.38 Special 2" Revolver Suggestions

[Vodoun da Vinci]

My Wife and I are older (50's) shooters. We have been inactive in shooting sports for some years but shot regularly 25 - 30 years ago. She's a Farmers Daughter raised around guns and shooting. She and I own several guns - some revolvers and some autos. Since Illinois is to allow concealed carry soon we have both decided to renew our basic love of shooting sports and have been shooting our collection regularly and relearning our skills.

I just purchased a Glock 26 9mm as this will likely be my carry choice and so I'm gonna get as familiar with it as I can. Finding a "comfort" gun for Kelly has proven a bit more difficult. She owns a Colt officers ACP and a Colt 1903 Model M and shoots them well *but* she has a problem dealing with safeties, mag releases, slide locks, racking the slide, changing mags, etc. Auto loaders are confusing and difficult for her no matter how much we train...she is competent but not comfortable.

Enter her late fathers S&W 19 with 4" barrel and .38 Special hand loads. She hits like a maniac instinctively with it double action and handles it like a pro. She is comfortable *and* competent. Her preferences and skills lean toward revolvers. She is her fathers daughter no doubt. Her mother (now 80ish) is the same way - easily overwhelmed with Auto's and instinctively deadly and competent with a revolver.

She handled and shot a Colt Detective Special (another of her late fathers revolvers that now resides next to her mothers bed...) this weekend and really impressed me. She loved the gun and wants one "just like it". So, what are you guys impressions of the various .38 special revolvers in 2" barrel lengths?

She can have anything she wants - I'll buy or trade for it but I need to offer choices. Colts, Smiths, Charter Arms? There's a lot of choices some good, others less so.

I love and shoot revolvers *but* I'm 6'3" and favor full house .357, .44, .45 revolvers and she's 5' tall and 120. She cannot manage full house .357 or even .38 +P gets her flinching as she has a little arthritis in the fingers.

I see that Charter Arms makes some revolvers that seem to match the profile of the Colt Detective she lusts for...then again, she can have a Colt Detective if I can round one up for her. We have several revolvers in the house and she likes S&W, Dan Wesson, Ruger, Colt, etc. so long as they are smaller frame sized and the grips are not blocky or chunky.

Suggestions please and *Thank You* in advance for any help you might offer.

VooDoo

 

[Fiv3r]

My .38 snub of choice is a Ruger LCR. Very light for day to day carry, soaks up recoil nicely, and the cammed trigger is the smoothest I have ever had out of the box. With the arthritis in her hands, it might be a good fit.

Best of luck

 

[GP100man]

Ruger SP101, hevier than most(absorbs recoil) & alot of grip choices !

 

[HexHead]

Colt Detective Special. She likes them and wants one. That was easy.

I generally carry one of mine.

 

[j1]

S & W mod 60. I do not cheap out on my carry piece. If it was good enough for nyc detectives it is good enough for me. Good luck and shoot a lot.

Congrats on your choice sir.

 

[Vodoun da Vinci]

Yup...the Smith and Colt offerings are the pick of the litter right now. There is a Ruger LCR as a range rental and we need to put that in her hands and get her to shoot it for reference. Our first impression of it was that it simply didn't compare well to the older S&W's and Colts we have learned to shoot and love.

Then again all the Rugers are more "functional" as less....polished than the older revolvers we have shot. We really need to shoot it...

She's not a fan of lighter/smaller being better so long as we have choices in grips. Obviously a full size revolver will dwarf her and overwhelm her but the flip side is that tiny little light weight revolvers tend to exacerbate the issue of recoil and are a less stable platform (in general) for small potentially recoil sensitive types. Which she is to some degree.

She *is* violently opposed to the pink "petite chic lady" style offerings with colored frames and "pretty" little bling stuff. She says she will not touch any colored and "cute" revolvers...she's her fathers daughter. Revolvers are tools to defend one's life - not fashion statements.

VooDoo

 

[Snake Plisskin]

Ruger's Wiley Clapp GP100 3" .357 magnum would be a nice choice , very balanced and low recoil on +P 38's , just a thought

http://gunsgunsguns.net/ruger-gp100-wiley-clapp/

 

[burrhead]

It seems that your wife has already answered the question; Colt Detective Special.

 

[19-3Ben]

She handled and shot a Colt Detective Special (another of her late fathers revolvers that now resides next to her mothers bed...) this weekend and really impressed me. She loved the gun and wants one "just like it". So, what are you guys impressions of the various .38 special revolvers in 2" barrel lengths?.....

She can have anything she wants -

Sounds to me like she already told you what she wants. Incidentally, she made one heck of a fine choice as well.

