CCW handgun for my misses

[1911crazy]

My wife and sons are getting there CCW permits and i want to get the misses a handgun to carry in the evenings while she walks the dogs in the wilds.  She has a hard time with the auto's pulling back the slides. (9mm luger/9mm mak's).  I was thinking a charter arms revolver with light 38 special loads or a charter arms bulldog with the 44 russian loads.  There a tad lighter than the 44 special loads.  I don't want her carrying the more powerful loads for the fear she can't handle them.  If i can reload the russian 44 rounds with the lighter 185 JHP 44 cal bullets she should be ok.  Or any thoughts on anything else??   Bill

[leadbutt]

Bill is she a shooter?? If so take her along and let her pick out, be better in the long run.

Whats the main concern, 2 leggers or 4, the Bulldog in 44spl will work for both, but so will the 38spl. Handloading self defense ammo always brings out the hue and cries for and against, but if she likes the 44 I would lean more toward a wadcutter type bullet than a JHP, not sure but you find its hard to locate a 44 slug that will open up at Russian speeds, and a good ole solid wadcutter has settled the has of many a creature.

If she would be more comfortable with a semi I would look at the Berreta models wit the tip up barrel, pop it open down in a round close barrel, and the trigger work is DA/SA as I remember, but I think , but not sure its limited to 380

[dougk]

Hey Bill

If you get an opportunity you should have her shot a .357 mag to see if she likes it.  Also she can use snake shot in the 357.

All around that might be one of the best options based on your wife's situation.

My wife did not want to be bothered with the slide on the semi automatic.  She now has a Dan Wesson 357 with a 6 inch barrel, that she carries on the ranch.

[NickSS]

You really do not give much info as to what she needs the gun for but personally I would let her pick it out.  If she is sensitive to recoil or weight you probably shoot look at a 38 with wad cutter target loads.  They are surprisingly  effective for self defense and work good on 4 footed varmints as well.

[gcrank1]

Likewise on 38Spl loads in SWC or WC, even if in a small 357. My wife is not tiny, but with all else she carries doesnt want to be loaded down with a belt pistol size gun; the 'J' frame sizes she is very comfortable with. We've tried autoloaders but she has no affinity to them, they dont fit her mindset because she was raised with revolvers, so rather than paddle upstream, go with the flow.

[sixgun_symphony]

 Check the used gun market for a Colt Police Positive revolver, they're a jewel of a gun.

[anachronism]

My next planned purchase is a Ruger LCR in .357 magnum. It will be loaded with 38 Spl +Ps, or mid-range .357 mag ammo. They're light, reliable, and relatively inexpensive. #57./s8 spl is a much more versatile cartridge family that 44 spl, and the gun itself is lighter, so there won't be any major inconvenience carrying it. Add the availability of a wide variety of factory ammo in practically any configuration, and you've got a winner. 44 spl ammo is pretty tough to find in most places, and self-defense ammo is particularly problematic. I have a box of 44 spl Blazers around here I bought to "dumb down" my Redhawk a bit that are really hot, even in a Redhawk!

[Pike60]

I would recommend a Ruger SP101. My wife uses mine at the range and she is not a gun person. It may seem heavy, but the added weight keeps recoil down to were she sometimes shoots 357s out of it. She can also keep all 5 shots in the eight ring at ten yards. Just my two cents worth.
 
Pike

[tacklebury]

Bought my wife the Charter Arms Pink Lady and she loves it.  It's quite accurate with factory loads outta the box.  I just picked up about 400 bucks worth of bullets for 38 for $25, so going to start doing some reloads for her.  I am going to work up some nice mid range loads for carry only using the Hornady 125gr. XTP bullets and Unique.