carry gun for little woman?

[recurve shooter]

my girlfriend stands 5 foot nothing, weighs 130 pounds, and i can compleatly cover her fist inside of mine. she's pretty small. she turns 21 in april, and wants go get her carry permit and a gun. problem is, im a rifle guy. and the pistols i do shoot are BIG. im sure some of you have some knowledge of this, and im looking for suggestions on a gun. here is pretty much the guidlines of what we are looking for, in order of importance.
1. stopping power. i want it to do its job if she ever has to use it.
2. recoil. shes little like i said, and not exactly a tough girl. she's kind of a panzy actually, even by girl standards lol. she has shot a ruger blackhawk in 357 with .38s in it and a 6 inch barrel, as well as some kinda little 38 snubnose revolver with no problem, so it dont have to be all that small, just something managable.
3. trigger pull. something we dont think about as caveman-hands can usually fire any of them off, but i got a guy to let her shoot a little taurus .22 compact pistol, i dont know the moddle but its one where the barrel pops up to load the first round instead of racking the slide, and it had a hammer, which made it have a double action trigger pull, and she shook so much trying to get the thing to go off she did good to hit the burm.
4. price. she's a collage student, and im younger that her, so not a whole heck of alot of money here. cheaper is better, prefferably under 300 dollars.
5. last, but not least, and most important to her sence she refuses to carry a purse. its gotta be SMALL. a judge in the back pocket of skinny jeans just dont work lol, or maby suggestions for some other way of carry? ancle holster?

Im at a loss on this one guys. at first i thought some kinda compact simi auto belly gun, but then i got to worying about jams, trigger pull, ect.
then i thought a small revolver, like the smith and wesson lady smith, but thats HUGE compared to her tiny little hands, then i thought maby derringer, but thats only two shots and she aint exatly a marksman, so i have no clue. like i say ANY suggestions from ANYONE who knows anything would be great. thanks guys!!!

ps- she wants it "pretty" 

[NTD]

My wife carries a Bersa .380 and she is taller than yours but 110 pounds.

Kel-tec makes a very small .380

Pretty is in the eye of the beholder so can't help you there

http://www.keltecweapons.com/our-guns/pistols/p-3at/

[Knocker]

I like my little .380 Colt Mustang - but it will likely cost you more than $300 to get one...

[nugget]

Kel Tec makes awesome carry pistols in several calibers. I carry a 32 with no problem in my front pocket. Less than 300 is no problem for this gun. If you get a good hollow point it will definitely leave a hole upon entry and exit.

[sailordad]

there are ALOT of compact 9mm, .40 cal, even .45 acp to choose from for cc
if she can handle a .357 mag,then she can handle any of the calibers i just mentioned
down side to smaller calibers like the .380, and .32 calibers is penetration
theres a show on the outdoor channel caled" THE BEST DEFENSE"
they always do shows on personal self defense.with everything from barehands to guns
they recently discussed these types of guns.
they actuall found that the small caliber guns like .380 etc had a hard time penetrating thru heavy clothing and still
makeing good penetration into tissue
my personal choice is .45 acp,tried and proven for stopping power
smith & wesson make some "pretty" guns just for womens taste
and they make them in concealed carry modles too 
only downside is S&W arent always the cheapest
but they do make a damn fine firearm that you can depend on

[NTD]

Tim, I agree with you on .45 ACP.  I love my 1911.  But she hasn't shot .357, he said she was shooting .38's out of a.357

[mullet]

 I bought my wife a Taurus Titanium 38 Spl. Then I had a trigger kit put in it. It doesen't jam and when in doubt, keep pulling the trigger.

[mullet]

 I carry a 45 Para-Ordinance 1911. Love my 45's

[sailordad]

NTD, thanks for clarifying that for me
i went back and reread his initial post
dont know how i misread that,its rigt there in black and white 
but hey if she can handle .38's,she can still handle a 9mm or .40 cal
my wife not a big person
she used to out shoot me with MY .357
i NEVER let her shoot my .45 acp,didnt need her showing me up with that too 

[NTD]

My wife is a better shot than myself as well   That's why I picked up the bow

[Knocker]

To elaborate, I said that I liked my little Colt .380 Mustang because it is small enough to carry in a pocket.  It's my "summer gun" when wearing lighter clothing.  Most of the year a Kimber .45 is my pistol of choice.  Of course if I knew I was going to a gun battle I'd carry a 12 gauge, .223 ranch rifle or 30-06 BAR.    

The pistol I usually recommend for a camp gun or lady's gun is a .357 Ruger SP101.  Rugged and reliable, .38's for practice and .357 hollow points for carry.  Fine for a purse, but a little big for a pocket.

Keith

[El Destructo]

My Wife carries a Kimber Pro Crimson Carry 45acp with a 4 inch Barrel ...but they make an Ultra that has a 3 inch Barrel that is even lighter and smaller......She also has a 357 magnum Ruger GP-100 with a 4 inch Barrel.....I carry a Kimber also...but mine is the 5 inch Crimson Carry....and my wife is 5'4"...and weighs 115...and has no trouble wielding this Gun....and with Authority...I might add!

[aznboi3644]

I'm 22...also a poor college student.  Getting my permit soon.

If I do need to use a firearm for protection one shot to the head is all that is needed for even the biggest person on earth.

[jamie]

not to be a stick in the mud, but does she know how to shoot.  not just at the range. im a firm believer that a pistol is more dangerous to the owner if the owner cant instinctually draw that weapon and pull the trigger. if the weapon is drawn the trigger should be pulled and the mag emptied. no warning shots. ive taught many females to train with their weapons. so that under duress the abililty to shoot is there. doesnt matter what size the weapon is if she cant remove it and be ready to injure or kill somebody. peace

[NTD]

I'm 22...also a poor college student.  Getting my permit soon.

If I do need to use a firearm for protection one shot to the head is all that is needed for even the biggest person on earth.

Not as easy as it sounds.  Have you ever hunted?  Ever had or seen someone get buck fever?  Now multiply that with the fact that it's a life and death situation.  Ever been in a fight?  Then you know what adrenaline does to fine motor skills.  There is a reason you train for center mass....