Misconceptions about .38 J Frames for women

[Jerry in SC]

My wife learned to shoot using a Colt's Police Positive, she was more than capable enough at 7 yards. She has no issue shooting a steel J or K frame in .38 Special. She has never been comfortable with semi-autos of any kind.

 

[washerman]

I have a 431PD which chambers 32 long and 32 H@R mags. Wife really likes to shoot 32 longs. Very manageable for her. I won't however let her have it! Yes ...I know....I'm still not gonna part with it.....She will be getting a Charter Arms of her own soon chambered in 32 H@R mag so she can shoot the 32 long ammo.. I have 3 other Charter revolvers and i like them a lot....Yes i know - i know.....She still ain't gettin the 431PD so get over it! Thats what i told her too.

 

[Firesticks]

J frames for ladies are fine but in my observation an airweight is not. And all steel j frame with standard target wadcutters and practice will work. Just because you can pull a trigger and hang on to the thing does NOT make it a good defense weapon. The fact is some skill and experience is needed to be proficient with a J frame revolver and even MORE SO with the airweight designs. The idea is to HIT what your aiming at and not to scare em to death with a loud bang. Yes there are exceptions and many women have experience and can shoot them but the majority DON'T and it makes a very poor choice until such time they do possess the skills. Hell that even goes for many guys.

 

[hkcavalier]

Seems to me lotsa men want their wife/girlfriend to carry a gun much more than the wife/girlfriend wants to carry a gun.

My wife didn't see the point until she started to meet buyers for either of her side businesses. While they tended to be nice middle-aged women like her, some were not, and being armed became SOP.

I let her shoot anything she wanted of mine and a few shootin' buddies and pick for herself. She ended up with a 1911 and a safety-equipped Shield. Grip and having a manual safety played into both choices. She couldn't care less about wheelguns so I'm trying to fix that with our progeny

 

[Echo40]

I don't believe in babying women, seen enough of them at their best and worst to have a good idea of what they're capable of, plus women are all about equality these days, so I wouldn't presume to tell them what to carry any more than I would a man. (i.e. Not at all.)

So when my very own mother asked for my advice on a firearm, I asked first what she wanted... She was looking for a sort of all-purpose firearm which could be used for EDC, Home Defense, powerful enough to drop a Black Bear if necessary, and not too expensive. Based on her criteria, I suggested a Taurus 605 in .357 Magnum, showed her it, then on her birthday shortly afterwards, my brother and I took her to a gunshop to buy her it as a gift. She used to carry a Taurus TCP-738 in .380 ACP, so if she could handle .380 ACP out of a 12oz pocket pistol, (which I know for a fact that she's shot before with no trouble) then I have no doubt that she'd be able to handle .38 Special or even .357 Magnum out of a 24oz Revolver.

Personally, I feel that any man who truly cares for the wellbeing of a woman should be more concerned for her ability to adequately defend herself than her shooting comfort.

 

[Tom_R]

A J-Frame should not be given to a brand new shooter, regardless of gender. You have to work your way down to a J-Frame, especially an Airweight.

I also don't understand giving women the smallest gun possible that will fit in their purse. I disagree with this for so many reasons.

A carry gun should be a gun you train with A LOT. Who wants to train and shoot hundreds of rounds with a J Frame or a Glock compact?

A K-Frame, a Glock 19 or a Sig P228 are all much better options to start a female shooter on.

 

[sigp220.45]

I'm with the OP on this one. A lot of people, not just women, are not going to go all in and change their lifestyle to accommodate carrying a gun. Just not gonna happen.

Sometimes the best you can hope for is to get them to the range once a year or so to blow out the cobwebs. Should they just be unarmed instead? Would the Mom who face-shot the guy who jumped in the driver's seat and took off with her kids have been better off with a tactical gun at home instead of the one she had?

We are all into guns here. Most people aren't. They have the right to be protected, too. A 442 full of wadcutters is just fine.

 

[pawngal]

My saga in the world of handguns.....Probably not the usual female tale.

I believe the first handgun I ever shot was a Walter P38, due to the time frame, circumstances and pictures. Then on to revolvers. My then hubby
brought back 3 revolvers when he was stationed in Germany. 2 were 22's, kind unknown, the other was a 4" S&W .357. I had it for awhile but had to surrender it to LE in the midst of a messy divorce.

Then gunless for a few years, sometimes having the chance to "shoot cans" with friends. One of those happened to be a 41mag.
Late hubby had several handguns, I remember shooting a Ruger Mark I ,
a S&W 39, and a Ruger Blackhawk .357. ( still have the Blackhawk.)
When his health started going downhill I decided it has time for me to buy a gun for me. 1st was a Ladysmith 65, then a Model 66 2 1/2 in.
By then I was hooked.

