NOT a revolver fan yet, BUT have a problem.

Just a suggestion... I would start with a four or five inch revolver and would start her out on wadcutters. The heavier weight of the revolver (as oppossed to a stubbie) coupled with a light wadcutter would not recoil that much. She would not have a slide to rack. Another idea would be to try a Beretta auto with the tilt up barrel. That way she would not have to rack a slide...Just drop one into the barrel and push the barrel back down...ready to fire.

First off, if you have not already done so, I'd recommend visiting this website: http://www.corneredcat.com/. Specifically http://www.corneredcat.com/RunGun/rack.aspx. This second link shows a good technique for racking the slide for those with less upper body strength. Given your wife's medical history (I certainly pray she is doing better now), this technique still may not work, but it is worth a try.

One other option in the semi auto category is a Beretta with a tip-up barrel. The tomcat in 32 ACP comes to mind.

No matter what, it is important that SHE picks the gun ... your role is to provide guidance and information to assist her.

As for the S&W 642, I own one and love it. It is reliable and capable of outstanding accuracy. Personally, I would describe the recoil as "brisk". It is somewhat sharp, but not unbearable. Though I will say that others find the recoil to be painful, including my father, who says that shooting it feels like smacking the webbing of you hand with a ball-peen hammer. And though I find them fairly natural to shoot (at least compared to small autos), snubs (particularly lightweight ones like the x42) can be difficult to master for many people due to the short side radius. I'm not sure how your wife's hand strength is, but the DA trigger pull of a stock DA revolver may be difficult for her to work with. A proper action job (not spring hacking, but a tuning/polishing of the action for optimal operation) may be in order. This will provide a lighter, slicker pull without compromising reliability.

As for other revolvers, as long as weight isn't an issue, I would limit the search to all-steel guns. If the gun will be for car and home protection only, then I would recommend a revolver with a 3"-4" barrel. The longer sight radius will make it easier to shoot, and the additional barrel weight will further soak up recoil. Any longer than 4" may not work too well for car use, depending on where she would put it in the car. I often stick a 4" 686 in my glove box, and it just barely fits.

Later, she can get a smaller lighter gun if she decides to get a CCW permit. Though a revolver with a 3" barrel does make a nice jack of all trades gun, IMHO. They have a decent sight radius, while still being fairly compact.

As for caliber, it should be something that she shoots well (not flinch inducing). It sounds like she doesn't have too much of an issue with recoil, given the guns she has shot and enjoyed, so something in 38 special or 357 magnum sounds like a good bet. 44 Special, 44 Mag, 45 ACP or 45 Colt may also be options, but they are usually chambered in guns with larger frames, which my not fit her hands has well. Not to mention that 44 and 45 Colt ammo is darned expensive these days.

Just remember to let her do the picking, and things should turn out well. Good luck!

Had a similar issue with my GF when looking for her first gun. She was dead set on a semiauto. It is a personal choice, but the Ruger p95 requires fairly low effort to rack the slide, might be worth looking at.

My wife can't shoot a revolver well because she lacks the finger strength to pull the DA trigger without pulling the muzzle off target. Check on this before buying a wheel gun.

Not sure what to suggest for someone lacking hand/arm strength to manipulate the gun. One thing to try is using both hands to maximum when racking the slide. Pull with the weak hand push with the strong to utilize all the upper body strength available. Maybe better technique can overcome the handicap.

Is there a particular Smith or Ruger model in 3" or 4" barrel that you recommend based on your experience?

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New or used, Ruger:

- GP100: 6 shot, available in 3" or 4" barrel lenghts, blue or stainless. 38 Special or 357 Mag. 3" is harder to find used, but can be ordered new.

- SP101: 5 shot, stainless only, available in 2 1/4" or 3 1/16" barrel lengths. Those with small hands often prefer them to the bulkier GP series. Available in a number of calibers, including 38 and 357.

Used only, Ruger:

- Six Series (Security, Service or Speed Six): predecessor to the GP100, many consider them every bit as nice, except they are less bulky. Hence, I personally find them to be more desireable. Available in 2.75", 3" (rare) and 4" barrel lengths.

