My daughter-in-law has to drive through a very rough neighborhood to get to the chemical plant where she works. Her husband, (my son) and I are both concerned for her safety. She grew up in the rough parts of New Orleans and is aware of her surroundings. But being aware is only part of being safe. She has never fired a gun to the best of my knowledge, but has expressed a desire to have one. For her small hands and stature (62" tall) I’m thinking something in 380 ACP would be a good fit for her. Looking for some recommendations from this group.
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S&W Body Guard 2.0, 2.75" Barrel, 10/12 rounds .380 ACP JHP or Norma 56gr Mono, Lehigh Mono or Underwood Mono.
S&W Shield EZ, 3.68" Barrel
Ruger Security 380, 3.42" Barrel
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She won’t know what would work until she tries a few. Look for a gun range with rentals.
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Your son and you should take her to a range and introduce her to handguns first. Do not just go and buy her a gun. Find a range that rents firearms and let her pick a few rentals that interest her. I would not choose a gun for my wife period.
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That is the plan. The local range has rentals but I have not seen anything smaller than 9mm.
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Thanks.
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I would start in the lower calibers ie: .380 then 9mm proceeding to where recoil becomes uncomfortable, then step down. From the caliber she is most comfortable with, she should next choose the firearm that is most comfortable in her hand. If she is uncomfortable with her gun, whether it’s from how it feels when she fires it or the recoil is too strong, she will not enjoy range time and may not want to fire it at all. As others have said, seek a range with rentals to find “The Right Gun”.
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blank see nothing
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There’s a channel I follow now called “she equips herself”. Really good content. P365, P365xl, G42, and Shield seem to be the most common pistols I see woman use (doesn’t mean I’m right)
Like others said go rent some.
Bodygaurd 2.0 looks good BUT it’s new. I’ve heard some reliability issues. I usually like to have a gun be on the market at least a year before buying it myself. Gives the company time to address any issues. BUT it might be the perfect option and worth it.
When she goes to the range she should try some of the following : P365, P365XL, hellcat, Shield, G42 (380), G43X (9mm), G48(9mm), G19 (9mm), S&W bodyguard 2.0 (380. wouldn’t mess with the original), LCP Max 380
There are 9mm and 380 versions of the 365 and shield. She should try both,
Lots of woman try to go to the smallest gun, but the smaller the gun, the harder it is to shoot. For example a p365 is small and nice but she might shoot a p365xl a lot better.
I took my wife on a trip to try guns. She already owned a M&P Shield 9 (older model not plus). We shot all the guns. She liked the g42 , but her shield was still her favorite in the end. I was going to get her a gun but since she was content I ended up buying a g43X for myself a few days later 
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I think how a gun feel in one’s hand is more important then caliber. If she has never fired a gun I wold start with teaching her fire arm safety and once she knows how to be responsible with a gun, start shootings with a 22lr.
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Beware of the “pocket” 380’s. Most are very snappy, hard for beginners as far as accuracy goes and hurt. A larger 380 may work but is a compromise when many 9mm compare in size.
This is not a one stop shop. She must be comfortable with what she chooses to put in her hand.
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My daughter is a very petit young lady. I bought her a S&W Shield EZ in .380. She loves it.
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@Dave145 There’s great recommendations on 380 model pistols, but since the Sig P365 has been mentioned, I have one in 9mm which any of the 9mm compacts may be too snappy for her, but in a 380 check out the Sig Sauer P365 ROSE, she may LOVE it, along with all the accessories available in ROSE detail, quite a ladies gun. sigsauer.com 
Hey, with Valentines Day around the corner 
This would really make her day! Seriously!! Check it out!!! And don’t forget some Roses to go along with it!!! 
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Easy to rack and soft shooter for a .380
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Personally me I don’t think a 380 has enough punch I know many disagree with this but think about a 300 lbs individual wearing thick clothes and a 380 will just make them madder I wouldn’t go anything less than a 9 MM there are small ones my wife has a s&W shield in 9 mm, me personally I carry a 10 mm and sometimes a 9 mm, this is just my opinion.
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Get her into a training class or two so she has some education/experience, and have her try some firearms and pick one.
I’d start with a compact 9mm 4" barrel range family as a default, or a double stack sub compact. VP9SK, M&P 2.0 compact, Glock 19, something like that. Smaller guns are harder to shoot. In a vehicle size for concealment shouldn’t be a big deal
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I can see that, but no one in his right mind wants to get shot. At close range 3 yards or so, I don’t think a would-be assailant will notice the caliber or size. But I will get her to range to try out a few different calibers and pistol sizes.
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Training class is “on the menu” for sure. And that may well be my gift for her as one of the local instructors at a range nearby is a woman and I think my daughter-in-law will get more from her than me. My handgun training all came from the military (USAF CCT) and I think it is best she learned self-defense rather than “offense”.
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My other daughter-in-law has one and likes it, but she is a bit taller and a Corrections Officer here in Mobile. I like that pistol also and have thought about getting one of those for my wife who is only 4’9". Thanks for the advice.
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I agree feel is very important, but not all pistols fit like my 1911 or S&W Shield. I plan to take her and my son “window shopping” to find something that feels good to her. A .22 caliber is a strong consideration but we will see how the shopping goes.
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