My Mom Wants a Revolver

Sounds like maybe you should refer your mom to someone who knows revolvers.
Not to be rude but if you don't know the chambering of YOUR revolver I would recommend you take her to a shop or range where you can find someone that can help her.

ontarget said:

Sounds like maybe you should refer your mom to someone who knows revolvers.
Not to be rude but if you don't know the chambering of YOUR revolver I would recommend you take her to a shop or range where you can find someone that can help her.

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I'll second what ontarget said. But, if you have the money, a revolver chambered for .357 Magnum will likely handle .38 Special ammunition with with less felt recoil than a revolver chambered for .38 only.

Whatever you do , if possible discourage her from buying an airweight model like 642. My wife much against my wishes bought it for her and only shot once never again. Recoil is painful for a .38 caliber. With some women it is best if they go and select what they want. In 38 I would recommend the model, 19, the 627 or 686 and let her decide on the barrel length, the longer the better. You could go with a 9mm the model 986 7 shot but it has a 5" barrel and for me personally I would feel comfortable with a 22 magnum.

There will be a ton of opinions coming at you but in all seriousness your mother has to decide what she wants. If there is a range that rents firearms I would recommend you take her and have her try some or ask you buddies to let your mom shoot their revolvers. I only recommended S&W because I own and only have experience with this firearms and I carry a 686+ with a 3" barrel with full loads.

My wife is 68 & she chose a S&W 638. She shoots low velocity 38's and does really well with that combo.

Revolvers are an excellent choice for people who may not have a lot of hand strength and people without a lot of experience with guns.
Sounds like your mother may be both.
No trying to rack the slide, no wondering if it's loaded, no safeties to fumble and it will cycle even the lightest loads reliably .
If your mother likes your revolver, give it to her. After she figures out what she truly wants you'll get your gun back or she'll keep it forever and be well protected. That's a win/win for everyone.
Determine what the chambering is and if you want some advice on good ammo for it check back in and I'm sure EVERYBODY will have some input.
Goodluck .

You need to take her to a range. Preferably one with rentals. Let her handle some guns. Then rent anything she thinks will work for her. There is a HUGE difference in people. I have seen women who love a .44 mag. I have seen others who will not shoot a .357 unless it's a huge one so heavy they can hardly hold it up. Even the lowly .38 sp is too much for some if the gun is small and light. So she needs to have a chance to learn and try. The worst thing people can do is pick out a gun for someone and then expect them to learn it. It's great she wants a gun to stay safe, now she needs some time to learn and try.

The only thing I’d have against a Full size Smith for a non shooter is the sky high price . For nothing but a home defense gun how about something a lot cheaper that tends to go on sale from time to time like a Taurus 627 Tracker. For those purposed same thing as a Smith But 7 shots in the bargain. Just a 4” to keep the weight down. Big enough but not terribly heavy. My daughter wanted something along that line and I ordered one for her on some deal from Palmetto or Buds. Darned thing surprised me tremendously. The trigger straight from the box was perfect, as good as my old Model 28 that I had worked. Beautiful gun whose only vise was bein a tad heavy which is no issue for your purposes. It’s Nickleplated or stainless too so that Plays well for folks who won’t do cleaning, oiling as needed.
For a smaller banger I’d go with a 642 Smith. That’s a great purse gun. I got one on a lark last year again shopping a sale online. Cost me all of $370 even here in the People’s Republic of NY. Very nice soft round grip that sucks up the recoil quite well. I shoot light handloads out of mine and recoil is tiny. It’s one of the smallest Lightest revolvers out there with 5 +p 38 specials. Nice heavy Double action only trigger that won’t go bang by accident. Model 438 is similar but has exposed Hammer so you can shoot single action if wanted. I’d forgo the +P and load with Critical Defense regular 38 SPC which is plenty enough. All these are small enough to take along Nicely if wanted yet do the same job of a full sized gun quite well.
Nobody should be owning a gun IMO though if they don’t shoot it EVER. You really should drag her out back if possible or to a range at least yearly even if it’s for just a couple dozen rounds. Use light loads and light bullets for minimal recoil and blast . Wad cutters , practice rounds are best for learning. Keep her away from shooting even 1 heavy defense load or Magnum until she’s comfortable or it will BE OVER right there.
I’ve got a sister who believes nobody should have guns , BUT HER. Won’t shoot my deceased brother in laws Chiefs Special duty gun, never has yadda yadda in Florida of all creep filled places. Every year I go down there and try to drag her to a range always the same answer, ughhhh. I feel your pain pal.......

Probably looking for one of these-
https://www.classicfirearms.com/smith-wesson-m10-classic-38-spl-4-blued-police-turn-in-hg4151-10-6/

My youngest has been shooting a .38 M10 since she was 13 and is quite proficient with it. Its the only non-.22 handgun she really likes.

Six months ago, these were all over the internet for cheap, but not anymore, ugh. Expect to pay twice what they had them listed for if you can find them at all. Acceptable substitutes would be a M12, 14, 15, 19, Ruger Security Six, GP100, or Colt Official Police and Police Positive, but these are typically even more expensive, though they are all fine quality revolvers.

Might look into a new Charter Arms 4". I agree with some of the posters above- most, though certainly not all, new handgun shooters will be turned off by a snub-nosed revolver because of the extra recoil and difficulty hitting anything.

