Budget .38 Special

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Hawksnest

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My mother needs a gun to shoot a would-be intruder. There have been a few break-ins around her neighborhood. Her husband is more than capable of protecting the house, except he works 3rd shift. I thought that the .38 would be a decent choice to stop a burglar with the intention to harm.

The only problem is money. She doesn't have a lot of disposable income, so a reliable budget .38 SPL snubby would fit the ticket. We're looking at $300 maximum. Here's an Armscor model I was eyeing. Anyone have experience with it?

http://www.jgsales.com/product_info.php/p/armscor-model-m206-38spl-new/products_id/4582
 
Just having a revolver isn't enough. It has to fit her hand(not your's), she needs to know how and be willing to use it and practice regularly.
A single shot, 20 guage, shotgun would be better than any handgun. A dog would be even better. Most criminals are afraid of dogs. Even little dogs.
 
wanted 38 special

you can get a new 38 sp. made by rossi for about 325 or used for about 225 I own one my self fits good in hand, action is easy also.
 
I'd look for a used S&W Model 10. Unless she's going carry concealed, a 4" barrel would be better than a snubnose. Snubbies aren't easy to shoot well.
 
www.corneredcat.com Check it out. This is a site for women and guns. Lots of good advice for men,too.

Here'e some other excellent suggestions.
Here's something that may be of help.
http://www.thehighroad.org/showthread.php?t=513222

http://www.taurusarmed.net/forums/index.php?topic=29625.0

How about having her attend a NRA or NSSF women only course for new shooters? That or a NRA accreditted course and all of these courses locally.

This way she gets immersed more into the shooting culture in a relaxed atmoshphere. This also exposes here to more types of firearms. When she's got a more good rounded education and experience then she can make a better choices as to what she wants.

My wife and grown daughter went to the women only classes and are now excellent shooter in their own right.

The .22lrf pistols are a good way to start as already stated. Just that a good education is also needed.
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weregunner
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Join Date: August 12, 2006
Posts: 955 One other possiblity.

Federal Nyclad in 125gr standard loading.

Standard 130gr. FMJ rounds by any of the big three ammo makers will also be mild. Bought a case of Remington L38S11 for the women in this household to use for practice rounds.

That or even a 110gr. standard pressure rounds will work.

Might I add that the .32 calibers be looked at. This is just an idea to be floated.

For example, there are .327 Federal magnum or .32 H&R magnum revolvers out there. The beauty of this is that these revolvers can shoot .32 S&W Longs, which are very mild through these revolvers.

.32 S&W Long ammo is easy on the shooter. Even compared to the .38Special rounds.

.32 S&W Long ammo is more prevalent and easier to find than in the past.

I own three .327 Federal magnum revolvers. One Taurus 327 snub revolver, one Ruger SP-101, and a Ruger GP-100.

In the 3 inch Ruger .32 S&W Long ammo is very mild with very little kick or noise.

If I need more power or versatility I can go to the .32 H&R magnum or .327 Federal rounds. Tailor the ammo to the situation.

I would like to advise that it might benefit the wife to go to a local NRA accredited women only, one on one class, or a basic shooting class. Local gun stores, gun clubs, or gun stores should have access to these classes.

This would give here the instruction she needs in a relaxed and stress free atmosphere. For example, I let the wife and daughter go to these classes rather than me do the teaching. I am capable to teach them what they need to know, but they did even better by going to a couple of womens' classes than if I taught them myself.

This way the wife is also exposed to other firearms as well and gets a good all around working knowledge and can make her choices for herself.

If this has been done then just ignore.

There is also this. www.corneredcat.com

This is a site mostly for women shooters, but there are lots of good info for the guys as well. Kathy Jackson runs the place and is a respected and skilled shooter in her own right.
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December 12, 2010, 03:59 AM #13
weregunner
Member



Join Date: August 12, 2006
Posts: 955 Oh,yes.
Federal 125 gr.LSWCHP Nyclad makes nifty practice round and a self defense round. Nyclad started out as a practice round to keep lead emmisions down. Then it was found that the round expands dynamically and penetrates far enough to be used as a excellent self defense round.

No copper jacket to peel back.

Federal stopped Nyclad production some years ago and then re-resurrected it in the last few years.

www.ammoseek.com and www.ammoengine.com can help you find it online.
I bought a case for my two lightweight non +P rated snub revolvers.
__________________
 
There's no shortage of used S&W 38 specials which are in excellent condition that are well within your price range, you might want to start there. Best to bring mom along to the local gun shop to have her handle a few and let her decide what she feels most comfortable with.
 
