Wife hates 38 snub

The 327 fed also can shoot 3 diffent rounds. The 32s&w at 700fps, the 32h&r mag at 1200, then the 327fed mag. at 1400fps. Lighter bullets in the 80 to 100 gr level. Indoor ranges might also have a rental to try. just have the 32s&w ammo to try. She can with time up from a very lite almost no recoil round up to the 327 fed mag. Kinda like 22cb, 22lr and the 22 stringers. You can also get the 32's that from several firearm makers in several sizes and wieghts. Besure you have a 3 finger grip like a hogue soft rubber grip to give her a good grip.

A friend's wife hates light snub-nose revolvers too but like said above, a M36 might be more to your wife's liking. My friend's wife is carrying a M60 in .38 Special and likes the M36 my friend carries. The additional weight of an all steel revolver made all the difference for her and might help your wife too.

try a 3 " revolver,

just my .02

I like the .327 Federal magnum idea with a Ruger SP-101 being the delivery vehicle. That's with the 3 inch barrel.

Most of the reasons are already covered. One can tailor the ammo to the mission at hand.

Need the full power rounds? Those are there. Need a bit less power? Then the .32 H&R magnum ammo gets the call.

.32 S&W Longs are pussycats to shoot and Mag-tech actually has a JHP load for it.

I own 3 different revolvers in .327 Federal magnum. 2 snub revolvers and 1 Ruger GP-100.

If those won't work then how about going with a pistol in .32 ACP. Granted, it is no powerhouse, but it is a soft shooting cartridge and better than a .22lrf or .25 ACP pistol.

The Beretta 3032 and NAA Guardian pistols are fine examples of that.

Need something bigger in a pistol in that caliber. There is either a CZ83, 15 shots, or a 10 shot Taurus PT132. Either will fill the bill and give a velocity boost over the small pocket pistols. Both pistols are well made and reliable.

I own an example of each.
With modern ammo bullet designs and ammo makers like Corbon, Speer,and others have brought the .32 ACP up off it's knees and made it more useful.

I handled this issue with my wife by purchasing a S&W .22lr snubby for her to practice with at the range. Other than a few ounces of weight it’s exactly the same feel as the 637. I keep her 637 loaded with 95gr SCHP rounds that aren’t +P for recoil management too. It’s not the ideal situation but it’s better than leaving her at home without any weapon she feels comfortable with.

Just a note: the .327 actually shoots FOUR different loads. It will also shoot .32 shorts. And they are FUN. Talk about no recoil...! I want to get a .22 revolver one of these days to practice my revolver form cheaper than I can with the bigger guns, but recoil-wise, the .32 short in the SP101 is not really any different.

Seriously....let her pick her own gun.

Jan

A few thoughts outside the box:

If she's interested, a handgun class for women (you might have to look around for one of those, but they are out there) might help. Not that recoil will be different physically, but the support from other women and networking with them might be helpful, and they can talk with her about how they manage recoil.

One of those squeeze balls that you use after hand surgery to regain strength can also be used to strengthen grip, which, if I were betting (and from my own experience with myself) may lie at the heart of the recoil problem. Also, they're awesome for stress reduction, but that's a different topic.

Finally (and I touch on it above) sometimes you just have to get used to some recoil. The problem comes when a person (male or female) develops a fear of it, which leads to flinching...so you shoot, make your hand "hurt" and miss the target too. A .22 revolver (if she really wants a revolver) will enable her to perfect her revolver form and when (if?) she is ready, she can go to a .327. And maybe someday to a .38.

You won't be able to rent a .327, most likely. There's not that many of them around anyway. Maybe someone on here who lives within driving distance of you, and who has one, could arrange a "play date" with it for you and your wife, lol.

Final word: if all she will EVER shoot in her lifetime is a .22lr, it's not the end of the world. An awful lot of people are killed with .22's. An awful lot of bad guys are chased off just by their target victim even HAVING a gun. Get her a .22 revolver that has a small enough barrel to carry concealed if need be, and if that ends up as her carry gun, then it ends up as her carry gun. Most of those are 7-9 shots, which isn't chicken feed.

Jan

trigun87 said:

She has tried the LCP, Glock 26, keltec pf9, and Beretta 92fs.Does not like the recoil on any of them. Sadly the range that we frequent doesn't have any 22mag revolvers our 327 that I can remember.

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I'll go completely against the grain and ask: has she tried a .45?

Until she got her SR9c a few weeks ago, my wife absolutely HATED shooting 9mm, but she'd shoot .45 all day long. The 'snap' of the 9mm was just obnoxious to her, while the 'push' of the .45 was much more comfortable.

She tried the 9mm in a Glock and in a Ruger P95 and wanted nothing to do with it beyond one magazine. But giver her my 1911 and she'll shoot until the ammo is gone. She'd also shoot .38 SPL in a S&W Model 10 without qualms, but the 9mms weren't fun for her.

