A Little Help for a Little Revolver

If you opt for a relatively compact da revolver (in my opinion, one of the best choices for someone unfamiliar with shooting in general and plans to carry concealed), my advice, among other things, is to make absolutely certain she is comfortable with the double-action pull. My wife may not be representative of the hand strength most women have but she found several popular revolvers difficult to pull the trigger on, including J-frame Smiths and the Ruger 101. We spent a couple of weekends pulling triggers and narrowed down three revolvers that were comfortable for her to shoot: the new Colt King Cobra, the new Kimber and the Ruger LCR. I learned that just because I can pull a trigger easily doesn't mean she can. I'm glad we spent some time squeezing triggers; it made her choice(s) easy to make.

SteadyD said:

327 Ruger LCR using either 32 H&R Magnum or 32 S&W long would be a very good option for low recoil. A 7 shot S&W jframe 22 magnum would be another option.

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The LCR327 is a excellent choice… I have seen a few online popping up ..
Tbe 32 H&R is nuthin to sneeze at … also Charter makes a 6 shot 32 H&R snubbie


327

357
The LCR357 handles the 38spl +P loads fantastically

My mrs isn't a shooter, but she always referred to my Sp101 as "that one I like". She would occasionally shoot it, and shoot it well, I will add.

When she felt the need to start carrying her own gun, I lined up some choices that I already had, and she immediately wanted to try my LCP.
She shot it well, and liked its' size. It fit in her purse or a pocket.

We went to our lgs, and she purchased one and an extended magazine for herself.

ETA
I always thought a Glock 42 would make a nice ladies carry gun.

SteadyD said:

A 7 shot S&W jframe 22 magnum would be another option.

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I have a model 317, 8 shot 22lr. The double action trigger pull is pretty stout and cocking the hammer is very difficult due to the heavy spring and the tiny hammer spur.

i agree she needs to try as many types as she can and choose whats best for her; and enjoy yourselves in shooting them.

Barnfixer said:

I’m going to be in the market for a small pistol for my wife. I mostly have autos and one large .357 that she doesn’t care for. I would like to here your suggestions for a revolver that would work for a woman. Also calibers, concealable, hammer? Need to know what to look for before we go shopping. Don’t want to find a gun that she likes and find out it’s a turd .

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I would bet even money your wife is just as capable as you when it comes to making decisions. Take her to a shop that has plenty of choices and let HER, not you, decide what she does and does not like. If it's a turd she will gain knowledge and it can always be traded. Have all of your gun choices been perfect? I would bet they haven't and you learned from the experience. Give her the same chance.

As stated many times in this forum.....take her with you and let her choose. You won't regret it and she will be much happier!!!

I think a J Smith is a hard gun to master and a Charter Arms is not different to the user.
I have no experience with the new Colts but the New Cobra is a bigger gun than the old D frame revolvers, which is an advantage to the shooter.

I like the LCR and the .327 gives you the option of less recoil and "that all important shot... the sixth one."*
But the various .32s are going to be less common in the stores.

*That was an actual Colt advertisement in an earlier day when their competition was various small frame Smiths that had to go to five shots to squeeze in a .38.

It was mostly luck, but my wife managed to bag a revolver she could shoot without any recoil pain, and it's even purty.

Lots of good posts and hard to disagree with any of them. There are a lot of good options and therefore a lot of good answers. I admit I am a revolver person. That doesn't rule out semi autos, and by older brother now carries a S&W Shield EZ in .380 which I think is worth looking at. I on the other had carry a Taurus revolver in .32 H&R and think it would be a great choice. Mine is in Total Titanium and they stopped making them many years ago so, unless you get really lucky I doubt you will find one. I will post a picture of mine. I think if I want to have give you a take away it would be in two areas. One is be certain to let her pick the gun. Second, your best input to her I think would be in the caliber. In a J frame size gun I think .38 Special with target loads would be something for her to try, I like the .327 Magnum or the .32 H&R Magnum. Either of these will except .32 S&W , .32 S&W longs, .32 H&R Magnums, .32ACP in a pinch, and of course the .327 Magnum chambered guns will shoot all I have mentioned plus the .327 Magnum. In an semi-auto (I also think Taurus makes a revolver) the .380 . Now the group I mentioned here are all mentioned based on recoil considerations for smaller hands and or arthritic hands. The .327 magnum has a bit of noise, flash, and recoil I am told by my brother who has one. But then again you have 3 less powerful loadings that it will shoot. If you go to a light gun I believe you will find these mentioned calibers will be what she will want. If you go to an all steel gun then heavier loads in the .38 special can be managed well enough. My daughter likes her M85 Stainless steel gun.

