Recommend a 38 for CCW for my wife?
- Thread starter Teirst
- Start date
My wife carries a stainless 642 with CT grips.
The crimson trace is a larger grip than the stock grip giving a more secure hold.
Let's face it females aren't going to dress around a firearm...that's just the way it is. Mine has instead invested in cc purses...one or two a year.
She loves the little gun the trigger is DAO trigger is actually pretty good. She sure can shoot it with the laser on...
The crimson trace is a larger grip than the stock grip giving a more secure hold.
Let's face it females aren't going to dress around a firearm...that's just the way it is. Mine has instead invested in cc purses...one or two a year.
She loves the little gun the trigger is DAO trigger is actually pretty good. She sure can shoot it with the laser on...
S&W has a bunch of options...models 38, 42, etc....
she needs to go to a range that rents guns, in my opinion, and try a number of guns chambered in .38 spl / or .357 mag ....with and without hammers ( even like an old model 10 - or maybe a model 19 or 66 ) ....so she can decide what suits her for size, grip, weight, sights, hammer or no hammer...and how it shoots for her ....( she may like some of the air weight models / or she may hate them )....but bottom line, make her decison on what "she" likes the best on looks and on how it shoots.
she needs to go to a range that rents guns, in my opinion, and try a number of guns chambered in .38 spl / or .357 mag ....with and without hammers ( even like an old model 10 - or maybe a model 19 or 66 ) ....so she can decide what suits her for size, grip, weight, sights, hammer or no hammer...and how it shoots for her ....( she may like some of the air weight models / or she may hate them )....but bottom line, make her decison on what "she" likes the best on looks and on how it shoots.
allaroundhunter
New member
Don't pick a gun for her, and don't ask us to. Take her to a range or gun store and let her try some out. The fact if the matter is that snub .38s have a decent bit of recoil, and some women really dot like them. Add to that a heavier DA pull that is harder to shoot well and you could very well be picking a gun for her that she will never use.
I'd also suggest your wife check out pax's website, corneredcat, she provides lots of good information.
- settling instead on a .38 S&W Airweight DA revolver, that she loves to shoot the snot out of.Go to www.corneredcat.com Moderator Pax's website. Read it together.
Just a note, obviously I am going to get her to try before we buy I was more looking to find out if there are a lot of options besides a 642 with aftermarket grips.
She is concerned with the gun moving around in her purse that a gun with a hammer might cause an ad in her purse thus the desire for hammer less.
She is concerned with the gun moving around in her purse that a gun with a hammer might cause an ad in her purse thus the desire for hammer less.
Kreyzhorse
New member
My wife carries a 637 Airweight. Hard to go wrong with a snub nose.
Crazy88Fingers
New member
A hammer won't likely cause an AD inside a purse. Something inside the trigger guard, however, might. Keep it in some sort of holster or its own separate compartment. A hammer may snag while drawing though. She'll have to experiment.
Smith & Wesson, Ruger, Charter Arms. If I'm in the market for a revolver those are the companies I'm looking at. Hit the gun show!
Smith & Wesson, Ruger, Charter Arms. If I'm in the market for a revolver those are the companies I'm looking at. Hit the gun show!
rotten mick
New member
Best let her choose it. But if shes set on .38 show her some .357's.mag. She can still shoot .38 with the option of carrying a hotter round later on.
Honestly, for purse carry, I might reccomend a 3" revolver, and even a DAO with a bobbed hammer. Perhaps a Ruger SP101 might fit her bill nicely, and the suggestion of looking for a 357 is a good one- the additional caliber as well as a little extra heft for absorbing recoil.
My wife now carries a Ruger LCR. She loves the trigger on it and the soft recoil. Her former gun was a Walther PPK but she got tired of the excessively heavy trigger and the too strong slide spring. She loves her LCR. She either carries in a inside the waistband holster or in a purse specifically made with a built-in holster (purse came from Sportsman Guide). It is a really nice purse and not too expensive. The shoulder strap even has a steel cable built in so no purse snatcher can cut the strap with a knife.
bedbugbilly
New member
My comment isn't about what your wife may like in regards to a pistol.
My comment is in regards to her purse. I've been married 42 years and one place I don't venture into is her purse! What I mean is, if I have to get a checkbook out or some other item, I hand the purse to her as if I were to venture in there I would be lost for a week! And I can't even begin to list the number of times I have watched her "search" her purse for something.
