Discovered 38 Special no fun shooting at range...But I enjoyed shooting, generally!

[Daisy2015]

My apologies if this post is all over the place. I had so much fun and am so excited to shoot, BUT my revolver is no fun. By 50 rounds, my arms and shoulders were sore and my thumbs hurt, lol. When I became interested in shooting, I was looking at semi-autos. But the seller was uncomfortable with me purchasing one due to my lack of knowledge and experience, and he could tell I was nervous. He talked me into the S&W 38 Special Airweight with laser, saying he sold many of these to women and his wife carries one as well. It's a great gun, I will like it for defense, and I'm told by several gun enthusiasts I know that I picked well on this one.

My target shooting was fantastic and I was surprised how well I did. Didn't use laser. A worker at the club was gracious to stay with me and help. He let me try free of charge a semi-auto so I could see the difference of the two, him saying he never would have sold me a revolver for shooting fun. I liked the semi-auto, but need more practice, as I don't seem as efficient with it.

After I take a course and pass my CCW and become confidant with this one, I will look for a fun gun for the indoor range. I really enjoyed shooting. He suggested the M&P Shield, which is what I wanted to buy in the first place. I also liked the Glock 42 he showed me, as well as the S&W 22. He recommended the 22 for fun because it's a cheap gun and inexpensive ammo.

What are your choices for indoor shooting? Out of the ones I've mentioned, are there any preferences? I do tend to navigate to the smaller ones, i.e, the Shield, but am open to others.

Thanks for any suggestions, and if you've managed to read this book! Just excited and want to learn.

 

[sphill]

I'll play Devils advocate here and say, I don't like the 642/442 S&W at all. For a similar footprint I can go with a S&W shield or similar. I find the airweights are snappy and limited on capacity. For the people that say, get bigger grips, the reason you buy that gun is for its smaller size.

As far a range gun goes, I prefer full size guns like Glock 17, S&W M&P, Springfield XD-M, etc. They are easier to control, have larger capacity, and softer shooting.

 

[pyreaux]

That seller made some poor decisions for you. Airfreight are easy to carry, but a novice shooter does not benefit much from having a super lightweight gun that doesn't help to manage recoil. I would highly recommend renting several semi autos if possible including full size and using some experience to teach you what you enjoy the most.

Also be ware of gun "experts" as many became experts by reading the Internet, including this behind the gun counter. It can be difficult to sort out the ones who truly know what they're talking about. Generally they have great detail logical explanations and don't shove one and only one type brand or caliber down your throat, but offer pros and cons to let you decide. Also you may want to get in touch with some of the training groups around like VATA training center in Slidell, advantage group, Nolatac, or others I'm sure folks here can point you to an instructor that you may be able to call and talk to about what works best for your goals and desired method of carry.

 

[Daisy2015]

Thank you both very much! Will take into consideration and also contact places listed.

 

[PECEMKR]

Having helped many female friends get into shooting,, you experience is exactly as I would expect.
And very common.

I have tried or owned most of the common 22 semi-auto pistols and would recommend the ruger sr22 pistol as your next purchase. The only problem is the current lack of 22 ammo.

The S&W Shield is the pistol I would recommend for anyone and everyone and would make both a fun range gun and a good carry gun.

And final thoughts consider a 10/22 rifle and attend a appleseed event. Appleseed is a basic fun course where you will learn to shoot a rifle.

 

[JHenley17]

I brought my 10-7 to the range once and put 50 rounds through it. I had a Hogue grip on it and didn't find it punishing (though it is quite a bit heavier than a 642 Airweight), but the pad on my trigger finger was pretty sensitive by the end of it. On the other hand, I'll go to the range with my Shield, 96fs, and G22 and shoot 200-300 rounds and feel just fine. Not to mention many more rounds between reloads. So as far as range fun, I'd agree with getting an automatic. I'd go full size. I can shoot my Shield all day long, but 7 more rounds per mag in my Glock (9 more if you're shooting 9mm) means more time shooting, less time reloading.

 

[Daisy2015]

Thank you! Enjoying reading the replies. Also, a guy at church told me he'd meet me next time I shoot because he has lots of guns and wants me to try them and help me determine eye dominance.

The Appleseed event sounds good. Are there any NOLA area or within an hour drive? Didn't see anything in the events section.

 

[Jack]

I had a much longer reply typed up, until my phone decided to refresh the page. Anyways, I'll make this a bit more condensed, if any of this needs clarification let me know.

A semi auto will be much easier on you, the recoil spring of the pistol, which cycles the gun, will reduce the recoil that travels to your hands. The heavier gun will also soak up some of that recoil. Keeping the caliber to 9mm or 380 will also keep recoil down and capacity up. My personal suggestion would be a glock, they are simple, reliable, don't have an excess of controls, are easy to work on, parts are almost universally available, you can use larger mags in the smaller guns, they are incredibly safe provided you follow the basic safety rules, and their operation doesn't change between models.

As it relates to 22s, they are great guns, but ammo is difficult to come by and they will likely not mirror whatever gun you actually plan on carrying. For someone who is relatively new to shooting, I'd advise keeping things simple and sticking to one set of controls.

I'll mirror what other people on here have said. Quality training or mentoring will put you way ahead of the game. I'd suggest advantage group or phobos solutions. Both groups are great and will be an excellent help.

 

[Daisy2015]

Thank you! I understand what you are saying and appreciate it. Will look into those groups very soon.

