a Glock 48 or 19 (48 is slimmer and fits the hand better), H&K VP9, Smith & Wesson M&P, as well as the two .357 revolvers listed above and let her hold and point each one.

As far as retainment and locking, I have multiple “STOPBOX” safes around our house. I have a Glock 19x in one right next to me right now bedside, but if I have time I am grabbing an AR out of the safe. Stopbox’s are great, childrproof, no batteries, extremely durable, and a good price point.

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I told her to buy a semi-automatic youth model 20 gauge shotgun.

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Youth models are typically light weight and stripped down leading to more felt recoil. And most self-defense 20 gauge loads are still a beast for a new shooter, especially a young girl with zero experience, which means she probably won't enjoy shooting it. And if she doesn't like to shoot it, she most likely won't be taking it to the range and learning it.

My daughter carries a .380 now but her first pistol was a Smith and Wesson 9mm. A lot of .380's and small pistols are less pleasant to shoot than something like an M&P 2.0 for the same reason, less mass to absorb force.

I'd start with a quality 9mm and make a dad/daughter date out of regular range trips. It's serious business but you've got to start with encouraging her to enjoy shooting.

Yes. That is exactly what I said.

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You realize this thread is about gun recommendations for a
smaller female that's unfamiliar and uncomfortable with guns, right?

We aren't talking about self defense options for the regular baw or redneck that posts here, dumbass

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I realize there isn't a 9x19 cartridge commonly sold with the recoil he's describing.

My sister-in-law is 95lbs. I taught her to shoot. 9mm, even +p+ fired out of a polymer compact isn't that snappy.


Now 10mm buffalo bore in a glock 29sf... Sure.


Perhaps the women in Appalachia all have bone density issues.

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anything that makes the audible pump noise when racking

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If you’re “racking” rounds and the intruder is close enough to hear you, you’re late.
And racking won’t intimidate someone who intends harm. It probably isn’t the first time they’ve had a gun pointed at them or heard that sound. It will however let them know where you are. Something that isn’t beneficial when trying to use cover and concealment to defend yourself.

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My daughter is a wacked-out screaming liberal

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Is she large? Or regular/small?

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You already know the answer.




Also, unless they live in North City, they’re safer in St. Louis than probably anywhere in Louisiana.