No question, my second gun choice would be a handgun. I know you've pretty much ruled it out, but they have a place.

I have a few autoloaders: 1911, Glock 17, S&W 5906, S&W 3906, KelTec P9, etc. I also have a few revolvers: S&W J frame in .38spl stainless w 3" barrel, S&W Airlite in .38spl w 3" barrel, S&W Airlite .22 w 3" barrel, S&W K frame in .357 stainless w 3" barrel, etc. I guess you can tell I like the 3" barrels, they have good adjustable sights for accuracy and are still short enough to easily conceal.

If I had to pick just one, it would be a revolver. Versatility of ammo has already been mentioned, but they are also user friendly. Simplicity is a virtue, and revolvers have it in spades. I've seen countless jams with autos; you can limp wrist them, block the slide so they short cycle, failure to feed, etc. In thousands of rounds, I've seen one revolver jam. A handload with a double charge that swelled the case in the cylinder (yeah, it was my handload!).

My second second choice would be a bolt action .22. There's a wide variety of loads from hyper velocity to CCI CBlongs with a muzzle velocity of 710fps. (Take a look at ammotogo.com) The CBlongs are ridiculously quiet, quieter than many single cock pellet guns and they're pushing a 29 gr bullet compared to a 13 gr pellet. I recently got my son a Henry Mini Bolt youth .22. Small stainless steel with synthetic stock, weighs just 3 1/4 pounds. I think I've shot it more than my son. It's a hoot and a very capable, simple gun. Not the cheapest, but there are plenty of new and used .22 bolts that would work just as well.

Finally, if you're set on a pellet gun, consider an older Sheridan 5mm pump. NOT the Benjamine Sheridan, the "made in Racine, Wis. Sheridans". The Bluestreaks and Silverstreaks are not the easiest to find, they are still in demand, but they are the best. I have 2 Silverstreaks, a 1972 and a 1978. Though old, they both hold air and shoot like they were made yesterday. I shoot mine regularly to keep the brown headed cowbirds out of the feeders, very accurate and a pleasure to shoot. They can usually be found on gunbrokers.com, search "sheridan". And always keep a pump or two in the gun to keep the seals tight.

Just my 2 cents, ha ha!

lukus