From the ladies... .38 snubbies, felt recoil?

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Furncliff

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Ladies I'm considering one (Smith or Taurus?) of the light weight (or steel) snubbies in .38 for the loml. We've been to the store, the fit is good. She has used my S&W 15, no problems there. Now the only question is, is the recoil from one of the light short guns going to deter her from practice with it?


Thanks


Tom


PS I reload, so custom loads for her is no problem.
 
I don't know about the recoil of a light .38 ...but I shoot and carry a taurus 445 .44sp snubbie.
I have shot a S&W LadySmith .357 snubbie and hated it. Then again..a Smith just doesn't fit my hand right, and the back strap on it smacks the heck outta my hand. I would suggest taking her some where to shoot each of them. Good luck to y'all.

Caryn
 
When my wife got her CC permit she bought a S&W 638. With anything heavier than a WC, she thought recoil was to much. She now carries a snubbie Ruger Security Six. Her practice ammo is +P .38's and her carry ammo is Speer short barrel .357.
 
Gave my wife a M37 S&W Airweight some 30 years ago. She has always liked it, shot it very well. The only times it gave her trouble were when she was recovering from carpal tunnel surgery and when she had a set of rather poorly designed CT laser grips on it. With stock grips or Spegel boot grips she is good to go with it.

But not everybody has the same shaped hand or recoil tolerance. My daughter and daughter in law each prefer the Ruger SP-101s in 3" barrel, with good .38 Spl. loads.

I definitely recommend that she try the specific gun and load out. And long ago I learned that picking out guns for the ladies is a very risky business. They have their own preferences which you ignore at your own peril. :rolleyes:
 
No. My daughter owns a Tarus snub, 5 shot, titanium. It doesn't have any of the felt recoil as the SW I had. has another Tarus w/hammer and ported muzzle, (mine now), that have even less felt recoil. She didn't like it for two reasons: 1. the hammer kept hanging on her clothes. 2. the ported muzzle is not a lot of fun on a dark night.
 
I shouldn't have to tell you that snubbies are difficult for accomplished shooters to shoot with certainty.

My girl is deadly accurate with her 4" Smith 15-7 and her 50th Anny Ruger Blackhawk even with Remington 158 LHP +P's...

She dislikes my Smith 36 with a passion. She specifically cites the sharp recoil, even with std pressure ammo. She also has a pretty hard time being consistant with either of my Colt Cobra's shooting anything hotter than my lightly loaded target wadcutters.

I agree with something someone else here said. Let her pick out her own. Get with a couple of your buddies and get up a good selection of snubbies for her to try out at the range. Also grips make a world of difference.
Will
 
My bride will not respond, so I will.

Rather than which model, FoMoCo vs. GMC, accessability and willingness trumps all.

The lady has a Cobra with .38 Federal Ny-Clad HP.

Her Cobra has Birami Hip-Grip panels and a Tyler Grip adapter. So fitted, she has, with some regularity, carried it on her person.

She just doesn't do that much anymore.

On person carry is about the only carry option that makes a bunch of sense.

On our last drive down in NOLA, there were two robbery attempts in that fair city.

One a 'dip' the other a 'snatch'.

I'll get off my soap box before I say something dumb regarding just how large the Ponchatrain oughta be.

I will now gently ease out of the door with a parting comment that purse carry by our ladies just might be more of a threat than no carry at all.

salty
 
My wife will not shoot my 642.
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Get her shooting gloves with Gel inserts and good hearing protection (which you probably already have). The shooting gloves will really take away the sting of the 642. For practice, light target loads are also advisable.
 
My wife does not like shooting my 642

It has crimson trace grips on it and she says shooting even light target loads hurt her hand.

She"ll shoot my 1911, Beretta 92fs and Kahr k9 all day long with no complaints, but not the 642. Her favorite of them all is the 45ACP.
 
My wife does not like shooting my 642
It has crimson trace grips on it and she says shooting even light target loads hurt her hand.

She"ll shoot my 1911, Beretta 92fs and Kahr k9 all day long with no complaints, but not the 642. Her favorite of them all is the 45ACP.
Click to expand...
I think for a lot of us ladies, and some men..it is more the back strap slap to the palm rather than the actual recoil from a smith. Even though very similar, the recoil from a taurus in the same size/caliber is much easier on me. I do second the shooting gloves though. She may find after a while (usually once the hand toughens up a bit) it may no longer be needed. If it hurts...why keep at it is my thought. Make alterations to make it the most enjoyable it can be...that way it is easier to stick with.

Caryn
 
I will now gently ease out of the door with a parting comment that purse carry by our ladies just might be more of a threat than no carry at all.
Click to expand...
Depends on the person and the purse.
In most cases I have seen, you are correct.
My wife would be one of the exceptions.
The "main" reason she got a concealment purse was for her to have a place to put her .45 while she is using the restroom when not at home.
She has purse carried I think twice.
Now, for most women that I have seen, purse carry WOULD be a bad thing.
They leave it sitting in a shopping cart while shopping, carry small bags with no straps, carry purses with straps a 5 year old could break, sling it over their shoulder...
My wifes purse has a 1" wide leather strap, that is doubled for most of its length.
It has steel catches and clasps where the strap affixes to the purse.
She NEVER puts it down while out of the house or car.
She wears it with the strap across her body and her arm over the purse.
It is pretty much as secure as one of the "fanny pack":barf: holsters that seem so popular.
I know "I" wouldnt want to try and take it from her.


Jim
 
My wife doesn't like revolvers or point them well.

A CZ75 or CZ RAMI are her favorites and she points them naturally and with just a little practice she shoots better than I do.

The moral of the story? Let her pick what fits her hand, instead of our advice, and she'll be much happier with it.
 
The moral of the story? Let her pick what fits her hand, instead of our advice, and she'll be much happier with it.
Click to expand...

I second that.

I also have a Model 15 (2"), and the recoil is very mild with mid-level 38 handloads. I am fine with my 642 (the recoil is brisk), but my wife and my father can't stand it. My father finds the 642 barely tolerable when shooting even my lightest handloads (148 grain wadcutters over 3.1 grns W231). My wife flinched so badly on her 2nd shot that she put the round into the ceiling at the indoor range just above the target hanger :eek: :p . She handed it back and said, "that one SUCKS!!!" On a side note, she didn't mind my full-size 45 ACP 1911.

So recoil is very much based on the individual. My dad loved shooting my Model 15, but hated the 642.
 
Again...this isn't so much of a caliber thing as it is finding the right house(gun and size) for the caliber of choice. And only SHE will know it by handling it and shooting it.

Caryn
 
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