Jim Watson said:

I think a J Smith is a hard gun to master and a Charter Arms is not different to the user.

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I'm curious as to what makes the S&W and CA harder to master than the Ruger LCR ?

LCR has comfortable factory grip and good trigger pull.
My 640 does, too, but it didn't come from Springfield that way.

My 640 is very well behaved with it's steel frame, a good set of aftermarket stocks and plenty of range time to smooth out the trigger pull.

My LCR has a better DA trigger than any of my other 38 snubs (except possibly my 60-year-old 2" Model 10). It's also DAO, which I very much prefer for a carry piece. It's very light, though, so recoil is magnified.

I have a bunch of 32 revolvers. 32 S&W long feels about like a 22lr to me. My daughter started shooting them when she was eight. 32 H&R magnum doesn't feel a lot different. 327 magnum makes more noise, but my friend and I put a box of 327's through my SP101 a while back and didn't find the recoil to be impressive at all. (He is a big baby about shooting my 44 and 45 snubs, to put things into perspective.)

32acp is safe in 32 H&R or 327 revolvers. However, it won't work with some of them. Some will shoot it fine, some will have have trouble with it (some rounds go off and some don't), some won't shoot it at all. I brought six 32 revolvers to the range one day with some 32acp ammo, and two of them fell into each category.

I'm looking forward to seeing what the nice lady ends up with.

John Joseph said:

My 640 is very well behaved with it's steel frame, a good set of aftermarket stocks and plenty of range time to smooth out the trigger pull.

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Over 25 years ago, my wife and I went shopping for a "bedside" revolver for her and, after examining many types and brands, she chose a Smith Model 640-1. Like on all of my J-frames, I put Herret "Shooting Ace" stocks on it and, over the next few years, we put a lot of rounds through it at the range and at the local dump. But for the last several years, the revolver layed dormant in her night stand and, on a whim, we thought we'd renew her acquaintance with it at the range. Am I ever glad we did; she could just barely pull the trigger through on the first try (with both hands trembling in strain), and subsequent "squeezes" were impossible for her to accomplish. This experience prompted our search for another revolver, as recounted in my earlier post (#27).

doubleh said:

I would bet even money your wife is just as capable as you when it comes to making decisions. Take her to a shop that has plenty of choices and let HER, not you, decide what she does and does not like.

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I would bet even money that most members on this forum are married males who know way more about shooting guns of any type and are way more capable of making decisions when it comes to which gun to buy than their better halves do. That's probably one of the biggest reasons wives want their husbands (or other experienced shooters) along when deciding which gun to buy. Which gun to buy for use in self-defense is considerably more important than deciding which toaster or which lawn mower or even which car to get.

Vital things to consider have already been cited in this thread, including excessive recoil posed when shooting powerful rounds in relatively lightweight guns; ammunition types; gun types; trigger pulls, etc. Experienced, unbiased and open-minded shooters who know when to offer advice and when to shut-up (there are even some husbands who fit this description ), can be extremely beneficial in assisting a new shooter in making a good choice when it comes to which gun to buy. Certainly the uninitiated gun buyer (not just wives) should be encouraged to make their own decisions and choices when handling, balance, finish, type and make of gun, etc., are being considered.