There are lots of snub-nosed revolvers on the market today. Some very light (Ruger LCR, S&W 642, etc...) some heavier (S&W Model 60, Ruger SP101, Taurus 85...).
There are of course, the usual trade-offs of heavier weight helping recoil management and lighter weight making it easier to carry. But those trade-offs are things that only she can assess for herself. I'd suggest going to the range with her, and having her try out a few different samples in the various weight ranges as well as hammered v. hammerless and see how she feels, and to eliminate the possibility that there might be a gun she'd want even more than the Colt DS. She may surprise you. My wife tends to be recoil-shy, so I figured she'd want a heavier steel framed gun for carry. Turns out, the recoil of an LCR didn't bother her at all, so that's what she got for carry.

Either way, like I said, it sounds like she has fallen for the Colt DS, so that's the gun for her. Now go find one with her that she'll want. They were made for quite a while and there are a few different iterations of them.

 

[BSA1]

This topic has been discussed and recussed so many, many times on THR that there is a sticky post at the top of the page.

http://www.thehighroad.org/showthread.php?t=564531

The search function is your friend. I got these hits just using key word "wife";

http://www.thehighroad.org/showthread.php?t=730747&highlight=wife

http://www.thehighroad.org/showthread.php?t=731353&highlight=wife

http://www.thehighroad.org/showthread.php?t=722568&highlight=wife

Getting the gun is just part of concealed carry. She needs a way to pack her roscoe;

http://www.thehighroad.org/showthread.php?t=731765

 

[Vodoun da Vinci]

Gee...thanks BSA1. :banghead:

Please folks...disregard this thread. It's all been answered a million times already so there's no sense in discussing it again.

Just use the search.

VooDoo

 

[Schutzen]

While I love the Colt Detective Special and like the S&W Model 60, it is a Taurus .38 Stubbie that rides in my truck on a daily basis. I have found the Taurus to be reliable, reasonably accurate and if it is stolen from my truck, I am only out 1/3rd of the loss of a Detective Special.

If I carried on my body more than in my truck I might carry the S&W.

To address the recoil issue my wife practices with mid-range .38's, but we keep .38+P's in the revolvers for self-defense.

 

[Godsgunman]

A good ol Smith Chiefs Special will fit the bill nicely. I just picked one up for $260 and am I glad I did. Fits in the pocket nicely and very little recoil (IMO) for a J frame, even the +P isn't bad. I think you mentioned you reload so you can obviously tailor the loads exactly how she wants. Good luck with your search but the Chiefs Special is my vote if it counts .

 

[SwampWolf]

Six-shot capacity Smith K-frame variants (Models 10, 12, 13, 65, etc.) with a 2" or 3" barrel and round butt might fit her fine. If she prefers a slightly lighter K-frame, the long discontinued but still readily found aluminum-framed Model 12 would be a good choice.

 

[Hoppes Love Potion]

She may shoot the Detective Special very well, but is she prepared to CARRY IT all day? That's the nature of the trade-off. We all generally shoot medium frame steel revolvers well, but as they get smaller and lighter, they become easier to carry but harder to shoot well. The very lightweight models can have substantial recoil with defensive ammo, although Hornady makes a low-recoil .38 Special ammo designed for ladies (it's pink!) that may be effective enough for defensive use.

 

[Dframe]

What hexhead said! Colt detective special. She likes it and they're available. End of story.

 

[farm23]

The DS is still one of the best CC guns. If she likes the DS go find one.

 

[Jim NE]

Did she like the Detective Special? Or the LOADS that were being shot out of the Detective Special? All .38 ammo is not created equal. I've always been surprised that my Chief's Airweight Special (model 37) Smith can keep many loads well within my comfort level, but with the wrong loads, it can be a bear, and I'm not even talking +P. If you're not into deciphering info on ammo boxes, it might be an issue.

Ditto what SwampWolf and others said. I often suggest a 6 round 2 inch revolver for ladies. They are typically on larger frames, and the the extra weight of the frame and larger cylinder will help eat up recoil... a pair or rubber target grips will help even more.

I'm not sure what Smith's current offerings are in 6 round snubbies, but an older model 10 can be found with a 2 inch barrel. You'll have to go out looking for it, though. It might be your best option, when comparing quality and cost.

In the low end new gun market, Rossi makes a 6 round snubby, and EAA offers the Windicator, but it's an alloy frame. Can't speak to the reliability of either of these guns, but I am a fan of the older Rossi's.

Does anyone know if there's a GP100 in 2 inch? Another possibility that would be good quality.

