The slides on these things are very easy, they are actuated by the recoil of a .22 to the springs cannot be very stiff.
Once the first round is off, it cocks itself for the next shot making for a lighter second+ shot.
I am not a firearms expert so I can’t really offer any advice on a choice of gun for you. But a few years ago, I was considering buying a gun, in particular a .22. I had a couple of friends let me “test drive” their guns, I did find the .22 to be easier to handle and lighter to carry. I was concerned, as you seem to be, about stopping power. If I feel it necessary to pull a gun on someone, you are damn right I want them to stop! I had a wise friend who gave me this advice: If they don’t stop, shoot them again. Yep, that’ll do it.
Depends on the load, doesn’t it? #4 reduced recoil shouldn’t be much risk for wall penetration, assuming the wall is two sheets of drywall on opposite sides of a frame.
I recently bought a pistol for my wife. You’ll get the best price by going through an major online dealer and then picking it up at a local gun shop that holds a FFL.
I went through Davidsons. I like them because you get multiple quotes on prices from local gun shops. Their web site is GalleryofGuns.com click the Gun Genie. Fill in the Search info and your zip code. Pick a gun that you are interested in buying. You’ll get quotes from various gun shops within 25 miles. I didn’t go with the cheapest quote because it was a dealer I was unfamiliar with. A big gun shop with an indoor range was only $18 more and I was familiar with their store. Some quotes were $60 to $80 more and basically charging the manufactures retail price.
If you order, then they’ll want a credit card for a deposit (mine was $150) and you pay the balance at the FFL dealer when you pick it up.
I’d guess there’s other major online dealers with a similar quote system. I only gave an example of the one I dealt with.
This is probably obvious. But, I wouldn’t order a gun if there’s any chance you may not pass the ID check. 
I’m not sure what would happen to your deposit. You’d probably get it back, but there might be fees for the shipping cost that were spent shipping the gun to the dealer and maybe a restocking fee? I’m just guessing. I didn’t have any problems with the ID background check.
When you pick up the gun at the FFL dealer, that’s when they’ll fill out all the paperwork and do the ID check. Some states have a 3 day waiting period too.
I’m not saying that it weighs a ton, but it is a bit heavier than the equivalent size S&W. Some people find that desirable, I’m one of them. Regardless, the price is right. I’d consider that a genuine best buy among handguns.
I’m talking about the potential for rust buildup, improper care and cleaning, etc. There are handguns that if not taken care of just so will fail repeatedly. Ignore the maintenance on a Ruger Mark or any other semi-automatic .22 and you’ll get FTFs all over the place. Neglect the proper cleaning a of a Colt Python and you’ve got a very expensive paperweight.
With a GP-100 you can fire it, throw it into a drawer, forget about it for 6 months, pull it out all dirty and scummed up, load it, and it will fire. You can bank on it. I have the GP-100’s little brother, the SP-101, and I have never, ever had a failure. I can’t recommend Ruger revolvers highly enough.
Nearly impossible. I am looking more for a small revolver that I can keep on the chairside table next to me.
I am a law abiding citizen, I don’t anticipate any problems with an ID check.
While you don’t need a canon, I feel a .22 is just too small. Sure, if you place the round correctly it will most certainly stop someone. However, in the heat of the moment your aim might not (probably will not) be perfect. Referencing the earlier mentioned home invasion, I stopped it with a .22 rifle using the “long” round. One intruder died almost immediately with a sindle round in his chest, very near his heart. The second took two, possibly three rounds. Where I do not know as he was able to escape. I doubt #2 would have survived, or at least been able to run, with a larger round.
Sounds like a .22 worked fine.
BMalion, I’d recommend first finding an indoor shooting range that has rentals for you to try out. First things first, find a model/configuration that feels comfortable in your hands. With a weakened grip, the handgun must feel comfortable and natural in your hand, especially when it fires.
Hopefully, it’ll be a model that comes in a variety of calibers, because next thing you want to do is rent that comfortable-feeling handgun, or a similar model/configuration, and start “low” with the .22LR, and work your way up through the calibers, until you find out what caliber you can comfortably fire and handle the recoil on.
