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This page tries to set out what is the best handgun for a woman to carry. Women are more prone to get attacked on the street then men and a serious criminal would rather try to disarm a woman than go to jail for 15 years knowing it was woman who sent him there, as a lot of criminals can be misogynistic in that they don't favor women. It has always been professed that a woman should carry a small caliber handgun like a .22 revolver or a .25 or .32 caliber automatic, but in the real world a small caliber handgun isn't guaranteed to stop a 250lb attacker, who might be high on drugs, and getting shot by a punitive .25 would instead probably just make the attacker more prone to attack and hurt the woman. So a larger caliber gun is really more of a necessity than of choice. Over the years is has been illustrated that women get tired of carrying big guns around with them all day like magnums, that are too heavy, too bulky and too powerful, or .45 caliber guns that are also too heavy for a woman to tote around all day and maybe too much recoil too. Automatics can jam, and from a woman's perspective, they have fiddly safety catches and are more technical to shoot, having to load the magazine, operate the guns slide mechanism and then operate the safety catch, so these types of gun are out. The best handgun would have to be a smallish revolver but with a bit of power behind it.
Firearms dealers have stated that the most popular handguns that are being bought by women are the lightweight .38 special snub nosed revolver variety with the 2 inch barrel. The short barrel means that the gun is a lot easier to carry in a handbag or coat pocket and the Smith & Wesson Centennial 442 Airweight as seen below, is a very popular choice.
I have found a nice youtube video of the Centinnial CT to better show the gun in perspective. This model is the CT or Crimson Trace, it gets its name from the side mounted laser in the grip.
The .38 special. Smith & Wesson Centennial 442 or 642CT Airweight is a powerful, easy to conceal and carry revolver that comes in a matt black or satin steel finish that doesn't reflect light so much and is therefore less conspicuous. The .38 special cartridges that these guns fire are quite powerful bullets, producing adequate muzzle energy to stop an attacker. The .38 special is more powerful than a standard .38 and also the common 9mm bullet but not as powerful as the heavy duty, wrist wrenching .357 magnum. I mention here that some .38 special revolvers are capable of firing .357 magnum cartridges as well and this capability will be stated so on the barrel or elsewhere on the gun, with actual etched text into the metal. If it is not stated, then the gun cannot fire .357 rounds. All .357 Magnum revolvers however can fire any and all .38 or .38 spl or .38 +p cartridges even though it is not stated on the gun. The .38 special snub nosed revolver is not too bulky for a woman to carry in her handbag or in a concealed holster. It would probably be best to be a "hammerless" type in that there is no protruding hammer to snag any clothing and can be fired through a coat pocket or handbag if needs be, without the need to extract it and point. A "hammerless" revolver still has the hammer that fires the bullet, but it is shrouded within the gun. Internal hammer would be a better description. There is no ability to cock the hammer before firing the gun, the woman just has to put the bullets in and pull the trigger to operate it. Simple and very effective.
There is no safety catch on a revolver and they are easy to load, just open the cylinder on the side and push the bullets in, then close it and its ready to fire.
With no safety catch on these guns, you should not worry about accidentally firing the gun, as they need a firm, positive and long squeeze on the trigger to fire, they wont go off if you were to drop the gun either, it would be very, very rare for this to happen. It has also been proven that one of the hardest guns to snatch or grab out of someone's hand is a 1½ or 2 inch barrel snub nose revolver. The snub nose .38 special's recoil has a bit of attitude but its not too violent and wont hurt a woman's hand or wrist. The .38 special snub nosed revolver is not very accurate on a 15 yard firing range, but as a woman would be firing almost point blank at her attacker then firing range distances are irrelevant. A woman will not be in a combat shoot out, firing at an attacker on the other side of the street or into a vehicle. She will instead be defending herself at short range, with the attacker who will be in her face, at arms length or at least, just a few paces away. So what types of revolver are available? Below are some popular choices of handgun for a woman. Below is shown a .38 special. Smith & Wesson Model 64. Although not of the "hammerless" shrouded hammer variety, this is none the less still a good, ultra reliable and robust revolver, with non slip pachmeyer rubber grips fitted so it won't slip around in the hand. Like all of these small revolvers, there doesn't appear to be a sight on the back of the gun, but there is...in the shape of a groove that runs down the center of the top of the frame.  Sights are not really needed over the distances that these guns are designed to be used for though, so its not a problem. Below is shown rather trendy and designer looking Charter Arms Pink Lady .38 Special 38SPC DAO. It is of the hammerless variety and consequently know as the Double Action Only revolver. It hold 5 rounds and has a lightweight alloy frame, rubber grips and a short 2 inch barrel.
