[bogie]

Okay - which is it? Five shots is okay, short barrel, small grip, etc...

.357 would be preferable. Bobbed/shrouded hammer would be a plus.

Hey, I know rifles. Pistols are just another tool for me...

[BigG]

The little S&W J-Frames in titanium will be the best prescription for your ailment. Light, accurate, utterly reliable. Available pre-lock, also. HTH

[Jeff OTMG]

Yep, S&W 340 or 342

[DennisE]

Jeff OTMG: Hi! is there a website that shows the products/prices? Thanks, Dennis

[valnar]

Yep, S&W themselves. However, I said this in another thread this morning. You may not want to fire a .357Mag from one of those!

http://www.smith-wesson.com/products/firearms/select_firearm.cfm

-Robert

[bogie]

Can't be a lot worse than out of a little deringer...

I'm a big boy, and not recoil sensitive - besides, I doubt I'll be firing a lot of full house loads out of it...

[SnWnMe]

The 37/Centennial/Bodyguard line is almost $300 cheaper in some places with a 5 ounce penalty. But no 357 in that line. Just thought I'd throw that in.

[tcdrennen]

My roomie has the titananium 342 rated for .38 Special +P. With those loads, after 5 shots your hand is getting numb. With .38 Special it isn't too bad - I shot a BUG bullseye match with it (36 rounds, 6 stes, timed fire) and it was tolerable, though pretty inaccurate at 25 yards :rolleyes: .

Certainly a decent BUG, though I prefer .45 ACP or .357 Mag for a primary.

[22luvr]

I presently own a Smith 340SC .357 mag revolver. It weighs a scant 12 oz unloaded and will shoot either .38 spcl or .357 mag. It is very compact and shoots .38 spcls beautifully. Shooting .357 mags through it is quite another story. The recoil with just standard pressure .357's is punishing indeed. When practicing, I don't shoot more than 20-25 per session. The web of my shooting hand gets cramps for a couple of days after. This is from a guy that does not consider himself recoil sensitive either. The up-side? The gun is accurate and with a strong grip, follow-up shots are not as difficult as you might think. My whole carry package: gun, ammo, and pocket holster weigh altogether less than a pound. It fits in the pocket easily and is a great comfort with all that .357 mag knock-down power. They don't come cheap (I paid $614 for mine) but you can't beat the power-to-weight ratio for a pocket pistol.

[bogie]

Well, I'm figuring that I'll pop a few .357s out of it, but most practice will be with .38s... and if I _need_ it, I'm not gonna be thinking about recoil, and if I need more than five shots, well...

Figuring that "everyday" carry gun will be the little revolver, and if I have to go downtown, or to some place where I'm a little more nervous, then I'll pack the 1911 and have the revolver for backup.

I'm figuring small/light as the first priority, since the gun sitting in the safe is essentially worthless.

[Ala Dan]

Survey say's: that the S&W model 340 in .357 magnum
weighs in at only 12 ozs.:uhoh: OUCH, that was my hand!:rolleyes:

Best Wishes,
Ala Dan, N.R.A. Life Member

[jarhead]

If you get an AirLite .357 S&W.... have it MagnaPorted by all means - makes night/day difference in this great little gun. It's almost beyond belief the before/after recoil effect it has...

[BigG]

I have the AirLight 357 in hammer form, essentially a Chief's Special can't think of number - 336, 337, somewhere in there. I, too, have fired 158 gr factory 357 flavor out of it and lived to tell the tale. :what: Two separate sessions, 50 rounds each. The BIG secret to shooting said ammo is to shoot it DAO. Because of the diminutive grip on the pistol you can only get about a finger and a half on the grip as it comes from the factory. I tried in SA about 1 cylinder full and found there is just not enough to hold on to because of the different geometry in your hold SA v. DA. With the DA shooting, your trigger finger is pulling against the trigger spring and that gives you an extra finger of grip when the little bugger goes off. :what: It is not a piece of cake, but it IS MANAGEABLE when fired DA. I fired off the fity rounds then went on to fire some rifle and other handgun. No big deal, didn't miss work or have to go to Dr., no pain in hands, etc. In short, no ill effects. I had a big grin from shooting that little powerhouse, though. :)

[JCM298]

My "always" gun is a 340SC, although I also have a 649 and a Colt Magnum Carry,

John

[C.R.Sam]

I'm figuring small/light as the first priority, since the gun sitting in the safe is essentially worthless. I figure first priority is the gun that is the most reliable AND that I am the best with.

Hence my primary carry guns are full sized and I have practiced a LOT with them.

Sam

[BigG]

So long as everybody has their priorities straight. :) Thankfully, we are not all the same and we have choices so everybody can be happy! :cool:

[Jeff OTMG]

I use .38 Spec. Winchester Winclean 125gr target ammo for practice to lessen the punishment. Yes, I am a recoil weenie.

[Augustwest]

I'm largely of the C.R. Sam school of thought here.

'sides, I've always figured a heavier gun was good for when I run out of ammo and have to chuck it at the BG. :D

[bogie]

Ah... The "superman" defense...

Yeah, well, I'd _like_ to be able to carry a pack howitzer all the time, but hey, sometimes that's a bit much to be hauling around.

i.e., if I go out for a walk around my neighborhood, I'll schlep the 1911 along, probably with a coupla backup mags. But if I'm driving out to the country to a mall or something, well, it's time for something small and unobtrusive.

[Wanderer]

Magnaporting is a good idea except if you have to use the retention position. Then you will probably have the ports set you on fire. I would gladly have my hand take a beating rather than catch on fire in a gunfight.

[jarhead]

Wanderer - I tend to agree; however, I weighed the liklihood of needing to fire from the retention position versus the possibility of needing:

quick followup
weak hand controllability
practice, practice, practice
wife having to shoot it
wife having to practice shooting it
no flinch

After weighing one side versus the other - I'll set myself on fire with the retention position if necessary and suffer the consequences.

The bottom line - I feel more confident with the Magnaporting and the little voice in the back of my head told me to do it (of course that is the same little voice that said to marry my ex-wife... so it's not always totally accurate)...

[JPM70535]

Just my own opinion, but I think the obsession with weight or lack there of is overrated. I carry steel frame weapons, (C7-45 LDA Para-Ordnance, and S&W 649 357 mag.) and I have never found the few extra ounces of any consequence. I carry both IWB @4 oclock, sometimes sans holster, depending on mode of dress with no problems or discomfort.

FIRST RULE OF GUNFIGHTING, HAVE A GUN

SECOND RULE OF GUNFIGHTING, HAVE 2 GUNS!!!

[hawk0484]

I have a model 60 LS. Weight is 20 oz. unloaded. I make it a practice to shoot a few 357's from it in range practice, as I use it as my carry gun, most often. I don't think I could stand shooting .357's from anything lighter than that. But then, I am a girl!:D

Becky

[JCM298]

Hawk 0484,

I worked as a rangemaster at a local club for two years, after I retired. I was surprised at the way some of the lady shooters shot and the guns they used. I also found that new female shooters were easier to teach.
A local "shrink" said that it was because women normally don't have the "macho factor" that men have.

If you get the chance, try the Sc/Ti's,

John