>>What is the advertised velocity? <<<br><br>Nominally 550 fps. Fine for indoor practice or 10m.

Although no one can definitively answer the question about which rifle would be best for Barb and hubby, a couple of ideas come to mind:<br><br>1. What kind of protection do you envision? Are we talking protection from people or animals?<br><br>2. Does it have to be a rifle? For short range work nothing beats a 12 ga shotgun.<br><br>3. Why semi-auto? If a person is not trained well with any weapon, the potential for the weapon to fail is increased.Semi-autos are great if you spend the time to practice with them. They also tend to be more maintenance intensive.<br><br>4. What environment is the defese weapon to be used? If it's in the house then IMHO you DON"T want a rifle - unless you don't mind the bullet passing through the house and possibly going into someone else's home. For interior home use a shot gun poses the least threat to bystanders and family members in the next room. (Depending on shot size and power)<br><br>There are a dozen different criteria you can use to try to answer the question. I sold firearms for over a decade and the question "What is the best gun for...." came up multiple times daily. Barb, I don't want to overwhelm you, but it's just not that simple. <br>Email me if you want.

By the way, there is no such thing as a dumb question, except for the ones you don't ask. I think all here on the forum enjoy helping one another.

Better late than never Barb,<br><br>Kerosene will store for a very long time. I can't give an exact time, but some say indefinite. Your local hardware store should have it in the paint section in 2 1/2 gallon and 1 gallon plastic containers. This is good clear kerosene. Be careful buying the 5 gallon cans in your big home stores, it is not the kind you want for lanterns and cooking stoves. If its red don't buy it. Kerosene is best stored in plastic because the water content will rust metal cans over a period of time.<br> When buying a firearm, go to a gun store or show and pick up as many as you can. There will be one or two that you will say, this sure feels good. Now you have narrowed your choices down. A woman will not shoot a gun that is not comfortable to her, and you need to shoot a minimum of 500 rds. through it. I bought a 12 ga. shotgun and took my wife and daughter out to shoot it. I fired it once and thats all it took for them to know they didn't want any part of it. Bigger is not always better. Proficiency and accuracy are paramount. If you awake in the night and can't find the safety on your weapon, it is useless, unless you club the attacker with it. Of course, this is just my opinion.<br><br>good luck<br>Bruce