Advice needed on a pistol purchase

you don't by chance feed that 686 of yours full house 357's do you?
if so your well evolved in the game. try a few 45's 40's and 10MM along the way.
 
Yes, I do on occasion but for $$$ sake I mostly shoot .38 +p ammo. It's slightly less but every little bit helps. I keep her loaded with the Critical Defense and put it in the nightstand just in case....
 
Somewhere around you is a gun range that rents guns. Go and try several different ones. Make it a regular Tuesday night (or whenever) thing for a couple of months. Money well spent.

The limp wristing issue is a matter of conditioning and practice. Some pistols (those that are very light) exacerbate the problem.

Now, having said that, i tried for 2 years to get my sister capable of shooting a Glock 27. After 2 or 3 rounds, she'd get a stove pipe or failure to feed. She finally gave up and its in the safe. She does just fine with a 3" barrel Mdl 36.

The point being my sister has the benefit of having a crazy brother that she could try a variety of handguns before settling on one. Go rent a few. Usually you'll be able to tell if you like them with in a few rounds.

Good luck.
 
Lori Ann said:
Yes, I do on occasion but for $$$ sake I mostly shoot .38 +p ammo. It's slightly less but every little bit helps. I keep her loaded with the Critical Defense and put it in the nightstand just in case....
Click to expand...

outstanding, the only thing you seem to be missing is faith in your own ability to make a choice here. Trust me, you really don't need us
 
I always need my friends. :) Asking questions on the forum is the best because you get a variety of answers and it helps you to broaden your knowledge base. Expert advice from S&W friends, doesn't get any better than that. :) As far as renting Jim, there is a public range nearby, but I truly have never seen anything posted that they will rent guns to shoot for the day. I will check into that for sure.
 
Lori Ann,

I don't know your level of experience, but I would suggest taking an introduction to firearms class for women. One of the courses near me has a class where the ladies shoot about a dozen or more pistols and revolvers, from .22, .380, .38, 9mm, .40 S&W and .45 ACP. I don't know where you are located, but I'd wager there would be a similar class within a few hundred miles. The class here is $90 and is well worth it.

And, I would also suggest you try to carry your weapon on your person. Misplacing your purse or having your purse stolen is bad enough without having a loaded Roscoe inside.

Hope this helps.
 
Lots of good advise here and there are plenty of small semi autos out there. After trying them all I still go to my J frame for EDC and after 40 + years doubt that will change.
 
I only like to carry in my pocket. I found that I don't like the airweights. That's just me. I carry an ordinary, slightly-beat-up model 36 in a pocket holster. I also have a M60-9 (that's a .357 2" pre-lock type). The 60 fits in some pants in the same holster as the 36, but not in others. I also have a IWB holster for it, but don't carry it that way much.

I also have a semi-auto CC pistol - but here's the rub: the goofy "mag maintenance". Turns out, if you leave a mag loaded for any length of time it wears out the mag springs. Soooooo, you will have to rotate mags, replace the springs, or some combo. At any rate, the mag springs wear out over time and that causes feed issues.

Mags and mag springs aren't cheap.

So personally, I recommend AGAINST using a SA pistol for a nightstand gun - because people forget to rotate or test the mags, and, over time, I find that I don't like worrying about the mags so much that I don't use it for a CCW. I just stick to my revolvers - for the nightstand, truck and CCW. They're just so darn reliable!

Edit: My CCW revolvers have hammers. They don't snag on my pants when I practice and I have no interest in any of the bobbed, hammerless or bodyguard styles. It's just not an issue - to me anyway. YMMV.
 
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Lori Ann, my wife Luscious carries an M&P9C in a hobo made by Coronado Leather. Coronado Leather | Handcrafted Firearm Concealment Leatherwear Handbags/ Luggage/ Jackets/ Law Enforecement

She has the magazine extension (pinkie extension) so she can get a full grip on it. This reduces flip.
She prefers 147 grain hollow points of my own making which are tuned to her gun. Not "full house" rounds but plenty stout. Something along the lines of the Gold Dot. Speer Ammo - Personal Protection

And practice is king!
 
Lots of good advice in this thread. There can be additional considerations, though. In Texas if you qualify with a revolver you can't carry a semi-auto, but qualify with a semi-auto and you can carry either. When I got my first CHL I didn't own anything but revolvers and borrowed a Glock from the instructor to qualify so I didn't have a limitation on my CHL. Before I had to qualify again I picked up an S&W 908 (value version of a 3913). Qualified and put it back in the safe. But somewhere along the line I took the 908 to the range and I gradually got hooked. It kind of opened up a whole 'nother world of weapons.

I still have my revolvers, but sometimes a pistol just fills the bill. Now my rotation is a CS9, 908 or 6906 with a J frame as backup as required.

If one is comfortable with revolvers, there's no need to change. Learning new things is always good, though.
 
Lori Ann,
You asked about Shields jamming. I have a 9mm and it has not malfunctioned in any way after several hundred rounds. I made an effort to limp wrist it and could not cause a jam.

It's not an infallible weapon, none are, but the issues reported for the 9mm so far have been minor imho. The 40 has a serious problem with the magazine release.

Purse carry reduces some of the Shield's appeal since the added thickness of an M&P9c won't be as noticeable but the extra rounds will.

Sent from a tiny keyboard with the assistance of a proof reader whose English is dubious at best. Tapatalk via Android
 
M3Stuart said:
I also have a semi-auto CC pistol - but here's the rub: the goofy "mag maintenance". Turns out, if you leave a mag loaded for any length of time it wears out the mag springs. Soooooo, you will have to rotate mags, replace the springs, or some combo. At any rate, the mag springs wear out over time and that causes feed issues.
Click to expand...

I've had a Ruger P85 loaded for the better part of twenty years and it functions fine. I have two mags and generally keep both at full capacity. I have heard this is bad but so far so good.

Sent from a tiny keyboard with the assistance of a proof reader whose English is dubious at best. Tapatalk via Android
 
I appreciate all the GREAT advice! Went to the gun shop tonight and made a surprising purchase. Check out my new post..."And the winner is....!" Thanks again!
 
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