best revolver for the little wife?

[Old_Chipper]

My wife recently got her CHL, we had purchased her a SW 642 Airweight, .38 S&W Special +P, we choose this because: 1. I'm a long time S&W fan, 2. It seemed to fit her little hand. 3. She wants to carry it in her Purse. 4. Stainless Steel would hold up better the many things found in women's purses. 5. The Gun Shop guy claimed this to be just what she needed. She had fired it a few rounds at home, before going to CHL class. Texas requires students fire 50 rounds. She came home with a bloody hand. It kicked so hard it was smashing into her hand breaking the skin. Her hand looked like she had been firing a auto. She said after about 20 rounds she had trouble even pulling the trigger, the range instructor had her use both hands. Now she is actually a little afraid of it. My wife is pretty small, 4'10" tiny little hands. At close to 70 she doesn't have much strength in her hands anymore. I have fired it and it does have recoil but I have no idea it would do this. But I'm 6'5" 300lb, it gets lost in my huge hands. What would you guys get a petite little old lady? (don't tell her I called her old). I have and old Iver Johnson Top Break .32 cal that looks just like this 642. Does anyone still make .32 cal revolvers with hidden hammer? Is there anything that has a lot less recoil?
Thanks

 

[Haywood]

Try a set of Pachmyer Compact grips and lightest grain bullet/ammo you can find. Dry fire the gun a couple thousand times for her. Clean and lube it first.

 

[Shane in MT]

Maybe a Ruger LCR 22 rimfire to practice with, and a LCR 327 to carry, that could be loaded with softer shooting 32 S&W long, or 32 H&R Mag, for practice or carry.

 

[MathurinKerbouchard]

I know your wife is small and you said she doesn't have much hand strength at 70, but have you considered an auto instead of a revolver? A single stack 9mm or even a .380 may actually be easier for her to shoot and manipulate. My wife took an intro to firearms class from another woman several years ago. She got to try different guns (autos and revolvers). As men, we often make the mistake of assuming that our small statured spouses with little firearms experience should have a small revolver. Big mistake on our part.

 

[cfullgraf]

The Pachmayr Compact grips are a bit larger than the ones offered on the S&W 642. It should spread the recoil out.

I find 38 Special +P ammunition brutal in a 642. 38 Wadcutters are much more pleasant on recoil and at short ranges, they still can be effective. They are difficult to reload quickly though.

I'd practice then shoot at the class factory wadcutters.

I reload 158 grain SWC at a little bit faster than target wadcutter loads. The SWC rounds will chamber easier than the wadcutters and still be easy on recoil.

 

[FireInCairo]

In another thread, looking for the same idea, this was a very good suggestion in my opinion: Buy the Ruger LCR in .357, as it is 4 ounces heavier than the .38 special version. Of course, it can also shoot .38 special, but the extra weight will help mitigate the recoil.

Then, buy a larger than average grip that will give pinky purchase. I bet it will be much nicer to her palm than that 642, which I lovingly dubbed the "palm pounder" when we ran some +p+ personal protection rounds through it one time.

 

[FireInCairo]

My wife recently got her CHL, we had purchased her a SW 642 Airweight, .38 S&W Special +P, we choose this because: 1. I'm a long time S&W fan, 2. It seemed to fit her little hand. 3. She wants to carry it in her Purse. 4. Stainless Steel would hold up better the many things found in women's purses. 5. The Gun Shop guy claimed this to be just what she needed. She had fired it a few rounds at home, before going to CHL class. Texas requires students fire 50 rounds. She came home with a bloody hand. It kicked so hard it was smashing into her hand breaking the skin. Her hand looked like she had been firing a auto. She said after about 20 rounds she had trouble even pulling the trigger, the range instructor had her use both hands. Now she is actually a little afraid of it. My wife is pretty small, 4'10" tiny little hands. At close to 70 she doesn't have much strength in her hands anymore. I have fired it and it does have recoil but I have no idea it would do this. But I'm 6'5" 300lb, it gets lost in my huge hands. What would you guys get a petite little old lady? (don't tell her I called her old). I have and old Iver Johnson Top Break .32 cal that looks just like this 642. Does anyone still make .32 cal revolvers with hidden hammer? Is there anything that has a lot less recoil?
Thanks

Don't bother with super hot stuff with the LCR. Get the .38 special semi-wadcutters like suggested and with that extra weight and the bigger grip it will shoot like a dream for her.

 

[FireInCairo]

The good news is that when she handles a heavier revolver, with a larger grip, and with a cartridge that's not as hot, it will really reduce her perceived recoil after handling hot stuff with the 642.

