Getting A .38

[I luv herfrds]

Going to get a .38 pistol. Looking at the type that is hammerless; less chance of catching it on anything when it's in the purse.

Does anybody have a favorite model or make?

Yes OT I am getting a concealed weapons permit so I can carry in my purse. Just not on fire or 911 calls.

 

[LazyARanch]

ILH,

what made you decide on a 38? Have you tried a 9mm? I used to shoot a matte black Belgian-made Browning 9mm and that was a SWEET shooting piece! (and fairly light)

was easy to carry and conceal too, Just a thought!

Vickie

 

[I luv herfrds]

A friend I had years ago told me to never get a 9mm. He had his fail him when he really needed it. He carried a .357 ever after and never had it fail. No I never asked him what happened.
I also saw a video where a guy shot another person at point blank range and that other person never went down. they were using a 9mm.

I want something that would drop whatever I am shooting at.

 

[mtncows]

If you can get it in .357 I suggest you do that.Practice with .38s when you shoot a lot then pracice with .357 and carry that.I would carry on EMS unless illegal.

 

[3waycross]

If you can get it in .357 I suggest you do that.Practice with .38s when you shoot a lot then pracice with .357 and carry that.I would carry on EMS unless illegal.

VERY GOOD ADVICE. The .357 gives you real good options for real personal protection. Believe me you do need to practice some with .357 so that the recoil won't be such a terrible shock. I have taught growm men to shoot with my .357 and slippped a 357 round in with the 38's just to show them the difference in recoil. Believe me when I say it takes some getting used to.

BTW your friend was right 9mm is NOT considered a stopper, and 38 ain't much better.

.40
.357
10mm
and .45
pretty much in that order are your stoppers.

JUst remember Stay Calm, and Shoot Straight.........and practice a LOT

 

[pdfangus]

If you can get it in .357 I suggest you do that.Practice with .38s when you shoot a lot then pracice with .357 and carry that.I would carry on EMS unless illegal.

VERY GOOD ADVICE. The .357 gives you real good options for real personal protection. Believe me you do need to practice some with .357 so that the recoil won't be such a terrible shock. I have taught growm men to shoot with my .357 and slippped a 357 round in with the 38's just to show them the difference in recoil. Believe me when I say it takes some getting used to.

BTW your friend was right 9mm is NOT considered a stopper, and 38 ain't much better.

.40
.357
10mm
and .45
pretty much in that order are your stoppers.

JUst remember Stay Calm, and Shoot Straight.........and practice a LOT

I pretty much agree with all this.....

however in my doterage i have begun to carry a 9mm.
I have 38 specials. 357 mag and 44 mag as alternatives and they are my preferences.
I would love to have a taurus Judge.....
But my Rheumatoid arthritis is taking a toll on my wrists and my grip and I can handle the recoil of the 9MM better than any of them now. does not do me any good to have the 44 mag if I drop it with the first shot. same might be true for a smaller handed lady.

practice and hit where you aim is just as important as raw power.

 

[Alan]

I agree with the 357 route. I've got a Ruger SP101 357, which I mostly fire .38 out of. It's a nice small handgun (3" barrel) and I put a crismon trace laser sight on it. I'm 6'4 and it's just a bit small for me but my wife likes it. I also have The Judge for home protection, I load up 3 410 shells and back them up with 2 .45's..... lots of kick. It's a pretty big gun, long cylinder to handle the 410 shells. My opinion is to go with a 357 and fire 38's as was said before.

Have fun,
Alan

 

[cfpinz]

I agree with the 357 route. I've got a Ruger SP101 357, which I mostly fire .38 out of.

I bought my wife one of those, she loves it but it's a bit heavy to carry. We've got a pair of S&W 642's. They're extremely light, and are a hammerless 38 like was asked about. I wouldn't hesitate to recommend them to anyone, nice guns.

I wouldn't think twice about shooting someone with a 38, I've killed more cows with a 22 long rifle than anything else.

 

[HOSS]

I have a S&W Model 19 in .357 Magnum. I load it with .38's for my wife to shoot. It sure is nice to have that option. It really makes one gun like 2.

 

[Lone C Ranch]

I recently bought a Ruger GP100 .357 mag with a 4 inch barrel. I really like this revolver. It feels good and shoots great. It is really too big to use as a concealed weapon but that is not the reason I got it. I am impressed with the quality of it and am sure that the smaller revolvers Ruger makes, such as the sp101, are of great quality as well. As someone earlier mentioned, you can shoot .38 special rounds out of it when practicing and then put the .357 rounds in it for carrying. Practice with the .357 mag rounds some though so that you get used to them. In my opinion, you can't go wrong with a .357 mag revolver.

