Hmmm. I thought they only came in 2 1/4" and 3" barrel?

Paul, I have the 2 1/4" SP101 Ruger .357 and it's a great, 5 shot gun. I carry it every day on our 4 mile walk. A 3" GP100 Ruger will give you 6 shots in an slightly larger package. Both the SP and GP 3" have fixed sights.

S&W makes some nice revovlers, as well. The lightweight's can hurt to shoot depending what grips are installed and will "shoot loose" if too many stout loads are fired through them. Since firing these can be punishing, you tend not to practice like you should. If you're going to depend on a handgun for protection, you need to practice.

For semi-autos, I'd look at the Smith & Wesson M&P compact or Springfield XD sub compact. These are lightweight poly guns. I own both and neither one has missed a lick in thousands of rounds. These come in 9mm, 40 S&W and 45 ACP.

Ruger makes the new SR9 which looks good on paper but it's new. It's 9mm with 40S&W supposedly to come shortly.

9mm would be my minimum recommendation for caliber and there's a lot of ammo choices and it's probably the lowest cost ammo.

Anyway, just a few more ideas for you to kick around.

WyoBob