What would be a good gun for my mother?

I do not know much about guns. I know that a shotgun would be the best choice for home protection because it spreads. But on the other hand a pistol would be nice. Could you please recommend me some good pistol's and shotgun's for a 40 year old 110lb 5"8 woman?
nothing to expensive.

Really not an expert..but if it any help..my mother is 4ft 9 and barely 100 and I got her a 38 for yule last year and she loves it. Not to big..not too small..and it can get things done.

Wally world has a 410 shot gun for $135.00 this week....A 25 or 32 would be a pretty good small cheap pistol for her. She may prefer a 9mm

A Ruger SR9 would be an excellent choice. I've had one for two years and put about 500 rounds through it and the only issue I've ever had with it was last weekend using factory seconds. You can find them at most gun shops for around $400 which is an excellent price for a well made 9mm.

A .410 shotgun would suffice for her but I personally wouldn't use anything smaller than a 20 gauge for personal defense in reference to shotguns.

My mom is 70. Her personal firearm is a snub nose Rossi .357. Its a mean little gun, nice and compact.

reply to post by Cyberboiraves


How often does she take it to the range?

A gun that shoots sharks that shoot lazers from their mouths.

reply to post by sabbathcrazy


A hammer less revolver in 357 mag.or a 20 gauge semi auto shotgun with double 00 buck. If she will not train with the handgun it will be useless. If I was sure she could pull the slide back I would have recommended an XD full size in 9mm or a Beretta in 9mm. They would be better if you could get it prepared for her. They have hardly any recoil lots and lots of shot's. If she is only gonna leave it in a corner. Do the shot gun. Most people can not hit the broad side of a barn with a handgun. especially gangster's I love the way the hold them. it tell's you they have never fired their gun. Because once they do they will have a hot shell in their eyeball. Idiots.

My wife is almost 110lbs and at 50 yards with a M1911 she can put all 8 rounds center mass consistently. It's not her size that limits her. It's possibly her mindset. Which I have no Idea what her's is. My wife can also handle a 12 gauge pump. It's all in the stance. A slight lean forward. I hope I have been helpful.

reply to post by sabbathcrazy


First things first, does she want one? If no, then forget about it. If she does, then she needs to learn about them. It does no good to have one if she knows nothing about them, that is a recipe for getting someone shot that she does not want to shoot.


As far as pistols I recommend nothing less than a .380, unless she is an excellent shot then anything less than a .380 is possibly only going to piss someone off rather than putting them down or at least make them stop and think about if they want another one. As far as shotguns, a twenty gauge would suffice but if she can handle it, step up to a 16 gauge.

If you do indeed end up getting her one, have her tear it down and put it back together many times until she knows how it all works. Then take her to range and she needs to shoot it until she can consistently hit her target and get her comfortable firing it.

My 2 cents.

reply to post by sabbathcrazy


Many people suggest a shot gun as do I most of the time, But what is the house like where it would be fired for protection. Everybody seems to like 00 Buck. That's 9 30 caliber bullets coming out of the barrel and spreading every time you fire. Do you have 3-4 kids a wife a few pets? I have all that and a 100 gal fish tank that house two good size aquatic turtles. So do think about it. Switch to slugs or another weapon. If you have a farm like me. lol

A Shotgun is an excellent home defense weapon, but also heavy and cumbersome for someone your moms size. A handgun would allow her to have the gun near her or even concealed. If she has little experience with firearms than starting her with a .22 cal handgun would be the best choice. There was a thread on here just the other day that described a woman fighting off and killing, the would be rapist, with her .22.

The .22 is very wallet friendly, if that is also a determining factor.

The following link will show you a variety of .22 caliber handguns, and real time pricing on each particular model.
.22 Caliber SemiAuto's @ gunbroker.com

Great site to keep current on market value for most firearms.

reply to post by TheRealTruth84


I've put several hundred rounds through my Ruger Mk.III 22/45 and it's easily the best .22 handgun on the market not to mention it's only about $350.

Try a .410 or high-gauge shotgun, shouldn't be too much recoil for her. Also, take her hunting or target shooting-the recoil might not be such a problem..Some girls can handle big guns

as an older woman, I would suggest a shotgun....there is something so musically universal when you rack it--- that brings fear to even the dumbest of outlaws. Also, my fav is a .38 Smith & Wesson revolver with a 4 inch barrel...buy her a holster, a couple of speed loaders and pouches and stand by and let her have fun.

reply to post by sabbathcrazy


Sorry, cheap weapons are not worth the effort to buy. Wait until you can afford a safe, quality weapon to buy. Don't buy any Saturday Night Specials. In the meantime, get her some training at a Range if she is not already experienced. Carrying a weapon without knowledge or training can get you killed faster than not carrying one.

reply to post by FTD Brat


I love those little guns and have been thinking about picking one up for a while now. Currently I have a Glock 17 near the bed, Mossberg 500 tactical persuader in the cabinet (home defense), Remington 870 rifled and scoped in the cabinet (first gun/hunting), and a Glock 26 for concealed carry.

Ohh... and a Draco pistol 7.62x39 for the range!! So much fun to shoot! But I think everyone should at least have one .22 in their arsenal.

I understand some peoples objections to firearms, just don't agree with them. Sniff that one coming....lol

reply to post by TheRealTruth84


Dracos are pretty awesome. I've got a Tantal myself. Cheap, highly lethal 5.45x39mm ammo was basically the main selling point for me. And who doesn't want a side folding stock, am I right?

I have small hands and didn't want a bulky gun to carry. I bought a .40 Cal. Taurus Slim. Many don't like the long trigger pull. I prefer it ...for that extra millisecond of thought before making the decision to shoot.

As you may well know. Some of us girls like to change our clothes and our minds at the very last moment.

reply to post by Bachrk


A friend of mine let me shoot his Taurus .40.
The long trigger pull really threw me off because I had only used single stage triggers before that. Different strokes for different folks I suppose.

reply to post by sabbathcrazy


I would suggest a 20 guage shotgun personally, for home defense.
If you get a handgun, I would get nothing smaller than a 380 although I would go 9mm for a primary female pistol in a single stack magazine.
If you could spend any amount Glock has the Gen 4 pistols that you can swap out the backstraps and shrink or enlarge the grip.
But like I said in 9mm and a single stack, Hi Point has a wonderful series of inexpensive pistols and best of all, they come with a lifeime warranty and they are anywhere from $100. to 250ish US.
These guys have 4 or 5 videos of the sheer torture of the c9 pistol before finally getting the thing to permanently break.
They did things I never would have thought of doing to any weapon.