I mention all of this only because the LGS owner now and then shows me lightweight .38 snubbies that ladies have traded in because they didn't like the recoil.

Good luck!

 

[Vodoun da Vinci]

She has been shooting reloads...wad cutters and some lead hollow points. Not really hot but not "poppers" either. She has fired +P .38 special out of our 4" S&W model 19 and grins ear to ear. It's pushing her comfort zone but not like shooting full house 158 gr .357.

She has shot .38 +P out of a 2" but it was a Dan Wesson .357 with a 2" barrel and heavy vent shroud as well as Hoque grips and sucked up the recoil. Heavy revolver. I think she'll be pushing the limit with a light weight like the Ruger LCR and full house rounds but we'll be testing that theory soon....and I can always load rounds for her. I doubt she'll have a problem except with heavy bullets and +P or a really light gun.

I'm looking hard at Colt DS's and Smith offerings as I know that is what she was brought up on and her Dad liked and had her shoot. I just wondered if there were some modern options I am not aware of along the same lines.

We have been out of shooting for years. I was surprised and pleased that I managed to develop a feel for Tupperware pistols and ordered a Glock 26 9mm yesterday. I'm doing the research for her and wondered if there might not be a parallel in revolvers.

Thanks for the input, guys....we really appreciate it!

VooDoo

 

[tommy.duncan]

I like the Ruger GP and SP pistols. My wife just bought a Charter Arms Lady Chic, it is a .38spec with a 2" bbl. She loves shooting this pistol. She handled several "Lady Smith" revolvers and liked the Charter Arms better. I have fired it too, it was quite pleasant to shoot. I am not a big fan of stubbies. I am a 4-5" bbl kind of guy.

 

[PJSprog]

I've always been a fan of the S&W model 10s and model 64s. There are plenty of older ones around for decent prices, and if she wants new, they still make both (albeit at 3x the price).
The best tactic, of course, is to rent and shoot until she finds what she likes.
Good luck.

 

[Dframe]

There are lots of options out there but Mr. Newtons laws still apply. The lighter the gun the greater the recoil, all else being equal. Most snub revolvers are 5 shot. I think you have to go up to a K frame to get six in a Smith. The Detective is a six shooter, all steel, and of a weight that makes service ammunition fairly easy for most people to shoot. In the end the only thing that matters is whether or not SHE likes it and is comfortable with it.

 

[ArchAngelCD]

VooDoo, How I see it you have a lot of good directions you can follow.

Is it possible you can buy your mother-in-law a different revolver to place on her nightstand so your wife can carry the Colt DS?

You can hunt a DS down but they are usually hard to find because they are out of production and have been for a while.

How about having the 4" barrel on the M19 changed over to a 2" barrel so your wife can carry that revolver?

How about trying to find a short barrel K frame like the M10? They are more common than a snub-nose M19 and cost less since they are .38 Special revolvers and not magnums which doesn't matter in your case since you wife doesn't want to carry .357 Magnum loads anyway. IMO a snub-nose M10 would be a great option for your wife if she agrees.

The above suggestions for a M60 aren't bad either but how does she feel about carrying only 5 rounds since the other revolvers you are talking about carry 6? (or M640, M649 or M36)

Luckily you have plenty of options since your wife likes more than 1 revolver and even though the Colts are hard to find for a good price the S&W revolvers aren't. Keep us updated on what your wife chooses to do... Good Luck.

 

[Godsgunman]

Besides the Smith I mentioned in my earlier post you can also take a look at like a Taurus 85 or even a 605. IMO Taurus makes good wheelies, I have a 3" m65 .357 and it's just as nice as my Smith and just as good of a trigger, actually dare I say better ::gasp:: . I carry both the Smith and Taurus but the Smith more since it fits in the pocket.

 

[Vodoun da Vinci]

Truthfully I think the thing she likes about the Colt DS is the weight added by the all steel frame and the 6th round. It's kinda hard for her to articulate what she wants/likes as she seems to approach it like it's all magic or simple preference.

I'm finding quite a few Colt Detectives around at decent prices and in good condition....I'm wondering as well if we just hang out and check out some things like the Ruger LCR and some other rental pieces and see if her mom would agree to giving up the Colt DS. It's a sentimental thing as the gun sits in a drawer under a picture of the old guy. It's only been a little over 2 years since he passed and a lot has happened since then.

I'll have to let this sit for a while whilst I look for alternatives and offer them. I can find her some possibilities but in the end I think she should just lemme get her a Colt Detective Special (I found 2 already) and shoot it until she feels she wants to keep it or move along. We can always get what I paid for it.

Not like it'll depreciate.

VooDoo