Low Recoil .357 ammunition?

[fatfreddiescat]

This was posted on another thread. I'm new here, so please forgive the mistake.

My wife has RA. She cannot rack a slide in any handgun we've tested. I bought her a S&W Chief 60, (revolver) and she can fire it fairly well, but only in SA mode. She doesn't have the finger strength to use any handgun as DA. Since most Semi-Auto's had a reduced trigger pull weight after the first shot is fired, I thought that perhaps a Beretta Tomcat might work, by loading a magazine, the tipping the barrel up, loading one in by hand, then going SA for the first shot, then using the remainder as DA. I just heard that the trigger pull is hard on a Tomcat, even after the first shot. Today, we went to qualify, and she could not complete 25 rounds, even though they were 'semi-wadcutter' (?)! They hurt MY hand, so I know why she quit on 'em. My P226 .40S&W has less hand-hurt than her cheif 60!! Are there any 'extra-low recoil' ammunition(s) for a .357 available?

OR.........Any suggestions as to a weapon that she might be able to use, enjoy, and carry for self-defense ... (the carry takes away the idea of reducing the trigger pull, at least in CA.... I was told that no mods to trigger pull on a CCW were allowable.)

Any help available?

(I know....get her a 14 ga defender style, and tell her to stay home...)

She has grown up and shot plenty when she was younger. This Rheumatoid Arthritis is kickin her butt lately, and I would like to help her by finding her the right handgun for the hand problem. A .32 or 380 would be fine, as long as it has a slide that is a REAL soft pull to rack, or something like the Tomcat?!

Thanks for puttin up with me.
Fred

 

[R.W.Dale]

Chambering an autoloader is all about technique, if done properly even a 3yr old could do it. The problem with selecting a DA revolver because of this issue is if she cannot "rack" the slide she probably cannot handle the strain of the long DA trigger pull on a revolver either.

In your case a small single action such as a ruger single six birdshead in 32H&R may be a legitimate option worth considering

as for low recoil 357 ammunition

it's called .38 special

 

[fatfreddiescat]

not to be confusing

I have a Sig P226 .40S&W. She cannot rack the slide in that, or any other semi-auto were have tried. As for the Chief 60 3", its a 5 shot revolver. When we bought it, the dealer was s-o-o-o-o assuring that this was a weapon she could enjoy. Well, we went for the CCW class, and found that you HAD to qualify using the ammo that was on the side of the barrel, (.357 Mag) which was not the .38 special ammo she had been using (and then only by pulling the hammer back (SA) for each shot. She does not have the finger strength to use a revolver as a DA.

So......... cannot rack slide on semi-auto .........
...no finger strength for DA on revolver.....

The only other thought is that (on some semi-auto weapons) the first shot acts in trigger pull as a SA, with a lot of weight to the pull (5+ lbs) and then the subsequent trigger pull ( as DA) is reduced to 3.2, 3.5, etc.

I would like to find a Semi-Auto handgun that she could load like, for example, a Tomcat (barrel load one) pull back the hammer, and then, after the first shot, expect a reduced trigger pull weight. Or a revolver with an extremely low trigger pull fro the factory. In CA, at least our county, I was told that no mods to trigger pull are allowed. I need to check on that, because if it were, we could reduce the pull down to 3 lbs, and be in business.

I hope that cleared it up.

We know you don't have to rack a .357 revolver. I am looking for a weapon she can qualify for her CCW with.

EDIT: We thought about selling the Chief 60, and getting a S&W lightweight .38, but she can't squeeze the trigger, as it came from the factory, and again, no mods for a carry gun??!!factory

 

[pps]

I have a light (not talking federal primers only type of light) trigger pull on one of my ccw revolvers. The deputy inspecting it just said "nice". I do live in Ca.

As to the inability to move the slide, is she having problems with the slide slipping out of her grasp, is it that she is flat out to weak in the arm strength to pull it, or are her fingers becoming painful from the rheumatoid arthritis?

For my wife, the solution to her hand weakness was to hold the slide in her left hand, and push the body of the gun forward. Of course my wife does not have Rheumatoid Arthritis, and the inevitable strain on the radial collateral ligaments of the MP joints of the fingers from working the slide are not an issue with her.

 

[R.W.Dale]

in that case look into a purchasing a box of cowboy action loads for 357magnum. These puppies will be as low as you can get for factory 357

http://www.midwayusa.com/viewProduct/?productNumber=748349

http://www.midwayusa.com/viewProduct/?productNumber=762716

http://www.midwayusa.com/viewProduct/?productNumber=420489

the trick will be finding some in stock

 

[pps]

Take any Smith and Wesson to Randy Lee in Los Osos and he can get the pull as light as possible without it being considered a modification. I like the suggestion above for cowboy action loads for the qualification. Otherwise I'd just stoke her gun with 38 target wadcutters for sd...very mild.

With her RA, it will be a good idea to try various grips to see what fits her the best.

 

[Travis Bickle]

The 357B and other full-power .357 Magnums have a lot of blast and kick. If you are not comfortable with the buck and roar of full-house .357 Magnums, I would strongly suggest that you use a lower-recoil round. Controllability is important, and you will be able to fire lower-recoil rounds more rapidly and accurately. All of these .357 loads have excellent stopping power, so don't worry that you are giving up too much.

