I had bought my Girlfriend a S&W 38 air weight ( titanium ), and when she qualified with it at the range (She's a State Arson Detective) it would heat up and the the shells were difficult to extract. We took it to the gun show, and sold it for what I paid for it. She has a LCP she carries, as a back up, and a Astra AL75 she carries in her purse, and sometimes as a backup weapon. She loves the Astra, it is a very light, and accurate little pistol. It used to be mine.
She carries a Glock .40, and she has a Glock .45 as her personal gun, and a Sig 228, she purchased back from the dept. when the dept. went to Glocks. As for loads in her .38, for personal carry, she had Federal 125 grain +P hollow points. At the range she used standard loads to qualify with. If you have a light weight, or titanium 38, you can shoot plus "s, but a lot of shooting will loosen things up. I have a model 37, air weight my Brother bought in the late sixties, and I have plus p's in it. My Girlfriend has other guns also....... the overall majority of them were mine at one time.....
If you can carry a revolver concealed, by all means do so. I still prefer revolvers, but the bulk is a factor. I had a 4 inch barrel, S&W model 19, in .357...... but...... She..... has it now.
I still have my six inch barrel 19 thought.
The overall majority of recorded shootouts, involving police, and civilians is supposedly something like 6-10, or 15' distances.
I do like the higher capacity clips, for the reason, when you need, the extra shot, it is nice to know it is there. Not to wish you had it.
Not that it is common to need it, but I am under the Murphy's Law, cloud.
As for training to have a natural reflex action in drawing your weapon, like it has been said, practice, and practice. In the heat of things, it is good to be the one with the natural reflex, and positive response.
Good luck with your choice. Choose what is comfortable and effective for you.
Yeah, years ago, there was a Gun Range down south of here, and a woman bought a small pistol, and took the safety course, at the gun range, and then bought ammo, and eye, and ear protection, and went into the range, and loaded her pistol, and turned to look at the staff behind the window that were watching her, and turned back around, and put the gun up to her head, and the staff were yelling and banging on the window, and some were running to the range, but she pulled the trigger!
Sad, but I can't help but to think why at the gun range? Isn't there some place isolated, away from people? Some place with a nice view? If you're going to whack yourself, don't involve innocent people, who have nothing to do with your problems. I feel sorry for those people, but why involve others, and drag them into a mess?!
Wayne
