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.

Shooting

I have had the opportunity to shoot twice this week. Once with my wife, and once with my brothers.

My wife has become interested in getting her concealed carry permit, and I fully support the idea. She is interested in was interested in either a small or medium sized gun, and favors a revolver over an auto.

Having these parameters figured out, I set out looking for some guns for her to try. I have a S&W J frame, in .38 special, so I figured that covered the small frame arena, and I borrowed my brother's Ruger Security Six, as a medium frame gun. His is .357 mag, and has a 2.25 inch barrel.

I had her shoot them both, and told her not to worry with the target too much. I figured that if she found which one she preferred shooting, then we could work with that one until she was accurate.

She strongly preferred the Ruger. No surprise, really. It's a heavier gun, has less felt recoil, and better sights. We had a discussion of the ups and downs to weight... Ease of shooting versus ease of carry. After a lot of thought and discussion, she decided that the ease of shooting outweighed the carry issue for her. She would rather carry a heavier gun and be confident in her ability to shoot it accurately. So soon I will be looking for a nice, medium frame, short barreled revolver for her. Probably a S&W K frame or a Ruger SP101, either with around a 2.25 inch barrel.

She shot a box of bullets, and quickly became decently accurate with my brother's Security Six, placing most shots within 6 inches of the aiming point. Once we get her a gun of her own, I have no doubt she will take to regular practice and rapidly improve her skill.

A few days later, My brothers came over and helped me install a new back door and door frame. When we got done, my brother that doesn't own the Security Six brought out his new toy, A Ruger LC9.

All I can Say is: Damn.

That's one fine-shooting gun. It ran like a champ, it was damned accurate, keeping all rounds within 5 inches of the bullseye (with 3 different shooters), and it was extremely comfortable to shoot. If you are considering a lightweight 9mm for concealed carry, I definitely recommend the LC9, based off of my first impressions.

All in all, it was a nice week for shooting!