The PERFECT concealed carry firearm... for a small female.
- Thread starter JuggaloCujo
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Hi:
"One shot is self defense and any more you go to prison"?
In my 45 years in Florida Law Enforcement this is one I totally was un-aware of. (my bad).
"One shot from a .357mag anywhere in the body, you are instantly dead"
I wished I had known this and I wouldn't have depended on a .44mag/.45acp service revolver and a 12 gauge shotgun.
"One shot is self defense and any more you go to prison"?
In my 45 years in Florida Law Enforcement this is one I totally was un-aware of. (my bad).
"One shot from a .357mag anywhere in the body, you are instantly dead"
I wished I had known this and I wouldn't have depended on a .44mag/.45acp service revolver and a 12 gauge shotgun.
USAF385
US Veteran
You have a nice list of requirements for the gun that you want your girlfriend to carry, but what does SHE want? Very often this topic comes up here and the question is asked the same way... "I want, I think it should be, I think she needs etc". What really matters is what she wants and what she is comfortable with.
I'd love for my fiance to carry a .40 or a .357, heck I'd even settle for a .38 special J frame... but she's not going to carry any of them. I know a .357 is totally out of the question because she'd probably end up on her butt holding a broken forearm if she shot one. She never has because she's very sensitive to recoil, and I've never pressed her to. She has fired a .40 and didn't like it, it hurt her hands and wrist too much. She could manage .38s in my 681, but couldn't in my 642.
Even the snap of .380s bothered her wrist. She's most comfortable with .22s. Obviously they're easy to manage, but she wasn't happy with relying on .22s. We revisited the .380 and she settled on that. She carries a BG380 now.
Sure, she could have carried a J Frame and never shot it until she needed it. This would get rid of the problem of her being uncomfortable when shooting it. I have total confidence that she could place a round on a target if she picked up my 642 again without having shot it in the past 3 years. The same is true with a .44 mag. If I had the option of her needing to defend herself with a shot from a .44 mag or a .380, I'd pick the former... and yeah, she could likely land that first shot.
The .380 still isn't comfortable for her to shoot. She doesn't go out and put 100 rounds downrange every weekend. However, she does fire the rounds that she has been carrying every so often, just to stay familiar. She made the decision that she wanted something more than a .22. She decided that although it wasn't fun to shoot, she would carry a .380. She made the decision that this was necessary so she could carry a round in which she had more confidence, but could also handle well. She understands that it is very important to be familiar with how a gun operates and how it feels when it is shot if it is going to be carried.
My point: get her involved in this decision. It is hers to make.
I'd love for my fiance to carry a .40 or a .357, heck I'd even settle for a .38 special J frame... but she's not going to carry any of them. I know a .357 is totally out of the question because she'd probably end up on her butt holding a broken forearm if she shot one. She never has because she's very sensitive to recoil, and I've never pressed her to. She has fired a .40 and didn't like it, it hurt her hands and wrist too much. She could manage .38s in my 681, but couldn't in my 642.
Even the snap of .380s bothered her wrist. She's most comfortable with .22s. Obviously they're easy to manage, but she wasn't happy with relying on .22s. We revisited the .380 and she settled on that. She carries a BG380 now.
Sure, she could have carried a J Frame and never shot it until she needed it. This would get rid of the problem of her being uncomfortable when shooting it. I have total confidence that she could place a round on a target if she picked up my 642 again without having shot it in the past 3 years. The same is true with a .44 mag. If I had the option of her needing to defend herself with a shot from a .44 mag or a .380, I'd pick the former... and yeah, she could likely land that first shot.
The .380 still isn't comfortable for her to shoot. She doesn't go out and put 100 rounds downrange every weekend. However, she does fire the rounds that she has been carrying every so often, just to stay familiar. She made the decision that she wanted something more than a .22. She decided that although it wasn't fun to shoot, she would carry a .380. She made the decision that this was necessary so she could carry a round in which she had more confidence, but could also handle well. She understands that it is very important to be familiar with how a gun operates and how it feels when it is shot if it is going to be carried.
My point: get her involved in this decision. It is hers to make.
watergun1929
Member
Size caliber for Woman
Been there, done that!!!!! Get her a .38 Special +P and be done with it. Women do not know what they want or need!!! You have to advise them.
Been there, done that!!!!! Get her a .38 Special +P and be done with it. Women do not know what they want or need!!! You have to advise them.
scooter123
Member
IMO you are not getting the point. A 357 Magnum that misses the target is nothing more than a noise maker. In addition, you are completly misinformed about the effectiveness of a 357 Magnum. It's a handgun and there isn't a handgun made that will insure a One Shot Stop if the bullet isn't well placed. I read one report of a police shooting where the BG was shot through the Heart and sprinted for 200 yards before he dropped. Since there aren't that many people who can run a 10 second 100, it's pretty safe to assume that he had the capability to engage in vigerous activity for a full 30 seconds. With a handgun the only way to totally insure a One Stop Shot is to get a good hit to the Central Nervous System, which means a hit to the spine or the head. That takes PRACTICE and if you think that Power can make up for a lack of PRACTICE you are mistaken.
