BudsGunShop.com - daughter gun???

I would want to know much more before I attempted to answer you. bare bones basics dictates since your asking such a question at all that both you and your daughter are inexperienced. there is a great deal for you to learn as with your daughter. were I in your shoes I would opt for a revolver in 38 caliber and better still the 38 special. the 38 is a proven defender spanning many years now. REMEMBER that barrel length matters as bullets are designed to be fired from ''x'' barrel lengths in order to achieve the desired velocity. snub nose revolvers are an inside your home defender most likely. I would prefer a minimum barrel length of 3 inches for your daughter and actually (myself) I will want 4 inch barrels minimum. practice is key but so is her mind set!! she needs to understand seconds count and she needs to KNOW she will fire to kill if a situation warrants. most ladies starting out find this sporting, momentarily, and do not intend to shoot anyone - ever - let alone kill someone. you need to roll up your sleeves and dive into many subjects before even you buy yourself a gun.

Sounds like you have plenty of answers for this gun. I would suggest ..buy something else...a Smith, Colt, Sig, Glock or Ruger. But that's just me. Also I wish Jason T could explain the comment, "it's striker fired so don't let her carry with a round in the chamber" I have no idea what this supposed to mean. Where should she put the round?....in her sock? More myths spread by the uneducated is what I think we have here. It is perfectly safe to carry a chambered round in a striker fired DAO autos....I do it everyday. It's basically the same as carrying a double action revolver. Jason needs to learn a little more about striker fired pistols. Going un-chambered is like almost putting on your seat belt ...by the time you need it. it's too late to click it.

If she is not shooting a lot or experienced I would start with a 22 cal pistol. If she cannot easily rack the gun then one of two things could happen. 1. She has difficulty racking it and this makes it not fun and she loses interest in shooting. 2. She has had to use all her strength to rack the slide and flashes the muzzle in an unsafe direction or accidentaly bumps the trigger because she has to struggle racking the slide. I do not know the age of your daughter but even if it's a self defense weapon a 22 flinging a bunch of bullets controllabley is much better than no shots on target..just my $.02

Jimenez 380 is $115 brand new and super easy to rack. I like it better then hi point and its about 20oz. Its smaller and striker fired, so make sure she's not carrying one in the chamber with it.

A special feature of the Pavona that I think we can all appreciate is the lightened tension on the hammer and recoil springs of the pistol. This makes the slide easier to retract for those with weaker hands, and the lighter hammer spring provides a somewhat reduced trigger-pull weight. I found the DA pull to be relatively smooth and estimate the weight at about 10 pounds. The SA pull has about 0.12 inches of take-up and noticeable creep before breaking at about 4 pounds, with slight overtravel. This is no striker-fired or DAO pistol.budsgunshop.com/catalog/product_info.php/cPath/2084_21_231/products_id/716007451/EAA+999403+Witness+Pavona+Sapphire+13+1+9mm+3.6%22 budsgunshop.com/catalog/product_info.php/cPath/2084_21_231/products_id/716008316/EAA+999445+Witness+Pavona+Fandango+13+1+380ACP+3.6%22

I own a Hi Point C-9 and I never had anyone have an issue with the light slide on it. I would expect the same of the 380. However, if this is a big issue, I would recommend looking at a single/double action revolver. They are simple, reliable and all you have to do is pull the trigger to make it work.

Usually direct blowback center fires have a very heavy spring in them and smaller people or ones with arthritic hands cannot rack the slide. That's why little pistols like the Beretta Bobcat with the tipping barrel are popular because you need not rack them to load them.
budsgunshop.com/catalog/product_info.php/products_id/25340/Beretta+3032+Tomcat+.32+ACP+Matte+Black

I have 2 HiPoints (9mm and 45 JHP) and I think she can. My wife and daughter can pull the 9 slide (my daughter is 11 and is 68 lbs) but maybe a small revolver would work? Double action because it is easy to pull back a hammer and then the trigger pull is light. Either that or a RCP Ruger 380. They are going for a pretty good price (the first gen models).
At least with Hi Point, it has a no questions asked lifetime warranty and it is transferrable. They fix guns they should not LOL.

I would say she should be able to yes, but I would not recommend a hi point for a woman. They do work great but they are very heavy. Your best bet would be to spend a little more and get a nice Taurus or smith in 380. I own a smith bodyguard in 380 and in shoots great and the slide works very easy. Hope this helps.