 

[LACamper]

a .38 snub is a terrible choice for a new shooter! Yes, its easy to carry. Its hard to shoot well. Which means most people will carry it without practicing. Not a good combination.

Best advice I can give is head to the range and try to shoot as many different guns as you can. Most people will let you try their firearm for a few rounds, especially if you explain you are shopping.

A full sized .22 auto is what I would normally suggest to you at this point, except fo the ammo shortage. You need trigger time on something easy to shoot right now. SO, get a quality airsoft. Get a GOOD bb gun. Get something you can shoot a lot, cheaply. A decent full sized (or at least 4" barrel) 9mm, .40 or .45 with a good trigger should be on your shopping list also. But try as many as you can before buying.

 

[rcm192]

Where did you buy your 38?

 

[drpc]

The guy who pushed you to a revolver did so for two reasons. 1) Revolvers are easier to check to see if they are loaded (People pick up a pistol without a magazine and ASSUME it's unloaded when there is a round in the chamber) 2) Revolvers have a heavy trigger pull (usually around 10 pounds) as opposed to a Glock that has a 5 pound trigger pull. It's a lot easier to unintentionally depress a 5 lb. trigger than a 10 lb. one. So new shooters get pushed to revolvers. As long as you practice good safety practices a Glock is fine. An alternative to a Glock would be a Double Action pistol. The first shot requires a 10 lb. trigger pull then a 5 lb. on every shot after that. My daughter carries a Bersa Thunder CC that's the same caliber as the Glock 42 but has a double action trigger. A typical trip to the range USED to be 50 - 100 rounds through my Glock 26 carry gun. 50 - 100 through my favorite gun, a Beretta 92FS then a ton of .22 through my old Ruger Standard pistol. But bear in mind that for some reason .22 ammo is hard to find. SO you might buy a .22 for the range but not have ammo to shoot in it. Hopefully the ammo shortage will get better.

With a name like Daisy2015 I'm going to assume you are a woman. My daughter chose the Bersa because of it's size and she still doesn't carry as often as she should because she doesn't want to change the way she dresses to conceal a pistol. SO bear that in mind before you purchase your Carry pistol. There are some good websites that address the carry/dress issue.

 

[nwmousegunner]

Daisy I would like to respond to your thread as I have used .38 revolvers to introduce new shooters to our sport. I use an all steel pistol, both S&W model 60 and a Colt Detective Special. I start new shooters with a light handload of 148 gr. wadcutter bullet and about 2.8 grs of Bullseye powder. This load is very accurate and soft shooting. I also let them try .22 semi autos. I have a Browning Buckmark and an old Colt Wodsman, the Ruger mark-2 or mark-3 is also a good choice. If I can be of any help pm me here or at hoodbar@att.net. The only way we can preserve our sport is to encourage new shooters. David Hood

 

[Jack]

Daisy I would like to respond to your thread as I have used .38 revolvers to introduce new shooters to our sport. I use an all steel pistol, both S&W model 60 and a Colt Detective Special. I start new shooters with a light handload of 148 gr. wadcutter bullet and about 2.8 grs of Bullseye powder. This load is very accurate and soft shooting. I also let them try .22 semi autos. I have a Browning Buckmark and an old Colt Wodsman, the Ruger mark-2 or mark-3 is also a good choice. If I can be of any help pm me here or at hoodbar@att.net. The only way we can preserve our sport is to encourage new shooters. David Hood

Holy cow, I bet that does shoot soft. That thing is probably around 600 FPS right? I know the lyman minimum for a 147 gr 9mm is around 3.3 grs.

 

[Daisy2015]

Where did you buy your 38?

Private gun dealer.

 

[Daisy2015]

I'm glad I'm getting lots of help, here. Taking it in! I hope I didn't sound like I'm bashing my 38, I like it a lot, just not for fun range shooting. I will likely use it to carry as because of its heavy trigger, less user error by me and if I have to use it for defense, it will be purposeful a ad. to an accidental discharge. I will try some of the pistols mentioned here, and heck, maybe a rife, one day.

 

[Jack]

I'm glad I'm getting lots of help, here. Taking it in! I hope I didn't sound like I'm bashing my 38, I like it a lot, just not for fun range shooting. I will likely use it to carry as because of its heavy trigger, less user error by me and if I have to use it for defense, it will be purposeful a ad. to an accidental discharge. I will try some of the pistols mentioned here, and heck, maybe a rife, one day.

Just get a holster on it, don't leave it loose in your purse or something.

 

[340six]

My wife has a 642 but also just uses it for carry. She can shoot any gun in the safe well and can shoot the 642 good. But it is what it is a small light carry gun that she practiced with also shot plenty 148 lead wad cutters out it
It is for close protection not target gun.
The same ammo in my S&W 19 6" barrel is a whole nother story
I hate that guys say get a small revolver for a lady or man that has no history shooting as it is a bad deal for a starter gun.
See it happen all the time

 

[rcm192]

Private gun dealer.

Would you buy from him again?

 

[john17427]

I carry a 642 most of the time with a PPS filling the rest. Due to the light weight and small grip I don't consider a 642 a good first handgun for anyone. I have not, and will likely never, encourage my wife to shoot it. She looked at and fired a good number of pistols before settling on the S&W Shield. I was surprised myself at how well it fits in the hand. She loves it. I may have to get one too.