Im not a big fan of Taurus revolvers made in the last 20 years- and the vast majority ive seen lately are 2" barreled, but if you can find a 4 or 6 inch, especially and older one, then they will suffice for her too, Im sure.

You don’t know what Revolver model you have?
I recommend you take your Mom to a range that rents revolvers with that revolver and pay for some rentals and professional instruction for your Mom. She can find the gun she likes and get some proper safety instruction that will give her confidence.

Scroll down on this link to see where you can find the model number on your revolver.
https://www.smith-wesson.com/safety/recalls/performance-center-model-329-safety-recall

Refer your Mom to a female instructor!
Group like Pink Pistols or Packing Mama's are every where.
Then watch silently from the, sideline.
My wife came with a lifetime love of guns and when she instructs she tells husbands/boyfriends/dads - to stand in the corner and keep your opinions to yourself.
Her carry gun is a 3 inch charter arms 38. But she is equally proficient with 1911's

Baron66 said:

She doesn't feel safe anymore and wants a gun on hand. She really likes the feel of my S&W 38 (or 357 or whatever it is - can't remember - never used it).

Anyway, I can give her mine or she can buy something. I am concerned about the recoil though and am not sure what to recommend. What is caliber that's not going to rattle the hand of a 65 year old lady too much?

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Lots of great info and advice already but Taurus makes a nifty little .380 revolver. Had one, shoots really well, DAO, if you can find one. No need for moonclips. It has them but the shoulder of the 380 sits on the cylinder, just easier to get old rounds out with the moonclips.

Obturation said:

If your mother likes your revolver, give it to her. After she figures out what she truly wants you'll get your gun back or she'll keep it forever and be well protected.

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^^^ This is the answer, imo

My mom in her mid 70 ended up saying her heavy 38 was too big and heavy. It had a 3 or 4 barrel.

I got her settled on a Ruger lcr in 327. She shoots either 32 long or 32 HR Mags... I think the mags.

And if that 327 doesn't work out assure her, you will buy her another until she confident and comfortable with HER weapon!

LCR357 with Hornady standard pressure 110gr FTX

Or if you can find a steel frame
Charter Undercoverette they weigh 16-17 oz
32 H&R Hornady 85gr FTX or 32 Long LWC
Now are being produced as 6 shots

Ruger Sp101 in .327 loaded with .32 H&R mag is another option worth considering.

At the cheaper end of the spectrum the Rock Island/Armscor revolvers in .38 special won’t win a beauty contest, but would be serviceable for the purpose.

Only thing I can say is make sure she shoots the revolver in question first. A small lightweight snub, for example, might feel good in your hand, but they're a different creature entirely to shoot. And if your mom ever needs to shoot the gun for defense, it would be a REALLY bad time to find out that "wow, snubs kick and are tough to aim!"

38 sounds perfect how about a Ruger LCR or Smith & Wesson model 10 now that's a real 38.
Why not a 9 mm though?

Be aware the 637 is an airweight, aluminum frame revolver. It will feel great in the hand until she pulls the trigger. See post #4. The only difference between the 637 and the 642 mentioned is the 637 has a hammer spur and the 642 has a concealed hammer. Otherwise they're identical. Even with low-power 38 Special, it's going to have a sharp recoil because the gun weight is low and 38 Special bullets tend to be heavy. That makes for higher recoil velocities and a sharp punch. I don't want to exaggerate. It's not going to kick her like some big-bore magnum and come back and hit her in the head. But she will very likely find the sharp hit to her hand unpleasant. If you don't want her to be discouraged about shooting, you'll want to try to rent her a heavier steel gun. There's already plenty of advice about that, with the most important being that she chooses it.

I love the Snubbies. Fun as hell to shoot. BUT, it took me a long time and a lot of ammo to get proficient with one. For me, it was a long learning curve. And I shoot them often. Even have a LCR 22 I train with to aid my skills. Personally I would not advise one unless you are going to put a lot of time and ammo in these short barrel defense guns.
And I am a DAO shooter. All my EDC guns Pistols and Revolvers.

Where do you plan to get ammo for it?

"I got her settled on a Ruger lcr in 327. She shoots either 32 long or 32 HR Mags... I think the mags."

Same with my wife. She has a Charter Arms revolver in 32 H&R. That cartridge gives her no problems, but 38 special is too much for her damaged wrists.

Definitely recommend a Ruger LCR 327 loaded with 32 H&R Magnum or 32 Long. The 32 magnum is low recoil and provides sufficient penetration and expansion in the very few tests I’ve seen. A 32 long wadcutter is VERY low recoil. My wife carries one (as do I sometimes) and greatly prefers shooting it over any 38. A little 38 recoils quite a bit... do yourself (and her) a favor and check out the 327, loaded as prescribed.

Baron66, consider some after-market rubber grips for that 637. It will help tame the recoil for any loads in that lightweight revolver.

Example

https://www.hogueinc.com/handgun-grips/grips-for-smith-wesson/j-frame-revolvers/round-butt?cat=732

I’d also recommend one of the 32 caliber revolvers. Everyone that has tried my Charter Undercoverette with 32 H&R has really liked it.