A 7 shot 686 in 2 1/2 inch weighs 35 ozs, a Glock 19C loaded weighs 31 ozs, not a big difference at all.
Some would argue that a fully loaded G-19, weighing only 88% of the L-frame is a significant decrease in weight. Except that you listed the EMPTY weight of the L-frame, but at least you rounded up. Smith & Wesson lists the weight of the 7 shot @ 34.5 oz. Add 7 Corbon 125 grain JHP's, the weight becomes 37.78 oz. Let's round that up to 38 oz, as a heavier bullet would easily exceed that. NOW the loaded G-19 is 81.5% the weight, nearly 20% less. But Glock cites the loaded weight is 29.98 oz. Rounding up to 30 oz, it now becomes 78.9% as heavy. Many folks would view that difference as significant. And besides, flat guns carry easier than round guns, as a general rule.
As far as bulk they are very similar in length and height, I carry an 2 1/2 N-Frame daily, it is neither to heavy or too bulky. The K-frame is available as well, lighter and slimmer yet. If concealment is still a concern the look to a J-Frame tho I regard them to be a BUG.
The cylinder thickness of the L-frame is 1.564" compared to 1.18 for the Glock, just shy of 1/4" difference in thickness. Again, many folks would consider this as significant.
Revolvers have several advantages as pointed out by others, they are they best firearms for those who do not wish to learn and continuously practice the immediate action drills.
They do have advantages, but they also have disadvantages that have been overlooked. As I previously stated, the recommended L-frames only hold 6-7 rounds, so right away there is the capacity disadvantage. These rounds have a long, hard, often gritty trigger pull standing in the way of even modest accuracy. While the trigger pull can be lightened and smoothed, it's still a long hard pull, especially compared to a tuned (or untuned) Glock trigger. And after your 7th shot, you're reloading......providing you brought a speedloader. Meanwhile, the Glock shooter is firing shots 8 thru 16 if necessary. Even a 7 shot revolver must reload TWICE to get 16 shots fired. (providing you brought TWO speedloaders!)
Some other disadvantages are weight, trigger reach, recoil (with full power loads) and muzzle blast.
The OP asked for a semi-auto. Throwing the untrained inexperienced girlfriend into the mix is really a red herring. She needs to start with a different gun, or as suggested, a .22 conversion kit on the semi-auto.
If the person will not practice shooting or drills, then honestly, ANY gun would be a poor defense choice.
Thanks for the quick imput from all of you! I appreciate it!!
my Taurus 1911. Very sweet trigger, very accurate. Easy to shoot, single column mag good for small hands (like me). Autos require a different mind set than revolvers (PUT THE SAFETY ON DUMMY
) I don't see what more you could want in a side arm. Some reviews complain of uneven quality control, etc, Maybe I was lucky, but for about the same price as a basic Springfield you get a tricked out gun with Taurus. The price has been steadily climbing on these but check around.