Below is shown rather trendy and designer looking Charter Arms Lavender Lady .38 Special 38SPC. It is not of the hammerless variety and hold 5 rounds and has a lightweight alloy frame, rubber grips and a short 2 inch barrel. Sometimes a revolver with a hammer can have its advantages, such as the deliberate cocking of it whilst pointed at an attacker, this alone can be enough to frighten them away.
Below is shown a . 38 special. Charter
Arms Undercover Model 13820. This revolver is quite compact and is a bit less
expensive than a Smith & Wesson.
The rubber grips are a bit shorter and more suitable for a woman's
smaller hands
Below is another Charter Arms revolver, the .38 special Off Duty Model 53811. Featuring a heat treated aluminum casting enabling this 5 shot revolver to weigh in at only 12 ounces, this is a very light gun to tote around all day.
Below is shown a .38 special Smith & Wesson Model 40. A popular
concealment revolver from S&W with a grip safety that has to be
depressed before the gun can be fired, this eliminates accidentally
firing it. The
small wooden grips that are quite adequate for a woman's small hands can
be changed for rubber ones if desired.
or in a nice blued finish
Below is shown a .38 special Taurus Model 65 CIA protector. Quite a smooth and sleek design from Taurus, also of the hammerless variety, and is fitted small rubber grips like some of the others. Again, this revolver is suitable for the pocket or handbag.
Below is shown the Ruger LCR .38 special+P very lightweight hammerless revolver. The revolver is super lightweight at just 13.5 ounces as it is made from an aluminum polymer mixture. This revolver has been made specifically for concealed carry and can be carried around all day without any discomfort. The trigger pull on the revolver is quite light and smooth, as most of the other guns on this page that requires the woman to squeeze the trigger with a bit more force. 
--------------------------------------------------------------------- After reading many reviews, below is the over all gun that I would recommend for a woman to carry around for defensive measures against attack. It is a different caliber from the .38 special, but one well worth considering. It is the .32 H&R ( Harrington & Richardson ) magnum, developed in 1984. The hammerless Smith & Wesson 432PD Magnum Airweight as pictured below is probably the best option for this caliber. The recoil is controllable for a woman and is a bit lower than the .38 special except that the .32 H&R magnum bullet delivers more impact, as it has a much higher velocity. This revolver also takes 6 bullets whereas most of the .38 special revolvers only take 5.
Smith & Wesson used their famous .38 special Airweight frame that tips the scales at a mere 15.7 ounces empty but designed it to cater for the much more powerful and more controllable .32 H&R magnum bullet. The gun is small and light enough for concealed carry all day long. A woman should not worry about speed-loaders and fast reloading methods as she will never probably empty her gun into an attacker but merely fire off a single shot or two. She may even just fire a warning shot and this has proven to ward off a potential attacker. She should not be concerned over what type of bullet should be fired, be it hollow-point, soft point, full metal jacket or a swaged head as all bullets will kill or severely injure an attacker at close range. A woman should also look (or appear to look) collected, confident and sincere when pointing her gun at a potential attacker and give out the right signals that she intends to use it and knows how to use it.
She should not allow herself to be talked into dropping the gun or handing it over to the bad guy upon his demand, for the woman, that would be a fatal move, as the woman with her loaded revolver has the prime advantage. The attacker however, may start saying things like... " ...Gimme the gun, don't be stupid... " or "...Just drop the gun honey... " or " ...Ya aint gonna use it... " or he may be abusive " ...Whacha gonna do wid da popgun beotch ?... " Don't get into conversations, don't try to reason with the attacker, just firmly and precisely snap out " GET BACK NOW OR I SHOOT " and nothing more, as you say this start walking backwards away from him, he doesn't want to lose face and even though he is intimidated by your gun he may not show it. So keep walking backwards putting distance away from him, keeping the gun trained on him all the time, then you may be able to turn and run. If he continues to get near then self defence measures need to be taken for life preservation....your life.