 

[Kendal Black]

Lightest .38 Special load is the target wadcutters. They are so-so for defense but like the old saying goes, don't stand in front of one.

Heavier gun! If mademoiselle can conceal an all steel Model 10 in her purse, it weighs three times more than the gun she's carrying and kicks that much less.

Rubber grips. You know you are holding the gun hard enough when the gun starts squeezing you.

 

[Kendal Black]

Lightest .38 Special load is the target wadcutters. They are so-so for defense but like the old saying goes, don't stand in front of one.

Heavier gun! If mademoiselle can conceal an all steel Model 10 in her purse, it weighs three times more than the gun she's carrying and kicks that much less.

Rubber grips. You know you are holding the gun hard enough when the gun starts squeezing you.

 

[ArchAngelCD]

I'm so tired of know it all gun store clerks telling women and smaller men a J frame revolver is perfect for them, IT IS NOT!

I highly recommend a Sig P238 for your wife. It is heavy enough but not too heavy to carry. The slide is easy to rack and it's accurate too. Give it a try, I think she will like it.

I'm sorry your wife fell victim to a clerk who was very wrong.

 

[AlfonsDeWolf]

First off I say to forget ALL semi autos. 70 and teeny are tough attributes for pulling back all slides except a .22 auto and this won't get any better in the following years.

Do:
-----know the weights of her handgun choices as more mass negates recoil
-----check out the trigger on the Ruger LCR .38. Wow, it's awesome and will b 4 her
-----also check out the LCR.22. It's an 8 shot with almost as good of a trigger. NO ONE wants that pointed at them especially by an old, little woman
-----try common standard pressure 110, 125, 130 gr .38 loads before she decides to dump the s&w

I strongly feel the LCR in .38 or probably .22 is the right choice for her. Go check one out.

 

[AlfonsDeWolf]

Oops, I missed what Shane in MT said....LCR 327....excellent choice! It weighs a few ounces more and will shoot all kinds of stuff from quite light to blazing!

 

[evan price]

Smith & Wesson model 31, the 32 S&W Long model. It's not going to kick much and it's better than a gun she can't use and won't practice with.

 

[mnrivrat]

My carry gun is a Model 731 Taurus in .32 H&R magnum. Mine is in Total Titanium and near impossible to find on the used market. (light weight M731's are more available)
New guns by both S&W and Taurus in this caliber are no longer being made, but you might find a used gun with light frame in the used gun market. S&W made one with enclosed hammer in the .32 H&R magnum chambering. H&R also made guns to shoot this caliber.

In newer guns S&W makes a .327 magnum gun that might work out well also.

These guns are .32 caliber and will shoot catridges of different power levels all the way from the old .32S&W (sometimes refered to as the .32 short) , the .32 S&W long cartridge, .32 auto in some guns,and up to the .32 H&R magnum that rivals a standard .38 Spl load for energy. Then the .327 magnum guns that will shoot all of the previous mentioned cartridges + the step up to the significant increaseed power level of the .327.

All but the .327 magnum guns are, I believe, out of production. That said ,all the cartridges mentioned above can be fired thru a gun chambered for the .327 mag catridge so it is easy to balance the power and recoil level to fit the shooters need.

I offer this information as an option to solve your problem. If you want more info you can pm me or simply post any questions you have on the subject of .32 caloiber revolvers and someone will help.

The older S&W model 31 mentioned is a fine gun chambered for .32 S&W long. It will also shoot the .32 S&W.

 

[cfullgraf]

Remember, a hit with a 22LR will trump a miss with anything else.

S&W catalogs a Model 43C, a 642 style J frame chambered in 22LR.

S&W has made various 32 caliber revolvers over the years. At least in my area, more modern 32 caliber S&W revolvers do not show up much.

 

[the Black Spot]

Small DA 22 mag revolver?

 

[Predator55]

It's a defensive pistol so you need to carry something that will stop the threat. 38 is the lowest caliber I would go with. I have an LCR 357 and with 38 spl even plus p's it's a joy to shoot. I'd suggest you find a shop or friend that has one and let her shoot it. I shoot full power 357 loads and it's not bad, silver tips 145 gr. now, your wife won't want to shoot that load but I guarantee she will handle 38' with no problem. The grip the gun comes with is design to lessen recoil and it does. The entire way the grip is design to reduce felt recoil. If she has to use it in SD the recoil won't even be felt, and she'll only need a few rounds to end a situation.