In descending order of severity of recoil (i.e. the Silvertip kicks the most) I recommend the Winchester Silvertip 145 grain JHP (X357SHP), The Remington Golden Saber 125 grain JHP (GS357MA), Federal 110 gr. JHP (357D), Remington Medium Velocity 125 grain Semi-Jacketed Hollowpoint (R357M11) and the Cor-Bon 110 grain JHP. The latter two are excellent rounds I strongly recommend for .357 Magnum 2.5" and 3" barrel snub-nose revolvers like the S&W Models 66, 19, 65, 13, the Colt King Cobra, the Ruger GP100 and especially the small-frame Ruger SP101. If you still find that your .357 kicks too much, carry the Cor-Bon .38 Special+P 110 grain JHP discussed above. Two or three hits with good .38+P slugs beat any number of misses with .357 slugs.

Note well: if you are using the factory wood stocks on your S&W or Taurus .357 revolver, you should try a set of rubber replacement grips. Ruger and Colt .357 Magnums come factory-equipped with recoil-absorbing ergodynamic rubber grips, and I have no idea why S&W and Taurus continue to put wood grips on their .357 revolvers. The difference in control is enormous. Get some good, compact rubber grips from Uncle Mike's or Pachmayr and slap them onto your .357 revolver ASAP. I used to cringe every time I fired a full-power load in my .357 Magnum snub-nose. Once I put some compact Pachmayr grips on it, however, I had no problem firing the 357B accurately and rapidly. These grips only cost twenty bucks. Buy some.)

LINK

 

[Claude Clay]

have her try---hold semi auto in dominate hand, place weak hand on top of the slide with thumb pointing at her chest. in this mannor she will be grasping one side with all 4 fingers and the other side along the full lenght of her thumb. hold slide as firmly as she can and PUSH the grip (gun) away from her as she is also pulling the slide to her. this works more often than not--combining the strenght of a push and a pull.
as for weak 357 ammo try buying Cowboy Loads. they will be in a 357 magnum case but the power level will be as a soft 38 special. if you know someone who reloads they can make up a box of lite 357's in a matter of minutes.
good luck

 

[zxcvbob]

When we bought it, the dealer was s-o-o-o-o assuring that this was a weapon she could enjoy. Well, we went for the CCW class, and found that you HAD to qualify using the ammo that was on the side of the barrel, (.357 Mag) which was not the .38 special ammo she had been using (and then only by pulling the hammer back (SA) for each shot. She does not have the finger strength to use a revolver as a DA.

That's just stupid. Maybe shop around for a different CCW class? Otherwise, buy some "cowboy" .357's like krochus said. (Can you use reloads? 148 grain double-ended wadcutters in .357 brass with about 3.5 to 4 grains of Bullseye, probably closer to 3.5)

 

[BCRider]

The issue then is that the cowboy action loads aren't going to be much good for SD. Or if the low recoil stuff is only for the range then my apoligies for the misunderstanding. If this is only for range use then some target wadcutters for a revolver may be the trick. Also perhaps fitting a revolver with a Wolff spring kit but no other mods would produce a slightly softer DA pull but should still be plenty safe as long as it's in a holster that covers the trigger area.

It's technically wrong but a thread with some new shooters here or on another site a few months back showed some little 79 lb girls that were using two fingers on the trigger. Both hands wrapped around the grips with both index fingers through the trigger guard and laying over top of each other. Of course all the pundits had a good chuckle.... but in your wife's case maybe this "error" could be a workable solution to her specific needs. It's worth a try at least and with a bit of practice she may be able to get pretty decent with this method.

Another thought is that if you two shopped around to find a nice light gun for carrying you may have shot yourselves in the collective feet. Sure it's nicer to carry but it'll increase the felt recoil for her. It may be worth considering a heavier gun. More difficult to carry but when shooting it won't tend to kick itself around in her weaker grip and either end up way out of aim for the follow up shot or worse, on the ground.

 

[zxcvbob]

The issue then is that the cowboy action loads aren't going to be much good for SD. Or if the low recoil stuff is only for the range then my apoligies for the misunderstanding. If this is only for range use then some target wadcutters for a revolver may be the trick.

The point of softball .357 ammo is that either the CCW instructor or the sheriff (I couldn't tell which) is screwing with her; saying she has to qualify with .357 Magnum ammo because that's what the gun is chambered for. (probably a sadist who enjoys watching a girl shoot a "magnum" and hurt herself. ) Of course she'll carry real .38 Special SD ammo once she gets the license.

 

[PT1911]

why not just use 38 special... very manageable in a 357 framed gun...correction.. BUY a 38 and qualify with that.. a 357 is a 357 for a reason. if you need lower recoil, then the sensible, and humane thing to do is to downgrade to a 38

 

[fatfreddiescat]

as TRAVIS suggested

I just ordered some Pachmayr grips for the S&W 60. I will get some cowboy rounds as soon as I can find 'em, probably tomorrow. We'll get to the bottom of this soon!
Thanks again
Fred

 

[fatfreddiescat]

g'night, y'all, and thanx again. I will report back as I progress....hopefully tomorrow afternoon
F.

 

[sidheshooter]

There is one gun that is often recommended for severe RA; The beretta 86 in .380, FWIW:

 

[zxcvbob]

Fred, how did this turn out?

(I just stumbled onto the thread again)