need your advice

[seabass]

hey guys.i am going to buy the wife a handgun for her birthday.she is going to get her ccw permit.i am thinking a smith and Wesson 642 airweight snubnose 38.she would rather have a revolver than an auto,which I am good with that.alot less to go wrong under stress.i want to hear your imput on revolvers.keep in mind she is a woman that doesn't want to shoot a .357.i have already tried that lol.thanks guys.

[bowsandroses]

My opinion is you are on the right track. I personally do not like hammerless pistols, to hard to hold accuracy pulling a double action trigger. I am a big fan of revolvers for the safety reasons and the smith stub nose is probably the most accurate I've shot(shooting single action.) But one thing to think on, you can shoot 38's through a 357 no problem but can't shoot 357's through a 38.

[Dharma]

I would suggest a .357 and shoot +P .38 Specs with a decent expanding round through it. Bear in mind a lot of PDs dumped the .38 for lack of stopping power and went to .357s before they decided to go semi-auto. If you can find a .38 that is geared for +P, then go with that. But as with any round, it's only effective going into a vital area, so practice is key. Always double tap and keep going until the threat is resolved.

[Eric Krewson]

I bought my wife a Ruger LCR to keep it simple. She actually lacked the finger strength(she had a very small hand) to pull the trigger easily and had to struggle to fire the gun.

[seminolewind]

I agree with Eric the Ruger LCR is a good handgun for women it has no exposed hammer point and shoot double action. It also and also comes in a variety of calibers. I got my wife one on .22 Mag since the 38 was too much of a handful and packed a hell of a recoil especially with the Airweight.

[mullet]

I bought my wife a light weight Taurus 38 and she hated shooting it. I shot it and found out why. The grip slammed your hand so hard it felt like someone slapping the palm of your hand with a ruler. I sold it and got her a .380 semi auto. She likes it a lot better.

[PAHunter]

I've shot that airweigth 38 and it's no fun.  Not many women would be comfortable with that.  I'd take her to a range to try some.  I'd put money on her liking shooting a compact 380 much more than that 38.  If she is going to carry in a purse adn wants the revolver she may prefer the non airweight variety. 

[JEB]

Look into a Smith and Wesson 22 mag, air weight revolver.  Nice gun to shoot with some power and no hand shock.  Get her a gun that hurts to shoot and she won't shoot it.  Stay away from pistols, IMHO

[seabass]

I carry three guns on me.one 45,one 380 and one 22.she doesn't like any of them.i think I will take her shooting to see what she can handle.she has shot my colt official police 38 and didn't mind the recoil but you guys are right.the recoil is a lot worse in an airweight smith.a 22 mag might be a better choice.thanks for the advice guys.i probably should let her choose what she wants to carry because if it is left up to me,it will be a 1911 in 38 super lol.

[Dharma]

This might come across as a bit harsh, but here goes. A person needs to make a commitment to personal safety and that might involve some discomfort firing a weapon with recoil that hurts the hand a bit. But when you go to the dentist, that doesn't feel especially good, either. But you do it because the alternative isn't so pleasant. A handgun is actually not the most effective weapon for personal defense, it just happens to be the most concealable and easy to use. So, go with the biggest calibre you can fire and at least put rounds center mass at 15 feet no matter how it feels to the hand. When you're in a life-threatening situation, you won't remember the recoil, you'll only be thanking the Creator you survived and glad you had the weapon. When confronted by someone threatening your life, you'll wish you had an M-60. You "train up" to weapons, you don't give up. The army taught women to fire M-1911A1s in .45ACP, so it can be done. The army points out that your life depends on your weapon, so you have to put in the sweat equity to deal with the discomfort.

If a situation requires producing a weapon, that means you use it once the weapon is produced. That means your weapon needs to be capable of dropping whoever this is threatening your life. Otherwise, you could end up having the weapon taken away and used against you. No one wants to have to take a life, but that's what you must be prepared to do. And to reach that conclusion, the weapon needs to be effective and loaded with the best available ammo. Not trying to be hardnosed about this, but if a weapon is uncomfortable to shoot because it's a higher calibre, but you can still dump rounds center mass, that is the weapon to use. Like I said, you're not going to remember the recoil if you have to use it to defend yourself.

A back-up weapon is also a good idea. Pepper spray is great. So is a good knife if you learn how to use it and where to use it. In states where Asps are legal, this is another great weapon. Asps have a track record hard to beat. So does pepper spray. Electric weapons such as stun guns aren't effective.

Women are targeted more than men and need to be armed better than men, IMHO.   

[wildman]

Taurus Judge with Win PDX only need to shoot one time and no pesky aiming

[seabass]

I have decided to let her pick the gun.i want her to have one that she will shoot and be comfortable with.if she won't shoot it and become proficient with it,it is no good to her.i want her to enjoy shooting with me and gain confidence in her weapon.she is not going to do it if it is painful.

[Dharma]

In most situations a woman is attacked, the guy will be very close and aiming a moot point. He'd be in knife range. Stick the weapon in his belly and pull the trigger until he goes down. If he's within five feet, aiming is again a moot point, more or less. There wouldn't be time to line up sights anyway.

[Josh B]

I completely agree with Dharma.  A .357 or .38 +p can be loaded with really light loaded .38 specials for practice and confidence building.  But load it with heavy loads when carrying so you have the stopping power when its needed.  For concealed carry, a hammerless DA is hard to beat  IF trigger control is developed properly.  I had an earlier LCR for awhile and the trigger pull wasn't that great.  My wife could shoot it, but not my daughter.  I sold it and bought a new one last year and the trigger was much better.  I love Smith's for the most part, but not airweights.  Even loaded light they're uncomfortable to shoot.   Josh

[seabass]

thanks for all the good advice.i think now I will steer her away from the airweights.i have never shot one,but you all seems to say they are painful to shoot.i showed her a pic earlier of a Smith 686 and she said "oh,i like that one".then I said"i'll buy me one and see if you like it"