Sadly, the panic and rush to buy everything that even looks like a gun has caused prices for guns to still stay high. I have resorted to buying well made C&R pistols at reasonable prices. I find a lot of S&W Model 10's (M&P or Victory) models I convert over into usable pieces via grips, trigger jobs and other items. I find these often for $150 to $200.

Even the wholy considered junk guns of RG and FIE & older top breaks are going for really hefty sums. $150 to $300.

Personally, for a HD gun, I would never recomend a pistol for someone not trained in stress shooting. My reconmendation is a double barreled .20ga or .410 ga shotgun or even a simple single shot would be far better than a pistol in untrained hands.

There are many factors, but the highest is accidental shootings by a bullet going from her house/apt to a next door house and hurting an innocent. Shotguns, loaded correctly with like #4 shot or a #6 shot, maybe even smaller buck shot can and will take care of any issues in a standard home and the safety issues of accidental shootings are highly reduced.

If a pistol is mandated for an untrained shooter, then I suggest the Judge or MIL Thunder 5, these are pistols that can handle the .410 shot shells. They are however somewhat ackward to shoot if you are unfamilure with them. Minimal training is required due to it being a shot gun of sorts and offers 5 shots. The trigger action can be made light enough for a frail or small framed woman, child or even smaller framed men. Sadly, due to popularity of these, their prices still command around $450. Thay can also shoot a .45 long colt w/o any barrel or chamber changes if a hard bullet is needed.

Dogs are ok, but for the elderly and some disabled folks, they cannot take care of a dog. If they are able to take care of a dog, then by all means add that to the mix.

I would also consider the Taser brand of defense items, but again, training issues sometimes get in the way.

The Armscor pistol you show from J&G is really a low quality gun. I have seen some that break on first shot. In the same company of J&G, they do have a USED trade in Smith & Wesson Model 64, bobbed hammer DAO, that means you cannot COCK the pistol, you can only shoot via pulling the trigger. I would buy that and then get a new/used hammer with the thumb piece and have it installed professionally to make it a true DA, cocked or just pull the trigger. The price as low as $239. Add a FFL transfer fee for all guns you find online $20 to $60 depending on your dealers price.

I have sold a few in my shop and these really are a very good deal for the amount of gun you are getting. Hammers (blued or stainless for a K frame) can be found on the auction sites as well as many gun shops gunsmiths may have a few on hand.

Hope this helps
 
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Model 10 with wadcutters. The 4 inch barrel is easier to control I think. They are still out there. I purchased a used stainless Model 36 which worked for my mother. I had the trigger lightened a bit by a competent S&W gunsmith and the recoil was no problem for her whatsoever. We practiced from time to time. She was not inclined to go shopping for a pistol. I knew that only in dire circumstances would she consider using a gun at all. She did voice to me that she took comfort that she had that option. Unfortunately, her ability to think clearly has deteriorated over the past few years and I have removed the gun from her home. It offered great comfort and I enjoy the pistol now.
 
I was also going to recommend the stainless S&W's from J&G ( but KosmicKrunch beat me to it). I got one a few months ago, and it came in well under $300, after shipping & tranfer. I've since recomended these to a couple freinds that are looking for a decent quality home-defense pistol, on a budget.
(edit: I just looked, and was unable to find any of those S&W M64 trade-ins on their web-site.)
 
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I handled one of those 38 Armscor at a gun show. It felt like a Sherman tank in my hand. Heavy but small. I was thinking this would be the perfect HD gun for women because there won't be hardly any recoil and the trigger reach is short enough for small hands. It's like a J frame w/o the kick, I imagine. S&W K's are great, but people with short fingers and little hand strength can't hold it properly.
 
I would start browsing the local gun stores for used revolvers.

I have seen a couple used .357 revolvers at every gun store lately. 300-350 seems to be the range.

Might as well buy the .357 and load it with .38s unless you find a good .38 special.
 
First and foremost, be sure she knows how to shoot what ever you buy. Teach her proper pistol safety. The pistol needs to be kept safe and still accessible.

For a person that is not willing to learn how to use a pistol, I would suggest a pump 20 ga shot gun.

In any case, check for some good used guns at the local gun stores and pawn shops.

But do make sure she knows how to use it or the crook will wind up using the gun on her.
 
