I love these threads where the OP’er probably has to walk away while third parties get into knife fights over how many angels can dance on an empry .45 ACP case 
The bottom line is that I’m not getting a handgun. I have fired them before and I’m a pretty good natural shot, but I wouldn’t want to be in a crisis situation with one, because I might screw it up. I would have to put many hours of training in before I’d feel comfortable facing an attacker with a handgun. I have the flashlight and pepper spray coming and I do feel comfortable using them. If pepper spray is lethal force, I’ll face that in court with a clear conscience because I am a very small woman with some physical problems and if I have to defend myself against a full grown man, I should be congratulated for surviving at all. The shotgun will have to wait until I have time to deal with it.
Funny thing, I e-mailed the NRA guy in my area for info about basic shooting classes and I never heard back. Very nice.
Rubystreak, email the NRA guy again or better yet, call him. I don’t think he’s ignoring you, he may have been caught up in the election week. If you don’t hear from him in a reasonable amount of time, email me with his particulars and I’ll call him.
Although I favor a wheel gun for it’s simplicity, I’d recommend going with a inexpensive .20 gauge pump gun.
Rubystreak, I feel a little responsible for that NRA guy not returning your call, since I recommended them to you. If you will drop me a line too, I would like to give them an earful.
Thanks.
that you really need 3 guns for self defence.
A shotgun for when the intruder is coming into your home.
a handgun for when he is in your home.
and a rifle for when he is running away.
A shotgun is a little unwieldly for use at close quarters.
To understand what I’m saying try walking around your house with a kitchen broom held in shooting position. (disclaimer) this doper will not be held responsible for breaking great grandmas vase.
justwannano, that’s not really a valid test unless you’re using a shotgun with an very long barrel. Most people use a short barrel, 18-20", for defense. I have a Remington 870 with an 18" barrel and standard stock and it’s only 38.5" long. That’s a wee bit short for a broom unless you are a member of the lollipop guild.
padeye
The angle broom we use is 5 inches longer than my Ithaca model 37.
Once she pulls the bristles into her shoulder it will be about right.
Five inches is a lot when you’re trying to judge clearance and I bet your Ithica doesn’t have a typically short defensive barrel.