Unfortunately, if your wife picks the "wrong" gun for use in self-defense (of which there are many to choose from), predicated on a "trial and error" process of "gaining knowledge", valuable knowledge that you likely already have; a wrong choice could have graver consequences than learning from your mistakes and trading the "turd" off at a later time.

a s&w or taurus j frame revolver with both single/double action capability, loaded with 38sp wadcutter or short colt ammo (admittedly hard to find now), fitted with pachmayr or hogue grips that cover the backstrap.

Armored farmer said:

My mrs isn't a shooter, but she always referred to my Sp101 as "that one I like". She would occasionally shoot it, and shoot it well, I will add.

When she felt the need to start carrying her own gun, I lined up some choices that I already had, and she immediately wanted to try my LCP.
She shot it well, and liked its' size. It fit in her purse or a pocket.

We went to our lgs, and she purchased one and an extended magazine for herself.
View attachment 1013300
ETA
I always thought a Glock 42 would make a nice ladies carry gun.

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I carry a Glock 42 most of the time, and the ladies flock to me......

When my partner was interested in "something to carry in her purse",
We went shopping at a gun show (before covid)
I was sort of steering her toward a stubbie revolver.
One place had a Walther PPK in 380 auto.
She was really taken with the PPK, so it came home with us.
Also note, a couple weeks later UPS delivered a new purse
For the PPK. At 7 or 8 steps, if one lines up a row of on edge
Clay birds (plates), she almost always busts 7 in a row.
Practices with and carries the Hornady FTX load.
Be forewarned, new carry firearm, no doubt need a new carrier.

SteadyD said:

327 Ruger LCR using either 32 H&R Magnum or 32 S&W long would be a very good option for low recoil. A 7 shot S&W jframe 22 magnum would be another option.

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Yes.

danez71 said:

My mid 70s little mom has this and shoots 32 longs. I dont think she's tried 32 H&R yet but did shoot a few of the 327s from the box the shop gave her when she bought it.

I got her the longer Ruger grip for it. She really liked it from the beginning and even more after switching to the longer grip.... even though shes a bad shot.


My advice is to guide her to that* and let her decide. I think they're offered in DOA & DA/SA with an exposed hammer now in a snub nose.

* While I think the LCR has the best trigger, I'd suggest a quality 327 or 32 H&R mag in general so you also have the option of shooting the lighter 32 longs as well. The 327 is somewhere between 38 and 357 & likely won't be pleasant for those that dont like recoil and blast.

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Yes!

Don't let her fire any .327 Mag ammo. It will just turn her off the gun.

.32 S&W Long and .32 mags only.

Some .32 acp works, too. Not very accurate so keep the range close with it. Fiocchi and S&B work in mine. Blazer and PPU did not, IIRC. (Light strikes due to thinner rim I think)

Tallball said:

My LCR has a better DA trigger than any of my other 38 snubs (except possibly my 60-year-old 2" Model 10). It's also DAO, which I very much prefer for a carry piece. It's very light, though, so recoil is magnified.

I have a bunch of 32 revolvers. 32 S&W long feels about like a 22lr to me. My daughter started shooting them when she was eight. 32 H&R magnum doesn't feel a lot different. 327 magnum makes more noise, but my friend and I put a box of 327's through my SP101 a while back and didn't find the recoil to be impressive at all. (He is a big baby about shooting my 44 and 45 snubs, to put things into perspective.)

32acp is safe in 32 H&R or 327 revolvers. However, it won't work with some of them. Some will shoot it fine, some will have have trouble with it (some rounds go off and some don't), some won't shoot it at all. I brought six 32 revolvers to the range one day with some 32acp ammo, and two of them fell into each category.

I'm looking forward to seeing what the nice lady ends up with.

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+1 on the LCR trigger being excellent.

I would expect .327 to be noticeably easier to handle in a 25-27 oz Sp101 vs the 17 oz LCR.

.327 feels like a 110 gr .357 magnum in the LCR. Only louder. It's not fun and follow ups are slower than with a hot .32 magnum.