SP101 .327 for a small lady?

[williamwaco]

williamwaco - that is about a GP-100 and the OP is referring to an SP-101 which is much smaller and more concealable.

Ooops!

Sorry about that.

[Dannix]

Though I have to admit that I'm scratching my head at some of the thoughts, I'm trying to take it all in stride. Thanks for all the advice.

[cainttype]

Dannix, I have recommended for years that it is almost impossible to beat the small revolver as a personal protection weapon.
Reasons? ... Size, weight, reliability, effectiveness, and options... 1) A five-shot snubby 38 Spcl can be carried in many cases when others can't, and the only good protection is the one you have WITH you. 2) They can be had hammer-less, making them snag-proof when pulling from cover. 3)They can be found in alloys so light to appear as toys, making them easy to carry in comfort (forever). 4)They ALWAYS go bang in stressful situations, just point and squeeze. No safeties to fumble with or slides to rack under stress. 5) An earlier poster, fredj338, suggested an old standby, the 158 LSWCHP +P... obviously a man that knows a bit. In factory loads it is THE definitive load, and it's easily reproduced by casters.
The one thing I would caution you about here (and reloading in general) is to avoid falling into the "energy trap". Many people confuse energy with "stopping power"...It ain't true.
Real world testing will easily prove that heavy projectiles will out penetrate lighter ones in every given caliber. The highest energy figures will always run in the lighter slugs, though, because calculating energy gives a big advantage to velocity (which the lighter bullet will have). Change the equation to calculate momentum and things look drastically different.
There's a reason big game hunters use heavy slugs.

If invited to a gunfight, I'd grab the 1911 45 ACP...but for everywhere, always carry the properly loaded compact 38 Spcl takes a backseat to none.

[fcvan]

If one could be found, the Beretta M86 .380 might be a good choice as it had the tip-up barrel. Loading the chamber did not require racking the slide. They made tip-up barrel weapons in .22 lr .32 ACP, and .380 ACP.

My wife had trouble racking her Taurus TCP 738 until she learned to hold the slide firm and push the pistol frame forward. She didn't have as much trouble with her Glock 23 because it was bigger. She had a Walther PK 380 and learned to rack it like she did her Taurus and then it was no problem.

[RobsTV]

I vote SP101 in 327.

Seems a few people don't know or understand the 327's place. The 32 H&R Magnum is designed to compete more with the 38 spl +P round.. The 327 Federal Magnum is designed to compete more with the 357 Magnum. But both in there own way. Both milder easier shooters, with less recoil, flatter trajectory, and deeper penetration, and an extra round in the cylinder.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/.327_Federal_Magnum

http://gundata.org/cartridge/135/.327-federal-magnum/

"The .327 Federal Magnum (super magnum) is based of the .32 H&R Magnum cartridge that has much more energy, speed, and power than its parent case. The .327 Magnum was first designed just a few years ago back in 2006-2007. This cartridge has an average speed of 1427fps making it faster than most every other handgun cartridge including the fast ones like the .44 magnum (avg fps 1317) , .357 magnum (avg fps 1294) , and even the 367 sig (avg fps 1379). With 452 lbs of force at muzzle it has more energy than the 45 S&W (avg 403), the 45 GAP (avg 414) , and the 40 S&W (avg 423)"

The 30's has been the caliber range of choice for most rifle hunters, with it's excellent accuracy over longer distances while maintaining higher velocities to the target. Flat trajectory and high speed carries over to more accurate handgun use at the short gun ranges. For anyone that practices shooting handguns at the range, accuracy and comfort of shooting will usually be the difference between someone liking a gun, (especially women), which equals shooting it a lot and naturally becoming more proficient, or rarely shooting, not building the skills needed. When shooting in a panic situation at close range, accuracy will go down the tubes, maybe 10x worse than when target shooting, so you do want the most accurate gun you can get. 1" groups at 10 yards could be 10" at 5 feet, while 4" groups at 10 yards might hit nothing intended at 5 feet.

Many people end up shooting mostly 38spl out of their snubby 357 magnum's to reduce the beating they get. Similarly, many shoot 32 H&R out of 327's, but not so much to reduce the pain, but simply because a hot 32 H&R load, being more powerful than 38spl +P, is enough to take care of business while still being easier to shoot and generally more accurate than a normal 38spl.

In other forums the much weaker 38spl might make more sense, but here, where most cast their own, or plan on casting, and pretty sure everyone at least reloads, the easy availability of ammo is not an issue. Brass is all that's needed, and it is easily found.