The last pistol I got my wife was a nice S&W 32 revolver. That's about as small as I like to go for a home defense pistol. One of the things that I think my wife really liked about it was that it had a little more punch and power, but at the same time the S&W frame was light enough and the pistol didn't kick much. It's still her favorite gun.

She's a pretty good shot with it too. <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/wink.gif" alt="" />