What are your criteria for choosing a self-defense handgun? Jeff Cooper gave 5, but I have many more.?

As you say, convenient size is very important. I'm a strong girl, so I can use a bigger gun than most girls, but some grips are too big, The CZ-75 and classic Browning "Hi-Power" feel fine to me.

Adequate accuracy is a must. The CZ-75 is very accurate with most loads I've tried. It beats nearly all pistols in its class. Good sights are needed of course.

KO Power is important. You want to be able to stop a man from shooting or otherwise harming you and others at once. There are several theories about it. General Hatcher had one. There are a few others.

Quick draw capability is needed. You should be able to draw and fire as fast as possible with good short range accuracy. The gun must be well-balance and have good grips for that. a proper holster is part of this.

The parts and recoil must be manageable. A .500 S&W Magnum has too much kick for most people, maybe all, in self-defense. The magazine or cylinder needs to be easy use as do the hammer, trigger, thumb safety, magazine release, disassembly lever, etc. The sight need to be good, but that comes under Accuracy.

Spare and custom parts and ammo should be readily for the gun you use. The reasons should be obvious.

It is important to have a variety of loads for various purposes. The gun must function well with them too. That gets into other criteria.

Perhaps most critical is that the gun must be utterly reliable and very durable. It must fire every time you pull the trigger with a live round chambered. Guns that jam get you killed. Many guns need breaking in, and some need some gunsmithing before they function reliably. Others never malfunction right out of the box. It's not good to have to buy new guns every couple of years because your guns wore out. Don't cheap out on a gun that's for self-defense.

It must be easy to disassemble for cleaning, because any gun needs cleaning. It's good if a gun doesn't need much cleaning very often, but any gun needs some in time. In emergencies if a gun is too hard to clean, that can be fatal.

The gun needs to be rather ambidextrous. At the OK Corral, Virgil Earp was shot in the right arm by Billly Clanton, so Virg switched his Colt "Peacemaker" to his left hand and emptied it into Billy. Anybody can injure his hand. You nee to still be able to shoot if that happens.

Firepower is good to have, because you might face gangs. It is nice for a gun to shoot as many times as possible before reloading and be able to be reloaded fast. Semi-autos beat revolvers here. My CZ-75 shoots 16 times and then reloads very fast.

Your gun must be very safe to you and your friends. It shouldn't fire if dropped or if the hammer is struck. It fires only when the trigger is fully pulled back, in other words. There are hammer block safeties built-in on some guns.

You should evaluate each part of the gun and compare it to others. Read all you can about guns of the type you want, and try to find places where you can test guns before you buy them.

I am small girl, have small hands thus need small grips and low weight of pistol.

Such gun must function very reliably at adverse conditions, must not jam or have other malfunctions. Many guns need breaking in before have reliable functioning. Gunsmith can make some guns more reliable.

Rugged gun last long time, not want guns wear out every year or two.

Need high capacity magazines and quick reloads.

Need good bullet selection.

Need be drawn and fired quickly with good short range accuracy.

Recoil must not be so bad.

Parts need be easily controlled- trigger, magazine release, thumb safety. disassembly lever, hammer, sights, slide, cylinder, etc.

Must have effective safety systems.

Must have ambidextrous use, can injure hand, may be left-handed.

Must easily find cartridges for it.

May need spare parts or want some custom parts.

Should not be too expensive buy gun and cartridges it use. Cheap guns inadequate however.

Must have sufficient accuracy.

Must have enough power stop any criminals immediately use one or very few shots.

Well, I'm no expert, but I'm logical. let me think about it.

Accuracy first comes to mind. You don't need a precision target pistol, but some accuracy is needed.

Power is nice to have. You want to prevent someone from doing more harm with as few shots as possible.

Being capable of being drawn and shot rapidly is a desirable trait.

Easy to use components is a plus. The trigger, hammer, safety, magazine release, disassembly button, etc. should be very easy to use.

Rugged reliability and durability are needed. The gun should last a long time and fire every time you pull the trigger.

You mentioned size, and it's important. I'm a girl who has small hands, so I can't use a gun with huge grips or carry and draw a gun that's too heavy.

1. Small enough to carry comfortably and completely concealed.

2. Largest frame possible without breaking rule #1. This is pretty relative, because even the biggest pistol I personally would carry is a compact model. Longer barrels generally produce better accuracy, but also increase weight. Guns like the S&W Shield, Walther PSS M2, Glock 43, and HK VP9SK are just about perfect in this regard.

3. I PERSONALLY prefer 9mm for CCW. The only other meritable choice in my opinion is .45ACP, and *maybe* .380. When you go to the CHL class and do the shoot, you will see a significant difference in grouping size between otherwise equal shooters using 9mm vs .45 and to me, the placement of the follow-up shots is more important than a marginally more powerful bullet.

4. Ergonamics. It has to fit naturally and comfortably in my hand. Practical situations with a concealed carry weapon are almost always at least in part a quick-draw and reflexive fire shoot.

5. Shoot it before buying, if possible

Carry the largest caliber that you can safely and accurately handle.

My criteria are:

The capacity, in todays world of roving bands of multiple gremlins, a single stack semi may not be enough. Even with a spare magazine you might get in trouble with a slow reload.

Controls: Are the controls easy to manipulate, can I access the safety, slide stop and magazine release without losing my grip on the firearm.

Can I cycle the slide with one hand, just in case I have an injury to my other arm. Does the rear sight lend itself well to boot or belt cycling.

How accurate is the firearm. Can I point shoot it naturally. Can I do controlled doubles accurately and fast. Do the sights lend themselves well to flash sight picture shooting.

Is it snag free if I decide to carry concealed. How is the weight, can I carry all day without fatigue. Does it clear a holster well. Do the grips provide a slip-free texture.

Easy go shoot