Female Greenhorn with a Bodyguard 38

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ElsieFlynn

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Hi All,

I have just received my Valentine present. All the praise and disdain aside, what would be your advice for a beginner. My husband directed me to your forum as he told me that it is a challenge to be a good shooter with the short revolvers. He promised to get me a pocket anti-aircraft gun if I learn to shoot this little guy well.
He mentioned something about getting certain 'caps' for it and that I would have to do a few months of dry shooting to learn the trigger action and to re-acquire the target well enough before even thinking about loading it.
What else would you suggest? Any videos/books/classes for the real life beginner? What kind of ear-muffins shall I look for? I would also like to have your input on the ammo. I came across a notion that a 158 gr is better for accuracy on this gun. I would like to use the same ammo at the range and, if necessary, in real life to avoid surprises.
English is not my first language, so I may sound funny, but I am serious about the challenge. I will be the first to admit, that due to my ignorance in the matter I may be repeating myths.

Thank you in advance.
 
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good choice for a carry gun. The grips will make a world of difference when shooting snubbies. Really no substitute for getting to the range and trying it out. Have fun!

S&W J Frame Round Butt Rubber Monogrip [60000] - $24.95 : Hogue Inc., The Best Value In Handgun Grips, Rifle Stocks and Accessories - Bar None!

My wife has the extended crimson trace grips on her model 38. She finds it much more comfortable and controllable than my hard plastic lasergrips.

Laser Sight For Smith & Wesson J-Frame LG-305 Extended | Crimson Trace Laser Grips
 
Thank you for the quick reply. I think mine is the new black one with a plastic base, factory built-in laser and no good replacement grips yet..
 
Carry question and ammo response

Elsie,
welcome to the forum.
I train police officers to shoot so I'll take command presence here and advise what I advised my wife.
A bodyguard w/ a short barrel is going to produce some heavy muzzle flash indoors. A 158 gr 38spl is an excellent defense round. 38 and 357 mag have more police involved shooting stats around for review than any other caliber.
I leave a 357 4" at home for my wife when I'm out of the house on duty. It has 110 gr +p hollow points in it.
It is an old US Treasury Dept carry round produced by Remington. I would also use it in a short barrel 38 rated for +p rounds. Check if your gun is rated for +p rounds.
If you need deep carry in a concealed type purse you purchased the right gun.
If you want to increase your odds of hitting a target(intruder) in low light, slightly sleepy etc... when they break into your home, I'd get a 4" minimal for the nite stand. Again if small children are present in home proper SAFETY precautions supercede all above recommendations.
Range ear muffs Peltor work great. They are low profile and if you have some spare $ you can get them w/ electronics. Eye protection as well at the range. You will want one speed loader at least that fits your gun.
You will need to practice, I'm at the range 2 x a week. I would also shoot at an outside range at some point w/o ear protection just even several rounds to see how loud a firearm is. If you never let off a round inside prepare to be temporarily deaf at least throughout the encounter. You must prepare to work through the discomfort/distraction. This is where training takes over.:eek:
You will need to learn how to dress for carry if you carry it on your hip. I recommend this if you are serious because rolling around in the bottom of your purse is not a good way to deploy a firearm in a split second when the situation goes south.
Hope this helps continue to ask questions.:)
Adam
 
I believe the "caps" he is referring to are called "snap caps".

They are basically dummy, non-functional cartridges. You can use them to safely practice loading & unloading the firearm.

They are also used to safely "dry fire" the gun. That is practice aiming and operating the trigger without actually firing the gun. This helps you to learn how to hold the gun on target as the trigger is pulled and develop the strength and muscle memory necessary to operate the gun.

Dry firing a gun over time will also tend to make the gun operate more smoothly.

They can often be found at gun shops or ordered on line from sources such as Midway or Brownell's. They are made in specific calibers such as for your .38 Special.

For example: here is one brand from Midway - Tipton Snap Cap 38 Special, 357 Magnum Polymer Package of 6 - MidwayUSA
 
sjmjax,
thanks for pickin up on the snap caps. I dropped the ball on that one as the young lady threw a lot at us and I wanted to cover the safety and ammo aspects. Nice to see woman interested in shooting as well:)
Adam
 
Get a good pair of "Ear muff" type hearing protection and ear plugs and use both. Much of perceived recoil is noise.
Get a good pair of shooting glasses for eye protection.
At the range, place a target of plain paper (no bullseye) at about 5 yards and shoot at the center of it. This will force you to look at the front sight and not the bull. You will learn that it is easy to hit the paper target.
 
