442-1 for my daughter

[jeffrefrig]

Couple days ago I bought a used 442-1 .38 Spl + P. Really a cool little gun; somebody probably didn't like it anymore as it's in pretty good shape. Of course I had to take it out for a test drive yesterday. The 15 yard range was full of what looked like a shooting class for some people, so I used the 25 yard range. Mainly just to see how it feels and works as it should. I was surprised at the very little felt recoil for a .38 spl. My 15-3 and 10-8 hurt more than this little gun. More surprising was that I was able to hit paper at that distance. Daughter is only around 5' 3" and 115# soaking wet. I think she'll be okay with this gun.
I'm wondering why the felt recoil is so comfortable? I think the barrel is only 1 7/8" long. Maybe this is the reason? I'm gonna try a few cylinders of +P next time out. Sorry no pics, as this computer doesn't play well with picture posting on this Forum. I should look into that. Her birthday is July 2nd, and I believe any 33 year old girl working in the downtown of Pittsburgh till 11:00 PM on Friday & Saturday should have a carry piece. Anyone with a clean record can get a CCW permit pretty easily here; about 15 minutes at most + $20 cash.
I never shot one of these before and I'm pretty impressed. Might have to get one for me.

 

[whitestang]

Jeffrefrig, You will find that with +P loads the recoil goes up some. It is not bad for someone who shoots a lot. Start your daughter on .38 loads then move to the +P loads. I have a 442 Pro and it does shoot great with either normal loads or the +P. This is what I have found your and your daughter's experience may differ.

 

[yugolovr]

I really hope your daughter enjoys her new 442. The unfortunate thing about them is that some people don’t mind the recoil others do. Most of the time it comes down to the grips on the guns. It sounds like the grip’s fit you perfectly, but they may not your daughter. I really recommend the 442 for self defense, but don’t be afraid to experiment with different grips. If you look online for J frame grips you might be surprised at how many there are. most j frame shooters wind up with a container full.

 

[haywood]

I like the 442. I like all J-Frames but, the 442 is my favorite pocket gun. The stock grips used to be fine but, my 70 year old hands are kind of beat so, I need comfy grips now. It takes practice to get good. (at least for me) I think they are great little carry guns.

 

[Billylee]

If your daughter is uncomfortable with the recoil consider a Hogue monogrip with finger grooves. Great for these 72 year old arthritic hands on my 642.

 

[Squarebutt]

Probably wise to start her with the lightest loads and work up from there. You never know what guns gals will take a liking to. Took my 13 year-old granddaughter to the range for her first shooting experience. She fired a .22, a .38, a 9 mm. and then she fell in love with my old Colt .45 1911, kept asking for one more magazine.

 

[jeffrefrig]

The previous owner of this gun put a Hogue mono grip on; maybe that's why it doesn't beat me up as much. I put one on my 10-8 and it made a heck of a lot of difference.
She's no newcomer to guns; regular rifles, semi-auto rifles, and a couple different hand guns. This should fit her little hands better than mine. We'll see how she handles the different loads. Heck, for these scum bag street people she could probably use some snake loads! They're all a bunch of losers, which may or may not be their fault, but I think if they had a gun it would get sold for drug/alcohol money. Usually the late nite street people are the ones involved in the stabbings in the city. Knives are cheap.
Anyhow, if she doesn't like it I'll keep it; but, I told her to look up the 442 online to see what she thought. "It's cute!" (Gawd!)
Yeah, we'll definitely be experimenting with some different ammo before I turn it over to her! Whatever we shoot, she is NOT getting my 92S Beretta or the .45 1911 (Tisas clone). I got lucky with these two guns, as I can't miss and they're both as accurate as I am, for all I paid for them I'm keepin' them!

 

[Retired W4]

I will have an ANIB example in my case next weekend. Nice little pocket/purse gun.

 

[JDinAZ]

Couple days ago I bought a used 442-1 .38 Spl + P. Really a cool little gun; somebody probably didn't like it anymore as it's in pretty good shape. Of course I had to take it out for a test drive yesterday. The 15 yard range was full of what looked like a shooting class for some people, so I used the 25 yard range. Mainly just to see how it feels and works as it should. I was surprised at the very little felt recoil for a .38 spl. My 15-3 and 10-8 hurt more than this little gun. More surprising was that I was able to hit paper at that distance. Daughter is only around 5' 3" and 115# soaking wet. I think she'll be okay with this gun.
I'm wondering why the felt recoil is so comfortable? I think the barrel is only 1 7/8" long. Maybe this is the reason? I'm gonna try a few cylinders of +P next time out. Sorry no pics, as this computer doesn't play well with picture posting on this Forum. I should look into that. Her birthday is July 2nd, and I believe any 33 year old girl working in the downtown of Pittsburgh till 11:00 PM on Friday & Saturday should have a carry piece. Anyone with a clean record can get a CCW permit pretty easily here; about 15 minutes at most + $20 cash.
I never shot one of these before and I'm pretty impressed. Might have to get one for me.

