Amen to that , I would say either with a shielded hammer or hammer-less. A 38 special is my recommendation.Snub nosed revolver. Easy to hide in their purse, simple to operate, minimum cleaning and maintenance.
+1 on a revolver rather than a pistol. Revolvers are dead nuts simple to operate and perform basic cleaning and maintenance on.
It's not hard to strip and clean most pistols, but it is definitely more involved than a revolver.
Snub nosed revolver. Easy to hide in their purse, simple to operate, minimum cleaning and maintenance.
Hammerless .38 revolver, can't go wrong there.
Just so the OP is not confused. A revolver is a pistol.
642 S&W .38 Special (Airweight J frame)
Just so the OP is not confused. A revolver is a pistol.
Semi-Auto: Glock, pretty much 4 parts you have to clean regularly. My wife carries one on duty and off duty and cleans it often but she has short nails and still has trouble pulling the slide lock to remove the barrel.
The slide lock on the Glocks is pretty short. I can see how it could be a PITA for some. I believe there are aftermarket slide locks that are a teeny bit longer so that you can get a better grip on them. I honestly don't know if they'd interfere with a holster, though.
I would suggest the Kel-Tec P-3AT.
It's a 6 shot double action only, concealed hammer auto in .380.
This would be a good choice for a woman. The .380 is more forgiving when it comes to recoil which leads to more practice and ACCURACY.
Accuracy is the key. I know many will say the .380 is anemic when it comes to stopping power but how many of us would want to get hit with one?
I know I wouldn't.
It will conceal better in a purse because of its lightweight and slim profile.
An additional magazine ups the power to 12 rounds.
Cost is around $300.00
Here's the link..........
http://www.keltecweapons.com/our-guns/pistols/p-3at/