9mm/.380 revolver?

[RickD]

I'm looking to get my daughter something she's more comfortable with for SD. She's a bit intimidated by the .38 and afraid she wouldn't use it. I think she would just react when threatened but she's reluctant to practice with it.

So she shot my Bersa Thunder .380 and liked it. But she wants a revolver and I agree there. Even though a revolver in the same caliber will have a bit more kick, I think she'll adapt much quicker. Maybe I can ease her into 9mm.

I see Taurus makes a 9mm and wondered if it would also fire .380. Something like shooting .38 in a .357 magnum? I called and customer service said no. No explanation, just no.

Any thoughts?

[mollymayhem82]

I'm looking to get my daughter something she's more comfortable with for SD. She's a bit intimidated by the .38 and afraid she wouldn't use it. I think she would just react when threatened but she's reluctant to practice with it.

So she shot my Bersa Thunder .380 and liked it. But she wants a revolver and I agree there. Even though a revolver in the same caliber will have a bit more kick, I think she'll adapt much quicker. Maybe I can ease her into 9mm.

I see Taurus makes a 9mm and wondered if it would also fire .380. Something like shooting .38 in a .357 magnum? I called and customer service said no. No explanation, just no.

Any thoughts?

9mm is about the same as .38 with recoil.

[Mr. S]

I'm looking to get my daughter something she's more comfortable with for SD. She's a bit intimidated by the .38 and afraid she wouldn't use it. I think she would just react when threatened but she's reluctant to practice with it.

So she shot my Bersa Thunder .380 and liked it. But she wants a revolver and I agree there. Even though a revolver in the same caliber will have a bit more kick, I think she'll adapt much quicker. Maybe I can ease her into 9mm.

I see Taurus makes a 9mm and wondered if it would also fire .380. Something like shooting .38 in a .357 magnum? I called and customer service said no. No explanation, just no.

Any thoughts?

I had a Taurus 9mm revolver and it was a pos and it wasn't pleasant to shoot when it did work.

Why does she want a revolver?
Is she going to carry it or just for home defense

The Taurus 905 9mm is a small frame revolver and I honestly can't think of a single reason why it would be preferred over a compact (Glock 19) gun or subcompact (Glock 26) gun.

[Steve_NEPhila]

Why would you agree that a revolver is best when she claims to like an auto? Why is it that most people think a revolver is a "gurlz gun?" Revolvers are more difficult to reload (which means more practice, which the casual shooter/SD user will not do), hold less ammunition and usually have a trickier trigger system to manipulate then an autoloader.

Here is a tip for helping someone pick a self defense weapon, let them shoot what they want. Go to a group shoot or pull out a bunch of your weapons and lay them out with ammo so that they are available. Watch to see which one gets the most trigger time, bingo... that is the one that is enjoyed the most. It really is that simple.

[39flathead]

Since the gun uses full moon clips, I suspect they said no since the rim diameters and thickness of the two are different.

9mm= .389 and .035
.380= .374 and .045

[gf45acp]

As an idea, and I know some will be going on about "way to old and underpowered", S&W used to make an I frame revolver, the Terrier, later the Model 30 if I recall, chambered in the .38 S&W cartridge (not Special, it's the same as the .38 Colt New Police).
Not the hottest, newest wiz bang gun, but much better than a sharp stick.
Recoil is mild, even in such a small frame revolver (the I is a bit smaller than the J). Ammo is still made for it, though not cheap.
However, I would think that a modern J frame with .38 Special mid range wadcutters may also do it for her, light recoil.
I keep Winchester Silvertip 110gr. non +p rounds in my S&W 442 and my Colt Detective Special so that if my Mother needs to use them she will handle them better. She is a "Senior Citizen", and has arthritis in her hands, and anything that kicks hard is a no-no for her, and no autoloaders bigger than .22. She latched onto my Terrier, loves it. She is much more cumfy with wheelguns as well.

[mythaeus]

I would NEVER fire a .380 out of a 9mm revolver. The diameter of the .380 is smaller, which will cause the case to rupture when fired. Instead of explosion being contained and directed completely forward, some of that pressure would instead be on the cylinder. Looser diameter means more space in the cylinder chamber for the gas to come back toward the shooter as well.

Ctg Base Diameter Rim Diameter Rim Thickness
.380 .373" .374" .040"
9mm .392" .393" .042"

This is not the case with .38spl and .357mag diameters, which are identical.

Your daughter may just need to be better trained and more practice. She may be intimidated because her techniques are not yet solid. She's probably more not comfortable rather than intimidated actually. I'd suggest looking at the LCR or the S&W Bodyguard and more range time and possibly some shooting classes.

Al

[RickD]

Thanks all. I thought there must be some important difference between the two. I would never experiment with the wrong ammo in my gun - that's a recipe for disaster. Especially if the factory says don't do it.

I do let her choose and she just gravitates to the revolvers. (She's pretty impressive with the Single Six in .22) It may be mostly mental and a little bit physical. Time and practice will tell.

She doesn't care for the semi auto per se but likes the fact that it has less recoil. She likes the simplicity of the wheelgun. Like those old camera ads: just point and shoot.

[phill]

A friend bought his wife a .327 mag. to get away from the recoil issues until she got more familiar with shooting. She started out with .32 S&W long then .32Mag. She now is totally comfortable with the full .327 loads.
Did not run the program as to the relative effectiveness of the .327 compared to the .380 but from memory it should be a better choice.

[SCBaldr]

+1 on the .327 Federal Magnum. You can use .32 S&W for practice. Its a comfortable practice round and somewhat less snappy than the .327 mag loads.

A S&W model 632 should fit the bill nicely. The J frame is the small frame revolver, I don't believe that they make a K frame in .327.