A Little Help for a Little Revolver

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Barnfixer

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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 .
 
Just take her to the gun shop and turn her loose. Light weight means heavy recoil. That trade off is very prominent in small revolvers. I would heavily caution against 357 as it gets absolutely painful in ultralight J frames. 38 can be pretty stinkin peppy in an ultralight, but it’s generally considered tolerable.
 
Just take her to the gun shop and turn her loose. Light weight means heavy recoil. That trade off is very prominent in small revolvers. I would heavily caution against 357 as it gets absolutely painful in ultralight J frames. 38 can be pretty stinkin peppy in an ultralight, but it’s generally considered tolerable.
At one time I had a nice nickel Smith in .38. Wish I still had it, nice shooter.
 
Many women prefer purse carry as women’s clothing styles are often not conducive to on body carry. Crossbreed offers a a velcro backed kydex/leather holster and panels of velcro loop with adhesive backing that can convert a regular purse into a concealed carry option. Of course, there are numerous ccw purses though they tend to be pricey and the holsters are often one size fits none. The crossbreed holster could be substituted in a ccw purse to at least be a custom fit. Some other makers offer fully kydex velcro backed holsters that could be used in a gun purse. Good luck and make gun safety priority number one!
 
IMO a S&W M60 or M640 would work well. Both are rated for the .357 magnum but you can load a .38 Special or .38 Special +P in it. I suggest the heavier stainless version because the additional weight will lessen the felt recoil. If a lighter revolver is acceptable with .38s a M442 which I carry or a M637, M638 or M642 will serve her well.

The M640, M642 and M442 have a concealed hammer and the M638 has a shrouded hammer which will prevent hanging up on the hammer if drawn from a purse or pocket.

If you want to spend less Charged Arms now makes a good product.
https://charterfirearms.com/pages/products
 
Just take her to the gun shop and turn her loose. Light weight means heavy recoil. That trade off is very prominent in small revolvers. I would heavily caution against 357 as it gets absolutely painful in ultralight J frames. 38 can be pretty stinkin peppy in an ultralight, but it’s generally considered tolerable.

THIS ^^^^

I would like to add:
Have her handle some different revolvers and do not steer her on choices. 20 years from now she will remember when…if you get my drift. Let her handle some guns then take her to a range that rents guns and have her shoot a selection of guns to see what she likes.

My wife is not a shooter, but I wanted her to get familiar with my handguns to learn to shoot them all and to find out which one she was most comfortable with and which ones she shot most accurately.
She tried the following: (.38 special and 9mm)
S&W 442 - hated it. Too much recoil
S&W 36 - 2”- didn’t like it. Too much recoil. Terrible sights.
S&W 60 Pro - 3” - said it was “okay” but unimpressed.
S&W 10 - 4” - said it was “okay” but didn’t like sights.
S&W 19 - 6” - Too big and heavy
S&W 327 NG - 2.5” - Liked it…a lot!
Glock 45 9mm - too bulky. Didn’t like slide action under recoil.
Glock 19X (same size as G45 - told her that. She liked the color) too bulky. Didn’t like slide action under recoil. ;)

The one gun I didn’t think she would like, the 327 Night Guard 8 shot N frame at 27 ounces with a snubby barrel was the one she picked. She now shoots it better that me.

Moral of the story - Let her pick “her” gun. :D
 
IF you can find one, have her take a look at the "new" Colt Cobra in 38 Special. It's bigger than the J-frame Smith and Wesson, and is an all steel revolver so the recoil is mitigated to some extent. It holds six shots rather than the five a 38 J-frame carries. It has a big honking fiber-optic front sight that just jumps out at you (at me anyway). It's grip are bigger than the J-fame type revolvers, but unless someone has a small hand I wouldn't think it would be a problem. The bigger grips of course helps to reduce felt recoil if, but only if they fit the shooter.
 
Her decision. You are just there for guidance. Let her try, shot and handle as many as possible and only speak up if she even looks at an RG or Bryco , Jennings, or Lorcin

My wife is a gun girl with half a dozen carry options. A snub Charter 38 is carried most often. For an auto she appropriated my Bersa 380 until I got one for her.
 
"327 Ruger LCR using either 32 H&R Magnum or 32 S&W long would be a very good option for low recoil."


My wife has damaged hands and wrists, but she can shoot 32 H&R magnum easily. Her 32 magnum is a Charter Arms Undercoverette. My understanding is that their DAO hammers are inexpensive and easy to install.