A single shot, 20 guage, shotgun would be better than any handgun. A dog would be even better. Most criminals are afraid of dogs. Even little dogs.
Click to expand...
  1. You can't say what's "better" without having the slightest idea about the person or her home. In my home, any non-NFA long gun is next to worthless.
  2. Anybody who's willing to hurt a human is willing to hurt an animal. That I know of, PETA and HSUS aren't organizing any home invasion rings.
  3. A used S&W M&P/Model 10 from Summit Gun Broker is a great value.
  4. .38 Special 148gr. HBWC target loads will be sufficient.
  5. Make sure she's familiar with the gun and knows where it shoots at 7 yards.
 
+1 on the Model 10. I'm finding S&W Model 10-14s, blued for $185 and stainless for $195 in a local shop. They were security company trade-ins. All I've seen were in very good condition with excellent bores.
 
Don't get the 20 gauge single shot unless you want her to break her hip when it knocks her over. Those things are vicious.
 
First, ask her what she wants - take her to several gun shops and have her try out a bunch of different guns. She might decide that she likes something different.

As to long guns - you know, every one is different but I prefer to have a hand gun at home. You can buy a small safe to store it for easy access, you can hide it on you while opening a door, etc. If you do your part, it will do its part. What makes the biggest difference is practice, so make sure that there is a location that you can practice at. Most indoor ranges will not allow rifles and shotguns.

If you buy her a revolver, just make sure that the trigger pull is smooth and not overly heavy - or plan to get a trigger job if it is. That makes a world of difference. May sure she can run any gun she gets though.

Okay, now onto dogs - they are great deterrents and alarms, but are no good for defense. I am a dog lover, have two of them, and I believe that they MAY try to defend me if attacked. But, I'm a realist. A 60lb lab is no match for a 200lb human. Plus, I don't know where people dream up these myths that home invaders are afraid of dogs. I wouldn't bet my life on that.

Same goes for an alarm - also a good idea, but it won't do you any good if someone actually wants to come in your house and kill you.

Personally, I think a good mid-sized 3-4" barrel steel revolver in 38 or 357 is about as good of a first home defense gun as you can get.
 
I'd recommend 38. A 357 fired inside a house is more likely to kill her than whoever she is shooting at.
 
Start at the range

HAWKSNEST,

The first thing to do is see if your mother can even shoot a gun well enough to use it.

Take her to the range and start with a .22. Once she is ok with the .22lr, then try a .38 Special revolver with a load of wadcutters. If she is not an experienced shot, I recommend against just getting her a revolver of any kind until she is certain she CAN AND WILL USE IT.


I recently had a similar situation with my ex-wife. She wanted a gun. I knew she could use one, she was in law enforcement a long time ago.

I brought along about a dozen guns for her to handle. Then we took the ones she liked the feel of to the range. She disliked the 5 shot .38 and we settled on a SIG 225 loaded with CORBON Powerball.
She can hit the target and is confident in her ability to operate the pistol. She likes the smooth double action and trigger dropping lever. Good sights also help.
She disliked other guns for various reason. The BERETTA 84 had to large a grip for her. She disliked a BROWNING 1910 model because the grip was too small and the sights were very hard to see.
The trigger on the TAURUS 85 was too heavy and she preferred more rounds. She shot the .22lr WALTHER just fine, but agreed that the caliber was too small.

Her choice of the SIG 225 suprised me, but in the end, it came down to what worked best for her.

Jim
 
You might want to think about doing a search of the forum.
Go to: http://thehighroad.org/search.php

I think this question (or one almost exactly like it) might have been asked here before.

This is just the tip of the iceberg, and using just "wife" as the search term for thread titles:

Good pistol for my wife to use

wife wants a revolver

what pistol does your wife carry concealed?

Full-size 9 for the wife

Pistol for the wife to use

Home defense for my wife

First 9mm for me and my wife

Wife wants a wheelgun...

The Best Revolver for My Wife?

inexpensive bedside handgun for my wife

Recomendation on target 9mm for the wife

Bought the Wife a new gun

My wife wants a gun!! Maybe.

My Wife Wants My Carry Gun

Gun purse for wife

.38 for CCW for my Wife?

Need a snubby revolver for my wife....

Need help finding a revolver for the wife to use.

Recommend revolver for my wife

Which handgun does your wife/girlfriend shoot?

Good first gun for my wife to use?

My Wife Took the Plunge - CC Permit

My wife likes guns

Good shotgun for HD AND my wife?

Finally found one the wife can use

Buying a gun for my wife

A compatibility issue with wife and new shotgun

Does the wife carry?

New 9mm for the wife!

Range day with the wife

I'm buying my wife a revolver.

handgun for wife to use
 
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