LCR for my girlfriend, 9mm, .357 or .38 spl?

S

SARuger

New member
I carry the .38 and love this little revolver. My girlfriend likes it and shoots it a lot with no problems but I'm wondering if I shouldn't go to another caliber for her. She has a SBH .357, 6" barrel now but its obviously too big for her 5' 2" 120lb frame to carry concealed. I have revolvers/pistols in all 3 of theses calibers so ammo is always in stock for them at my house. I'm just wondering if the ammo was cheaper(9mm) if she would shoot it more? With the short barrel I'm all but ruling out the .357 but the 9mm should be fine and I already know how well the .38 does with the LCR

Thoughts????
 
The recoil of the nine will have more POP than the .38, but shouldn't be a whole lot nore than your gun. The 9mm, in my opinion, is more appropriate for self-defense than .38 especially out of a 2" barrel. I like it, I think the moon clips make for easier reloading and 9mm makes for economical practice. The trigger will take practice to overcome for a new shooter, as will the super short sight radius. I myself, will be holding off on the lcr9 until they make an lcr9x, because I like the option of a single action shot. But that's not important to a lot of people. Taurus also make the 9mm 905 revolver which has a little size and heft over the LCD but is still small and acceptable for carry, bit is likely easier to shoot. Either way, I think the lcr9 is a good gun, on paper anyways, I haven't shot one.
 
357, you can go from 38spl 148wc, +P, on up to magnums. She may never shoot a magnum but if you go to sell it I think resale may be better. 9mm may be the best compromise though, just like the 40S&W is!;)
 
I prefer the LCR X and it only comes in .38+P

If I were going to buy a standard LCR, it would be the 9mm, it would make a good companion piece to my SP101.
 
I carry the .38 and love this little revolver. My girlfriend likes it and shoots it a lot with no problems but I'm wondering if I shouldn't go to another caliber for her.


Thoughts????
Click to expand...

Why?

She uses it and likes it. Give her yours, then go buy yourself what you want (or a simple replacement).
 
Have an LCR in .38 spl and love it.
Also have a SP101 in .357 2 1/4" barrel and love it.

I would not want to shoot .357 in an LCR. Just not enough gun weight to absorb the recoil. SP101 is about twice the weight and handles .357 recoil fine.
Size of both is close enough they can use the same Simply Rugged silver dollar pancake holster.
 
Stick with what you know

and with what's she's comfortable with.
The .38 is plenty enough cartridge(be careful with load selection) for a defensive revolver.
 
When I bought a LCR I went with the 38 Spcl. Putting more importance on carry weight than increased power. With Speer Gold Dot Short Barrel 135 gr +P ammo I think the lighter gun is adequate for SD.
With the 9MM being on the heavier Magnum frame, and requiring moon clips to hold the ammo, I would opt for the 357 Magnum in the heavier gun.
 
If a 357, 38, and 9mm LCR were in the cabinet at the same price at the gun shop, I'd choose the 357 mag and only shoot 38's out of it. The 38spl would be my second choice. I dislike messing with moon clips; just something else to loose.
 
9mm all the way. People of all persuasions shoot more if their bullets are cheaper. 9mm will get the job done (as will .38 and .357), too. The cheaper it is to shoot, the more likely you are willing to shoot an extra 50-100 rounds through it each range trip.

Moon clips are fun, too and make for fast reloads. I love my S&W 986 and can't wait to get an LCR in 9mm.
 
Suggestion from long time married guy.
Let her pick out the gun she wants. Things seem to go smoother when you let them get what they want instead of you making them use what you think they should have.
If you insist in picking out " her " gun , get something you would like to have because there is a good chance it will wind up being "your" gun.
 
+1 for letting her pick out her own gun. That's key. Don't get caught up in whatever features you think that she needs to have. It's good if she picks out her own gun, so she is interested in shooting it and it is exactly what she wants. She's gotta be self-motivated to shoot it, and a gun that's totally hers and not yours is going to do that for her better.
 
I agree with letting her choose. My wife chose an XDs45 then realized she wasnt adept at clearing jams and loading it. So she took my LCR 357 and I now carry the XDs. since I reload, the cost is the same for 38, 357 and 9mm. and I hate moon clips. I would like to see a person reload and not fumble with moon clips under the pressure of self defense. stripper clips are way easier and faster in a self defense shoot out. JMO
 
Let her choose is good advice.

For me personally, I would expect a 357 in something that small and light to be a real hand punisher. If I was only going to shoot 38's, I would just buy a 38 - if it's a CCW, I wouldn't want it to be any larger than what I needed (I am assuming the 357 model is slightly larger). I have never used moon clips, but didn't want to make things any more complicated than absolutely necessary.

Those were my thought processes, so I bought the 38. Everything I have ever shot with a 38 special died, so I am fine with it as a self defense caliber.
 
Thanks for the replies! I offered her my LCR .38 but being the independent woman that she is she wants here own :-). I think I will let her decide and she will get the .38+p like mine most likely.

I was kicking around the 9mm for cheap ammo
 
One thing: The LCR .38 has an aluminum frame and crazy fluted cylinder, it weighs 13.5 oz. The 9mm is on the steel frame, same as .357, and weighs 17.2 oz.
Q: Does this matter to your girlfriend? If so, which way, pro or con?

I would furnish my girlfriend all the .38s she wanted for a gun she liked rather than second guess gun selection to be able to use cheap 9mm. Which is itself a harsher round to shoot.
 
As has been stated, the standard .38 LCR is a littler smaller and easier to carry. While I haven't tried the 9mm version, I feel like .357 is a little much in this gun. In my humble opinion, the standard .38 version is the cat's meow. It is just about perfect for what it is. I don't even really like the +p. Load up some standard-pressure Nyclads and you're good to go.
 
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