Great choice for her. A hammer less J is a very slick on body carry or purse gun for ladies. Being that it sounds as though the area can be sketchy you can also let her know that if she needs to she can have that little gun completely at the ready without anyone knowing it.

That’s one of my favorite aspects of the hammerless j. It can be fired from inside a coat pocket, or purse for ladies, if need be and not risk jamming.

Her knowing this neat little aspect of that gun could help her in the long run. Like she can literally walk to the car with the gun in her hand concealed in purse of jacket pocket ready to pop an attacker and the attacker never sees the gun or knows its coming

 

[Retired W4]

That is an excellent point. Practicing the technique might require the use of some older coats/purse. Kidding aside, that knowledge could come in handy with the little 442

 

[L-2]

Contents | Cornered Cat
A 442-1 is a great gift and I can only hope the daughter will appreciate and learn how to use it.
The referenced-above website has some great articles and the website was originally targeted toward the potentially-new female firearms user.

Especially look at the "Choosing Firearms" section, but every article on that website is good, whether the reader is male or female, btw.

The main thing I got out of the website is to let the person decide for him/her-self what to use/carry. For some folks, a firearm is either a wrong choice or not the person's choice at all. Again, a 442-1 would be a great gift to me, I just wouldn't know if it'll a great gift to the OP's daughter, but we can hope it is

 

[quikdraw67]

The 442-1 is my EDC. Great choice.

 

[Buford57]

I carry the 642, which is essentially the same gun. I have gone bigger and smaller and keep coming back to the platform that served me well on the job. Grips are relatively cheap. Once she finds a pair that fit her the only two things she'll have to remember are: load it; carry it.

 

[jeffrefrig]

Load it and carry it is one reason I got her this one. Also, hand in purse or pocket while holding onto the gun, which is perfect because no hammer to get caught on anything. Just need to tell her to keep her butane lighter out of the way. A few guys at my last place of employment bought this model for their wives &/or daughters because of the using of the purse to conceal. Only downfall is the possibility of purse-snatching. We'll figure it out! Ruger has pretty much the same gun in an LCR model, but I found a decent deal on the S&W 1st. I carried it for a couple days now. It's only 16.75 oz. loaded and conceals well. I'll probably buy one for me, too. Heck, why not? Thanks for the input, etc.

 

[gnystrom]

I have several lightweight Snubbies and find the Crimson Trace LG 405’s to work really well at mitigating recoil and offer the advantage of the laser.

 

[44 mag]

find some fiocchi 148 gr wadcutters and she will be good to go. My daughter is also 5"2" 105 lb and that's what I have loaded in her 642. Very low recoil and better than a stick. https://www.mrgundealer.com/ammunit.../fiocchi/showoutofstock/NO/caliber/38-special

 

[Wee Hooker]

One of the best features of a revolver is the ability to change grips. One of the best features of a SW J frame is the abundance of grip choices. Generally speaking, larger grips will give her better control and absorb more recoil. FWIW, I installed Crimson Trace 405's on my 11 oz 360PD and found they made a HUGE difference over the "as issued" boot grips.

p.s. Whatever you do with a grip upgrade, do it soon. Having worked in a gun shop, I've seen my share of women turned off by the kick of J frames with tiny factory grips. Once they develop a dislike/distrust for the gun, it will be near impossible to turn that opinion around.

 

[Larry FF]

442

The previous owner of this gun put a Hogue mono grip on; maybe that's why it doesn't beat me up as much. I put one on my 10-8 and it made a heck of a lot of difference.
She's no newcomer to guns; regular rifles, semi-auto rifles, and a couple different hand guns. This should fit her little hands better than mine. We'll see how she handles the different loads. Heck, for these scum bag street people she could probably use some snake loads! They're all a bunch of losers, which may or may not be their fault, but I think if they had a gun it would get sold for drug/alcohol money. Usually the late nite street people are the ones involved in the stabbings in the city. Knives are cheap.
Anyhow, if she doesn't like it I'll keep it; but, I told her to look up the 442 online to see what she thought. "It's cute!" (Gawd!)
Yeah, we'll definitely be experimenting with some different ammo before I turn it over to her! Whatever we shoot, she is NOT getting my 92S Beretta or the .45 1911 (Tisas clone). I got lucky with these two guns, as I can't miss and they're both as accurate as I am, for all I paid for them I'm keepin' them!

Jeffrefrig: You mentioned a Beretta 92S. I will be acquiring a Beretta 96F next month. This was one of my brother's duty weapons. He passed away Dec. 2021 and I will get his 3 duty weapons. Anything to look for on the 96? I never owned a Beretta before.

 

[ISCS Yoda]

If you think felt recoil is comfortable then you're a better man than I, Gunga Din (movie/Kipling reference). I happily disposed of my M642 for the reason that it's recoil is punishing and an all steel J frame is much better.

 

[billj47]

442-1 is a great gun

I put the Hogue grips on mine. Also on my SP101 Ruger. Gives me a much better purchase.