@Foxfyre,
Quote:
What do you recommend for a lady that is affordable,
user friendly, and effective as a self defense weapon?
That last criterion is the most important,
inasmuch as if u need to
USE it,
u will bet your life on it.
Years ago, I just carried a .38 revolver with a 2 inch barrel
that I won in a poker game, because it was handy,
but then I learned about failures of stopping power with .38s;
incidents like this one:
police chased a derelict into an alley;
he turned against them, broke a glass bottle and lunged at an officer,
who emptied out his .38 revolver into the chest of the bad guy,
who perished from his wounds, but
before he did,
he jammed the broken bottle into the officer 's throat,
inflicting fatal injuries.
" Wise is he who learns from his mistakes,
but WISER is he who learns from the mistakes of others."
It is unwise to bet your life on an underpowered gun.
Its not enuf to kill the bad guy; u need to keep him
OFF of u.
I took some time to research the possibilities,
in terms of effectiveness.
I chose a .44 special Model 445 Taurus revolver,
in stainless steel mirror (to be visible at night) which I loaded
with hollowpointed cartridges, to deform inside the target,
thereby reducing speed and the chance of overpenetration
(i.e., exiting from the other side) carrying away much of the energy
of your gunfire.
I suggest a
ported barrel, to reduce muzzle flip
(an upward motion of the front of the gun, after firing).
Too many men have found automatic pistols to be
mechanically unreliable.
In the words of John Dillenger:
" 2 things that you should never trust are the word
of a district attorney and an automatic pistol."
Revolvers are a lot more reliable.
I have never needed to fire my .44 revolver in anger.
The mere sight of it, in the dark of night, was enuf for criminals to flee,
after thay had put a bullethole 3 inches in front of my face,
in my driver's side window; hence, I was pleased at my choice
of the stainless steel mirror.
Bearing in mind Isaac Newton 's 3rd Law of Motion,
u will need to accustom yourself to the backward motion
of your gun, at a suitable gunnery range. Work out with it
as much as possible. Get used to how it functions.
I suggest that u avoid getting a lightweight gun,
inasmuch as
weight is your FRIEND,
in reducing and absorbing felt
recoil.
The lighter the gun,
the heavier will be the perceived
recoil in your hand.
Hence, I suggest that u avoid Titanium guns.
That 's my best advice.
I hope u 'll advise if u have any questions.
David
