Posted on 12/10/2005 1:02:11 PM PST by Melinda in TN
My husband is giving me a revolver for Christmas. I have my choice between a 357 Magnum Taurus model 605 or a 38-Special undercover police special. He says I can't hold the 357 magnum when I pull the trigger. I currently carry a .380 semi-auto and I know they are both much more powerful than that. He said he will carry the one I don't choose. Both guns have a 2" barrel. Is the 357 magnum really that bad? Opinions? Here are pictures. The 357 is a much better looking gun but I want something I can handle.
This is the 357 Magnum
This is the 38-Special
I don't start a thread very often so if I did this wrong, please forgive me!
you can shoot 38 special out of that .357
and the .38 special isnt hard to handle. Get used to shooting that then you can load up some .357 magnum when you get your nerve up! Yes the 357 kicks and barks up a storm
I CCW a Tauraus ultra lite 38..it conceals well, has a smaller butt, that fits my small hand very well, and is easy on the recoil.
She stated she already carries a handgun, so all she needs do is but it and they do an 'instant' check using her CCW permit number (would have already done the FBI/TBI background checks for her permit). That's what they did when I traded my Bersa .380 in on the Tauraus ultra lite 38 earlier this year. It's fairly easy to get a CCW permit in TN, 8 hr safety course and the FBI/TBI background check along with your $115 bucks, renewal every 4 years at about $50.
Moving south...we think about it all the time especially in the depths of winter ;>) It wil happen someday I'm sure.
Half of NYS has already moved South.
Melinda,
If this for "carry", then get the lightest .38cal revolver you can find......
Smith and Wesson used to make a "air version", very lightweight...
Everybody's hand is different so go with the one that fits......If you can't hold it you WILL miss even under 10 ft distances....That's a bad thing...
If neither works for you, try a small 9mm pistol, such as a Glock, Springfield XD, or Sig P239.
I agree with GailA. I'm quite fond of my Taurus 38. Taurus (IMO) makes a great product and, for a woman, easy to conceal and fits the hand.
I have one of those as a "summer gun" when I'm not dressed in such a way as to conceal my .40 S&W. The weight for pocket carry is perfect.
I'll probably go with the .38 Special for now. The .357 will still be here either way. When I get the hang of the .38 I might give the .357 a go at the range. I think I'll take the .38 to our local gun shop/range and see if they can put some rubber grips on it for me. My .380 has rubber grips and I really like them. I love the looks of the .357 but my wrists are very tiny at less than 6" in circumference so I don't know if I could handle it or not. If I find out I can shoot the .357, I'll get it next Christmas. :-)
My personal carry is a Taurus M85 2inch. Have tried a Bersa 380, Taurus M65 CIA (shrouded hammer) 1911A1 (own two, Springfield Ultra compact and Champion), and a couple others. For me, the easiest to carry, except for the Kel-Tec P32, is the M85. It's light, very concealable, fits my hand well, and most important it goes BANG every time. Also, it's easy on my arthritic hands and wrists.
You wont go wrong with a small-frame .38
Fitting my hand was the big selling point. It also is smaller and lighter than my Bersa was. I had to replace the Bersa as I got to where I couldn't rack it due to the arthritis in my fingers. The revolver is easy to clean, recoil is less than the Bersa too.
Dr. Muttly
Gee I wish I had a husband like yours, come to think of it, I wish I had a husband!
My .380 is a Bersa also. I love the gun but you are right about it. It's very hard to pull the slide until you get used to it. That was the main reason I bought it though. My granddaughter was pretty young when I got the Bersa and I wanted something I knew she couldn't mess with. She's been taught not to bother any of the guns but I never trust a kid to do what they are told. She's 10 now and she knows that when she's 12 she will get to go to the range and learn to shoot. She never gets near the guns. I asked her to get something from my room once and she came back and said she couldn't because it was too close to the gun. The gun was zipped up in a fanny pack hanging on a gun rack. The item I sent her to get was on a table two feet or more from the fanny pack. LOL She doesn't live with us but I don't take any chances. Most rural kids are taught very early in life that guns are tools, not toys.
This is my 44 special.
I am a female, and this is what I carry everyday. Never let it be said we are weak or unable to handle a weapon of our choice! We can learn to handle any gun we choose!
This works so well that I have trouble knowing whether I'm shooting .357 or .38 Special because the recoil is minimal....it is pretty noisy though.
My 44 is an awesome gun, and I practice with it often. I carry it because I wanted to be able to drop someone on a dime. I don't want an attacker to brush it off like a mosquito bite!
This is the actual gun too, not a picture of it from the internet. I put it on my scanner and scanned it. :)
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.