R-9s and the J-Frame Snubby

[GeorgeH]

Hi Richard:

The judge snatched the Seecamp? Glad to hear it. What made her finally do it? What happened to the 22 short.

The ivory grips, are those the ones that cracked? I've always liked ivory grips. But am concerned over there ability to work on a small auto. In the 1960-70's there was a Detroit fireman who made ivory revolver grips from old 19th century piano keys. He took his scrap and glued it up into blanks that he used for small auto's like baby Brownings. When new, they looked great. As they aged, you got to see the seam line and the little pieces would yellow at different rates. They looked sort of funky, but everyone knew they were real ivory and became a "status" symbol nevertheless.

[GeorgeH]

Hi Bill:

What have you gotten your wife to like? You know--Kahr, BHP, etc... As to pocketguns, what has she eliminated from contention?

[BillinPittsburgh]

Hi George,

So far:

In .38 spl. revolvers, the smallest and lightest thing she likes is my Colt Detective Special.  Even the steel-frame J-frames, which are close in size and weight, she didn't like.  Forget about the lightweight J-frames.  Problem is, I need to totally replace the front sight on the DS to make it a good choice.

She has tried the larger Kahr stainless steel "tactical" model and disliked it.  Kahr's have particularly difficult slides to retract, so they are probably out.

She doesn't complain too much about Glocks, but doesn't really care for my 26 or the 34.  She seems to like the 19 the best.

She didn't like the Sig. P239, or HK P7M8.  I was really suprised she didn't like the P7, but the feed lips were sharp, and loading magazines isn't something she enjoys to begin with.

She didn't really care for any of the Taurus 9mm's she shot (then again, neither did I).

She does okay with 1911's, both a Springfield 9mm and my Kimber .45, but doesn't like the difficulty in retracting the slide.

I haven't even tried her out on the NAA .380, which I am certain would have too much recoil for her.

I haven't been able to try her out on a Ruger yet (I dislike the triggers but the slides are easy to retract), and I might also be able to try out a S&W 3900-series.

I am also looking for the opportunity to let her try a S&W J-frame in .32 mag., or the new Scandium one in .22 mag.

Fortunately the shooting range I use has a well-stocked rental case or I'd be spending a fortune on guns that would only end up in the safe.  Usually, the shooting range I use has several manufacturer events per year, including Glock, Springfield, and S&W, but there hasn't been a single one this year.

In general:

The bigger and heavier the gun is, the more comfortable she will be.

Difficulty in retracting the slide or loading the magazine is a big turn off for her.

She doesn't really care for heavy DA trigger pulls but can use them if necessary (as I've said on the NAA board, about 40% of the women I have taken shooting have serious problems with and/or can't use a trigger pull over 9 lbs.).

So, I think the most likely options are:

Glock 19

A S&W J-frame in .32 mag. (or maybe even .22 mag.), with a Teddy Jacobson trigger job.

A S&W 3900 series, depending on how she likes the trigger.

A Beretta Tomcat.

A NAA .22 mag. Black Widow.

A Beretta or Taurus .22 lr. pocket auto.

I"m about ready to get her a Beretta Elite II for home defense and training.

I haven't spent a lot of time working with her with the pocket guns because she is still developing her shooting skill, and I don't want to handicap her with a difficult-to-shoot gun.

[BillinPittsburgh]

Hi George,

Remembering further, I should add that she didn't like:

A CZ-83 in .380.  I had been thinking that a smaller Beretta .380 that works like the 92FS she likes would make a decent carry gun for her, but if she didn't like this one then I doubt she will like the Beretta near-equivalent.

A Sig P-232 in .32.

A Colt Mustang in .380.  Another big suprise:  light trigger pull and tilt-barrel design make it easy to shoot with less recoil than other .380's.

[shooterjb]

Hi Bill,

I have a Beretta, I believe, model 87 in .22 LR that is identical to the Beretta model 84 in .380. I would recommend starting her out with the model 87 in .22 LR and then getting her the .380 to carry. I use the model 87 to sharpen my skills when I don't feel like picking up brass. The only thing I don't like about them is the magazine safety.

Frank

[Richard S]

George:

I'm not really sure what finally changed her mind and caused her to move up in caliber from a .22 MiniMag to a .32 Seecamp.  I think one of her bailiffs may have had something to do with it (following a conversation we had at the range in which I enlisted his support for the cause).  

You have an excellent memory for detail.  That Seecamp is indeed the weapon on which I once cracked one of the ivory grip panels during a rapid-fire session at the range.  I had a new panel made from the same pre-ban tusk and started changing over to the original grips for range sessions.

As for the MiniShort . . . I'm still negotiating.  There is just something about that little jewel which fascinates me.

RS