This is a bit over the top for me. What happens when the gun goes click instead of bang or the second round fails to feed after the first round doesn't stop the attacker? Semi-auto go click and fail to feed reguarly. I had two of them do both just last month.
Hence, my awesome strategy to buy her two semi-autos everyone wins!
This is not a one gun only defense. The house we are looking at moving too has three stories so I may open a thread discussing what guns for each different floor. ;-)
Point further proven.
While I agree that the vast majority of the time any woman of any level of strength can charge any handgun, it's just a matter of technique, someone who is legitimately injured might not be able to. My mother had an accident several years ago and injured her left wrist, and it healed poorly. The only slides she can handle are of .22 handguns, but I also found she can rack the slide on a Walther PK 380, which was designed specifically with this intent. But I always steer people to long guns for home defense, and if it's someone who I actually care if they live or die, I will tell them not to use a .22.
I agree, as my mom has issues with most slides. The easiest gun I have to rack the slide? Beretta 92FS.
OP, sorry for diverting the thread back to semi-autos. It sounds like you already have/had a pretty good idea of what you want. It just seemed odd that an AR was in the running and semi-auto pistols were ruled out. For that matter, a pump shotgun I'd trust less in the hands of an inexperienced user than just about any reputable semi-auto pistol. In all honesty, I'd feel better with my wife having my Beretta with 16 rounds of 9mm, than any 6-shooter. That gun hasn't jammed in well over the last 3,000 rounds. If it did jam, chances are it would be after the 6th round, so it still comes out ahead of a revolver. But that is just my risk/benefit analysis. YMMV. If she is comfortable with a revolver just go with that. They are the most "no-need-to-do-anything-but-pull the-trigger" style guns, at least till the cylinder is empty.