Looking for a lightweight hammerless 38 for my mother.

[ram57ta]

Anyone got one for sale or know where to get a good price on one locally?
This will be a CCW for my mother to purse carry.

[LANTIRN]

She ever shot one before? Those lightweight .38s fan have some sharp recoil. My mom has a ruger lcr and I hate shooting that thing more than 5 or 10 shots and she rarely practices with it because of that. But academy usually has several .38s in stock and their prices are usually good. I would avoid both bass pro and cabelas if buying a gun just because of the amount of time it takes there.

[01yz2nv]

I have the Ruger lcr 38 and love it. I don't think it's too snappy for me, but that being said, I picked the same pistol up for my aunt, and it was too harsh for her for a carry. She didn't really care for it. I was thinking about picking up the LCR in 9mm to see how it is.

[ram57ta]

I'm going to try to get her to a gun range Monday morning to shoot one and see what she says. My mother has never fired a gun in her life. I'm afraid that a featherweight may be too much for her. My little .380 Keltec is pretty damn snappy as well...so I'm stuck trying to figure out what she would be comfortable with shooting as a first time shooter...but I want something that will actually stop an attacker. Ideas?

[Jose]

I'm going to try to get her to a gun range Monday morning to shoot one and see what she says. My mother has never fired a gun in her life. I'm afraid that a featherweight may be too much for her. My little .380 Keltec is pretty damn snappy as well...so I'm stuck trying to figure out what she would be comfortable with shooting as a first time shooter...but I want something that will actually stop an attacker. Ideas?

Are you back in town? You are more than welcome to borrow my LCR if you want to give it a try.

[LANTIRN]

I'm going to try to get her to a gun range Monday morning to shoot one and see what she says. My mother has never fired a gun in her life. I'm afraid that a featherweight may be too much for her. My little .380 Keltec is pretty damn snappy as well...so I'm stuck trying to figure out what she would be comfortable with shooting as a first time shooter...but I want something that will actually stop an attacker. Ideas?

Single Glock 43 or Smith and Wesson Shield 9mm. Assuming she has the strength to rack the slide and is willing to train in malfunctions then semi auto is the way to go. The Shield is my carry gun and also my favorite handgun I own, and it has very manageable recoil. I would stay away from a .380; most of them are smaller framed and as a result have snappier recoil than their 9mm brothers. If for some reason she isn't comfortable with or able to practice with clearing a jam (my mom has low strength in her hands that makes semi autos difficult and akward), I would look at a heavier revolver chambered in .357 that can use be loaded in .357 or .38+p if she can handle that. I am not a revolver guy so my suggestions on specific models will not be worth anything, but an all metal frame would be heavier and thus less recoil. The range is a good idea, get a few of each to try out and see what she is comfortable with. Since she has never fired in her life I cannot stress enough how much she needs to practice to not be a danger to herself and others. If she is timid with the gun and pulls it out afraid to use it then it could be easily taken and used against her; if that is the case strong pepper spray may be the answer. If she gets a gun, do some son/mother range time once every two weeks or so and make sure she practices if you can work that into your schedule.

[ram57ta]

Single Glock 43 or Smith and Wesson Shield 9mm. Assuming she has the strength to rack the slide and is willing to train in malfunctions then semi auto is the way to go. The Shield is my carry gun and also my favorite handgun I own, and it has very manageable recoil. I would stay away from a .380; most of them are smaller framed and as a result have snappier recoil than their 9mm brothers. If for some reason she isn't comfortable with or able to practice with clearing a jam (my mom has low strength in her hands that makes semi autos difficult and akward), I would look at a heavier revolver chambered in .357 that can use be loaded in .357 or .38+p if she can handle that. I am not a revolver guy so my suggestions on specific models will not be worth anything, but an all metal frame would be heavier and thus less recoil. The range is a good idea, get a few of each to try out and see what she is comfortable with. Since she has never fired in her life I cannot stress enough how much she needs to practice to not be a danger to herself and others. If she is timid with the gun and pulls it out afraid to use it then it could be easily taken and used against her; if that is the case strong pepper spray may be the answer. If she gets a gun, do some son/mother range time once every two weeks or so and make sure she practices if you can work that into your schedule.

I tried a couple years ago to motivate her to take a class and go shoot...she found some hillbilly outfit down in Ferris that took her money...gave a half-assed class then expected her to drive to some land he had arranged to use for shooting...with bad directions to get there..she never found it, never shot a gun...and he never contacted her or gave a refund. I recently sold my Shield 40 to bump up to a .45ACP, but I will agree the Shield is a good gun. I'm afraid that the cleaning and minor maintenance of an auto would overwhelm my mother which is why I am thinking a wheel gun is a better fit for her...they just work...period. I myself am concerned that she may not have the willpower to use a gun defensively...but SHE is the one who asked for my assistance in getting one.

[LANTIRN]

I tried a couple years ago to motivate her to take a class and go shoot...she found some hillbilly outfit down in Ferris that took her money...gave a half-assed class then expected her to drive to some land he had arranged to use for shooting...with bad directions to get there..she never found it, never shot a gun...and he never contacted her or gave a refund. I recently sold my Shield 40 to bump up to a .45ACP, but I will agree the Shield is a good gun. I'm afraid that the cleaning and minor maintenance of an auto would overwhelm my mother which is why I am thinking a wheel gun is a better fit for her...they just work...period. I myself am concerned that she may not have the willpower to use a gun defensively...but SHE is the one who asked for my assistance in getting one.

Wheelguns still require cleaning and maintenance to work; even a single shot does. I have seen revolvers lock up because they were never cleaned because "it's a revolver, they always go bang".