A Tale of Three J-Frames

For those that didn't read my last post, my wife is looking for a gun for concealed carry. she plans on getting her CCW in March, and wants to have a gun before then, so she can practice with it and get comfortable with it. First, she shot my carry gun, a S&W 638 airweight j-frame. She was not impressed. It was too light, and the grip was uncomfortable for her.


Next, I borrowed a Ruger Security Six with a 2.25 inch barrel from my brother. She definitely preferred that gun. It was much heavier, so recoil was mitigated, and it had larger grips, which were more comfortable to shoot for her.

The next week, I borrowed a model 60 j-frame from my dad. It is all steel, and has a set of Hogue Monogrips. The heavier frame and the oversized grips made it more manageable to shoot than my j-frame, but the smaller size makes it lighter and easier to conceal. We discussed the ins and outs of ease of shooting versus ease of carrying, and my wife decided that an all steel j-frame is just what she needed.

My dad has a good relationship with several pawn brokers in the area, so I asked him to start looking. He called me back a week later and said he found a model 38 j-frame for a great price, so Saturday, we headed over to the pawn shop to look it over.

Now, I love a bodyguard frame. They are all function, and they are perfectly designed for concealed carry. When I saw this one in the case, I knew it was a good one. It had a nickel finish, It was older, without the safety lock, and had a pinned barrel. I was disappointed when I picked it up, however. It was light. Damned light... It was an airweight. I knew the wife wouldn't like it, and when she held it, she confirmed it. It was a fine gun, at a fine price, but alas, it wasn't for us.

I told my dad we were going to pass, because we needed a heavier gun, and my dad smiled.

"Thank god. I really want it. I've been looking for a bodyguard for years, and I can't pass this up."

He looked at my wife. "I'll take this one, and you can have my model 60."

It worked out well. My wife has a suitable carry gun, and it's one of the guns I learned to shoot with , 20 years ago. The Model 60 has an interesting history, and It's one of my favorite firearm stories. You can read the tale of my father's (wife's?) model 60 here.

Now the model 38 is a nice gun. As I said, it's pre-lock, and has a pinned barrel. it's not recessed, but it's my understanding that the model 38 never was recessed. It is finished in nickel, and it appears to have been refinished at some point, but whoever did it knew what they were doing. It's a great finish job. It had a set of Herrett grips on it, and although I think they are pretty ugly, they are nice grips.

I think everyone ended up winners in this deal.