If your wife is going to "purse carry" . . . I would suggest that she look in to the purses that are designed for carry. I've seen some pretty nice purses at different gun shows that have a special compartment just for the handgun . . . .. that the purse owner knows about, isn't obvious but easy to get to if necessary. I have a "shooting buddy" where we spend winters in AZ and she showed me one that she picked up - it was very nice. She has a Sig .380 and she liked the concept of the carry purse just because the handgun was accessible and she didn't have to worry about "hunting" for it if she needed it. You and your wife might check 'em out - probably a search on the net would show suppliers as well. And hey, every woman loves purses . . . it would offer you another "gift idea" for holidays, birthday, etc.
My comment is in regards to her purse. I've been married 42 years and one place I don't venture into is her purse! What I mean is, if I have to get a checkbook out or some other item, I hand the purse to her as if I were to venture in there I would be lost for a week! And I can't even begin to list the number of times I have watched her "search" her purse for something.
If your wife is going to "purse carry" . . . I would suggest that she look in to the purses that are designed for carry. I've seen some pretty nice purses at different gun shows that have a special compartment just for the handgun . . . .. that the purse owner knows about, isn't obvious but easy to get to if necessary. I have a "shooting buddy" where we spend winters in AZ and she showed me one that she picked up - it was very nice. She has a Sig .380 and she liked the concept of the carry purse just because the handgun was accessible and she didn't have to worry about "hunting" for it if she needed it. You and your wife might check 'em out - probably a search on the net would show suppliers as well. And hey, every woman loves purses . . . it would offer you another "gift idea" for holidays, birthday, etc.
Andy Blozinski
New member
I've got a Chiappa Rhino .38/.357 2" barrel, hammerless.
It hardly has any recoil with .38s. There's a noticeable push back, but no muzzle flip with .357 magnums.
The two main things I didn't like about it was the lack of rear sight on the hammerless and the heavy trigger pull. Otherwise I'd not go with another revolver. If I had this to do over again I'd get the version with the hammer just so I could have a rear sight.
It hardly has any recoil with .38s. There's a noticeable push back, but no muzzle flip with .357 magnums.
The two main things I didn't like about it was the lack of rear sight on the hammerless and the heavy trigger pull. Otherwise I'd not go with another revolver. If I had this to do over again I'd get the version with the hammer just so I could have a rear sight.
huskybiker
New member
My wife and daughter both have Taurus 85CH (concealed hammer) models. They're a little heavier than the Airweights (17oz, I think). I installed Wolff spring kits in them and Houge grips. They are fine little carry guns.
I don't think anybody who asks this question is thinking "If Joe Blow recomends brand X I'm going to to buy brand X for my wife." They're looking for ideas to look at. Brand X might be an option they or their wife hadn't thought of. Doesn't mean they're going to buy it.
These days my wife carries a Charter Arms "Lavender Lady" in 38 Special. Very light as someone else says, it does kick a bit, but the grips absorb it well. Not a bad little gun for the money.
My wife carries in her purse also, but she doesn't just drop the gun down into the purse. She has a "Pistol Packing Mama" brand purse with a dedicated pocket with a built in holster for the gun. Nothing else goes in there, so nothing can get into the trigger, or push against the hammer. It has a piece of steel cable that runs through the strap to preven the strap being cut in a grab attempt. They come in all shapes and sizes and colors. I don't know about your wife, but I know I can tell her it's not a good idea to carry in her purse all I want to, but SHE thinks it's the best place to carry it. I don't fight battles I know I'm going to lose.
These days my wife carries a Charter Arms "Lavender Lady" in 38 Special. Very light as someone else says, it does kick a bit, but the grips absorb it well. Not a bad little gun for the money.
My wife carries in her purse also, but she doesn't just drop the gun down into the purse. She has a "Pistol Packing Mama" brand purse with a dedicated pocket with a built in holster for the gun. Nothing else goes in there, so nothing can get into the trigger, or push against the hammer. It has a piece of steel cable that runs through the strap to preven the strap being cut in a grab attempt. They come in all shapes and sizes and colors. I don't know about your wife, but I know I can tell her it's not a good idea to carry in her purse all I want to, but SHE thinks it's the best place to carry it. I don't fight battles I know I'm going to lose.