Very similar to the situation with my wife when we got her her first pistol. She opted for the SP 101 spurless hammer, 2" barrel since it felt good and I knew it was heavy enough to counter some of the recoil. She really liked it until Ruger came out with the LCP, that had a light enough slide spring for her to handle. All this said she still does not carry much but can use either for home defense and I can carry either depending on the situation.