S&W Lady J Revolver?

T

twoblink

New member
I don't know if it's called a Lady J, I think it might be. But the revolver from Smith that was designed for women, it was a 5 shot 38Special.

Anybody out there own one, or have purchased one for their wife?

Looking for a gun for my gf, and this came recommended... Feedback?

Thanks.
Albert

Ooops, I think it's called a "LadySmith", I thought it was called a Lady J because it had a J frame, and a little GI Joe recall...



[This message has been edited by twoblink (edited October 03, 2000).]
 
Are you thinking of the Lady Smith? My wife and my sister were both coveting one at a show 2 weeks ago. I thought that one was a .357/.38, but it works out the same, I guess. My wife calls it the "pretty gun". But, before the day was out, she declared that the Kahr K40 was without a doubt the best fit for her hand. So... I bought one for her. :D We'll find out this week-end if she likes the way it shoots as much as she likes the way it feels. I went with the K40 rather than the K9 because I'd just as soon she have the larger round, & she shoots my P99 in .40 with no problems - accurately, too. But if the little Kahr kicks too hard for her, I'll adopt it & go lookin' for "the pretty gun", & see how she likes shootin' .38 special. Best of luck, hope you can find something she likes. Oak

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"Skeptical scrutiny can separate deep insights from deep nonsense."
 
Almost off topic...but I think there is/was a product called the "Lady J" (if memory serves) that enabled women to pee standing up. It was a disposable form-fitted paper funnel sort of thing. I don't remember where I heard about it - maybe a news filler story, info-mercial, or Cheaper-Than-Dirt catalog. But the name sounds familiar. I couldn't resist sharing this highly relevant info.

Doug
 
Its been my experience, from watching a lot of ladies shoot these "Lady" guns (and other guns down-sized or reduced in weight) in local handgun training classes, that most ladies don't really care for them -- if they have to shoot them!

Those guns weren't really designed for women: they were designed for the men who buy guns for women.

Generally speaking, unless the shooter is using light loads, their small size and light weight make them a real handful, and truly painful, weapons to shoot -- regardless of sex or gender.

(I think that you've got to shoot what you carry a lot to become proficient; these little guns tend NOT to get shot a lot. And I'm not sure how durable they would be if they were shot a lot...)
 
Au contraire, I think women left to themselves will choose .38 snubs.

My wife and I went through the Sheriff's department CCW course recently. There were a lot of women, and most had chosen snub .38 Specials on their own. It seems from the comments that they considered wheelguns more "familiar" and automatics more "complicated".

The .38s I saw were a Colt Detective Special, Smith Centennial Airweight, a Rossi and a couple of Taurus 85s. It was obvious that the Taurus, with its ported barrel, was easier for the shooters to keep on target. The lady with the Colt was probably close to 70 years old. It was her late husband's, she said, and now that she was alone she wanted to leaan to use it. She stepped up to the line and fired three sets of "controlled pairs" -- a shot in the crotch, one in the heart, pause and repeat. I'm staying away from her house after dark. :)

Thelma checked out these women's guns, and several of the others present. She almost got interested in a .380 Browning BDA, but says she'd rather have a .38 snub than a small auto. She actually liked the grips on the Rossi best.
 
There are two Lady Smiths. One is the .357/.38 and the other is strictly .38 Special. Real pretty grips on em too.

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Son
1911 Addiction
"The tree of liberty will grow only when watered by the blood of tyrants."
 
My wife has a Ladysmith J frame 38 Special. She loves it. She first used a handgun in January. She took a number of lessons from a great trainer who often works with women. This turned out to be a very good idea. He had her try out a wide range of guns. For many women including my wife semiautos are not a good idea. Loading the magazine and pulling back the slide is just too difficult to make it a fun experience. Also cleaning and reassembly of a semiauto with a heavy recoil spring may be impossible. The Ladysmith has a very small grip and a nasty recoil to me, but most women are tougher than men and will just put up with it if they like the gun. She can regularly get a 2" group at 7 yards and will complain that she is out of ammo after going through 200 rounds at the range. For a more serious gun while hiking in bear country she got a 686 in 357 Magnum. She can shoot my 44 Magnum Super Redhawk just as well and does not understand why so many men complain about recoil. Shooting is mostly about attitude. If a woman really wants to shoot especially for self defense the recoil does not matter. If she really does not want to shoot but is just trying to go along with you it is not worth the trouble.
 
Which Smith model is the one that's a 357/38 for the Lady Smith?

Dialog:

"Honey, so I've been looking into these guns, they are called 'LadySmiths' they are designed for women, what do you think? They look nice, and will fit your little hands. Nice wooden handle.."

"Hmmm? I was thinking of using your gun.."

"Yes honey, but I have a .40S&W in a semi-auto, it's probably got a bit too much kick for ya..." (She's 5'4" 110lbs)

"Yeah, but if I use a 'lady's gun', other women at the range will think I'm a wimp! That I can't handle a REAL gun... nope, no women's revolver for me!!! I want some 'Jon Woo' movie guns".

So what can I say? ;-) And she always claims that she's not watching the movie when I have Chow Young Fat in the VCR...

I still think, despite what she says, that a nice revolver is better for her. That's why I'm thinking a 357/38, probably should have less kick because of the slightly larger frame if I load it with 38's, and when she "graduates", I can load it up with some 357 Man Stoppers...

Your opinions oh married people of this board?

Albert
 
SW sells Ladysmiths with fancier grips and for more money. Some had different lighter springs.

Personally, I think a woman who is committed to learning how to shoot can handle a j frame
with some of the non +P but decent ammo.

Good training is important rather than going to the range with someone who doesn't know how to teach you about recoil management, etc.
 
Twoblink:
My wife has a Lady Smith 357/38 because she liked the simplicity of a revolver and did not feel she could rack the slide on my 45 ACP. I put Pachmahr grips on and had my local gunsmith polish the trigger and replace the springs to decrease the trigger pull. She loves it.
All the best,
Bill Daniel

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Prosecute criminals to the fullest extent of the law and their weapons will become harmless.
 
I recently got my wife a S&W Model 317 Kit Gun in 22LR to get her started in shooting. She particularly likes the 11 oz light weight and the simplicity of a revolver. She's also somewhat scared of an auto's slide coming back and hurting her (she keeps putting her left thumb behind the gun no matter what I say or do).

Although it is jumping the gun a bit, I'm now thinking about her second gun. The S&W Model 60 Chief's Special (5 shot 357 J frame), loaded with regular 38s looks good to me, especially as she prefers rubber grips and is weight sensitive. The version with 3" barrel and adjustable sights would make it a fun target gun, too.
 
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