Home Defense .357/38/380 revolver for girlfriend

I forgot. My wife has the LCR 357mag 5 shot 1.87 " for $488.00 and you can get the 38 sp +P for $379.00.

That LCR 357 at 17 ozs. adds abit more stability when firing the +P loads.

Doc
 
how do you put the first round as .357 and rest as .38s in a revolver? I mean how to do it
Put in 1 round of .357 and the rest.38. When you close the cylinder, make sure that the .357 is lined up as the first shot.
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This means that the .357 would be one chamber to the RIGHT of the barrel so when you pull the trigger, it rotates up for the shot. I've also seen the strategy of putting the. 357 as the last round fired, meaning it would be aligned with the barrel to start. The theory behind that is that you don't care about the follow up shot if it is the last, so make it your nastiest load you can possibly stand. I don't adhere to either theory and just load all 38+P.
 
you can load a 357mag to be shot first then 5 or 4 38sp's rounds. The first 357mag round will be to put a hurting on the bad guy, when/if you have the time to take cover and aim before the bad guy comes into the door. Giving her the best chance to put a big hurt on a bad guy, then following 38s will be for rapid shots with a weaker round you can control better.
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Or you can simply train properly, which means consistently..... aka w/o some dopey notion of mixing rounds to 'overcome' nonexistent problem.
Placement trumps all else when it comes to practical self defense firearms, which means practice.

I never cease to be amazed at all these gimmicks, from things as suggested to $3/rd boutique ammunition.
Pick a reliable cartridge that you can afford to practice with and put rounds down range PERIOD.
 
StumpShooter said:
I have experience with the Taurus M85 Protector Poly. It's a very solid .38 special with both decent DA and SA trigger pulls and a nice fiber optic front sight. It's light, affordable, and reliable and could be carried comfortably if you wanted the option. The LCRx would be a comparable model from Ruger and would cost a little more.



I've seen the Walther PPX on sale too in 9mm. It's very straightforward and simple and I love the trigger on it. I've seen it for under $300 a few places lately.



Pocket/Smaller .380s are great and have come a long way in recent years and I've shot many of them and carry them. They can be shot accurately with training and practice, but given the choice for home defense I'd prefer something more robust, simple, and proven reliable like a revolver or service-type pistol.
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We are steering clear of the pocket guns :) too snappy of recoil. She hated my LCP. It was just too small. I keep seeing that M85 pop up.
 
Another possibility...

Look around for a Ruger Security Six or Police Service Six in .357 Mag with a 4" barrel.They're about the same size as a S&W K-frame, though slightly heavier. They are built like a tank, lead-pipe reliable, and usually within your price range. I've owned one for 33 years, in myriad of conditions in which it was horridly treated. And (it feels like) I have run a railroad car full of all different kinds of ammo through it, with no failures, breaks, skips or hiccups.
 
A medium-framed 4" 357 is what I use, lately loaded with 38's, since I am already going deaf.

My Taurus model 66 derivative is as good as my Rugers and Smiths, but I may have gotten lucky. I have had a couple, one made in 1987 and one in 1990, and liked them both very much.

My Smith and Wesson model 10 is nice. I got it used within your price range less than a year ago.

My FiL has a GP100 that he got new for about $600 OTD. I would think a used one could be found in your price range. From the looks of it, I would think it would be durable. It is a great shooter.

I have an SP101 in 327. Due to its smaller size and weight, I would think shooting 357 out of one might not be fun.

Those are the ones I have owned or shot a lot.
 
steel taurus model 85 38 snubbie gotten gently used in early 80s is wonderful. older steel rossi 3" 38 is handy drawer piece that isnt too long to be carried if need be. georgia arms' cowboy 38 loads and pachmayr grips make them pleasant, accurate shooters. i would avoid lightweight alloy pieces, a bit too snappy for necessary sustained practice at the range.
 
Smith and wesson model 15 .38spl police trade ins on gunbroker can be had from 350 to 400. Wont get any better for the money than that. Four inch barrels, adjustable sights and are known to be very reliable and accurate.
 
Kosh75287 said:
Look around for a Ruger Security Six or Police Service Six in .357 Mag with a 4" barrel.They're about the same size as a S&W K-frame, though slightly heavier. They are built like a tank, lead-pipe reliable, and usually within your price range. I've owned one for 33 years, in myriad of conditions in which it was horridly treated. And (it feels like) I have run a railroad car full of all different kinds of ammo through it, with no failures, breaks, skips or hiccups.
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That is one I hope to find so she can hold. Mine is a 6 inch barrel and just a bit too heavy. She broke her wrist a few years back in gymnastics so it isn't easy for her to hold too large a gun.
 
tallball said:
A medium-framed 4" 357 is what I use, lately loaded with 38's, since I am already going deaf.



My Taurus model 66 derivative is as good as my Rugers and Smiths, but I may have gotten lucky. I have had a couple, one made in 1987 and one in 1990, and liked them both very much.



My Smith and Wesson model 10 is nice. I got it used within your price range less than a year ago.



My FiL has a GP100 that he got new for about $600 OTD. I would think a used one could be found in your price range. From the looks of it, I would think it would be durable. It is a great shooter.



I have an SP101 in 327. Due to its smaller size and weight, I would think shooting 357 out of one might not be fun.



Those are the ones I have owned or shot a lot.
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How does the .327 perform? I've always wondered about those. Never even seen the bullets for one, let alone the gun. Only heard of them.
 
Lots of good choices out there for her to make. My top two suggestions, based on the posibility of future use would be:
If strictly a home defense gun, without the possibility of using it for concealed carry, used, possibly police trade in, some model of S&W K frame.
If concealed carry could some day be in the future, Ruger LCR. or S&W J frame of some sort.
The most important part is that she makes the choice. Preferably after actually shooting examples of each choice. If there is a range in your area that rents guns, that would be the place to start.
 
Cheapshooter said:
Lots of good choices out there for her to make. My top two suggestions, based on the posibility of future use would be:

If strictly a home defense gun, without the possibility of using it for concealed carry, used, possibly police trade in, some model of S&W K frame.

If concealed carry could some day be in the future, Ruger LCR. or S&W J frame of some sort.

The most important part is that she makes the choice. Preferably after actually shooting examples of each choice. If there is a range in your area that rents guns, that would be the place to start.
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Yea. She is uninterested in concealed so all that matters is reliability. I would keep my .410 there but she hates shotguns and I don't trust it reliably anyway.
 
SW - The 327 has been fine for me. It has noticeably more recoil than 32 S&W long or 32 h&r magnum, but nothing like 357. I have only shot paper targets with it, so I don't know how well it works on critters and such. Fairly well, I would think.
 
tallball said:
SW - The 327 has been fine for me. It has noticeably more recoil than 32 S&W long or 32 h&r magnum, but nothing like 357. I have only shot paper targets with it, so I don't know how well it works on critters and such. Fairly well, I would think.
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Yea. I've always wondered.
 
Well thanks for the advice y'all. I got some ideas on what to look at and I'm not afraid to go older now. That was a concern for me, but it sounds like many of these models hold up well over time.
 
Can't go wrong with a 2", 3" or 4" Smith M10 or M64. The 4" guns in particular can be acquired for a song as police/security trade-ins.
 
I have several older S&W revolvers 2 are 100 years old and still shot now and then . Don't be afraid to buy a older used smith . Most spend their lives in a sock drawer waiting to be needed .
 
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