I would add a 4 or 6 inch Model 17 or 18 in .22 caliber as a trainer.

The initial sticker shock of the .22 revolvers is soon enough paid back in ammo savings.

This has made a world of difference in enjoying the sport of shooting and improving my skills at very little cost over time.
 
once you have taken everyone's advise above and have been to the shooting range..it would be a good idea to learn point shooting..

this takes practice and will pay off should there ever be an encounter..

what it is..learning how to draw or pull your weapon out smoothly and going into a stance with the gun properly supported with both hands, and learning to shoot at point of aim...thats not trying to aquire a target thru the sights..

should all be done in a fluid motion..there are books, magazines and plenty of articles on the subject..

good luck ..practice practice practice
 
Welcome to a fun sport, Mrs. Flynn. As far as safety concerns, might I suggest you seek out a NRA sponsored training class? I am sure if you go to the NRA web site, you can find when and where the course will be held. I believe they have classes for women that are designed for the needs of the female shooter. To echo smokinwoody...practice, practice, practice.
 
Hello and welcome Ms. Elsie.

Addressing your original post and bringing my best advice.

The gun you have has one specific purpose; carry and concealment.
It is very light and quick to maneuver, these are its advantages.
The disadvantage of the airweight is recoil.

Even if you may carry a +P ammunition for self defense purposes,
stay away from it for training. It is best to train with the
lightest recoiling ammunition you can find to reduce the reaction
to recoil and muzzle blast.
I have found most commercial range ammunition to be unpleasant
to shoot in the lightweight, short revolvers.
Any target grade wadcutters will fill the bill, and can be found on
commercial ammunition sales websites.
A good cleaning kit to remove any leading in the bore(barrel)
will be necessary when shooting lead ammunition.

Dry fire with snap caps or even a few empty fired cases is an
essential part of training . The more you train the easier it will
be to be proficient at actually shooting.

I do not believe you will need to dry fire for months before
actually shooting your gun. Nothing takes the place of actual live fire practice.

Bringing the gun to eye level,using a two hand hold,
acquiring the front sight, arms outstreched
at a comfortable length, pull the trigger deliberately without jerking it
or the gun in the process. Practice this until you are comfortable.

Do find an N.R.A. certified instructor in your area for some safe gun
handling and marksmanship lessons. It will be money well spent.

Good Luck.
Allen Frame
 
wnr700 said:
I would add a 4 or 6 inch Model 17 or 18 in .22 caliber as a trainer.

The initial sticker shock of the .22 revolvers is soon enough paid back in ammo savings.

This has made a world of difference in enjoying the sport of shooting and improving my skills at very little cost over time.
Click to expand...

I second that approach. When I bought my Bodyguard (although it's the .380 version), I also picked up a Ruger MkIII .22 so my wife could get comfortable with handling and aiming with iron sights, without having to deal with the noise, recoil (and expense) of firing hundreds of rounds through the .380.

As an added bonus, now that she is proficient with the .380, a recent purchase left me with an extra scope, so my Ruger .22 target pistol is now wearing a rather nice Redfield 4x Widefield scope. I had an absolute blast (no pun intended) with it at the range this weekend, hogging out the bullseye at 50 feet. I was even shooting with surprising accuracy at my buddy's 100 yard target (after adjusting for drop, of course).

And hey, if someone were to break in, the visual impact of that lowly, but large .22 with that big honking scope on top will likely send them diving out the nearest window. :D
 
Grips: Any rubber grip that permits all three fingers of the right hand (assuming you are right handed) to be placed on the grip.

Ammo: 148gr target wadcutter

Training: Most local ranges offer beginner classes. Highly recommended!

Safety: Always, always, always point the gun in a safe direction.
 
Dry fire practice is a good thing. Months of it might be a bit much of a good thing and get boring.

A good load for practice might also be the Winchester (White Box) 130 grain flat-point full metal jacket ammo.

I had to buy some for a class a few years ago. I found it accurate in my snubnoses, which are M649s, the stainless steel version of your gun. It also hit at point of aim even though my guns are sighted in for 158 grain bullets.
 
Welcome to the forum.
I agree with the idea of getting a second gun to also learn with. The light weight J frame is easier to carry but you pay for it with more recoil. I'd recommend a J frame in 22 caliber and then a lot of time learning to use it.
 
Some will say my habits are overkill, but I sit watching TV or listening to Music, and I dry fire. I fire hundreds of dry fire rounds a day, every day. I make it a point that every shot I snap off should be as good as I can hold the gun and work the double action trigger. Some people knit! I dry fire.
 
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