What is OB thoughts on 2 new gun purchases

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.35 whelen or .444 or .45-70

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Don't own either but will buy the .35 when I get around to it. For CCW I'm considering a M&P Shield.

There is a very significant difference in .38+p and .357

Look at the ruger SP101 bobbed hammer. It's got much more weight than the smiths and thus will be much easier to shoot well.

Another choice is the ruger LCR.

The smith airweights are great guns and are popular for a reason. They are very light and shoot well, but they can be hard for a woman or inexperience man to control with stout loads.

Of you are looking for a 35 Whelen, you might want to call around and find one. I looked at 6 different stores and all they had was 45-70s

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The LCR and Airweight are good choices too but they are not as fun for the recoil sensitive.

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I have a ruger LCP and a S&W airweight. really like them. two nice pocket handguns.

Much easier than trying to conceal my G21 and G22 or the S&W model 29 dirty harry .44 magnum

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Thoughts of the primitive and new ccw revolvers? Any others out there that compare to the S&W?

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Keeping in mind that I am both a S&W guy (Garrison Commander has a HUGE 627 snub-nose as her ready gun) AND I recommend Ruger LCR or SP101 to anyone who is initially arming themselves - from purely an ROI - if you keep the 642 a long time, it will be a better "holder of value", but I recommend looking at LCR, then bobbed hammer SP101, THEN 642.

Keeping the retail prices in mind, most people will select the LCR, all other factors being equal. It is just an excellent value for a platform that has some of the same strengths of a polymer pistol, with the reliability of a Ruger/S&W revolver. It is the weapon I am recommending to my daughter, who is right-handed, but shoots left-handed.

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Is there a significant difference in .38+p amd .357 mag?

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Certainly in the recoil and flash in a small revolver, there is a significant difference. I just recommend getting the LCR/SP101/J-frame chambered in .357 because you always have the option. Also, if they've engineered it for .357, you're very unlikely to have to be worried about a hot .38 +P load. If weight becomes the overriding concern, something like a 442 becomes the clear choice and you just accept that you're carrying standard pressure .38 special rounds.

Again, my experience is relatively unusual. My garrison commander, Mrs. Ace Midnight, prefers large framed revolvers - she has a 686 (either the "Border Patrol" or "US Customs" model - I just don't recall) that her father is in possession of currently, and her ready gun is a 8-shot 627.

In larger framed revolvers, .357 is fairly manageable, even with shorter barrel lengths. In J-frames or small, light revolvers like the LCR or SP101, you will have to experiment with light .357 or .38 +P loads to find what meets your stopping power and recoil requirements.

The LCR is leaps and bounds ahead of smith airweights for lightweight carry revolvers. The LCR trigger is nothing short of incredible for a DA.

The SP101 has the small size of an airweight but weighs a whole lot. The whole thing is stainless, guts and all. The best compact revolver on the market if you can tolerate the weight.

An LCR .357 magnum full of good .38+p self defense ammo is THE gun to arm a lady with.

I pocket carry an LCR in a Desantis Super Fly pocket holster.

I don't have full use of my dominant hand (rated at 80% may years ago, but truthfully probably much better than that after years of adjustment), and the quality of the Hogue grip (non-laser) and triger sold me on the gun.

And again, the 35 Whelen is an excellent round. I've got a cooler full of deer meat in the truck right now thanks to that gun.

Go with the .35 whelen & ruger LCR.