S&W, new or used (depending on the model, but I'd recommend used)

- There are so many different makes and models, it is too time consuming to list them all. But pretty much any J, K or L Frame would nice. N Frames are a bit bulky for small hands, but they may work. The K Frame Model 10 in 38 special (blued, fixed sights) comes to mind. They are pretty plentiful and still fairly inexpensive. The Model 15 is another good one, basically a Model 10 with adjustable sights.

Sorry, gotta run ... my two year old is mawling me .

Old Navy

I would say any S&W K frame with a 3" barrel would fill the bill nicely, but you really should get her to handle them first to see if the grip frame fits her okay. There are of course any number of recoil absorbing grips out there (Pachmayr and Hogue come to mind), that could alleviate any concerns about her feeling excessive recoil. A S&W J frame, again with a 3" barrel, would also make for a decent CCW, as well. Start her out shooting 148 gr. wadcutters in any of these guns; the heavier steel frame models will feel like your running .22's through them.

I also think that the 642 is the perfect handgun for a woman.
If she has a problem with felt recoil, then there is no reason at all not to load and shoot it with the lightest available loads, certainly no +P.

If she can work her way up the load scale, fine. If not, that's OK too.
A standard load .38 is plenty self defense for any situation she may find herself in, and it's certainly better than any .380 or .32.

My 02.

Like Jad and CDH said, 642 is a great suggestion. It is a very straight forward handgun, only a trigger and cylinder latch. Recoil in the 642 is very much modulated by bullet weight. A hot 158 grn will spank your hand while you could shoot cheap 130grn rounds all day long.

SP 101 3 inch barrel, 327 magnum.

This allows you to fire 327 mags, 32 H&R mags, 38 longs and 38 shorts

as far as 'bling' show here some websites that offer custom grips.

Old Navy,

In the late 90s, S&W beefed up the J-frame enough to
chamber it in .357 Mag. so, here are the options for
an all steel J-frame that can fire .38 Special or the +P
or even .357 Mag.

Model 640 - it's the all stainless steel version of a
642, but a 2 1/8" Bbl. vs the 642's 1 7/8" Bbl. It however
is Double Action Only DAO. 24 oz. weight empty

Model 60 aka Chiefs Special - back in the '60s it was
the first mass production to be made in Stainless Steel. It's
24 oz. and available with a 3" Bbl. length or 2 1/8" Length
The shorter Bbl. len. gets fixed sights - the 3" Bbl. has
a variety of front sights, and adjustable for W & E rear sight.

There's also the Model 60 LS aka Ladysmith with a grip
designed for women, they have shorter fingers in relation to
their palms, as well as smaller palms, I haven't looked at these
lately, but if you'd go to the S&W Web SIte, look at all the
small frame revolvers and compare cylinder/frame material
and total weight empty.

I have a 60 .357 Mag. 3" Bbl. and have tried .357 Mag. and
I stay with .38 SPecial +P Speer Gold DOt 125 gr. JHPs for an
enjoyable range trip and moderate recoil for followup / double taps.

The SP101 Ruger, with a 3 1/16" Bbl. is just a smidge 2? oz.
heavier than the 60 3" Bbl. and the grip is larger as well, of
course grips can always be changed for a shooters' pref.

Randall

S&W K frame .38 or a ruger GP100.
I would steer any new shooter away from a J frame smith.
As has been said many times by many people for many years... They are easy to shoot... but hard to shoot well.
Before you buy her a gun make sure that SHE can operate is and that SHE likes it.
Too light and it will pound her, and there goes her shooting enjoyment.
Too heavy and she will find it hard to keep it on target.


Jim

The answer is SP101 with .38's

This allows you to fire 327 mags, 32 H&R mags, 38 longs and 38 shorts

Click to expand...

I believe you mean 32 S&W long, and 32 S&W ...
otherwise a good 3" revolver in 327 or 38 will work for her just fine

see if she can pull the trigger on a DAO revolver, otherwise one with an exposed hammer that she can pull back and fire single action should work

ALso, need to add the J-frame .38 Spcl or .357 Mag. as well as the
SP101 are 5 shot cylinder capacity. FYI - Safariland makes a
push botton 5 shot speed loader for these. The speedloaders
are good to carry with the gun, OR bring to range already loaded
so she can practice practice practice.