That's a long way to go to suggest she try a .45 - she may not like it either, but you may be surprised. I sure was!

Go and buy a 4" smith, colt, ruger, taurus... Stop getting the snubs. Small guns recoil more than large guns. That is physics.

I also agree that she needs to pick her own guns. I a lot of guys "buy" guns for their wives. In reality, they are just buying more guns for themselves. The .22 mag does not recoil as much as the .38 unless you are shooting it from a very small gun. The mags are always loud and snappy...

Why is it when women or men think of guns for women, their first instinct is to go an buy these mouse guns? Every woman I have ever taught to shoot I have taught on a S&W model 10, actually a 67, but same difference. Recoil was manageable, gun was easy to handle, load, see, inspect. Trigger control was easy to teach. They are all fans of shooting now.

+1 on letting the wife try and buy

and

+1 on the .327. I think it is a defiantly underrated round.

I got my wife a Glock 26 but she actually prefers shooting the Glock 30. Why not have her try out a Glock 26? The "felt" recoil is alot less than either my S&W 36 Chief's Special or my AMT Backup 380.

The thing with snubbies, in my opinion, is that you really aren't going to shoot them unless you need to for self defense purposes. No matter how much you practice they'll never be a 50 yard slow fire target gun. If someone knows how to operate that kind of weapon they'll know how to use it if the time comes.

I love snubbies and shoot them well....it can be done by anyone with determination and practice. Not everyone wants to put in the time, dedication and practice, and thats ok too. I think your wife should try as many pistols and calibers as possible (renting) and even if it takes a while to find one that fits her well, it will be worth the effort in the end.

why cant your wife choose her own firearm?? maybe the two of you can go to the range and rent some different hand guns for her to shoot and get the feel of them. she will then be able to pick the one that she is the most comfortable with.

why cant your wife choose her own firearm??

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I have no idea.

First of all, a man "picking out a gun" for a woman rarely works well.

Second, a small-frame .38 snubby is rarely a good first handgun for anyone. Moreover, most people, both men and women, hold small snubs too low on the grip frame, which has the effect of increasing felt recoil.

My wife favors K- and L-frame revolvers, and a Kahr K9.

First of all, a man "picking out a gun" for a woman rarely works well.

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I would only change "a man" to a husband or boyfriend....

Neither does trying to teach them to ride a motorcycle. It's easier to hire someone else for this .... and it's a helluva lot cheaper than divorce lawyers.

First of all, a man "picking out a gun" for a woman rarely works well.

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When they make boneheaded decisions like picking a snub for a new shooter, I agree. But there are plenty of good choices that could be made.

I bought, ostensibly for my wife, a bersa thunder 380 and a walther pk380. Both fit her hand well and have very little felt recoil. They're good choices for her.

Now if only she would shoot more :\

It may have less recoil, but the 22 mag gives off a lot of flash from a short barrel. It also is pretty low powered from a short barrel. The NAA site will give you a good idea of just how much energy one can expect from the 22 mag in short barrels...around 100ft/lb from 2" barrel. The 32ACP actually gives off about 30% more energy from a 2" barrel.

I would also toss in another vote for a revolver chambered in .327 Federal Mag. Your wife can work up from 32S&W to the .327 Federal Mag which packs quite a punch.

trigun87
Wife hates 38 snub

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My GF commandeered my beretta 92 after a range trip. I know its a big gun, but she just laughs at me and says "lucky I am a woman and I carry a purse."

As far as comparing the 22 mag to a 38 SPL. The 22 WMR is much louder and for the flash well here you go:


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P.S. The ammo is Federal 129gr.+P Hydra-Shok and CCI 40 HV Plated HP.

My GF commandeered my beretta 92 after a range trip...

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Best method, IMO. First my wife took my BHP as "her" gun, then my 5904 as "her" gun, and that led her to taking a 3913 I brought home as her current "favorite" carry-gun. Fine with me. It justifies me buying more stuff for her to become familiar with, and, "commandeer" if she so chooses.

FWIW, she doesn't really "enjoy" shooting any revolver except my S&W M63-4 5", which is not a candidate for self-defense for obvious reasons.

Les

It justifies me buying more stuff

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I'm in the same boat as you, it gave me a reason to buy a new M9A1.

BTW, she now has my S&W model 36 and SIG mosquito as well.

I had the opposite. Went to a gun range with my then girlfriend, talked her away from the Beretta 9000s she was interested in and to the Beretta 92fs that _I_ wanted. Asked here if she liked it, as soon as she said yes I handed over my credit card. when she turned to me with stars in here eyes and said "thank you!" with amazed gratitude, I knew I had just bought _her_ a gun. Dammit.

She went on to become our state IPSC ladies champion and then on our prime ministers security team. I miss her a lot more than the gun.