Need advice on choosing a gun

[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!

[Squantos]

HUA !!

[Lurker]

Start with some .38 spl lead round nose if your range has them. Get whats called 'wadcutters' if they don't. Either one is a fairly 'light' target type load which will get you used to the feel of the weapon.

After you're comfortable with those, you can move up to some jacketed hollow points in .38 spl. Don't let anyone tell you those won't work as a defense load. The venerable .38 spl is a lethal enough load if you place your shots correctly.

Above all, make sure you get plenty of practice with your new handgun. The finest gun and the best ammo in the world are worthless if you can't hit what you need to when you need to hit it.

Take care and have a very Merry Christmas.

L

[GailA]

Which is why I didn't sell Dennis' 9mm after he died, I leave the gun safe open at night so I can get to it if need be. My 38 sits on my night stand.

[trussell]

The whole reason behind me getting my CCW and a good weapon is because of this guy. He was charged with "Aggravated sexual assault, threaten & place fear".

He has spent 15 years so far...he was sentenced to life. I proved he used a weapon against me and I was in fear of dying, and that forced him to have to do a minimum of 1/4 of his sentence.

I have been in a self defense class at the range, and I have been getting some personal training. The training is developed to teach me to shoot without hesitation.

[trussell]

Thank you Lurker...

I get teased because of my choice in weapon...but I wouldn't give it up for nothing. I have actually been asked if I have it just for show, because "No bad guy would dare approach a woman who is flashing a cannon like that"

Merry Christmas to you and yours.
T

[trussell]

Good idea to not get rid of the 9mm. I will probably have at least 3 guns by the time I get done. I want a 45, and I'm looking at a Remington Model 700 ADL Synthetic, with scope.

My daughter is in the Junior NRA and is learning how to shoot a rifle. She did pretty good her first time out, but she has been preparing for it by getting rid of caffeine and sugar. She wants mom to get the rifle so she can learn how to shoot it. Right now she is learning on a basic range rifle. (that's what the instructor called it...I have no idea what that means)

[Lurker]

You might want to consider adding a shotgun to your collection. Mossberg makes a really nice pump action in 20 gauge. It's light, handy, quick to operate, and in 20 gauge it doesn't have near the muzzle blast or the recoil of a 12.

It is however quite lethal at close range when loaded with some #4 buckshot.

They are also not nearly as expensive as most pistols.

As far as wanting a .45....well just read my tagline and you'll know how I feel about those.

L

[trussell]

I have made note of that information. I will give it some serious consideration.

I have become very serious about household protection since my divorce. I am the only protection these 2 kids have...and this criminal promised he would come for me when he was released.

[Lurker]

If he does come for you, kill him. Kill him without mercy, hesitation, and most of all without remorse. I don't know the circumstances of why this guy would want to hurt you. But, if he's made it known he intends to you owe it to yourself and to your family to steel your heart and mind to the fact you may have to take his life.

This is probably a dumb thing to say, but get an Order Of Protection. Have him served with it while he's still on the inside. That way if he's even found on your block the cops can haul his ass back to the pokey.

You might want to consider taking a course in defensive pistol craft as well.

Here's one more suggestion. If this creep does indeed manage to get back into civilized society be sure to secrete your firearms and other weapons in quickly accesible spots around your home.

I don't have the link as I'm at work right now, but there was a man who owns a pawn shop somewhere who had something like 6 or 7 weapons hidden around his store. One day he had to use every one of them during a robbery attempt.

He said he decided to hide multiple guns because just dropping the empty weapon and grabbing another was faster than trying to reload a single firearm. It's hard to argue with that kind of logic. Especially when you consider that this man currently holds the 'record' for a civilian dusting bad guys. If I recall correctly, he's bagged six or seven armed robbers. You can't argue with success!

OK, I know I said one more, but here's one last (really) suggestion. Make sure your daughter knows how to handle those pistols as well. Take her shooting with you. Better yet get her some lessons as well.

You're not going to be with her 24 - 7 after all.

If I can be of further service to you, please don't hesitate to ping me.

Remember; fortune favors the prepared.

Regards,

L

[trussell]

See post 65 for the reason he wants to hurt me. I put him away for a fifth felony conviction. If he is release, the parole board should be sued for whatever damage he does. My prayer is that they wont release him, because I don't want to have to kill him, but I am already training to do just that.

