boondocker385
New member
5 girls I have. 2 like full size blocks, one a model ten one a 66 (but only with 357 mags) and one 1911. point is, let her figure it out
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Good .38 for a young girl?
- Thread starter baddarryl
- Start date
We took the daughter-in-law to the range a couple years ago to determine what she liked best. Same requirement, A House Gun for home protection. The youngest son is an aircraft mechanic working for an aircraft salvage company, so he can be working anywhere in the free world next week.
She liked my Match Tuned 4 Inch 64 Smith & Wesson the best of a large batch of handguns we let her shoot. This was my SSR/Classic Division match revolver, tuned up by Ron Power at Power Custom.
We found her an as new 4 Inch HB 64-2 on Gun Broker, and took it to Ron Power and had the exact same work performed on it right down to the same Hogue Grips.
She did not like the airweight guns. To my surprise she did not like the 3 Inch Willy Clap GP100 that had also been tuned to perfection by Ron Power either. It bit her finger. That must have had something to do with her hand size.
My wifes house gun is a 4 Inch 686.
My neighbor gal's house gun is a 4 Inch M10 DAO.
All 3 are 4 Inch barrel. Two K's and an L frame. All have Hogue Rubber Grips. All have had a trigger job to get the DA pull down some. I let all 3 shoot some different handguns, and a pattern formed on what they liked to shoot, and were comfortable with operating.
I agree on the SP101 also. I did not have one for the gals above to try. An SP101 with 3 or 4 Inch barrel with a trigger job would be popular with lady shooters. It is heavy enough to make them feel comfortable with it. Heavy enough to soak up recoil. Being a little smaller they should like the feel well. Having only 5 shots instead of 6 would not be an issue 99% of the time. Get a couple speed loaders to store with it.
Bob
She liked my Match Tuned 4 Inch 64 Smith & Wesson the best of a large batch of handguns we let her shoot. This was my SSR/Classic Division match revolver, tuned up by Ron Power at Power Custom.
We found her an as new 4 Inch HB 64-2 on Gun Broker, and took it to Ron Power and had the exact same work performed on it right down to the same Hogue Grips.
She did not like the airweight guns. To my surprise she did not like the 3 Inch Willy Clap GP100 that had also been tuned to perfection by Ron Power either. It bit her finger. That must have had something to do with her hand size.
My wifes house gun is a 4 Inch 686.
My neighbor gal's house gun is a 4 Inch M10 DAO.
All 3 are 4 Inch barrel. Two K's and an L frame. All have Hogue Rubber Grips. All have had a trigger job to get the DA pull down some. I let all 3 shoot some different handguns, and a pattern formed on what they liked to shoot, and were comfortable with operating.
I agree on the SP101 also. I did not have one for the gals above to try. An SP101 with 3 or 4 Inch barrel with a trigger job would be popular with lady shooters. It is heavy enough to make them feel comfortable with it. Heavy enough to soak up recoil. Being a little smaller they should like the feel well. Having only 5 shots instead of 6 would not be an issue 99% of the time. Get a couple speed loaders to store with it.
Bob
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When my youngest Daughter move out of our home almost 20 years ago @ 18y.o., I had her try several different CCW/HD handguns ranging from .22 & 9mm autos through .22 & .38/.357 revolvers.
She shot all of them, over the course of a few weeks @ my gunclub to get a better sense of them in various situations.
The gun SHE settled on (YMMV) was a S&W lightweight J-frame (a 3" Model 37 Airweight), loaded with Glaser Safety Slugs for SD.
BTW - She practices bi-weekly with .38 Special Remington or Federal LRN ammo to maintain her proficiency ( she is also a member of a gun club, not mine).
Every other practice session, she shoots a few Glasers, to double-check the POI with them ( close enough to the LRN's to stop a BG)
So I would say that a .38 Special is OK for a young woman, provided she likes the gun of HER choice enough to practice regularly.
.
When my youngest Daughter move out of our home almost 20 years ago @ 18y.o., I had her try several different CCW/HD handguns ranging from .22 & 9mm autos through .22 & .38/.357 revolvers.
She shot all of them, over the course of a few weeks @ my gunclub to get a better sense of them in various situations.
The gun SHE settled on (YMMV) was a S&W lightweight J-frame (a 3" Model 37 Airweight), loaded with Glaser Safety Slugs for SD.
BTW - She practices bi-weekly with .38 Special Remington or Federal LRN ammo to maintain her proficiency ( she is also a member of a gun club, not mine).
Every other practice session, she shoots a few Glasers, to double-check the POI with them ( close enough to the LRN's to stop a BG)
So I would say that a .38 Special is OK for a young woman, provided she likes the gun of HER choice enough to practice regularly.
.
aarondhgraham
New member
J-Frame or K-Frame,,,
I took a young lady shooting just a few weeks back,,,
She fired many of my handguns,,,
And liked the revolvers best.