 

[cc-hangfire]

OChipper, you're going to get a lot of bad advice because big guys (myself included) don't easily understand the limited hand strength & upper body strength of some smaller, older women. My wife is 5'-2" and in her mid-50's; on a recent range trip I had her try 6 of my handguns that I felt would work best for her for EDC; a couple were barely manageable but most either had triggers that were too heavy or slides that were too stiff (even using proper technique), or recoil that was too painful. The six we tried included: Ruger LCR .38spl, S&W Shield, S&W Model 10 (too big for EDC), Remington RM380, Kel Tec P3AT, Walther PPK/S. And - unfortunately - I've learned from helping several of her friends that DA triggers on revolvers we just too heavy for them to shoot accurately.

I could ramble on more, but the following are my best suggestions based on what I've learned firsthand -& I apologize that most are semiautos:
Ruger LCR in .22lr or .22 mag - have her try the triggers, and the Houge grips should help
Glock 42 - have her rack the slide
SIG P238 - on the expensive end, but SA is definitely easier to shoot, & the slide racks easier than the Glock 42 IMO
Remington RM380 - this slide is one of the easiest I've felt on the pocket .380's
Kel Tec P32 - this one just barely makes the list due to quality & rim lock concerns (&, yes, I have one); very small, slide isn't as stiff as larger calibers, use the extended 10 round mag for a full grip

If all those fail, even the .25acp vest pocket pistols are better than a sharp stick. Best of luck to you & your wife!

 

[ATLDave]

It never ceases to amaze me how many gun store clerks and other "experts" fail to understand the basic proposition that, when it comes to pistols, ease of use/shooting is INVERSELY correlated with size. If you have someone who is going to have a hard time shooting or operating a gun (due to relative inexperience, physical limitations, or whatever), then what you need to do is get them into the LARGEST gun that they can put to use. Obviously, a desire to carry a gun is going to put some limits on size, but you need to be trying to figure out what is the largest gun they can reasonably carry, not the smallest.

 

[MedWheeler]

Even lighter-shooting than the target wadcutters are Cowboy Action loads. Like the WCs, they're not especially ideal for defense, but a hit with one certainly impacts harder than a miss with something else.

Can she take the course with something else, then work up to practice with the .38 for carry?

 

[200Apples]

the Black Spot

Small DA 22 mag revolver?

Folks see ".22..." and dismiss the Magnum when in fact the .22WMR (Magnum) is a whole different animal, with velocities at 100 yards identical to .22LR at the muzzle, and loaded with a fully-jacketed bullet, not copper-washed.

Anyone familiar with Bill Jordan can appreciate the fact that he knew what he was talking about. He thought the idea of the Airweight Chief's Special chambered in .22 mag ("a wicked little cartridge") to be of "reasonable power" and "pack[ing] plenty of close range authority"...

Smith & Wesson produce this combination today in the form of the Model 351PD (Personal Defense)



Like Kendal Black just said (in reference to a light .38 load), "They [may be] so-so for defense but like the old saying goes, don't stand in front of one."

I suspect that the perceived recoil from the above-pictured 351PD to be just the ticket for a smaller-statured mature woman. In fact, I think she'd really dig it especially after the beating her hand has had from the gun recently sold to her.

 

[Predator55]

If your going to go to an auto for her, look at the kahr lineup. The ccw 9 and the 380 would be good options, triggers are nice and the slide should be no problem. However, if she is going to carry and auto and put her life on the line with it you better make sure she has some range time to learn the ins and outs.

 

[Master Blaster]

Look at a 2.5" model 19, 66, or a 3 or 4 inch 686 or 686 plus.

They will be easier to shhot especially with .38 spl, and much easier on her hands than a 642.
Otherwise look at a Colt Mustang pocket lite .380 or a glock 26 or 42.

The G 26 is probably the best in terms of weight to power to capacity, and it will be light enough to carry easy to shoot and quite accurate.

 

[AlfonsDeWolf]

Anyone suggesting an auto for a very small woman doesn't understand something. My wife is 5'3"-95lbs. At one point she could do 15 wide grip pull ups and is NOT a wimp. Pulling back an auto is tough for her though. Why? you might ask. With her very light construction comes very light everything including very teeny fingertips. What we thick finger tipped dudes don't understand is a lot of our grip comes from a mass of maleable skin that 'grips'. They have to put much more force on teeny little pads to do the same. It's not being able to pull it back, it's the grip on the slide. We will never "understand", we just have to trust in this and what they say. And once again, that 70 year old lady will become 80 one day and this person who just bought an auto will have to go shopping again.