BTW, out of a 1 7/8 inch barrel there will be enough noise from a 357 Magnum to deafen your GF for LIFE if she is in a car or small room. Out in the deep woods with lot's of foliage to soak up the report it'll probably leave her ears ringing for 2 or 3 days, in a City alley, she won't lose all of her hearing but she will need hearing aids and the lifelong tinitus may leave her wishing that she hadn't fired her gun.
Also, you really should look into how effective a 357 Magnum is out of a 1 7/8 inch barrel. IIRC Speer's Short Barrel 38 +P Gold Dot produces more velocity than an off the shelf 357 Magnum Defense load out of a barrel this short. It's one of the negatives to the Magnums, they contain enough slower burning powder that they really a barrel length of at least 4 inches to start yielding the power they were designed to produce. Fire them out of a short barrel and what you mainly get is a lot of noise and enough muzzle flash at night to leave you blind for about 10 seconds.
Now, if you don't believe any of this, talk to a Cop who has been on the job for 15 or 20 years and carries a J frame for backup. In almost every case you'll find it's a hammerless 38 such as the 442 or 642 and it'll be loaded with either standard 38's or Speer's excellent short barrel 38 +P. You'll also find they practice with that backup and qualify at least once a year with it.
You have been given advice from shooters with a wealth of knowledge and experience. What you offer in reply does not make much sense.
Obviously, you had your mind made up before you even asked the question. So buy her the 357, let her shoot it, hurt her hand, and then offer it for sale to someone on this forum, so you can then buy her a 38.
Obviously, you had your mind made up before you even asked the question. So buy her the 357, let her shoot it, hurt her hand, and then offer it for sale to someone on this forum, so you can then buy her a 38.
cjtraining
US Veteran
Bodyguard or Centennial is a good choice for a woman. All steel or airweight both have it's own atributes. Just point and shoot.
This is an excellent thread. Some really good advice here. My wife, a 20 year Army veteran, shoots a 357 with no problem but I cannot convince her of the need for a concealed carry gun. If she does come around to my way of thinking, I will certainly let her choice what to carry. I also totally agree that practice is the key...
ColbyBruce
Member
May I suggest you look at a S&W #432PD .32 H&R magnum. Black, hammerless, six shots, lightweight, low recoil. Purses are replaceable, convince your girlfriend it is O.K. to fire through the purse into an assailant.
My daughter's S&W #331PD .32 H&R magnum.
My daughter's S&W #331PD .32 H&R magnum.
Scary morphs to frightening.
CelticSire
US Veteran
If you're buying it for her protection, then there should be a LOT of range time involved with it.
You may not WANT to worry about where she puts the bullet, but you need to realize that she HAS to worry about it.
Oh for heaven's sake, really? People survived Hiroshima and Nagasaki. There is no such thing as a 100% one-shot stop caliber.
What you need to worry about is how much damage he can, and probably will, inflict in the amount of time it's going to take him to bleed out from a single gunshot wound.
So, you come on a public forum and post that your intent is to have your girlfriend kill him, no matter what. Not shoot to stop the aggressive action, but shoot to kill. Hire a really, really good lawyer.
It does matter, because if she breaks her wrist or fingers and can no longer maintain control of the weapon, now her assailant can take it from her and use it. Or were you planning on only loading one round?
You have received some VERY good advice from some VERY knowledgeable people. However, from your attitude, I doubt that you will heed any of it. You seem to have your mind pretty much made up and are only seeking validation for your opinions. Well, probably not going to happen on here.
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OlympicFox
US Veteran
+2
OTOH, there is nothing wrong with getting an Airweight 357, shooting 38 SPL standard loads at the range most of the time, and 38SPL +P some of the time for familiarization. You can always give her a chance to shoot 357 for price of a box of ammo. Then, if she works up to 357MAG she's good to go.
An alternative is a Ruger K-LCR. It's considerably less expensive, as well as somewhat heavier. But, it does work and work pretty well.
You never know. My wife hates LCP's with a passion, but she'll shoot an LCR with 357's and afterwards ask what the big deal is.
OTOH, I suggested we get her a 340PD and she declined in 2 seconds flat. 
getoff
Member
one of my fellow LEOs shot a guy with his glock 19 dept issue, 6 times. 4 in the upper chest 2 in his pelvis. one missed the guys heart by 2". all good hits to vital areas. know where the guy is now? in prison. walking around with all the other d-bags. shot placement is key, caliber is a close second. no such thing as a "man stopper". i carried a .45.. just saying!
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