.32 long vs .22LR for my wife?

[snubbiefan]

Obviously....some of you people have never pissed-off a 95-pound lady with an 8-shot 22LR in her hand. I sure as he!! don't want to.

Even a wadcutter can be abusive to a small recoil-shy person, especially in an AirLite, or Airweight. The noise and muzzle-blast has as much to do with it as recoil. I'd rather have my wife dump 8-rounds of 22LR into somebody as opposed to having her shoot with her eyes closed regretting every trigger-pull. Yes....BG may get to her and do bad things, but the LEO can follow the blood-trail to the hospital or the body.

 

[Chuck1217]

My wife has a 32 auto and a 32 long revlvr- she prefers to shoot the 32 longs, but carries the 32 auto- it's smaller is the only reason. Gotta admit, I prefer shooting the 32 longs wayyy more than the teeny little auto- the 32 longs are actually fun, like my 9mms. The little KT 32 auto hurts my hand after a magazine or 2.

 

[cmort666]

Even a wadcutter can be abusive to a small recoil-shy person, especially in an AirLite, or Airweight. The noise and muzzle-blast has as much to do with it as recoil.

The point was that it had ALREADY been stipulated that the person in question didn't mind shooting a .38 Special. That being the case, the question was, what kind of ammunition had she shot?

I don't know about where you live, but around here, you have to go looking, HARD, for 148gr. .38 Special target wadcutter ammunition. Just about the only stuff you see around here is either hot JHPs or cheap 130gr. G.I. ball equivalent. Neither is anywhere near as pleasant to shoot as bullseye loads.

If she'd shot 130gr. FMJs or 158gr. LRN standard velocity and found that tolerable, the wadcutter loads will probably be very comfortable for her to shoot.

 

[snubbiefan]

Wadcutters are not exactly plentiful around here either. I usually order them from one of the internet sites if I need them. I load my wife with a cast 105-grain LSWC over around 2.5 grains of bullseye...and she can tolerate that. The light slug really reduces the recoil in a Model 38 Airweight. I just can't pry that 10.5-ounce compact-sized 317 away from her.

 

[pff]

........and IMHO could only be improved upon by moving up to a .38 S&W Terrier.

Froggie

One advantage of the Terrier is its lack of muzzle blast. I occasionally carry one out rambling in the woods when some plinking is in order. Not as painful as a .22 or .32 on the ears.


Regards,

Pat

 

[cluznar]

Have her look at the Berreta Tomcat .32 you can flip up the barrel to load the first round then the rest load same as any semi-auto. This way you never have to rack the slide. Nice little pocket gun.

 

[revolvergeek]

This is the one I'm pushing for...

Definatly will have to breakdown and start reloading.

For .22 vs .32, I say go with the .32. .32 Long and Magnum are very easy cartridges to reload. You can dramatically improve .32 Long performance over factory ammo without getting into undue muzzle blast.

That said, if you are already prepared to start handloading, you might try loading some very light .38 spl loads for use in a snubby. I have recently been working up some loads around 125 and 135 gr LRN bullets in .38 spl using light charges of Unique and Red Dot. They run anywhere from 600 - 700 fps (depending on the loads) and just don't kick, even out of Airweights or a friend of mine's little Charter Arms. Something like that (possibly with a wadcutter or SWC bullet for improved impact) would probably be a better option than .22 or .32.

 

[LouisianaMan]

Given OP's options, I join many in preferring .32 over .22, while acknowledging the advantages in hi-volume practice with a .22. I also agree with the "get her what she likes" school of thought!!!

In my family, we found the .38 S&W to be a wonderful compromise for my wife and daughters, matching up a 33-1 4" bbl house gun with a 32-1 2" bbl carry/car gun for each of them & for me Report & recoil similar to a .32SWL Mod 30-1 they had liked, but drills a larger hole.

Mild factory ammo available at my LGS, Cabela's, Bass Pro, and usually several on-line sites. Of course, much easier, cheaper & more versatile if you handload. For my girls, I've decided on a .358 hard cast 148g wadcutter, at factory duplicate .38S&W vel of about 700.

I won't tell you what I load mine with, as it might cause a riot on the forum. Hint: Ken Waters's "Pet Loads" article some years back lays out some loads that would really surprise you, e.g. 140g JHP at 984 fps in a 4" solid-frame gun. Now, look at factory ballistics on a 2" .38 SPL +P Speer 135g GDHP-SB, and guess what's in my 33-1? (This bullet expands fully at 860, according to Speer.)

Loading the 38S&W "long"--to lengths approximating 38 SPL COL's--I use Lee 2nd Ed. data to move a 148g LWC at 800 in 2" and 900 in 4". As always, YMMV with such hot loads, and I use them sparingly in modern steel solid-frame guns--NOT NOW & NEVER, EVER in old top-breaks!!! Work up, be careful, etc etc before adopting my approach.

Even published data in Speer 13, Lyman 49, and Lee 2nd gives safe, pressure-tested loads with standard 158g lead bullets that approximate 38SPL standard-pressure ammo, and recipes for 200g bullets at low 600's are plentiful, duplicating the old Super Police and British Mk. I service ammo. The 38S&W cartridge can do a LOT in the right gun, while offering much more sedate options for the recoil-sensitive that are more effective than smaller calibers. Hand loading is a snap, and .358 component bullets work fine in my S&W's, which have a groove diameter of .359.

Finally, these guns weigh 17-18 ozs. and are much easier to handle than modern 10-12 oz. guns in 38SPL.

 

[Grayfox]

My wife developed arthritis in her hands and shooting her Detecive Special got to be a bit hard on her. We considered a .22 as a replacement, however she wasn't completely comfortable with a .22 as a defensive weapon.
Not long after, we ran across a nice 2" Model 30 at a gun show. For her it was love at first sight. I slicked the action up and replaced the rebound spring to bring the trigger as light as I could while maintaining total reliability. Added a comfortable set of boot grips to fit her hand.
She was completely happy, could shoot it well and it didn't hurt her hands.
I have since added three more .32s to the safe.

 

[NE450No2]

I can only say what I would pick for myself.

Between a 32 and a 22LR...

I would pick the 22LR.

Just receintly I have been expermenting, and testing my Mod 34 2".
I have been suprised at how well it shoots out to 25 yards, even on the 6" plates at my range.
Most self defense shootings will be much closer. It is very accurate up close.

My reason for carry of this 22LR, is mostly centered on Woods carry, as a No2, where I can carry 50 to 100 extra rounds of ammo, in my pockets and not notice it, when on an ATV, that might break down a long way from the cabin/tent, when hiking/backpacking, etc.
I feel comfort in having a lot of ammo for protection, signaling, food gathering, etc.

Also...
Its main advantage is that I can shoot 500 rounds in a single day with out breaking the budget...

However I have been using a S&W 38 Special Bodyguard, for a No2, carried most every day since 1972. On the days I did not carry it I was carrying something bigger, as a No2.

SO, what I would recommend is to get a 2" 22LR, AND a 2" 38 Special.

Have the wife, AND YOU, practice extensively with the 2" 22, and then Both of you carry a 38 Special, for serious use. She might carry it as a No1, and you might carry it as a No2, and or a No1 some of the time...

The 22LR S&W will pay for itself in practice...

The 38 Special S&W's will PAY for themselves, if you ever need them in Harms way...

All the above, IMHO of course.

 

[Chuck1217]

32 longs can be hard to find, but every time I tried, Midway had them in stock. Not cheap, especially when adding shipping, but not THAT expensive. I went ahead and bought 4 boxes for my wife, they will last her a LONG time, especially since she usually carries- and shoots- the 32 auto.