My Girlfriend wants to start carrying but of course doesn't like recoil much at all. She liked shooting both a 22mag and a 32 special. What gun would be a better gun to carry for her, and is there one out there that is comparable but better than the 22 mag?

.38 Special...

Should be manageable from anybody...

I would agree that the 38 special would be better than either of those but you might want to look at the 327 Federal as well as I think the recoil is less than a hot 38 special load. Even the 32 H&R magnum would be a better choice.

Is there a place where you can take her to try several different pistols and calibers? Maybe she has not found a pistol or revolver that fits her well.

I agree with these guys about a .38 special being a much better choice, but will caution you a bit. Griz 78 has an airlite +p, and that little sucker is the most vicious thing to shoot I've ever held. I'd rather shoot 2 boxes of .44 mags than 20 of those +p's. Fit of the pistol is more important than the caliber. And if you do go with a 22 mag or something small, try and find the meanest hollowpoint you can to compensate for the lack of umph.

I would also advise you to go and practice with her more, and her recoil sensitivity may well go away, allowing her to use something with a more useful stopping ability. That .44 I referred to above is actually my wife's gun, and she is 5'6" and 130 or so. Also use really good ear protection, as I think most people are actually flinching from the sound rather than the kick. My .02

Mine wanted an auto--
despite my recommending an Airweight S&W--
After all I'm a male- what did I know--
(never mind the nearly hundred or so women I've taught to shoot that I was NOT involved with )
So she tried the Makarov, the Keltec, the Sig 226, etc, etc, etc

(Small stature weak grip--etc)

She now carries an alloy 42 and practices with a steel 36---

Of course-- NOW It WAS Her IDEA

After all what did I know

Go with the 38. Do you reload or can find someone to load you some "light" rounds for practicing, and SLOWLY make them a little "hotter"? I'm sure if she's like most women, she'll tell you exactly what she does and doesn't like. If she's serious about carrying, don't force her too fast in to the +P rounds. My wife can't stand them, but I finally got her to understand that it's not gonna matter if the time comes to use it for self defense. Just try to get her comfortable with the gun, shooting rounds only hot enough for her to shoot easily.

If posible try a few different guns. If not go with the .38, practice with comfortable loads carry the Federal 138 grain +P. It was made for short barrels. If she has to use the gun she won't be thinking about the recoil. I wouldn't want to get shot with either the .22 or .32, but wouldn't trust either one except it is better than nothing.

Go with a S&W in 38 Special.

Start her out with factory 148gr Wadcutters, for practice and carry.

Let her shoot a 38 Spl in a full size gun, 4" bbl. K Frame. Start out with some middling loads, 125 gr. and moderate velocity. Full-size gun in a standard weight. That's manageable. Stay away from the airweight, titanium, snubby, J frame stuff for starters.

I agree with that flinching can be from the noise. And women seem more sensitive to loud noises generally. Ear muffs (not the foam plugs) and some shooting glasses. Easier to focus on shooting if you're not being blasted by the noise.

This sounds obvious to me, but --

Long sleeve shirt, not a blouse. Pants, and sensible shoes. She'll feel more confident if she's dressed to shoot and standing on some decent shoes.

I see too many "babes" shooting in tank tops, jogging shorts, sandals -- and they can't understand why the gun is whipping them to death. Cover up and reduce body exposure to the report/noise/blast.

She'll get comfortable with 38 Spl. and be carrying .357 mag. before you know it.

get her what she likes, make sure she practices with her carry gun, if you have an indoor range make sure they allow 22mag its considered hi velocity and can penetrate backstops. but is a lot easier to come by than 32.
a 38 j frame is not a bit of fun to shoot and will beat the piss out of her hands.
the other advise on this thread is not bad, but let her have some fun shooting.
357's were designed to shoot tru cars built in 30's .
she's not planning on gunfighting, bigger caliber wont help her hit the target, practice with her carry gun will. guys on this forum own lots of guns and shoot all the time and if she goes that route some day, great , but if shes not really into lots of guns she'll be fine with the 22mag or 32

The suggestions already given have been good one, and the one of hearing protection is an especially good one. Flinching and being uncomfortable shooting a lot of times IS from the muzzle blast.