 

[cfpinz]

I recently bought a Ruger GP100 .357 mag with a 4 inch barrel. I really like this revolver. It feels good and shoots great. It is really too big to use as a concealed weapon but that is not the reason I got it. I am impressed with the quality of it and am sure that the smaller revolvers Ruger makes, such as the sp101, are of great quality as well. As someone earlier mentioned, you can shoot .38 special rounds out of it when practicing and then put the .357 rounds in it for carrying. Practice with the .357 mag rounds some though so that you get used to them. In my opinion, you can't go wrong with a .357 mag revolver.

I bought one of those off a friend at work a few years back, 6" heavy barrel in ss. Gun was like new, with a holster, 500 rounds of ammo, two sets of grips, a speedloader and a couple other things for 300 bucks. One of the best shooting pistols that I've owned, but I'm not a real good shot with a pistol and iron sights. A lot easier to conceal than you'd think, it fits right down the crack of my butt.

 

[3waycross]

I recently bought a Ruger GP100 .357 mag with a 4 inch barrel. I really like this revolver. It feels good and shoots great. It is really too big to use as a concealed weapon but that is not the reason I got it. I am impressed with the quality of it and am sure that the smaller revolvers Ruger makes, such as the sp101, are of great quality as well. As someone earlier mentioned, you can shoot .38 special rounds out of it when practicing and then put the .357 rounds in it for carrying. Practice with the .357 mag rounds some though so that you get used to them. In my opinion, you can't go wrong with a .357 mag revolver.

I bought one of those off a friend at work a few years back, 6" heavy barrel in ss. Gun was like new, with a holster, 500 rounds of ammo, two sets of grips, a speedloader and a couple other things for 300 bucks. One of the best shooting pistols that I've owned, but I'm not a real good shot with a pistol and iron sights. A lot easier to conceal than you'd think, it fits right down the crack of my butt.

I can't speak for eveyone here but that was sure a lot more info than I needed. :shock:

 

[alisonb]

Phew!...tell me about it! :shock: :lol:

 

[LazyARanch]

I had a Dan Wesson .357 magnum but it was big and cumbersome and bucked like a mule when it was fired.

Carried it as my duty weapon for awhile and then switched to the Browning 9mm

but the .357 DEFINITELY made some holes in the targets!

 

[I luv herfrds]

:lol2: :lol2: :lol2: Only thing I could think of was explaining how you came to shooting yourself in the butt.

Also carrying a loaded weapon on a 911 call you do not know what is going on and there is a chance of that person taking your gun away from you and shooting you with it.

 

[drycreek]

The military quit using the 38 years ago and went to the 45 because that 38 will not stop a man from doing you harm. Yes you can kill with a 22, but you can also kill a man with the right blow with your hand. Everone talks about kick and recoil if you pratice enough you will never feel it. Prime example my wife who is 5' 2" and weighs 127 lbs uses a 44 mag with a 8 inch barrel around home and carries a 44 mag with a 3 inch barrel concealed. Personaly I don't like automatics for defense they seem to fail when you need them the most. JMO

 

[pdfangus]

The military quit using the 38 years ago and went to the 45 because that 38 will not stop a man from doing you harm. Yes you can kill with a 22, but you can also kill a man with the right blow with your hand. Everone talks about kick and recoil if you pratice enough you will never feel it. Prime example my wife who is 5' 2" and weighs 127 lbs uses a 44 mag with a 8 inch barrel around home and carries a 44 mag with a 3 inch barrel concealed. Personaly I don't like automatics for defense they seem to fail when you need them the most. JMO

I agree with most of what you say. the Army adopted the 45 during the phillipine insurection near the beginning of the 20th century.

I am a single action revolver man myself. do have one double action.

only switched to the 9mm because of the arthritis. It is the only auto that I own except for a remington 1100 shotgun.

 

[3waycross]

The military quit using the 38 years ago and went to the 45 because that 38 will not stop a man from doing you harm. Yes you can kill with a 22, but you can also kill a man with the right blow with your hand. Everone talks about kick and recoil if you pratice enough you will never feel it. Prime example my wife who is 5' 2" and weighs 127 lbs uses a 44 mag with a 8 inch barrel around home and carries a 44 mag with a 3 inch barrel concealed. Personaly I don't like automatics for defense they seem to fail when you need them the most. JMO

I am not knocking your wife but you must know she is the exception not the rule.

I still think that .357mag is about the limit for most women.

BTW I am 5'11" and weigh 215 and I sure as he[[ don't ENJOY shooting a 44mag more than once or twice on any day.

 

[hillsdown]

I carry the Rebel xsi that I use to "shoot" with, it cannot be concealed though, is quite heavy and cumbersome and does not fit in my purse. ;-) Also one would look very funny if they carried the way CF does his.. :lol2:

 

[3waycross]

I carry the Rebel xsi that I use to "shoot" with, it cannot be concealed though, is quite heavy and cumbersome and does not fit in my purse. ;-) Also one would look very funny if they carried the way CF does his.. :lol2:

Probably make ya walk kinda funny too. :lol: :help:

BTW for us Americans what is a Rebel xsi