I live about 50 miles from where I did when the court made me give my address (with him sitting there with pencil and paper). I don't want to get an RO because it would have to give my current address, and I'm trying to avoid him knowing that.

I take my 10 year old daughter and 5 year old son to the range with me quite often. I want them both to know how to handle and also how to respect my guns.

Thank you for your offer for advice...I often ask my FReeper FRiends for advice over the local shop keepers...I trust you all to give me better info because you're not in it for the money! I find freepers to be very knowledgeable in matters concerning self defense. :)

[Squantos]

Taking responsibility for your own well being and security speaks volumes about you as an individual IMHO......well done !

[PoorMuttly]

All right trussell!!! You now have the "gun that won the West," basically. It worked for very good reasons then, and with modern ammunition making up for the shorter barrel length somewhat, it will also work well now.

Melinda, the only way you may damage yourself is if a really bad guy takes your now empty .38 from your shaking hand and proceeds to beat you to death with it. It happens. With the nutrition and medications available today, there are some very tough customers out there, willing and practicing (often at gov't expense, indoors) to do harm. Also, as our brother Squantos has often reported: "people who have not watched a lot of TV do not realize that they should fall down after being shot." Many "stops" are more the result of psychological shock than anything else, but I personally think it unwise to rely upon that. Police forces are frequently going to, or entertaining the idea of changing to the .40 S&W from the even slightly LESS than .38 caliber 9mm, for a practical reason....bigger, heavier, and only sometimes faster works better, often. In a potentially lethal encounter, you may hardly even notice the sound of your .357, and will invariably, at that very moment, wish you were using something a lot more powerful to protect your life with, like a bazooka. The big noise at the range fails to impress anyone when the chips are really down, and the reality is that it isn't the bark but the bite, and weight of the dog, that wins. As Squantos has affirmed, our civilian handguns are for up-close and URGENT self defense, and we need them to work well the first time, under all circumstances, against all mortal threats. This is not the time to be cheap, nor the time for wishful thinking. If your bullet placement is not exactly precise, as it probably shall not at all be, pathologists agree that at least adequate penetration depth may prove the deciding factor in disabling your opponent in time to protect yourself, which is what all this consideration is about. It is not about trying to get a pipsqueak to do a sledgehammer's job. That is what sledgehammers are for, and you may not have the luxury of enough time to run home for more ammunition to continue the applications.

Honestly, why don't you try a .357 some time, preferably outside, without any sound-reflecting obstructions nearby. All it is is a faster .38, that's all. Forget about the "magnum" terminology. That is only a sales pitch. The day that a salesman or gun-writer volunteers to hop into your grave instead of you, you may want to consider doing what he advises. Before then, as the most experienced and honest say, "use enough gun."

http://www.firearmstactical.com/wound.htm

[trussell]

Thank you Squantos. That means alot coming from you! :)

[Squantos]

:o).........Stay safe !

[PoorMuttly]

BTW, about your 12 ga., the only way ANY reasonably hand-held firearm will "knock you off your feet" is if you give it a running start at impacting your shoulder, or don't let it recoil the way it is trying to. Fear makes us receive a worse punishment than that which we would have gotten if we were brave, and stepped right up to the plate in the first place.

[Lurker]

Get the RO and when they ask you for your address, lie.

Send the bastard 75 miles in the wrong direction. I know it's sneaky. I know it's playing dirty. That's why I like it so much.

L

[trussell]

Thank you PoorMuttly. As usual, your advise is informative...and very welcome. :)

[trussell]

That's a good idea Lurker...but is it legal?

I plan to inform the local LE that this guy is a threat...and that if I call and they hesitate, they better bring a body bag. I'm just waiting until the board makes their decision. I only have a few more days to wait.

[Lurker]

You're spot on about recoil PM. My 10 year old weighs about 50 punds soaking wet. Once I got him to try it, he has no problem firing my AR or his moms Mini-14.

The biggest pistol round he's fired is a .38, and he won a box of ammo from my buddy by putting the first round in the 8 ring.

Recoil is mostly in your head, at least with the common calibers.

Nice to see your tail wagging around here again.

If I don't see you, have a very Merry Christmas.

L