Try getting her a pair of PAST shooting gloves. The padded palm does a lot to make shooting a harder recoiling handgun much more comfortable.

I agree, the .38 special is a better choice for a defensive round than your other two choices, but something is definitely better than nothing. If you can borrow one with some good Pachmyr grips, that too might help ber to be more comfortable with a larger bore handgun.

Of the two caliber choices, I think I'd go with the .22 mag. The ammo might be more readily available and slightly less in cost, although I don't know that for certain. I did a search for ballistic information and couldn't find anything that listed .22 mag in a handgun, but a .32 S&W 88 gr. bullet generates 90 ft/lb at the muzzle. The .22 mag (from a rifle barrel) is 324 lb/ft with a 40 gr. JHP bullet. How it performs from a shorter barrel? That I don't know.....

Thank you for all the help everyone. she has been shooting since before i meet her and has a couple guns of her own already, but anything over a 22 she doesn't like it! even the full size 6" barreled 357 mag that I loaded with factory .38's!!!

I finally got her to "not mind" shooting my AR-15, but maybe your right I think I just need to get her out shooting more and get her used to it. And don't worry i have been making her use the hearing protection too i think it's more the shock and concussion that she doesn't like.
I like the glove idea...... any more tips or ideas?

....... and Is a 327 Federal or 32 mag really any better than a 22 mag?

Has she ever shot a pistol from a rest? I find that the recoil is more of a jump from a rest. It doesn't seem to transmit down your arms like a standing freehand shot does.

You might also try some "cowboy" SASS type loads in that .357 to help her work her way up.

Are ya'll shooting indoors our outdoors? My wife WILL NOT shoot at the indoor range anymore. The noise is too much for her nerves.

In a situation where defense is involved, however, she'll never feel it.

Here's an article I found on your subject.
http://www.chuckhawks.com/hand...icapped_shooters.htm

Has she tried a .380 or 9mm? The bullet selection would increase dramatically, and the recoil, barely.

Yes, fortunetly i have a place where i can always shoot outdoors

Yes the 327 Federal and 32 Mag are much better than a 22 Mag. I have the Ruger SP101 in the 327 Federal and it shoots great with less recoil than my 38 snubby I carry as a back up on duty. My wife shoots the 327 Federal with no problems.

Personally, I'd let HER make the choice of cartridge. That way she's a lot more apt to have the gun with her if she ever needs it.

Sometimes I also think we get too hung up on what is the theoretically "ideal" cartridge for "stopping" people DRT.

About 25 years ago when I was in the "hospital" business in Phoenix, AZ, two Phoenix police officers were killed in a bar in south Phoenix (the "combat zone" as force members call it).

How did they meet their end? They were checking out local businesses for an armed robbery suspect who had just pulled a stick-up a few doors away. They walked into the bar, looked about, and started walking down the row of booths. The perp was in the last booth. He shot and killed both of them right there. His weapon? A Walther PP in .32 ACP.

I also asked some emergency room doctors what was the most deadly pistol cartridge in their opinion. Their answer? The .22 RF.

Their comment, generally summed up, was that if you get shot with a .357 or a .45, it WILL make a big hole in you, but they said they often can save those folks.

On the other hand, they felt that if you got shot with a .22 rimfire, your chances were poor. As some said, "It may not kill you instantly, and it may not kill you today. It may not kill you this week, or in extreme cases, even this month. But there is a good chance you WILL die from it."

Their reasoning? That .22 RF slugs tend to get into major cardiovascular routes (veins or arteries) and follow them up or down their length, doing damage and spreading infection everywhere they go. A few feet of blood vessel internal damage is really hard to repair, and unless the blood vessel is removed entirely, is very likely to become seriously infected. Ditto the bullet's action between various layers of muscle.

Anyway, I don't know if those docs were right or not (I suspect on occasion those folks shot with RFs may have put off getting medical help too), but I do know those police officers were really dead...right there!

And, it is surprising, all theory aside, how few people will keep attacking someone who has just shot them a couple of times with ANY handgun.

Find a Grendal(spelling?) at a gunshow. 30 rounds of 22mag. Wish I still had mine!