I would recommend the 60 3" Bbl. with adjustable sights, mine has
the plain black ramp front. oh, and the 3" Bbl. means the
extractor is long enough to make a full stroke to get the empties
out of the cylinder compared to shorter barrel/ejectors.

That covers the J-Frames in stainless steel.

K frame = Medium in the S&W 'world'
and .38 special or .357 Mag.
Briefly:
Model 10 - fixed sight 4" Bbl. square butt.
Model 12 - alloy frame and most have a 2" Bbl.
Model 13 - 4" Bbl. .357 Mag fixed sights, wquare butt
but there are some 3" bbl. with round butt.
Model 14 K-38 Target Masterpiece is a 6" Bbl. .38
SPcl, the Model 16 same gun but .32 S&W Long,
Model 15 K-38 Combat Masterpiece, 4" Bbl. and adj. rear sight.

and the Model 19 - like a 15 but heat treated cylinder
for .357 Mag. 2 1/2" Bbl. 4" Bbl. and 6? Bbl.

A new line introduced last year is the Nightguard series,
they are matte black finish, with rubber pachmayr grips, and
trituium dot front sight, Cyl. & SLide extreme duty fixed rear,
with the scandium frame and stainless steel cylinder they
range from 24 oz to almost 30 oz all have a 2 1/2" barrel len.
315 NG = .38 SPecial 6 shot K frame
386 NG = .357 Mag 7 shot L frame
396 NG = .44 Special 5 shot L frame
The L frame is a beefed up K frame
327 NG = .357 Mag 8 shot N frame
329 NG = .44 Mag 6 shot N frame
325 NG = .45 ACP* 6 shot N frame
and two new ones this year
310 NG = 10MM Auto/.40 S&W* 6 shot N frame
357 NG = .41 Mag 6 shot N frame

* requires full moon clips - at least for easy extraction and
loading for the rijmless .45 ACP & 10MM AUto/.40 S&W

Randall

I would recommend a K frame S&W revolver like the models 10, 15, 19, 64, 65, 66, etc. over a J frame like the models 36, 37, 637, 642, etc. The trigger on a K frame will generally be lighter and smoother than that of a J frame due to the nature of the designs. This could be very important for someone with poor hand strength. The higher weight of the K frame makes for less perceived recoil as well.

OK, I have to admit that I have only read about the first 1/2 of the posts so my apoligies if I'm repeating someone.

First off as for the semis. I'm guessing that she doesn't have the grip strength to properly hold the slide hard enough to rack it? I'll assume that since you mention that she enjoyed shooting the guns otherwise so I'm guessing her arm strength isn't the issue.

Perhaps if the gun of her choice could be set up with some sort of spring loaded toggle so she could just hook a finger or two over the toggle and use that to rack the slide? And then it would spring load back to lay alongside the side of the slide.

For a revolver option I'd suggest a 4 inch barrel S&W Model 19. Stong enough for fairly regular .357, although with a bear of a kick, and fun and mild to shoot with .38Spl. And while I didn't find the DA pull to be hard at all with the two I've shot if she's shooting for accuracy then there's the option of cocking the hammer with a thumb and shoot it with the absolutely lovely S&W single action feel.

And while I know that this will be greeted with calls of derision if she doesn't have a lot of squeeze strength for the DA pull there's always the option of using the index finger of the support hand to help out the strong hand's trigger finger. Yeah, I know that at least 1/2 the members reading this just cringed and reached for the keyboard but suggest she try it and if it doesn't work then no harm other than the cost of a few rounds learning that it didn't work out.

And if the M19 turns out not to be her cup of tea then sell it again or keep it for yourself. I never thought I'd be a revolver guy until I tried a Model 19 at the range where there's guns for use when you buy their ammo. I was grinning like a fool from the first cylinder and I'm a total revolver fan now. Far, far different to shoot than a semi but just as much fun in a different way.

