Getting started suggestions, another one...

[col_temp]

Hi All,

Here's the question. Thought I would get some suggestions from the crowd to help get started and avoid some mistakes along the way.
The Situation:
1. Our range has basically only a big 50 cal and 44 mag revolver to rent.
2. My wife loves here shield and when going full size likes her S&W M&P9.
The trouble generally has problems getting it racked, especially the shield as there is less to grab a hold of.
3. The gun will mostly be used at home. (She also works from home.) But something for Concealed carry would be nice if we can double up.

It's been suggested we try a revolver and I agree. We plan to hit the better of the local gun shops and try a few for size, fit, etc... Problem will come when we want to try and actually shoot. (I may be able to solve that at one of the other ranges.)

What I would like are some starting suggestions.
-Should we go with a snubby?
-We have money so the cheapest is not necessary but also don't need an heirloom!
-Are the lightweights (Like the Charter Arms Pink Lady) really that bad? The wife is small and has small hands the M&P starts getting heavy after a while (like several rounds shooting slow.)
-Suggestion or model to look at ? Weare not in a hurry so may look for a used gun off Armslist or elsewhere.

Thanks for your suggestions a head of time. PT

 

[peacemaker45]

First off, be aware that racking a slide is more a matter of technique than it is one of strength. Most men never learn the right way to do it, because they're strong enough to get away with doing it the hard way. This puts them in a poor position to teach the ladies of their acquaintance. For info on how to do it right, and a host of other things, try The Cornered Cat's website.

As for a revolver, they have their good points and bad points. Good is that there's no slide to rack. They also aren't prone to limp-wrist jams, or foul ups from using ammo the gun doesn't like. That last is rare with modern quality guns and ammo, but is still within the realm of possibility. There's also no safety catch to worry about.

Bad, on the other hand is that you're trading a fifteen pound slide spring for a twelve pound trigger. Mastering a revolver's double action trigger pull takes a good deal of practice and effort. Also, they tend to hold far fewer rounds than a semi-auto. A quarter as many, in the more extreme comparisons.

If in light of all that you still want to try a revolver, for a first one, I'd definitely not recommend a snub. The heavy trigger, short sight radius, and light weight all combine to make them difficult to shoot. Fortunately, there are megatons of old medium frame revolvers floating around out there, as they were the choice of law enforcement for decades before converting to poly pistols.

Top choices would be the S&W K frame, models 10, 13, 15, 19, 64, or 67, with a three or four inch barrel. Some of those are .357s, some .38 Spl, but it doesn't matter a great deal. For your purposes .38 or 38 + P is all you need. If the Smiths don't float your boat, you might try the Ruger Speed Six, Securtiy Six, or SP-101. Taurus also makes well thought of S&W clones. These are all generally going to be heavier than the M&P, but the upside of holding six instead of sixteen rounds, is she won't have to hold it up as long.

Getting an old police trade .38 for a couple of hundred bucks first, shooting the snot out of it, and then taking the resulting shiny new skillset in search of a likable snub as a "graduation present," is a course of action with much to recommend it.

Btw, in a town the size of Seattle, surely there's more than one range around that rents handguns. Shop around! It's fun.

 

[J-Bar]

There is a reason why J- frame Smith & Wessons are so numerous and popular... They satisfy a lot of requirements. The grip and weight are easy for women to use as well as men. The .38 Special cartridge is a respectable caliber for both defense and recreation. When fired single action, you will think the trigger came out of an Olympic class target pistol- clean and crisp and low weight.

Include a J-frame S&W (5 shot revolver) in your evaluations.

 

[col_temp]

Thanks Mat,
That is definitely what I was looking for. I kind of got the feeling about the snubbies from reading around a bit.
Thanks for the suggestions. My guess is one of the range on the East side should have a wider range of revolvers to shoot. Just hadn't investigated to far yet.
Thanks for the suggestions J-bar and Mat. Will let you know what if anything we do!

PS Mat as to the racking. Both of us read the cornered cat and we had an instructor help her. May be time for a refresher and getting some help again to see if we can improve the technique enough to get her to more easily rack it.

Thanks for the suggestions. Paris

 

[aka108]

I would stick with the quality of Smith & Wesson. Take a look at their entire line up then make your own decision.

 

[Manny]

My favorite snubby is a Ruger KLCR or LCR which has an excellent trigger, far better than anything I've ever experianced on a J-frame Smith. Mas Ayoob actually had this gun as a poster child for consideration for use by folks with diminished hand strength due to aging or arthritis in the Oct 2013 issue of Guns magazine.

 

[oneounceload]

The issue with those light guns is then the recoil can be substantial with some loads - which is why renting and actually shooting them with the intended ammo makes so much sense. I carry a snub and it is no range toy; even with standard loads of LSWC in standard 38 it is a handful to shoot more than 3-5 cylinders full for practice before my hand says enough.

It becomes a chicken and egg thing - need to practice to get get good enough but practice is not fun to do a lot of, so you don't. Dry firing is one thing -and it helps - but using live ammo will give her the best idea whether it will work for her.

There are small semis to consider, like the Sigs in 380 and 9mm, Boberg, Kahr - some might be easier than others

In the end of course, she will have to make the ultimate decision

 

[col_temp]

Thanks for the replies.
Visited the (somewhat) local gun shop today and handled both the lightweight and a excellent condition used Ruger SP-101.
The Ruger's dbl action trigger is a bit heavy for her but manageable. And the weight of the gun would definitely make the recoil easier. (Bonus is I could use the 357 mag rounds as a backup gun when hunting if I needed too.)

We stop at our range and they do have a Ruger LCR 38 for rent so next time we are in I'll get her to shoot that. Should at least give a basic feel.

Will look around for a S&W J or K to test with when i get the chance.
Thanks for the help.