Help! S&W 638 A/W vs. Taurus 85 ultra-light

[GlockTom]

Hello... Noob here looking for some opinions... and I trust I can get one or 2 of those here. I am trying to help my wife decide on a .38 spl. for carry.

So far, we are not even sure between a Smith and Wesson or a Taurus. Do the Taurus' hold up as well as a S&W? I would like to get her an airweight / ultra light, but I am not sure if the felt recoil would be too much compared to a slightly heavier gun.

If I were to go with a "lightweight" gun, I am deadlocked between the S&W 638 and the Taurus 85. Help!!! :banghead:

Thanks,

Tom

Glock G22
Bersa Thunder .380
Walther P22
Various long guns

 

[Technosavant]

Don't forget the 642.

I would think that either would serve well. Recoil on these little things is going to be significant any way you cut it. You might be able to chop back on that through careful grip selection. When I went shopping six months ago, I was really looking for a Taurus 851UL, but couldn't find one (they were about $100 cheaper than a corresponding S&W). I liked the way the Taurus felt, and the included grips are a bit more comfy for me.

From what I have read, S&W does have better customer service than Taurus, but you are also paying a premium for it.

 

[magsnubby]

Carry gun? House gun? Range gun? Carry/house/range?

Recoil on the liteweights can be substantial with any type of effective self defense loads (+p's). An all steel gun makes a better choice for an all around defense gun.

For a carry gun, if weight is a big issue, a 642 with Pachmayr Compact or Hogue grips would make a nice carry package. If not, then an all steel J frame,with the above mentioned grips, would make a better choice.

For a house/range gun, a K frame size gun would be a far better choice. Lots less recoil, even with +p's. Where the lite weights can turn a range session into a real chore for a novice shooter, a K frame size gun would be a real joy to shoot.

Taurus makes some nice wheelguns. I own an 85,605 and a 606. I sometimes carry one of them as my fishing gun.

 

[Rotorflyr]

I have a Taurus 651SS and a Taurus Tracker .357
Both are nice wheel guns, well made and accurate for their use's.
The 651 is availabe as a light weight, but the stainless is brutal (2" barrel) shooting .357 (at least with the stock grips on it, might be better with aftermarket grips though) but it's easy shootin with .38spl, not a long range gun by any means but will do the job at defensive ranges.

 

[Hutch]

If you're trying to decide between a Smith or a Taurus, I'd choose the Smith. A search on this forum will reveal that there have been lemons shipped out of each company. Smith costs more. Many still prefer the Taurus. I don't.

I don't know how recoil sensitive your wife might be. Personally, even 158gr +P .38 is not all that bad out of an Airweight (not to be confused with an AirLight, which is made of scandium/unobtainium). Since this li'l gun will be "carried much, shot little", I'd certainly go for the 638 or 642.

 

[Majic]

She should shoot both the featherweights and the steel framed models. There is a decided difference in the recoil between the two. Ease of carry means nothing if the handgun is going to be hard to control (which generally equates to very little practice with it).

 

[atlctyslkr]

My wife tried an Airweight and hated it. She tried a regular (stainless) model 85 and loved it. Lighter isn't always better. I'm sure we're talking purse carry here. With all the extra junk women carry that they don't need what's a few extra ounces? By the time you throw a few speedloaders in there you won't know the difference.

 

[MCgunner]

I have a Taurus M85UL and love it, superb trigger, very accurate and well built. However, it does slap the palm of the hand pretty good with +P stuff. With mild standard pressure loads, it's comfortable, but +Ps wake it up a bit. I'm sure a good female shooter could handle it, but it might be a little much for a novice, male or female, with +P stuff until they get used to it. I'd start her out with standard pressure loads. The Taurus shoots to POA with heavier bullet +P loads, though.

As for the Smith, if she likes it, it's a fine gun. I really like Taurus revolvers, though, heck of a lot of gun for the money and lifetime warranty. The DA trigger on mine is great, right out of the box.

 

[GlockTom]

Thanks all and an update...

This gun is for purse carry/ range / home defense. Since I first inquired... the following has transpired...

Went to the range with a Lady Smith model 60 in stainless (nice heavy gun) and a Taurus model 85 ultra light. Wife shot 50 rounds of nice light WWB through them. She liked the ultra light better... no worries about recoil. She did decide to continue to look at revolvers, but was still enthused about her little .380 for carry.

Well... (and if you don't like bragging, skip this part) We decided to stop at a couple of shops on the way home from the range... We pulled into the last shop on our path, and she found a little Kel-tec .380 semi-auto that she had to have.. 15 feet away in the case something catches her eye...

Well... it may turn into a "safe queen" but it was "SO pretty... that she had to have it. Oh... AND she had me go ahead and order my Kahr PM40.

Have I mentioned lately that I LOVE my wife?

Thanks all for your advice and opinions. Life is good for now.

 

[JERRY]

if i were to have to buy a locked gun, it would be the Taurus designed lock over the S&W one.

this is if, IF, you get a good Taurus out of the box.

 

[sevenbark]

What about the 32 H&R

I am trying to make a choice on a purchase for carry. The 32 has good ballistics and will probably go with the Taurus 731 or S&W 431 pd. I already have a SP101 in this round but is to big for concealment, it is very easy to find the next target with this round. Any thoughts would be appreciated, I havn't looked at the .380. Thanks for the info in advance.