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OK, this is coming from an instructor who teaches more women than men.Hey all,
Looking for some help in finding a cheap, new or used SW 640 or 642. I think she could handle the 357, but would probably prefer the 38. That being said, I was wondering other differences between the models and suggestions. Any help is appreciated.
Thanks.
Also, for a woman, her curves can make a revolver difficult to conceal. remember a revolver is significantly fatter than many semis.
Women don't pocket carry a snubbie. Their clothes are generally tighter and their pockets are TINY. That means either 3:30/4:00 o'clock or appendix for most women. Purse carry works, but does have some down-sides. Make sure the gun is in a holster of some kind if she's going to purse carry, or buy one of the great holster-purses from Galco and others.
DO NOT pick out a gun for your GF.
OK, this is coming from an instructor who teaches more women than men.
DO NOT pick out a gun for your GF.
DO NOT take her to the store and have her pick something if she has no shooting experience at all.
DO get her some training/shooting experience and THEN take her to the store and have her pick something that she likes and knows she can use effectively.
Women constantly get handed snubbie revolvers and told they should carry them. I hear it all the time said women can't learn to rack a slide on a semi-auto, a semi-auto is too complicated, etc. It's sexist as Hell as well as being untrue. I have 80+ year-old arthritic little-old ladies going gang busters on semi-autos. They just need to be taught to work the slide using their larger muscle groups, not muscling through it like we guys can.
As a rule, new shooters (of either gender) have a hard time with snub-nose revolvers. The short sight radius makes them harder to aim and the perceived recoil is much greater with a lightweight .38 than with a semi in 9mm or even .40.
Snubbies have their place and I have no issue with them. It's just the last gun I'd recommend to a new shooter.
Also, for a woman, her curves can make a revolver difficult to conceal. remember a revolver is significantly fatter than many semis.
Women don't pocket carry a snubbie. Their clothes are generally tighter and their pockets are TINY. That means either 3:30/4:00 o'clock or appendix for most women. Purse carry works, but does have some down-sides. Make sure the gun is in a holster of some kind if she's going to purse carry, or buy one of the great holster-purses from Galco and others.
The most popular guns I've seen among our female students are the Sig P239, Beretta 92FS, S&W m&p 9c and the XD sub-compact.
A few really love our revolvers, but we're talking about maybe 1 out of 15. For a revolver choice, I'd go with a 4-inch barrel Ruger Security Six. Very slim gun, excellent triggers and just great shooters. That extra 2" on the sight radius makes a world of difference to newer shooters as well.
Hope that helps.
As a woman who has carried a J-frame on and off for many years, I would encourage you to have her put quite a few rounds downrange with it before making a decision. Yes, snubbies have a lot to recommend them for CCW, but if someone is relatively new to shooting, the punishment they'll get from a little revolver is likely to dissuade them from shooting as much as they should to become proficient. Maybe I'm just a wuss, but that sucker hurts after the first 20 rounds (and that's with standard pressure ammo). Put in some +Ps to be sure I'm ready for the punch of self-defense loads, and it REALLY sucks. Keep in mind that this is coming from someone who now carries a compact .40 most days, so it's not like I'm averse to recoil.
J-frames seem to be the go-to gun for guys looking to outfit their other half, and while I think they're an excellent carry option and I wouldn't recommend that any woman (or man, for that matter) avoid them, I would just want them to know what they're getting into. If she's already an experienced shooter, then you can pretty much disregard this entire post. (Though then I would wonder why she isn't picking out her own gun... )
DO NOT pick out a gun for your GF that you don't mind making your own when she tells you she doesn't like it.