Hunting Forum

Got the S&W .38 special Bodyguard with the grip laser.

Got myself an XD 9mm, a Rugar MkII .22 and a Marlin .22 Auto. The XD and the MkII are dead on at about 15 meters. The SW laser was way off and had tro be zeroed substantially. After zeroing it was good.

Mike

Mault, you done good.

Ok, do the Hougue Grips for J-frames work on this (the Bodyguard)? I think it might make it more controllable.

Anyone have any experience with the new Smith and Wesson Bodyguard .38? I have been looking into this one for my 60 year old mother who has problems with her hands. She used to fire her Ruger Blackhawk .357 mag a decade ago on a regular basis but since the problem with her hands has gotten worse I thought she would be happy with a .38 and since shes used to revolvers it would be an easy transition for her to make.

We are having issue with the grip not giving good leverage to manage the recoil with. Getting lots of barrel flip.

Is it the way the grip was made? or the frame itself?

It is rather narrow in diameter and short so you don't get a full grip (expected in this size gun) but I would like to get some after market grips that have a little more meat to them.

Kauntry, you could load her Ruger with a lighter recoiling 38 special load like a 125 gr hollowpoint, or if a new revolver is warranted, maybe a 3" Lady Smith with a round butt. I'd even get an action job to ease up on the DA trigger pull for mom.

The ruger is just to heavy all around and i want her to have something comfortable in all shooting positions for self defense is why i was lookin at the bodyguard. I'll have to check out the Lady Smith. Thanks for the info.

Crimson trace grips for the lcr and sw ultralight have 1 more finger on them than stock grips.

Crimson trace grips for the lcr and sw ultralight have 1 more finger on them than stock grips.

I would suggest a small revolver in either .32 or .38 caliber and the revolver has less to deal with when using especially in a high stress situation. With a semi one has to deal with chambering a round and a safety whereas a revolver is draw, point, and shoot. KISS !!!

The XD 9 sub-compact has all passive safeties (activated without needing to think about them) and for a self-defense weapon, it should be locked and loaded ready for firing. What is the difference between a double action fully loaded with no safeties and a semi with passive safeties and one in the chamber? Nothing, other than most semi's give you more than 5-6 shots.

although the 38 is a great pistol for a starter i would recommend the amp 380 that is between the 38 and 9mm i bought one for my wife and she loves it just a thought

Both sides make valid points as to semi or revolver and with todays ammo either one will serve adequately . My personal choice would be for the .38/.357 revolver NORMALLY however I have had Ladies in some training classes who had difficulty pulling the trigger on a double action revolver , a good revolver, Ruger ,S&W, only my Colt Python gave them no trouble and they're a bit pricey nowadays, so when looking at firearms please make sure they can use it without difficulty.

I have a Ruger LCR, good size and weight.

Your head must be reeling from all of the suggestions. And they re good ones. As a retired Law Enforcement (26 years) I will add my thoughts. Based on your info I would choose the Walther 380. Very well made, very reliable. I have carried both revolvers and semi autos. Both work fine. Recent studies have shown that the reliability between the two is virtually the same. The Walther being slim will fit in a purse, or a pocket with less bulge. I would also recommend that after purchase you have the weapon tuned by a COMPETENT pistolsmith, after market grips like Pachmayer and a laser would be a great option. I had my service revo;ver tuned by one of the best, it raised my scores on the Range from low to mid eighties to low to mid nineties. Teach your ladies that self defense has to be instinctive, there is no time to think. Unfortunately I speak from experience. Fortunately I was the recipient of some very good training, which is why I can type this missive. Your choice of a .22 for practice is excellent, practice makes perfect. I used to train first responders. One of the questions that I asked them is what do you talk about while you are driving to the scene. Usually they said oh nothing or talk abour work, family etc. As they know what type of incident they are responding to. I suggested that maybe their time would be better utilized if they talked about different scenarios and how thwey would handle them.I would suggest the same to you when you are talking to your family. Describe different scenarios and what would be the proper response. It will recuce their thought time in a critical situation, I know it did my mine.

Good Luck

NRA Life Member
FBI National Academy Graduate
26 years Law Enforcement
22 years Co-ordinator for Search and Rescue

If you can read this thank a teacher. If you can read this in English thank a service member
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Have you looked at the Ruger LC9?   I really like mine.  Small & easy to carry, and easy to shoot.  Only drawback, for me, is only 7 round clip.

Sig Sauer all the way... My wifes purse gun is the Sig P250 9mm loaded with 16rds of 124gr "Hydro Shok" ammo. I used to carry my IMI Jericho .45acp I now carry a Sig SP2022 9mm also loaded with 16rds of 124gr "Hydro Shok" ammo..... Control of your weapon be it a wheel gun or a semi all boils down to practice and learning how to "Shoot and Move". The Sig is easy to handle the P250 fits the hand of my 5-02 wife and is dead on. She loved her Taurus .45acp until she grabbed the Sig now its all dhe carries.