Thanks,
I thought this thread was very cool .45ACP/.22 LR. EAA Witness Conversion, Going on sale for 420.00 I'd been thinking about getting a .45 for myself and see how I like them.

Opps Oh yea, back to my wifes... LOL
Still looking through the threads....

 

My wife has been shooting with me a bunch of years. Before she had any experience, she wanted a tiny lightweight revolver. After she learned about recoil, she fell in love with my .357 4" revolver (Ruger GP100). She always puts .38 loads through it. My wife has never liked semi-autos.
I also have a Ruger Speed Six .38 with a 2 3/4" barrel. This is a large frame short-barreled gun. Turned out to be the best choice for home defense. Fixed sights and nothing to go wrong. All of us can hit the target 100% of the time and it is very confidence inspiring. It also looks just like a .357 mag.
For small semi-autos, look at the Beretta 'Tip-Up' barrel in .25 or .32. This seems to be a popular choice for law enforcement back-up weapons, according to my friends in LE. A Bersa in .380 might also be a good choice. Both are fairly low priced.
Personally, I still think the .38 snubby with concealed hammer is the best choice. S & W makes quite a few models in alloy frame. I think they weigh 12 or 15 ounces unloaded. Nice to carry, not very fun to shoot. They are a little on the pricey side.
I had a very bad experience with a Taurus Revolver. I got it fixed and sold it to a dealer. I will never buy another Taurus for myself.
After you buy the gun, spend a lot of time at the range. Have her practice one and 2 hand holds. Also have her practice off-handed. The more rounds she fires, the more confidence she will have.
Good luck.

 

I'd suggest the largest weapon she could comfortably handle and still fit in her purse. The .25 will do nothing but tick off the badguy unless your wife gets real lucky. The minimum I'd reccommed is the .38. If you are able to find a decent semi-auto you can always find a spring rod laser sight to add later. It replaces the rod holding the spring to force the slide forward and contains a laser with the switch on the grip of the pistol.

 

I would also check out the Kel-Tec line. They have very small .32's .38's and even a 9mm (which I have) that are great for CC. Polymer frames, very compact and light. Single action only. She may want to use something different to pass the CC test though.

Personally, I wouldn't want to be shot by a .25 but that's just me I guess..

 

Thanks we will check it out...

Personally I wouldn't want to be shot by a .25 or anything else either for that matter... Especially from her because I got a hunch where she will likely aim for a warning shot.

 

Take her to a range that'll let you rent pistols to try out. Let her shoot whatever she wants, and try to find something that a) she's comfortable with, and b) can shoot well and consistently.
Try her out on a nice 9mm. They're easy on the wrists and it's still a really good round. I personally think a .25 is just about worthless, but it's still better than having nothing but a rape whistle hanging around your neck.

 

Never heard of a S&W ladysmith semi-auto in .25. Maybe you saw a Kel-Tech P-32 with a "Pocket Slipper" laser system? It looks like a small Ladysmith semi-auto (or maybe a Grendel?). However, if you aquire a S&W semi-auto, make sure that it can "feed" and eject whatever brand and type of round you choose in a reliable manner.

I highly recommend not getting a cheap .25 semi-auto at all!!!!!

There are too many high quality .32, .380, and 9 mm out there that are ultra compact and with the CORRECT LOAD, will protect your wife far better and fit in a very very small purse (Seecamp, Beretta Tomcat, NAA Guardian, AMT, etc.)

My choice for ultra compact would be the Seecamp and Beretta Tomcat.....but for a "very small purse gun only".

......A little bigger but more effect "average size purse gun", would be a S&W J frame ("bodyguard" type) revolver or Glock 26 semi auto (exposed hammers in a purse is very bad)

....and for the "Laundry Bag" size purse, go with either of two of my personal civilian favorites, a semi-auto Ak-47 PISTOL conversion with a 75 round drum magazine or semi-auto AR-15 PISTOL conversion with a 90 round drum magazine

You can do some research at this site
www.gunsamerica.com

 

Does Not matter how big or small she is, get a service caliber weapon (9 mill or larger). My wife is tiny and she carries a 9 millimeter and loves it... very proficient as well. If you have to carry anything smaller than 9 than stick with a .357 and get her some good instruction on handgun defense or something similar, because, with only 6 in the gun, she will need to HIT the target AND know how to reload. My wife went through some intensive handgun training and it was worth every penny. Not to mention it gets me all randy to watch her nail a bunch of targets, clear a gun jam, tactical re-laod, and drop the rest of the targets.

 

try the sw 380 it a great pocket/purse handgun sm.light cheap amo to shoot small ver of 9mm just an oppin. M.W.

 

Ohh yeah.. dont have her carry in her purse...
First off the gun is probably not safe in the purse (safe as in holstered and trigger guarded)
Second, if she needs to use the gun in self defense, reaching into purse is obvious and slow when compared to a nice, fitted holster that conceals well. Perhaps a low offset hip, inside the waistband, or small of the back type holster.
Not the purse... not some tiny pea shoot stuck in her purse.
You'd be selling her short that way. Setting her up for failure.
Hard to reload if your ammo is shoved in the purse with the lipstick and gum and ****. Remember, if she has to use it for defense she wont have time to mess with that crap, it needs to be instinct.
My opinion

 

^^ Good Point^^

 

They do make carry purses. Also if someone comes up to her and says give me your money and she reaches for anything but her purse, what do you think the robber will do?
The carry puses have special areas for the handgun that do not conflict with all the other junk. Also at that range, if she has to reload, she is already in deep trouble.

 

Like someone else said, check out the thefiringline.com and/or thehighroad.org

Most firearm enthuiasts do not recommend carrying anything less than a .380 ACP semi-auto, or a 38 in a revolver; however, having said that, where you hit is more important than what you hit. Many people have been killed w/ pissy little .22s, and many people have lived that have been shot w/ .45s.

I have a snub nose Taurus 617 revolver 7 round .357 w/ concealed hammer. Shooting .357s from it, it has an impressive kick, shooting .38s, the kick is hardly noticeable; however, it is too heavy to carry.

I bought my wife a FireStorm 0.380 ACP. We both really like it. It is light weight, accurate, and has little kick - it also inexpensive (less $250)

I really like my Taurus PT111 - a subcompact 9mm. It's lightweight, accurate, and costs less the $300.

I also know a couple of people that have a Kel-Tec 0.380s. They are the size of a .32, but has 6+1 rounds of 0.380 ACP - and you can find them new for less that $250.

No matter what you get her, I recomend having her take a training course and getting a lot of practice. She also needs to learn to forget the warning shot - if she feels she is in danger and has to pull a gun, all bluffs are off - shoot to kill. She may only get one shot.

 

36fan makes very good points.
I think the Firestorm .380 he owns is the same as the Bersa .380 I referred to.
I agree that .38, .380, or 9mm should be the minimum for defense. The initial writer of this thread was specifically asking about .25acp semi-autos. I am glad that several people have answered the original question.
Take her to the range and let her shoot a bunch of stuff. Just make sure what you buy is decent quality. The caliber is irrelevant if the gun is not reliable or she cannot hit her "man-sized" target.
Professional training is a brilliant idea. Lots of good classes out there. Some are intended for women only.
Personally, I would pick a revolver over a semi-auto. Easy to use, easy to shoot, and "dead reliable".
Let us know what she settles on.

 

You are correct - it's the exact same weapon with a different nameplate. When I bought a second magazine, it was a factory magazine for the Bersa Thunder .380