I have decided to go w/ a gun chambered for .38 special for a home defense/house gun. I decided on this caliber because I would like my girlfriend to be able to use this gun if ever the case may present itself. She really doesn't want to own her own weapon, but would like to be trained on the revolver for times when she is home alone and I am out of town. I have narrowed my choices down to 2 revolvers: the taurus model 85 in 3" stainless and the ruger gp-100 stainless in 4" barrel (the .357 w/ adjustable sights - i think it's model # is kgp-141). Here's my dilemma regarding the pro's and cons of each gun: My reasoning towards the model 85 is that it is a smaller gun that my girlfriend will be able to use and hold it a little more comfortably and that w/ the stainless frame it'll add a little more weight to reduce recoil. My only concern is that the .38 may not perform as well ballistically out of a 3" barrel to take someone down and that it only holds 5 shots. Regarding the gp-100, I'm worried that the grip of the gun may be way to large for her small hands. I do like the fact that it's a heavier gun because it'll reduce the recoil of the .38 to almost nothing and the 4" barrel seems to be a good length for the .38 to perform well ballistically (at least according to this web page: http://www.evanmarshall.com/towert/stoppingpowerfigures.htm)
Plus, I would have the added bonus of owning a .357 although personally i think that the round is to powerful and loud (deafining in fact) to use in a townhouse residence without going into the neighbor's residence and possibly endangering other's without knowing it. That said, the primary use will definitely be for home defense and it will be loaded w/ .38 special +P's. Any response or other insightful recommendations are greatly appreciated.
Plus, I would have the added bonus of owning a .357 although personally i think that the round is to powerful and loud (deafining in fact) to use in a townhouse residence without going into the neighbor's residence and possibly endangering other's without knowing it. That said, the primary use will definitely be for home defense and it will be loaded w/ .38 special +P's. Any response or other insightful recommendations are greatly appreciated.