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i think a small 38 special would be much better - something like a Taurus ultra light - or a Ruger little compact revolver. in the parking lot where i worked, an estranged husband shot his wife and her boss as they got in his car after work - each one was shot several times but survived since it was just a little 22. if you are serious bout defending yourself don't count on a little 22.

Yes for .22, but (my opinion):
.357 Magnum
Shotgun
Rifle
Glock 40mm semi auto.
Browning Hi Power 40mm.
Colt Peacemaker 6 gun.
Mace
Taser.

Just my thinking.

I have a .22 rifle and a .20 guage shotgun and a .410 double barrel :-)
just would like to have a little hand gun in the dresser drawer by the bed.
I like the sound of a .38 special - .357 magnum might be too much for me to handle. I have rheumatoid arthritis in my hands.

My Wife and daughter each hgave .38's and know how to use them. They both have small hands but with the two hand hoild they do great. I would not want to mess with either of them. I have a .357 magnum . we are welll armed

22 is too small and won't always stop a badguy. A large enough caliber to stop a bad guy has to actually hit him so you want something you can hit the target with. Since this is for the home and you don't have to carry it all the time, get something with a good length barrel. It's harder to aim a short barreled pistol so don't get a snubnose. A laser site can show you exactly where the bullet is going and may be enough to scare away any intruder who finds a little red dot on his chest.

And don't forget to practice regularly, not just shooting, but also getting it out of the drawer in the dark and identifying a target.

I like that idea! A laser site! That would scare the hell out of an intruder now wouldn't it? LOL
I will look into a good .38
Thank you for all your good advice :)
peace

Don't forget, a laser also shows where you are (the other end of the beam). And a laser is no substitute for practice. If you are shakey or uncomfortable with the pistol , the little red dot will reveal your unsteadiness. The laser is not a guarantee of a good shot either; if you wince, or flinch when pulling the trigger it will re-aim your weapon in the last fraction of a second and the bullet may not go where you want it to. The laser can get you aimed right but you have to have a steady follow-through.

Keep in mind that a bullet can travel through walls easily and if there is someone else in your home that should NOT be shot, that bullet might find them in bed or in the bathroom or even runing into a hallway to see what the commotion is. A bullet fired in your living room could possibly wind up in your neighbors living room. The laser dot will stop where a bullet will not.

Good luck and I hope you never need it except to practice.

Check this out:

view link

The wife's S&W LadySmith (.38/.357 magnum) is at 11:00.

She likes the size and simplicity of a revolver. She also thinks her gun is "pretty".

At 12:00 is my Colt Mustang (.380 Auto) which is a small semi-automatic pistol that I carry on occasion. My "goin' to the store" gun, although the way things are going now days, I carry one of my .45s to the store. .380 Auto is about as small a caliber as I think you should use for self defense.

At 4:00 is a Kimber Ultra CDP (.45 ACP), fits nicely in my pocket with a pocket holster, which is a pretty good caliber for personal defense, but has a bit of a kick to it. At 3:00 is the other .45 I carry, a S/A XD45. Fairly big, but I'm a big guy so it carries pretty well.

The one at 2:00 is a 9mm Beretta 92FS. That's the one I keep in my home office desk. I have laser grips on this one, more because I like gadgets. I really doubt I would be able to use them in a critical situation, requires operating a small switch and push button. Your fine motor skills go away in that kind of situation, so I wouldn't count on them.

The one in the center is a Ruger GP100 (.38/.357 magnum) same as the wife's LadySmith, so she uses this as her home office desk gun.

The one with the scope is a Ruger Super Redhawk (.44 magnum). A bit much to carry except in bear country.

Probably the most critical piece of hardware for self defense is the nut that is holding the gun, so make sure you get good training and practice.

In case you are wondering, we don't have any grandkids yet, so I just love talking about my guns.

Try a little .380 auto. I have one just to stick it in my pocket, it's small but it still is a good little back-up

Lots of great advice on here. As I was reading, many points I was planning on making were already covered. Here's what I can still add:

You want reliable. Certain brands lend themselves to be more reliable, but even that can be debateable, so it's tough to get a straight answer on that. Everyone has thier favorites, but IMHO, if they swear by only one brand, is it from experience or from advertising? Firing range guys will usually give you a straight answer.

Go to several stores that sell guns, preferably when they are not busy. Explain to them what you're looking for. Ask to hold many different sizes, types, and models. Bigger calibers have better stopping power, but there's more: At closer range (as in personal protection), they also can possibly pass completely through the intruder. They do no good if you miss too. .38, 9mm, .40 are all good sizes. Cops all over the country carry 9s or 40s on thier side. Try to find one that fits your hand and feels "right". Oftentimes, you can change out the grip on a handgun if the texture isn't right. You also want to feel the weight of the weapon. Once you do that, find a range that rents guns, the specific one(s) you liked, and put some rounds through them. If that's intimidating, go through a firearms training course first to ease your mind. You want to be realy comfortable with the gun-how it feels in your hand, how easy it is to pull the trigger, how heavy it is at full extension of your arm.

Hopefullt that will lead you to the best choice for you. In the end, you are buying something that should last a lifetime so you want to be certain it's a good fit for you. Once you buy it, put it to use-at the range, and like mentioned-also practice retrieving it in the dark. I know of one person who will occasionally set an alarm in the middle of the night just to wake up and grab it for practice. make sure when you practice this, unload it first. put duct tape over the trigger area to practice keeping your finger off of it. Do this so when it's laoded, you don't pull it from the night stand and put a hole in the floor.