Back to the 41mag, I just knew it had to be a S&W, I now own 2 Model 57s, and yes I shoot them. Along with 45acp, and 45 LC.

J frames? I own 1, a M36. Had to put bigger grips on it. I have long fingers. It is my nightstand gun or with me if traveling in the Mini.

I have tried several of the newer J frames including the 642.
No love for any of them. I can shoot my 66 in single action quicker and maintain accurarcy than I can shoot any J frame DOA. But it is not the best for me for CC. I don't often on-body carry, if I do it is the 36.

The Ruger 327 does look interesting to me, appears to have a slightly larger grip than the J frames and it is also available in SA/DA.

My point is, every woman is different. Not many shoot recreationaly, I do. Does the woman want to carry? Or just be able to defend herself at home? You guys need to know what she wants and what she is willing to do. And most of all, SHE MAKES THE FINAL DECISION ON THE ON THE GUN!

ps. I can't shoot a semi-auto worth a dang!

 

[sniper]

If a woman has the same problems I have with racking the slides of a great many autopistols, it's best to let her tell you what she likes. It'll probably turn out better in the long run.

 

[RoyM52]

My only response to this comment is this: I am by no means forcing my girlfriend to carry a gun. I too believe that doing that is wrong. However, I do tell her that I think she should think about it. Why? Because I love her, and it is important to me that she have some sort of protection at all times. Where we live and spend much of our time, the police response time is somewhere around 30-45 minutes. There is also a new neighbor who has made it clear that he may be a danger. That is all of the detail I will go into on that.

I don't think I put enough emphasis on the fact that she is going to be choosing her carry gun. She is going to shoot ALL of my guns, autos and revolvers, big and tiny. Whatever gun she decides she wants. I will pay for it. If she wants to switch later, I will pay for that one too. I am not trying to force her into a J frame, but I don't see anything wrong with a woman carrying a J frame, especially a woman who WANTS protection, but is not interested in learning the details of operating an auto. The original post was more in response to the online reviews and articles that say that women should never carry a j frame. I am not saying that I am forcing my girlfriend to carry one, I just don't think that it should be discouraged any more than any other gun.

Might want to consider getting her some pepper spray and then stop pushing the CC permit and just get her doing some target practice.....go slow. I would look at the M60 pro with the 3 inch barrel and some mouse fart 38 wad-cutters. Get her doing single action and having fun with it. Don't talk tactical training...just talk fun target shooting. {pepper spray ...go slow} Buy the 60 pro for yourself and leave it stock. If she eventually likes it , you can gift it . Take all the pressure off this. {it will get you nowhere but getting her pissed off and digging in her heels} She is more likely to use the pepper spray than to use a gun anyway. The gun takes a lot more conviction.

 

[JimCunn]

My wife decided to get a concealed carry permit, so I signed up and took the courses with her to keep her company. She wanted a 637-2 (my Hi-Power and 1911 Commander were too bulky for her taste, and she couldn't rack the slides), so we got one, and I liked it so much I got another for myself. Put titanium cylinders in both for weight reduction, and I converted mine to 9mm. She likes that enough to do hers too. We don't see anything wrong with the light weight 1-7/8" j-frames. Should we rethink it? We were expecting severe recoil, but it isn't bad at all.

 

[3rdgeargrndrr]

My wife decided to get a concealed carry permit, so I signed up and took the courses with her to keep her company. She wanted a 637-2 (my Hi-Power and 1911 Commander were too bulky for her taste, and she couldn't rack the slides), so we got one, and I liked it so much I got another for myself. We were expecting severe recoil, but it isn't bad at all.

carry what you can shoot accuratley under stress.
If you want to go back to the browning design,
Have you checked out the fun size 1911's?
sig P938/238 or the kimber micro/micro 9

My oldest kid has moved on to 380 from 38spl.

 

[The Maxx]

One more thought to consider in favor of a revolver.

Women more than men are targeted to be subdued for the purpose of rape, kidnapping, etc.

If the target has someone on top of her and she sticks a gun in his side, it doesn't take much for the pistol slide to be pushed out of battery and the gun unable to fire. Training can also minimize this possibility.

The revolver has no issue with this situation, and with the muzzle jammed hard into the attackers body the gasses propelling the bullet are also directed into the wound channel increasing the damage. A revolver with a shrouded hammer is better able to be fired from inside a purse or pocket with fewer moving parts to snag, and no issues of slide interference.

I would classify this as a secondary consideration. Finding a gun that someone is comfortable with that they like to practice with and carry is primary.

 

[Weimar]

I was going to write profound statements of letting your loved one pick out their own firearm, try a large number instead of some loving but misguided husband picking out what THEY thought was best for them, but its been covered above!

I do think its all about individuals, as I know many women and men who can't rack a slide and others who are petite who sure as heck can! All depends on the person and training.