My girlfriend is not too crazy about guns but she is crazy about me, so she said she would go to the gun range with me and try some shooting. I don't own any .22 handguns at this time so I was going to start her out on my 4" M-64 and I'm wanting to go very slowly so I don't scare her away from guns. She has a problem with one ear from getting a lot of ear infections when she was a kid and it is very sensitive to loud noises, so I was wanting the weakest and quietest .38 Special load I could find. Does any one know who makes the least powerful .38 Sp. round, or do I need to buy a Lee reloader and make some that are less stout than the standard target wadcutter rounds? It seems like I remember reading about making light loads with .36 caliber buckshot?

If it was me, I would invest in a good pair of earmuffs and then maybe use the foam earplugs and the earmuffs. That is what I do when I shoot PPC, Works really well. Then buy some standard target loads or even Cowboy loads to keep the recoil down and then show her how much fun shooting can be.

The 130gr. FMJs that Winchester sells are pretty light.

If it were me, I'd handload 148gr. lead wadcutters over 2.7-2.8gr. of Bullseye. That's got barely more perceived recoil than a high speed .22lr. It's also extremely accurate out of most guns. Unless you're planning to use your loads for real target shooting also, don't waste money on expensive hollow base bullets. Just buy the 148gr. hard cast from somebody like Penn or Oregon Trail.

Of course if you REALLY want to start out slow, buy some of the plastic bullets and cases which just use a primer. I think Speer makes them. You can do the same thing yourself with paraffin, but there's a lot more work involved, and you need to drill out the flash hole, leaving you with cases you can't use for anything else.

Wadcutters are generally the mildest factory offering, although they seem to be awfully expensive when you find them these days.

FWIW if I were in your shoes I'd use this as an excuse to buy a .22 handgun; everyone should own at least one anyway. Load up a Ruger Single Six with CB rounds, and you're good to go.

Agreed , also the same 130gr FMJ rounds from Remington-UMC or Federal-American Eagle brands.

I agree with the Winchester (White Box) 130 grain FMJ recommendation. Recoil with this ammo would be light in your M64.

Try this ammo first. If it's are more than your girlfriend can take, then you can invest in reloading stuff.

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Lorin

If it were me, I'd buy a .22!

Those 130 grs FMJs are still light in a lightweight J frame never mind a steel K frame. Primed case with a wax bullet?

CD

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De Oppresso Liber

I vote for the .22. Aside from the fact that it should be, by far, the best gun to start her out on, it's something you should have sooner or later, anyway, for several reasons. One of them is money. The sooner you buy it, the sooner you start saving at least a little money. Since you already need it right now, you might as well buy it now, unless there is some pressing financial reason not to. However, it would be a shame to be spending, say, $20 a box for ammo that is distinctly inferior for your present purpose.

Let us know how that 4" Kit Gun with Pachmayrs works out.

I have been shooting S&B 148gn wadcutters, which are available pretty cheap. It is an accurate load, very low recoil, and noticeably quieter than any other 38spl load I have fired, including the 130gn FMJ load above. I have shot this load in a Model 38 Bodyguard snub, a Model 15-3 4", and a Model 19-4 2.5". It shot great in all of them.
Here it is at J and C Sales, $16/50rd box: http://jandcsales.com/38spl.html

If you really want to save money, reloading is the way to go. I put 3.5 of TrailBoss under a 158gr cast round nose. According to the book it's about 700 or 750fps. Nice and mild, clean burning.

My powder puff load is 4.2 of Unique under a 158gr. LRN.

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Dom

I don't know if you reload if you do start her out with 2.5 of bullsey with a 148 HBWC work her up to 2.7 grains. Stay away from the 130 grainers the Rem 130's put out a pretty good muzzle blast.

If you don't reload Ammunition to go has S&B wadcutter ammo for I think $16.95 a box.

Good luck make it fun for her, make it somthing you can both do together.


Best

Pete

large framed revolver to soak up the recoil energy and practically any standard load.
why waste brass space on experiments.
Ive faced a similar issue with my then GF and now wife.
the load was a 223 grain cast out of a 8 3/8" 629 at 1300 FPS ... she did quite well with it.

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it just needs more voltage

I would agree with everybody aboutusing this as an excuse to buy a .22,however if that doesn't work,maybe you could borrow one.I would definitely go with a .22 no matter what.You only get one chance to introduce her to shooting,so you want to make it as enjoyable as possible.
Bill

Palmetto State Armory has them for $9.95 a box.
Sellier & Bellot .38 Special

I suggest you start her out with a .22 if it's at all possible to obtain one. But if not...then at least you can save $6. per box on the thirty-eights.

Ear protection (plugs AND muffs, as already suggested) and eye protection are a must. In addition to paper targets, take something that reacts when shot, like balloons, and some string to tie them in place. Start out up pretty close, like 7 yards or so. Take some handcleaner and paper towels for when you get finished.

I highly recommend the Sellier & Bellot .38 Special 148 gr. wad cutters. They are soft!

My wife WAS horrible about recoil and the noise shooting our M10. I bought her a 3913 (9mm semi) but she didn't like it either. On a friend's advice I bought the S&Bs. She practiced with them for a couple of trips to the range and now shoots my 686 357 with 158 gr hps accurately without a problem.

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In dog years I'm dead.

hearing protection is probably more important than recoil reduction for a new recruit.
in the case of heavy magnums I'll issue a midrange load along with hearing protection.
I want them to know what they hold in there hands is in no way a toy and is to be respected. The sensation of recoil helps to get this point across.
Dont worry ... your little lady can take a heck of a lot meaner hit than you think.
After all .. think of all the boyfriends sports cars they have totaled and lived to say "Sorry, its just a car ... right?"

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it just needs more voltage

148gn "target" wadcutters are the way to go, as most have mentioned. I load my own over a light charge of Unique, since I don't have any Bullseye. The Unique is also a great powder for wadcutters.

ANOTHER FUN GUN CHOICE . . . find a Model 30 or 31 J frame in .32 S&W long. It is arguably the most fun shooting centerfire revolver around! You can pick them up a lot cheaper than a S&W .22LR revolver too.

You are on the right track starting her out gently. Keep it up and she might decide she's found a lifelong "keeper" in you too!!! Sounds like you are a great guy.

Tom

FWIW they're out of stock.

Wow, you're right! I just tried to order by placing in the cart and only then did it tell me they were OOS.
It would help if they would mark the product "Out of Stock" to begin with.

Thanks for the heads-up.