I originally bought two of these, one for myself and one for the wife. Sold my wife's when she couldn't handle the recoil of the 22WMR in such a small platform. If your palms are even slightly sweaty (or in my wife's case, constantly coated in lotion) these things can be a chore to hold onto. My Cobray 410/44LC has less recoil then the American Arms 22WMR revolver. That said, it is pretty accurate for something lacking real sights. It is in a caliber which Hornady makes self defense ammo hollow points. It has always gone off when I pulled the trigger. It wouldn't be my primary weapon choice 99.9% of the time, but I have carried it when I knew I couldn't get away with carrying anything else.