her revolver... input needed.

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What I have found over the years is most women who are not active shooters will pick a revolver. Given an assortment of guns to shoot, they will normally pick a K Frame, L Frame, GP100, Security Six, etc with a barrel in the 3" - 4" range.
I just went through this process with the fairly new daughter in law. She shot everything she tried remarkably well. She picked my Smith & Wesson 64 that I shoot matches with. I really thought she would have picked the Willy Clapp GP100 3", and might have if I had of done the trigger job on it before she shot it.

I started her out on my S&W 617 shooting 22 shells to get in some no recoil trigger time with a revolver. I then had her put rounds down range through my 4" Ruger MK III. Again for trigger time. She then shot the S&W 64, 638, 310 Night Guard shooting 40 S&W, 610 shooting 40 S&W, WC GP100 shooting 38 Special, 625 shooting 45 acp, an XDm 40 and a Colt NM 1911.
She liked the 64 S&W best.

I did this same drill with the wife years ago. Again she did not like the 1911, Glock 23, or CZ75. She did like the 686 S&W which has been her house gun for over 20 years.

A lady friend of ours up the road, same drill, she has a 4" HB Model 10.

I think she will be happy with any mid size, double action, Smith & Wesson, or Ruger Revolver that will shoot 38+P ammo.

I would at a minimum have a set of Wolfe springs installed, and a trigger job would be even better. Note: Shoot a couple boxes of shells through it after any spring work to make sure it is still 100% reliable.

You mentioned single actions. I would probably not pick that platform for a house gun, unless you plan to have her shoot quite a bit. You have to cock it to shoot it. It then has a very light trigger pull. In a stressful encounter the inexperianced might fire it when they did not intend to. You also have to remember to uncock it. I would not be nearly as concerned about slow reloading, as I am about needing to cock it before it can be fired. Then having a very light trigger pull. A single action will work fine, you just need more trigger time to be safe with one in a stressful situation in my opinion.

I have several S&W revolvers, and they are a very good choice.
The GP100 has a couple very good points however. One Hogue "Tamer" grips for a Super RedHawk will fit on one just fine, and take the sting out of firing heavier ammo very well. That is the factory grip for a Ruger Super RedHawk Alaskan. Next is the front sight. On adjustable sight GP100's you have a quick change front sight. Easy to install a Tritium night sight, for low light situations. If you have never opened one up before, the GP100 is also easier for the average guy to crack open and change the springs in than a S&W. Watching a You Tube vidio on disassembly, and reassembly of the GP100 should help a lot.


Just my 2 Cents

Bob
 
The woman is not small, as an in shape 47 yr old at 5'10 I feel she could handle a .38 or 357 easy enough... but what I feel she can do is pretty much irrelevant. She has run my .40 and .45 and like mentioned in some of the other posts above there is just to much going on with an auto for her to warm up to them. I now realize handing her a subcompact .40 was a big mistake and set us back a ways.

thanks!
 
A few years ago my wife was considering a gun for home and personal defense. I have several handguns and she tryed a couple of them and made her choice. That choice was the 2 1/2 inch S&W 66 that I carried as a Private Investigator and Security Supervisor. It served me well during that time and will serve her just as well. Try to find a range that rents guns and have her try as many as she can before making her decision. Let her be the one to choose what fits her instead of what you would like her to have.
 
I seem to post this in many, many threads, but it applies so often:

J&G Sales and CDNN and places like that seem to have a temporarily inexhaustable supply of fantastic K-frame .38s for CHEAP.

You can get a 4" Model 64 (just a stainless version of the model 10, 6-shot K-frame, .38 Spc) for between $250-$300. The guns all seem to be DAO or at least have a bobbed hammer, but that's JUST FINE. She doesn't need to be trying to learn SA techniques, too.

That's probably the cheapest route to getting her a great gun that is at a sweet spot for power-vs.-controllability. And if she doesn't take to it, you didn't spend much -- and now YOU have a great K-frame to enjoy! :)

Here's a current listing, square-butt versions for $280: http://www.jgsales.com/smith-wesson...d-hammer.-very-good-condition-s-w-p-3103.html
 
in singal action
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Right, but this is a home/self defense gun we're discussing, not a range plinker. It would be better to have a DAO gun and keep the training and technique as basic and consistent as possible.

Plenty of cautionary tales out there to illustrate that cocking a gun for an SA shot doesn't belong in almost any defensive scenario.
 
We've decided that if attacked, we'll just get mugged if we can't use SA lol. I can't shoot worth a damn DA either.
 
Glock = no manual of arms. There's a round in the chamber or there isn't. Well, I guess that is sort of a manual of arms.

Revolvers? For recoil management, get her a mid-size .357 and load 38SPL charges into .357 brass.
 
Glock = no manual of arms. There's a round in the chamber or there isn't. Well, I guess that is sort of a manual of arms.
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When you consider loading, charging, unloading and clearing the chamber, I'd say there's more of a manual of arms to any autoloader than there is with a revolver.

And why go to all the expense and trouble of buying a .357 and downloading ammo, when you can get high quality .38s so cheaply?
 
Single action has been mentioned a couple times but in our case I would only ask my wife to use my Blackhawk so she could experience the .38 and possibly the .357 recoil before we laid out cash for a DA. If the .38 recoil is undesirable for her in a heavy Blackhawk then we are certainly not ready to move forward and need to consider a .22lr for a starter.


And yes I would agree a Glock is simple. I happen to think my 1911, XD40sc, and LCP are plenty simple but time has proven an autoloader is not an option for her which is the whole basis for this discussion.


Thanks for the links to those used .38s, that is very interesting!

