.22mag vs .38 for carry gun?

[rimfired]

Also make sure she practices with the ammo she will use for defense. Some ranges make you use their reloads which are night and day compared to a defensive +p round.

[Legasat]

The best gun for her is the one she will actually use and practice with. If a .38 is too much for her, forget about it and the get the .22 mag.

A well placed 22mag round is far more effective than a .38 miss.

The only way to know is to take her to the range, rent a few, and let HER decide.

[paratroop]

my 90 pound sister can handle a .38 lcr all day long.

[robert101]

go with the .380 Walther PPK or maybe a Bersa Thunder. A small frame .38 caliber revolver would be my third option.

[7anthony7]

22Mag is a nasty little round. Smith makes the 351 series that carry 7 rounds in a J frame. Really nice gun. I personally would pick that one. Try shooting one without ear protection, loud. I owned a ppk and was not a fan. Depends on how you hold it and how much of the web of your hand gets in the way. I also owned a Rohrbaugh and it was a nice gun, just never carried it much. I prefer the revolver to a semi auto for a concealed piece. All good guns though. Like everyone said, see if you can borrow one then go try them both out.

[Jack L]

22Mag is a nasty little round. Smith makes the 351 series that carry 7 rounds in a J frame. Really nice gun. I personally would pick that one. Try shooting one without ear protection, loud. I owned a ppk and was not a fan. Depends on how you hold it and how much of the web of your hand gets in the way. I also owned a Rohrbaugh and it was a nice gun, just never carried it much. I prefer the revolver to a semi auto for a concealed piece. All good guns though. Like everyone said, see if you can borrow one then go try them both out.

That is a great pocket revolver. Close range would work well, especially for face shots if it came to that. It does not take much to stop a human when you hit them in the face.

[FSTJACK]

You indicated that your sister had her own dental practice.
That being said she probably has very strong hands do to the kind of work she does.
A 22 mag is a very good weapon but I still prefer the larger slug before because of its stopping power.
There have been many that indicated a rental and range would be a good idea which I agree with very much.
I recently gave my daughter a four inch barrel Taurus 38 revolver.
I let her shoot 22 mag and .38 revolver. She is not a big girl but she can handle the 38 very well.
For self defense I feel bigger is always better.
The last thing you ever wanna do is actually have to use the gun, but if you need to, it needs to be the best it can be.
This debate has been going on forever. I don't think there's really ever a good answer for everybody, but as I said earlier bigger is better.
That's just my two cents.

[PassTheAmmo]

Im not weighing in on the caliber war, but if she's going to do the LCR, why not consider the KLCR (.357)? It is 4oz heavier, which might help with recoil in a minimal way. As she gets more comfortable and proficient it can grow with her through .38, .38+P, .357. Plus she can do 38 at the range and 357 on the street.

I like mine. I don't find it punishing on the wrists at all. I take the impact in the trigger finger and end up with a sore finger after a couple boxes. In a stress situation I wouldn't even notice it.

She should try a 38 at the range before buying. I believe a firearm is a very personal choice.

[Charlie50]

I agree with most here, 22 mag is under rated but as the old saying goes there is no replacement for displacement (in this case ft lbs of energy). basic benefits of .22 are low recoil, small size and potentially more rounds in same size pistol. Down side is less reliability (realistically only marginally different in real world probability for failure). I have a NAA .22mag 1 1/8th inch barrel and like it a lot even with its flaws. Due to it's short barrel really only has ballistics of a .22 long rifle round... hard to beat its concealability, but has limitations... hard to hit much beyond 15 ft with any reliability. I am huge fan of .38 short barreled revolvers, simple, powerful, reliable, easy to conceal and just about idiot proof in a stressful situation. There are some other interesting options like the hot .32 mag. but cost of ammo prohibits regular practice... short pistols take practice to shoot accurately. ... my two cents is worth every penny you did not pay me.

[sholling]

No contest - 38spl loaded with 125-150gr premium JHP non +P. +P in a snubbie is too much of a handful for most people. BTW I think a far better choice would be a S&W M&P9c or 9mm Shield. A 12rd M&P9c is an ideal purse gun and much easier to shoot than a 38 snubbie. Load it with (if you can find any) with Federal 124gr or 147gr HST.

[jyo]

Of course, the 38 Special is the top choice, BUT, many women (and a lot of men) simply can't/won't shoot lightweight 38 revolvers---therefore, the 22 mag has some merit...

[G-Man WC]

I was just doing a search here on CG's and came across this thread
after reading the Technical Dope Bag in the August American Rifleman on the Ruger LCR-22Mag revolver. Not to necro thread jack but
does anyone know if the 38 and 22mag are of the same frame size?
I'm thinking that the 22mag's report coming out of a snub is going to be just as loud as the 38.
-g