quote:

Originally posted by kaschi:
One further question besides my original question in the first post: Are both the 638 an 642 rated for +P ammo?

Yes they are.

This deviates from what your asking between two snub revolvers but you might have her take a look at the M&P EZ. (either 9mm or 380).
It's a pretty good "starter" gun for an adult female (men too). Light recoil, EZ to manipulate & small enough to hide for carry...just a thought.

quote:

Originally posted by Delta-3:
...Light recoil, EZ to manipulate & small enough to hide for carry...just a thought.

That also describes the eight shot Ruger LCR-22. No, it's not an ideal self defense caliber and it has a hard trigger pull, but it's better than harsh words.

I’d recommend a Ruger LCR over the S&W snubbies 1,000 over:

Better trigger
Better sights
Less felt recoil (IMO)

Just a better snubnose overall…and I owned a 442 at one time.

quote:

Originally posted by clang:

He may want to consider a <snip> LCR in 9mm for more affordable ammo.

A word of caution about the 9mm LCR: I had one. The owners' manual warns about bullets walking forward in the shell case.

Truth. Every type of ammunition that I tried, exhibited this behavior. Both store-bought factory loads, and my hand loads. I tried tightening the crimp on the hand loads, that did not help.

I would fire the first four rounds in the cylinder, and find that the fifth round had increased at least .020" in OAL.

Finally sold the revolver to a SIGforum member, with full disclosure and warning about the problem, and bought an LCR .357 which is now my wife's carry gun. She carries .38 SPL in it, but we chose the .357 LCR over the .38 model for two reasons:

• Flexibility. Even though she uses .38 ammunition, she still has the ability to use .357
  
  
• When shooting the same .38 SPL ammunition, the .357 LCR is easier, in terms of recoil. It has a heavier frame, about 4 oz. heavier, which makes it more comfortable to shoot.

We found the LCR trigger to be smoother and a bit lighter than the S&W models that you're asking about.

I've thought about the 22 caliber option but am personally not a big follower of it for SD. But as "Sigmund" pointed out, it's better than harsh words. Phil Engeldrum from the old Pistolero magazine series used to say (among other things with which I totally agree) "a hit with a 22 beats a miss with a 45". How true! Earlier today I was telling my cousin's husband that S&W also makes the seven shot Model 351c AirLite revolver in 22 WMR. This might be an option for her if recoil is an issue. They'll have to figure it for themselves. I'll pass on the Ruger LCR idea to them. Never even thought of that one.
@Delta-3: Not sure what you mean by "this deviates from what I was asking between two snub revolvers"....

I thought you were only interested in the differences in your two named revolvers.
My suggesting a semi-auto into your mix I thought deviated from your need to hear about the revolvers.
If your cousin hasn't tried a semi-auto, I thought that might a good one to take a look at.
I didn't want to thread drift any or give you suggestions you may not be looking for.

While I agree that rimfire ammo isn't ideal for SD, if you have someone who truly can't handle centerfire ammo, I find rimfire to be less objectionable in a revolver than a semi-auto. With a semi, if you get a defective or unprimed round, you have to manipulate the slide, clear the round, and re-engage. The failure drill with a revolver is to just pull the trigger again. And most of the modern ones hold 7 or 8 rounds of .22, which isn't too bad.

On the flip-side, you're still dealing with anemic ammo that has questionable terminal performance, and the triggers tend to be heavier on the rimfire guns as the hammer spring must be stronger for reliable ignition. If she can shoot the .38 ok, I would stick with that.

The one caution I have with the LCR is that while the trigger is very smooth, it has a goofy false reset that can lead to short stroking if the shooter doesn't fully release it between shots.

@ Delta-3: Ohhhh, gotcha now! I misread your earlier post, thanks for the clarification!

So, I pointed out this thread to my relatives and the ball is in their court. It's their money being spent so we'll see what they come up with.

Thanks to all who posted info.

quote:

Originally posted by clang:
but if ammo cost is an issue with your cousin, .38 Special can be expensive and a little more difficult to find.

This. Because of current ammo prices, I would not recommend .38 special revolvers right now.

If recoil is an issue, the new P365 in .380 caliber could be a great option. The Smith EZ .380 has 2-4 less bullets and is a jamming pile of shit. The P365 can be had with 12 round mags and you can swap an XL frame on it for home use if wanted.

A Ruger 10/22 with a 25 round mag of CCI mini mags would be a formidable home defense weapon for someone adverse to recoil. Yes, its "only" 22LR but you can accurately mag dump 7 rounds per second with that rifle very easily.

Of the two revolvers mentioned, I'd recommend the 642 for simplicity sake.

That being said, as others have said, I recommend the Ruger LCR in .357mag.

Better trigger, better sights and less recoil.

Just shoot .38s out of it and recoil is very manageable.

I say this as a guy that has owned, shot and loved Smith J-frames for a lot of years.

I think older 642/442 no dash are not +p rated. You will have to search for one. Any recent made 642/442 like from the mid 90’s forward will be -1 or -2 and +p rated and will also likely have +p markings. Shooter will get tired before the gun does

I have steel and aluminium j frames as well as a sp101 (steel). I prefer steel for extended shooting but my 642 is is my ccw.

If I was introducing a new shooter and they only could buy one of the above and it might be a ccw one day ? Eesh. Probly a 642. Bigger budget and they may want a collection ? Start on a steel frame bigger gun in 22 or 38 and work up