Best 38 for the wife?

[Ghost Tracker]

i'm a serious SP101 fan & have directed several lady pistol-carriers to it. I believe it's among the toughest (durable, reliable) of the j-frame sized revolvers. Never heard of a problem with one. Only issue I've ever heard was weight & with full-house .357 ammo, that's an asset. I've seen a couple of mentions in this thread about the trigger pull. This can usually be addressed by polishing the inside of the trigger plunger, if you're mechanically inclined it's not too tough. If that scares you, one of the best SP101 tuners in the country (no, I don't work for them) is Gemini Custom Arms (Frankfort, Ky). They're on the web & you can't IMAGINE what they can do to a SP101! Good Luck!

 

[JFrame]

My wife and I went through this last year. It came down to the SP101 and the LCR. She ended up with a .357 SP101 because it's got plenty of weight to help tame the recoil. She likes it, but if she had it to do over again, I think she'd go with the LCR (again in .357 because of the added weight) because the trigger is better. The trigger on the SP101 is quite heavy. After a long day at the range, it gets fairly tiring for her to pull that trigger.

2WheelsGood -- if that's your wife's one issue with the SP101, I'm sure you can get the trigger tuned. My wife's S&W 640 came with a horrendous 16-pound pull that was like a spring-tension exercise machine. A gunsmith got it down to a velvety-smooth 8-pounder (or thereabouts) that glides like it's on buttered skates...


.

 

[JFrame]

i'm a serious SP101 fan & have directed several lady pistol-carriers to it. I believe it's among the toughest (durable, reliable) of the j-frame sized revolvers. Never heard of a problem with one. Only issue I've ever heard was weight & with full-house .357 ammo, that's an asset. I've seen a couple of mentions in this thread about the trigger pull. This can usually be addressed by polishing the inside of the trigger plunger, if you're mechanically inclined it's not too tough. If that scares you, one of the best SP101 tuners in the country (no, I don't work for them) is Gemini Custom Arms (Frankfort, Ky). They're on the web & you can't IMAGINE what they can do to a SP101! Good Luck!

Ghost Tracker -- damnyou'refast!


.

 

[2WheelsGood]

2WheelsGood -- if that's your wife's one issue with the SP101, I'm sure you can get the trigger tuned.

Absolutely. We've talked about it. And no matter what happens, we're not getting rid of the 101. It's a wonderful gun! But I'm pushing her to get the LCR simply because I want to get another gun.

 

[JFrame]

Absolutely. We've talked about it. And no matter what happens, we're not getting rid of the 101. It's a wonderful gun! But I'm pushing her to get the LCR simply because I want to get another gun.

Ah -- I see! Ulterior motives...I approve the plan!


.

 

[hso]

I wish more folks would emulate you and accept the fact graciously that -

YOU can't purchase a gun to fit HER.

SHE has to handle them and find what fits HER comfortably. Hopefully, your hands are different than her's so that what is comfortable to you probably won't be as comfortable to her (you don't get shoes for her that fit you, do you? )

By doing this she'll be far more likely to carry HER gun and practice with HER gun because SHE picked it out of all the ones that don't fit her hand and tastes.

Your role should be to support and assist her selection of her gun so that a good quality firearm that is reliable is chosen.

That said, if you help her focus on Ruger, S&W, or even a venerable Colt revolver she'll be able to find something that fits her that you can be confident that will work well for years to come.

I'll add, don't be surprised if she picks a semi instead of a revolver.

 

[Zeke/PA]

My female family members like to shoot my S&W 638.
I shoot reduced loads for practice +P ammo for daily carry