Gun for a small woman??

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Duckster

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I know a small woman whom is looking for a CCW. I mentioned to her that The Lady Smiths were nice and Ruger. She is NOT looking for a big pistol. I also suggest a revolver over an automatic. She has been to the range before with a few friends so she is aware of firearms, but not a great deal of knowledge. She also mentioned she wants something more powerful than a .38. I mentioned a .357. I did tell her she would want to invest in a good weapon and she is willing to put some money out there for something reliable. Any more tips out there? Pictures would help as well.
Any advice or input would be appreciated. Thanks in advance.
 
My wife, who is a none-too-enthusiastic shooter, much prefers small (D/SF) frame Colts. She especially likes the older Detective Special. She shoots it better than any other small gun, and it's hits that count.
The much later model of the Magnum Carry, the same pattern, is a .357, but scarcity has made prices a problem.
We believe these guns are easier to shoot well than the typical J-frame, plus they hold more ammunition.
A K-frame is a good second choice, if the grips are thin enough.
Bill
 
A small .357 Magnum is about the hardest gun to shoot well that I know of. I think she'd be better off at the .38+P level... like the FBI used to do.

She really needs somebody with a good assortment of guns to take her to the range two or three guns at a time and let her SHOOT.
 
If she's a small girl then she doesn't want to shoot a light .357 snub. I've shoot a light .357 and will never do so again unless every other friendly gun around me is empty, the 2" light .357 is the only available weapon left and the bad guy still has ammo. (which I doubt will ever happen to me or anyone else here)

I don't see why he thinks the .38 +P isn't powerful enough for personal protection but if that's how she feels then you might want to suggest she buy a 9mm auto. I wouldn't want one but that might be the solution for her.
 
Kel-Tecs are about as small as you can go.

If she hasn't already, take her to a range that rents a good selection of handguns (or gather some friends' guns) and let her shoot them all. If she's still relatively inexperienced, she might be surprised that she ends up wanting something other than an airweight .357 when she actually fires the thing.

She needs to get what is most comfortable for her to hold, aim and fire as quickly and effectively as possible.
 
Exactly what brands and models?

She is about maybe 115 lbs. Exactly what brands and models are you talking about? What is J or K Frame? What is .38 + P? What is offered in Lady Smiths?
Your answears are appreciated!!!!
 
She is about maybe 115 lbs. Exactly what brands and models are you talking about? What is J or K Frame? What is .38 + P? What is offered in Lady Smiths?
Your answears are appreciated!!!!
Click to expand...
Duckster,
The .38 +P (+ Police) is a "hotter" .38 load than the standard .38 Special. J frame .38's made by S&W come in 3 different flavors now. The Airlite is a 12 once Scandium alloy frame with a Titanium cylinder that will shot .357 Magnum rounds out of a 1 7/8 inch barrel. (very unpleasnat and definitely not for a small woman) They all list for over $900 S&W also has a 15 once Airweight which is an aluminum frame and the same size as the Airlite but it won't shoot Mag rounds, just .38 SP and .38 +P rounds. They list for under $500 and can be bought new for around $350. Last but not least are the Stainless Steel 22.5 once J frames that will shoot .357 Mag rounds. The heaver gun makes shooting the Mag rounds more comfortable and manageable. All current J frame S&W models have a 5 shot capacity.

Now for the Lady Smith revolvers. For the most part it's a marketing ploy and those revolvers will cost you more for the same gun that's not marked LS. There are 3 revolvers right now marketed as LS, the 20 once Model 36LS in black, the 21.5 once 60LS in Stainless Steel and the 14.5 once 642LS in Aluminum Alloy. All come with wooden grips and all have cheaper non-LS counterparts.

Unfortunately S&W stopped making K frame snub nose revolvers except for the 3" Model 64. The K frame is heaver than the J frame and will hold 6 rounds of .38 SP +P. The L frame revolvers have an even heavier frame than the K frame and will hold 6 or 7 rounds of .357 Mag. The 2.5" Model 686 and the 3" Model 386 are examples.

There are other companies who make .38 short barrel revolvers like Taurus and Rossi but I don't know a lot about them except for what I learned here.

I hope I was able to help a little.
 
Just how likely is she to ever really need to fire in self-defense? I am often annoyed by people who believe that a .357 magnum is the minimum load for a carry gun.

We would do well to remember that the police carried the not-plus-P .38 load for 75 years, day in and day out, and somehow they managed to get the job done.

I recommend a S&W .32 or .38 loaded with standard velocity ammo. The Detective Special from Colt is also excellent.

In an automatic, the Bersa .380 is a good choice.
 
Load it with angry rounds and place shots well.

I like the S&W Airlites (sp?), but I would prefer bigger than a .38, JIC the attacker is psychotic, on drugs, etc.
 
I certainly like my little snubbie (S&W m37). Shoots +P rounds just fine. My hands, while not small, have arthritis (which means hand strength is blech) and I shoot it just fine.

She needs to go try a few different types in shops, hold 'em, dry fire them (ask for snap caps if they don't want you to dry fire...she NEEDS to know what that trigger feels like) and hopefully get to fire them with rounds in.

But she's going to have to find THE gun that says to her, "I'm yours. Take me home!"

Take her shopping :D

Springmom
 
Duckster -
You mention CCW, but didn't specify HOW she would carry the gun. Since it's probable that she would carry in a purse or maybe a fanny pack, I'd recommend a S&W model 60. This is an all-steel J-frame gun, so it is small but heavy enough to tame recoil, and wouldn't be too heavy for that type of carry. (If she wants to carry on her belt (inside or outside the waistband), then she might want something lighter.) The model 60 is available with a 2" barrel with fixed sights, or a 3" barrel with fully adjustable sights. For defensive uses, the fixed sights are adequate, but if she wants to do much target shooting at the range, the adjustable sights have an advantage. With either length barrel, this gun can shoot .38 Special, .38 +P, or .357 Magnum cartridges. This provides a lot of flexibility.
 
I just wanted to mention that a 357 magnum revolver can shoot the lighter 38 special loads. For that reason, I think a 357 is a good choice. She is likely to realize that shooting 357 in a small gun gets old fast and appreciate the ability to shoot lighter 38 special from the same gun.

Chuck Hawks pretty much tells it like it is in my opinion. Check out http://www.chuckhawks.com for more info.

As has already been said small and light weight guns recoil more than bigger and heaver guns shooting the same load.

I'll repeat what I saw at least once above. The Ruger SP101 is worth a look.

http://www.ruger.com/Firearms/FAFamily?type=Revolver&subtype=Double Action&famlst=9
 
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