[Tom S.]

quote:Originally posted by Ozz

Go with the Smith and Wesson in my opinion, but Browning makes a fine gun.
It would be nice to go to a range and shoot them both, don't know if they would allow that, but that would be my ideal comparison.
Good luck.
Oh, DON'T get the Taurus .22 Mag.....

There are ranges around that do just that - they will rent or in some cases, let you try different guns. When I was working, I had a few friends that between us, had a wide range of firearms. When someone expressed an interest in buying a gun but couldn't make up their minds, we would all get together provide the person with a range to make their choice from. For instance, I not only have Ruger and Browning .22's, I also have several different .45's. Another friend has a wide selection of large magnums, including .44's and even the .50 S&W. And we all have various 9mm's and 38's/357's, so we could pretty much offer whatever someone was interested in.

All the advice here has been on the mark. .22's are fun and cheap for plinking and small critters. Protection is a different matter. What is most important in personal protection is proficiency with the firearm - period. In other words, the ability to hit your attacker in a vital area while under duress. To this end, any caliber will work if you are good enough. After all, many assassinations have been made using .22 caliber handguns due to their ability to get the job done quietly. But to be good enough means practice, practice, practice. Next to ability, comes caliber, with bigger being better. People will argue caliber selection until they are blue in the face, but the two important things to remember is wound channel size and imparting the maximum amount of bullet energy inside the target. Two common rounds that perform this function well are the venerable .45 acp and the newer .40 S&W. I know this somewhat goes against my statement of bigger being better, with calibers like the 44mag and 50 caliber cannons, but we must also remain cognizant of the ability to control the firearm, and it's concealability. Even with .45's and .40's though, bullet selection is very important. The wrong bullet can pass through the target without expanding or imparting it's energy. So to maximize the caliber's effectiveness, choose a round that is designed for self defense. There are plenty on the market to choose from.

I also agree with the concept of a revolver being pretty much screw-up-proof for function - but - going back to what I stated above, practice makes for proficiency, and having more rounds available and far faster reloading ability makes revolvers my second choice over automatics.

I also subscribe to the short barrel shotgun concept if you don't plan on ever becoming good with a hand gun. Shotguns are intimidating and very effective at short range.

Lastly, I agree 100% with Ozz on staying from Taurus. Before someone pops up and tells me how great theirs is, let me say that I hang out on many gun boards, and my shooting experience goes back to the late 1950's. Beyond a doubt, I have seen and heard far more complaints about Taurus than all other brands put together. Stick to the big name brands like: Colt, H&K, Sig, S&W and Ruger, and even then, put a few thousand rounds through it to make sure it functions properly before betting your life on it.