With the exception of my little Taurus 22-PLY,,,
Which she fell absolutely in love with.
The two she fired the most were,,,
Stella, my 4" Model 15,,,
Libby, my 3" Model 36.
After about 60-70 rounds of .38,,,
She said she liked the small size of the 36,,,
But she liked the overall feel of the model 15 the best.
She said the recoil was much less so it was easier for her to aim.
It's merely anecdotal evidence,,,
But I feel the K-frame revolvers are the most applicable.
Aarond
.
I took a young lady shooting just a few weeks back,,,
She fired many of my handguns,,,
And liked the revolvers best.
With the exception of my little Taurus 22-PLY,,,
Which she fell absolutely in love with.
The two she fired the most were,,,
Stella, my 4" Model 15,,,
Libby, my 3" Model 36.
After about 60-70 rounds of .38,,,
She said she liked the small size of the 36,,,
But she liked the overall feel of the model 15 the best.
She said the recoil was much less so it was easier for her to aim.
It's merely anecdotal evidence,,,
But I feel the K-frame revolvers are the most applicable.
Aarond
.
lets assume the gun is her choice.
lets assume she is only willing to put in enough practice to be mildly familiar with it.
lets assume she has tried different grip sizes to see what fits her hand the best.
after all those assumptions have been made, there are plenty of low recoiling loads out there in .38spl.
a round butt K frame 3" with 110gr. federal personal defense hydro-shoks could be a good match for her. she might need to go smaller to a J frame.
lets assume she is only willing to put in enough practice to be mildly familiar with it.
lets assume she has tried different grip sizes to see what fits her hand the best.
after all those assumptions have been made, there are plenty of low recoiling loads out there in .38spl.
a round butt K frame 3" with 110gr. federal personal defense hydro-shoks could be a good match for her. she might need to go smaller to a J frame.
Most women I have met do not like a K-Frame or bigger revolver because of size (most have small hands). They like the size of a J-frame but do not like the feel of recoil on the J-frame.
It would seem that the best size/weight maybe a Ruger SP101. ...... but every person is different.
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Of course, the end user should pick the pistol to determine proper size, etc.
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It would seem that the best size/weight maybe a Ruger SP101. ...... but every person is different.
===
Of course, the end user should pick the pistol to determine proper size, etc.
===
BigD_in_FL
Moderator
My wife is a smaller woman, and when she shot my S&W Model 19, she declared that it was her gun now.
Mine is not a smaller woman and she absconded with both my G26 and P7, but she also grew up on a farm shooting rabbits, pheasants and the like. A smaller girl, especially a new shooter SHOULD start with a .22 and then decide whether she prefers a semi or revolver and then which one.........JMO, YMMV
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It really depends on the grips. The nice thing about the platform is that they can be easily changed to a number of different types.Most women I have met do not like a K-Frame or bigger revolver because of size (most have small hands).
Tom Servo said:It really depends on the grips. The nice thing about the platform is that they can be easily changed to a number of different types.
This^^
My wife has shot with 3-4 different rubber grips, but she likes the old style wooden factory carry grips.
Obambulate
New member
A steel K-frame .38 Special is excellent for home defense. A large variety of aftermarket grips make it easy to fit to almost any hand, and there's a good choice of defensive ammo, from Hornady's 90gr light recoil hollow points, to 148-gr wadcutters, Speer 135gr Gold Dots, the Remington FBI load and Buffalo Bore 158gr +P.
Plus, they are very accurate and easy for new shooters to understand and shoot well. That can go a long way in building confidence and in getting someone interested in more training or practice.
Plus, they are very accurate and easy for new shooters to understand and shoot well. That can go a long way in building confidence and in getting someone interested in more training or practice.
Super Sneaky Steve
New member
Model 10 with Hogue grips. They are too small for my meaty hands but should fit a lady just right.
DannyB1954
New member
best girl 38
Ruger SP101. Just a tad larger than a J frame, not as large as a k frame. All metal so recoil is less dramatic. I have the 357 in 2" and shoot 38 specials. I shoot it better than any other gun I own.
Ruger SP101. Just a tad larger than a J frame, not as large as a k frame. All metal so recoil is less dramatic. I have the 357 in 2" and shoot 38 specials. I shoot it better than any other gun I own.
2000ShadowACE
New member
Avoid the snubbies if it's her first gun. My Daughter just had to have a LCR and she found out that even with the Hogue grips it was a bit too snappy for her. She now has a charter arms target pitbull in .357. It handles .38s with ease and the four inch barrel makes it pretty accurate out to 35 yards.
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Ruger SP101. Just a tad larger than a J frame, not as large as a k frame. All metal so recoil is less dramatic. I have the 357 in 2" and shoot 38 specials.
The 3" is milder still.
Nice with standard pressure .38Special ....... Nasty with 357's .......
K frame no less than 4" for a women.
Depends upon the woman doing the shooting, doesn't it?