Because you’re going to need to practice at least some to get a feel for the gun and how it shoots. There’s been very good pro-and-con on revolvers vs. semi-autos, and it does sound as though a revolver is going to be better for your particular needs, and as an owner of a GP-100, I’ll add a hearty “Hell YEAH!” to what Airman Doors said Ruger in general, and the GP and SP line of revolvers in particular.
All the talk of calibers and stopping power do you absolutely no good if you don’t or can’t put lead on target. And as a long-time shooter, I can say that at least a monthly range trip will be necessary to maintain even absolute bare-bones minimum proficiency with a firearm you may intend for home defense.
Frex, I had a bit of dry spell in my shooting since last September, and I just got back into it this month. The first 15-rd. magazine of 9mm I put downrange out of a handgun I was very familiar with went just all over the damned target. I stopped, examined what I was doing wrong (flinching, death-gripping, poor trigger technique), and had to take another 15-rd magazines of slow, aimed fire to “get back into the groove” even a little bit.
So, search around your area for an indoor range (some outdoor ranges also do rentals, but I know I don’t want to be outside shooting at this time of year) that has rentals for you to try. As a plus, try to find one that does rentals, and has some basic firearms training classes as well. As an idea of what you should look for, I have Top Gun, and Ultimate Defense indoor shooting ranges that I frequent.
My personal defensive weapon is an M1 Carbine. Extremely expensive and overpenetration is an issue, but It’s got a lot more stopping power and is more accurate than most pistols, and is much lighter and easier to handle than a full sized shotgun or battle rifle. And a bayonet for itimidation without firing or if the gun jams / ammo runs out.
Thank you. I am planning to go to a range with rentals that offers courses as well, this week.
By now I think we are safely out of the realm of anything the OP will actually want or use, but I just wanted to mention that the AR-15 weighs only slightly more than the M1 Carbine. Overpenetration would be much more of an issue, obviously.
I have had the misfortune in my EMT days of seeing exactly how much damage a load of #4 will do on the far side of 2 layers of drywall, to a 7 year old boy. He didn’t make it.
I just bought a Walther PK380. I’m female and I have grip issues and very little strength in my hands and can handle the Walther with easy. I went to a gun show and picked up everything. The Walther felt like an extension of my arm the moment I picked it up. I knew I didn’t want a .22, but I didn’t feel like I needed or could comfortably handle a large caliber handgun. I also needed something concealable and lightweight. The magazine eject button is right under the trigger guard and can be operated with either hand and the slide mechanism is easy for me to rack.
If you can go to a gun show or a store that specialized in firearms and “try some on” it will be helpful. Find 3 or 4 that feel good in your hand regardless of the caliber, then see if you can rent them at a range and actually fire them. Different models of the same caliber may feel very different when fired. For me it was love at first sight. I hope you find one you like as much as I like mine.
I think that Walther has been one of the better kept secrets of the gun world for the last decade; good ergonomics, fine workmanship, and good price. Various manufacturers are finally catching up (H&K, Springfield, S&W, and now Ruger) in “two-out-of-three,” but few, IMO, have truly matched Walther just yet. H&K never will without a sea-change in their attitude towards the civilian market.
The problem I see with an automatic is that when you pick it up or draw, you need a 2nd hand to work the slide. A problem when the other hand has to be on a cane/walker or you fall down.
Not necessarily true, depending upon what “Condition” you leave it in. Jeff Cooper, a 1911 afficionado and combat handgun expert, came up with five “Condition Levels” for the 1911, which translate very well for other semi-autos. I don’t recall you mentioning having kids about. If not, you could leave any firearm in Condition Two: round chambered, magazine in, hammer down.
All you have to do then is cock the gun.
Plus, there’s always the pants/belt rack method. Using the rear sight of the handgun, hook it on your belt or pants pocket, and push down with your arm.
From what I understand, some semiautos even come with a metal lip on the top of the slide specifically for that purpose. Had a gun shop clerk demonstrate the “countertop rack” method to me, explaining that it would be useful if my off hand was injured or otherwise unavailable.