I'd stay away from going to too short a barrel unless it'll be strictly for up close defense. The short sight line is just too frustrating to do any range work or to improve. The 4 inch is not bad. Long enough to sight pretty easily and the balance is superb on a 19 with a 4 inch barrel. I've got my name on a 6" M19 and I've shot one. For me the extra two inches will be easy to hold but there's no doubt that the longer barrel felt a tad heavy right away. The 4 inch is perfect.

I'd go for the Ruger SP101 if it's going to be a HD and car gun and not an everyday carry gun.

If money is tight and you don't think you will be able to get another gun for carry at a later time, you might want to look a little closer at the 642. My wife picked a 642 and had some initial problems with the recoil until we put Pachmayr Compac grips on the gun. Now she is happy!

The Pachmayr's do add to the size so it's not as easy to conceal. For size reference you can see our two 642's (Pach vs. factory) on page 112 of the 642 Club Part Duex thread, post # 2792.

David

I went through the same challenge with my 5' 0" wife last year, after a number of ladies in town started getting attacked, mugged, robbed and raped. After a local TV personality got savagely attack across the street from the place where my wife sometimes works late, she FINALLY asked me for a gun . . . after 32 years of marriage!

I took her to the range and taught her proper technique and started with powderpuff handloads and let her shoot a ton of semis and revolvers.

She too couldn't rack the slides, and thus ruled out the serious autos.

She finally settled on a 3" Model 65 S&W .357 revolver. It fit her well . . . and she shot it extremely well too! Her only comment . . . I wish it was smaller.

A few months later I ran across a used Model 37 J-frame .38spl. with a three inch barrel and immediately bought it for her. SHE FELL IN LOVE WITH THE LITTLE LIGHTWEIGHT J-FRAME . . . and she shot it as well as the Model 65 too!

Who knows if your wife would feel the same, but you might try it. The important thing about shooting revolvers is to use a firm grip . . . and as high a grip as possible (to control muzzle flip and to direct the recoil straight through the arm and dissipated throughout the body.

Start her with 148 grain target wadcutters. By the end of shooting about 150 rounds that day, she was shooting 158 grain LSWC-HP +p ammo and stating "that's still ok!"

Thus, my wife is now WELL armed . . . and with the kind of gun that SHE likes and has confidence with!

T.

*Shakes head*

A lightweight J frame is about the worst choice to put a new shooter's hands. It's small(more recoil), hard to grip, hard to aim, and certainly doesn't have the best trigger. None of those help to hit the target. The primary use won't be carry, so there isn't any need for a small gun or the tradeoffs of one.

New shooter that needs a revolver? Tons of choices out there. Personally, I like the S&W K frames and they are easily adapted to a particular shooter's hands simply by changing the grips. Comparable choices would be the S&W L frames(grip area is the same size) and the Ruger Service Six/Speed Six/Security Six series or GP100. A 4" version of any of those guns is an excellent choice for a glovebox and/or nightstand gun. Large enough for a comfortable hold and heavy enough to dampen recoil, without being too much of either.

I'd bet that if you find one(which shouldn't be difficult) of the old tapered barrel S&W M10's, she'll take to it like a duck to water. They're generally not very expensive either, normally in the $250-$300 range around here in very good to excellent condition.

Once taught how, my kids were operating my autos from appx the age of 8.

if speed was ever an issue she'd be long dead before she even got a chance to try.

Click to expand...

This is why you keep a round chambered.


Jim

S&Wfan's reply seems to hit on your problem square on.

If she's small then grips that us guys can't hold onto can feel just right. As you say, try out a lot of options.

Then make sure she puts enough ammo through it that the novelty and the inevitable flinch goes away. It took me around 2000 rounds through a lot of various guns to finally realize that the occasional flinch has dissapeared even when shooting the big stuff.

I'll agree with the SP101 Ruger in .38 as her best first choice.

Second choice would be a used S&W model 10 (blued) or model 64 (stainless) with 2.5", 3", or 4" barrel. Round butt will probably fit her hand better than square butt. Let her try various Pachmayr grip types to see if she prefers one over another.