One of my shooting buddies has a daughter who is moving away to attend graduate school, and wanted a home-defense gun. His solution was to gather up a broad selection of handguns, go to the gun range and let her decide. So, the young lady shot several small revolvers and various sizes of semi-automatics, and finally made her selection. Her choice was a 1970s-era Smith & Wesson Model 19 revolver. She liked it because it fit her hand, she shot it well and she understood how it worked. Smart lady.