My daughter has healthy hands and can shoot anything. I think she plans on liberating one of my snub 38's when she comes of age, but she can also shoot a snub 357 just fine. Or a 44, or whatever.

Different women, different capabilities.
 
Another option is the Ruger SP 101. Been around forever, built like a tank, comes in a multitude of calibers and barrel lengths, and hundreds of holster options are available. A three inch SP 101 loaded with .38 wadcutters wouldn’t recoil much more than a .22, but would still be a decent self defense gun. And if she is fine with more recoil, you can dial the gun up to +p .38s or full house .357s.
 
Another option is the Ruger SP 101. Been around forever, built like a tank, comes in a multitude of calibers and barrel lengths, and hundreds of holster options are available. A three inch SP 101 loaded with .38 wadcutters wouldn’t recoil much more than a .22, but would still be a decent self defense gun. And if she is fine with more recoil, you can dial the gun up to +p .38s or full house .357s.

I've got a 3" 357 SP101. Had it over 20 years. It's my least favourite 357... heavy with crappy sights. OK for a range rat maybe, but not a lady that wants to carry. Unfortunately, the CT grips I equipped it with out of frustration with the sights have made it one of my sister's favourites at the range...with 38s, that is.

I vote for the CA Undercover in 38 Spcl. The stainless version is a bit heavier and will mitigate recoil. It's Charter Arms bread-and-butter model so they tend to make them right. Both of mine (acquired new last year) have great triggers, good sights, and hit at POA.
 
IMO, don't rule out semi-autos. Let her decide. You might look at a compact frame .380 ACP like the S&W Shield 380 EZ.
 
A friend's hubby considerately armed her with a S&W M642 which she found difficult.
She moved on to a Ruger .380 which is easier to carry and easier to shoot, but not pleasant.
I have encouraged her on a small Glock. She shoots my G43 at least as well as I do and I hope she will move up to one.
 
Just take her to the gun shop and turn her loose. Light weight means heavy recoil. That trade off is very prominent in small revolvers. I would heavily caution against 357 as it gets absolutely painful in ultralight J frames. 38 can be pretty stinkin peppy in an ultralight, but it’s generally considered tolerable.

Some of the best advice anyone can give :thumbup:

I'm hoping that my LGS is able to get a Charter Arms Undercoverette in 32 H&R for me soon. Unfortunately any revolvers other than 22lr have been scarce here in Central Missouri for about a year now. 38 SPc revolvers do show up now and then but I already have one.
 
327 Ruger LCR using either 32 H&R Magnum or 32 S&W long would be a very good option for low recoil.

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.
 
Just take her to the gun shop and turn her loose. Light weight means heavy recoil. That trade off is very prominent in small revolvers. I would heavily caution against 357 as it gets absolutely painful in ultralight J frames. 38 can be pretty stinkin peppy in an ultralight, but it’s generally considered tolerable.

I agree with one caveat, the .357 LCR is likely a better choice that the .38. It is heavier with grips that absorb more recoil. Shooting .38s in the .357 LCR is more comfortable than .38s in a .38LCR.
 
I’ll echo the suggestion to have her try a 32 Mag Charter Undercoverette or Ruger LCR in 327. All the people with less hand strength who have tried my Undercoverette have loved it.

That's good to know since I have arthritis and fibromyalgia. One of these days I'll have to give up my semi auto pistols, hopefully not soon.
 
I was shooting with three young ladies this morning: 16, 20, and 21. They are all reasonably physically fit, but not current athletes or anything.

They shot 22 revolvers and semiautomatics, a S&W Model 66, a Taurus Model 66, a S&W Model 28, a 1911 in 9mm, a Walther PPQ, and a CZ75 clone. Most of the young ladies hadn't shot most of those handguns before.

None of them had any trouble at all shooting any of the handguns. They've all shot firearms since they were elementary school age and are fairly confident about their shooting skills. That was probably part of it. Still, you would expect a few hiccups, but the only issue was a Mark II choking on a couple of pieces of dented ammo. There were no other malfunctions. They shot with pretty good accuracy. Not quite as good as their dads (my friend and I), but good solid shooting for young folks.

If there was a picture in my mind of what sort of handguns young ladies like to shoot, it's gone now. Each of them ended up with a favorite, and they were all totally different.

(My daughter's proudest moment was putting all five shots from an NAA mini revolver onto an area about the size of a playing card from seven yards away.) :)

 
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