- Mark
 
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And why go to all the expense and trouble of buying a .357 and downloading ammo, when you can get high quality .38s so cheaply?
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Some people don't like to deal with the rings that form in a .357 cylinder from shooting the shorter .38 rounds. But I agree, there are good .38s to be had at good prices.
 
If we are talkin' a "her's sized" revolver than why we talkin' a .357 mag anyway. My first snubbie was a 605 Taurus. I shot .38's almost exclusively since the first 5 rounds (and the only) I shot out of it with 357's left my hand with little blood speckles from unburnt powder coming out of it. 38 +P's is all ANYONE would ever need from a 1 7/8" or 2" revolver.
 
76shuvlinoff
her revolver... input needed.
Folks,
Occasionally my wife talks about getting a pistol, I've had her shoot all my bottom feeders, she really doesn't seem to retain the manual of arms or the hand strength to chamber a round plus she's recoil sensitive. The only one she was actual happy shooting was my fullsize 1911 with a 22lr conversion but again, there's that manual of arms thing because she does not want an auto laying around with a round chambered.

So now we're thinking revolver. I have a SA Ruger .357 but there's more to it than point and shoot, this brings us to a DA wheel gun. Please note concealed carry is not a concern for the near future. I want her to have something when I am not around.

Now the problem, and I realize maybe it's MY problem not hers. I have not said a word to her about this but I can't wrap my head around using a 22lr pistol for home/self defense. I would rather suggest to her a .38 minimum. Am I all wrong?

- Mark
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IMO, you are not wrong, but I'm sure there are a host of folks who would say "Let her choose the gun...blah...blah...blah...". While the Let-her-choose philosophy does have its merit I'm guessing you do have a bit more experience than your wife in guns for HD/SD. Would you let a 16 YO kid pick out a 300+ HP car because they wanted it and felt most comfortable with it? Otherwise, they felt that a SmartCar would be ideal for them? If it were my kid, I would not let them have either vehicle.

A 22LR Revolver for SD/HD is better than no gun for that purpose. However, there are definitely better choices and it is your job to teach/steer...etc. If your wife is recoil adverse I would recommend something chambered in 32S&W Long or 32 H&R Mag. For home defense, a full lugged 38 Special would have very little recoil with non +P defense loads.
 
My wife loves her Smith and Wesson Model 15. It's been her gun for the past 2yrs. Other people at the range are always amazed at her putting entire cyls into one ragged hole at 7yrds.

Even with the Remington 158 LHP 38+P's the recoil is easy for her to manage.

She has had trouble with auto loading pistols as well. I feel like I made a bad choice starting her off with a Walther P22 because the jump to her first real auto loader (SIG P6) was just too much for her to handle (the slide recoil).

A good solid DA .38 revolver was just the ticket.

Now that she has mastered the fundementals of sights and trigger with the revolver she quickly adjusted to the Glock 19 and XD9 Service Model.... She can even handle my 1911's for a mag or 2 before they overwhelm her.....

To think a $260 Trade In K Frame revolver got her to really understand and enjoy shooting.
Will
 
Why in the world are people still going on about "manual of arms" for revolver versus semi-auto as if either consisted of only loading and unloading the gun? Both are more complicated than that.
 
Another vote for the 4" K-frames from J&G. Here's a Model 64 from them, pimped out with some faux-ivory (read plastic) grips:

DSCF0287.jpg

A solid, easy-shooting revolver, cheap and reliable, with no lock.
 
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Ruger SP101 327.

I have one and my wife LOVES shooting that gun, and she is very accurate with it.
 
Tonight I picked up a Taurus 82 .38 spcl service pistol vintage unknown for next to nothing from a local guy. He's got an FFL and deals from his home. He gets these practically in bulk.

The gun has plenty of "character" stocks dinged, bluing is shot, bore looks good, the works seem to lock up tight. DA trigger is long and tough. I have not actually shot it yet just dry fired a few times.

Until I can get some assembly drawings could I clean it up by removing the stocks and dropping the whole thing into an ultrasonic cleaner at work then blowing it out?

If it proves out I might even try my hand at some kind of refinishing later. I don't have much to lose here. If it runs well I want to offer it to my wife for a starter house gun.
 
Those Model 82s are pretty solid guns. I still have a couple of the newer models with the full lugs. Take the grips off, wipe it down, oil a bit, clean the bore and you should be good to go. I would refrain from dry firing without snap caps, though. I would not fire +P loads in it if it is not the newer heavier duty model.
 
I think you are on the right track, of course, 76shuvlinoff
but OldCav (as usual) does not miss the mark
if she don't like 38s out of your Blackhawk, I would not press the issue
(there is always "next year", and that happens quite a lot, sometimes in much less than a year)

but an all steel J-frame WMR, it is sure enough loud enough
but the felt recoil is pert-near-nothing
and 22WMR (though not what it's not), just might be the #1 most under rated revolver cartridge of all time

but I would suggest not less than 4" of barrel, if you go down that road
 
Thanks and the 22 mag is probably the next move. I'm not ready to give it all up yet but we really didn't have a good introductory run with the .38 today, in fact it looks like I now have a .38 cal beater to play with. At least I was already using that caliber.

and the hunt continues...
 
if she isn't carrying it, I think a 8 or 9 shot 22 mag in a 4inch tube could be quite formidable. What about the 327 federal? extra shot, soft as a kitten to shoot. I love K frame sized 38s, but if she doesn't like the recoil I think it is better to have her keep something she enjoys practicing with (even if it is in a smaller caliber) than leave her with a more powerful, less familiar arm.
 
What about the 327 federal? extra shot, soft as a kitten to shoot.
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Um, the 327 Federal Mag is NOT soft as a kitten with full house loads out of a snub. It's not as snappy as a 357 Mag but it's for sure up there with +P 38 rounds.
 
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