...A woman firing a gun at close range does not have to aim at the attackers head or torso with intent to kill, a bullet in the thigh, arm or shoulder from a .38 special or .32 H&R magnum revolver will put a big dark cloud over their plans for attacking you, as they wrestle with their pain and discomfort whilst incapacitated on the ground. Its not like you see on the TV, instead a bullet impact into flesh and bone causes massive trauma, haemorrhaging and shock. Note: It would also be best to " double-tap " this is a term that military and special forces soldiers use a lot in their training, it means to fire two bullets in rapid succession...bangbang...just about guaranteed to stop and drop ! If by some miracle he still comes at you, then do it again ! An attacker may have the drop on you, in that he already has a gun pointed at you when he instigates his attack. One way to deal with this would be to quickly say something like " Let me give you my money..." and without waiting for his response, you reach into your handbag or pocket where-ever your revolver is...the attacker thinks your reaching for your cash, instead you shoot him through your handbag or pocket. As you are now only estimating your aim, fire 3 or 4 shots in rapid succession, ( never totally empty your gun as you are then disarmed ) he will have no time to react and fire back as he is not expecting you to shoot at him. End Story: You have survived, you haven't been robbed, assaulted, raped or murdered as sadly many women have been in the past. It's actually a good idea to visit your local gun range with your new revolver and to shoot off a hundred bullets or so to get used to how it handles and feels. This will instil the confidence in you for real, if it ever came to that. ----------------------------- If you think that you would prefer to carry a more powerful revolver than the .38 caliber then the all powerful .357 magnum would be the right choice and two of the best revolvers in this caliber with concealed carry in mind are the Smith & Wesson Model 66 Highway Patrol .357 magnum, with an open hammer as pictured below...
...or the hammerless and more streamlined Ruger SP101 .357 magnum
Both of these revolvers are very very powerful, but with that comes a price in that they are heavier than the .38's and they have twice as much recoil. If you would like to carry something like this then a trip to your local gun range to try this powerful caliber out is an absolute must. A woman would not generally be into hand loading or reloading of bullets on a progressive loading press at home, so she will buy factory ammo off the shelf and most factory .357 magnum ammunition is powerful wrist wrenching stuff. So I would advocate the need for some firearms training rather than just buying a .357 magnum or any revolver for that matter and carrying it without ever actually firing a gun before.
And if you feel that you could never aim a gun at an attacker with the probability of shooting him dead then the experts say that you should not carry a gun in the first place, a gun that could be grabbed off you and used against you...in effect arming the attacker. Although I like to say "that its better to have a gun and not need it rather than to need it and not have it " but ulimately..."its best to have it when you need it...full stop" Lots to consider with this serious topic, if you have questions then speak to people at the gun clubs for assistance with your needs about carrying, concealment and use of a firearm, there will be plenty of advice there I promise. I strongly recommend a one to one chat with your local county Sheriff, this can yield great results and you may be surprised that your Sheriff will only be pleased to guide you in the right direction rather than to instantly deter you from conceal carrying of a loaded firearm. Apart from residents in Texas, you will need to have a firearms permit or to apply for one and you will need to be read up and reasonably educated on firearms safety and keeping them away and out of reach of your children in the home. And remember...Never, never point a gun at anyone, even if you think its unloaded unless you intend to shoot them. Always treat every gun as if it is loaded, until 100% proven otherwise.
I hope this page has been of interest in guidance for a woman's self defence against attackers in an ever increasingly dangerous world where we often read about women getting attacked almost every day. Who knows, maybe this web page could result in saving someone from harm...it is hoped!
On a final note for anti gun lobbyists: If guns are outlawed then only
outlaws will have guns, as I hear people in the UK are finding out at
the moment.
I
also have a page on some basic unarmed defence strategies |
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