Revolver for a female friend

[OrangePwrx9]

TAKtical:
Limp wristing is NOT a myth. It's a real problem with women. Took my lady friend and her friend to a range where we shot both a Glock 17 and an XD9. Neither gal could make either gun run at first. One jam after another.

Instructed both gals to stiffen up their wrists and grip the gun firmly. My lady friend did as I said and had no further problems. Her friend continued to have problems on every round. I had zero problems shooting either gun.

Funny thing was, the friend had received training at Front Sight and could shoot either gun quite accurately; she was also amazingly quick a clearing jams. But for all that, she couldn't make either gun run.

The fact that YOU don't have limp-wristing problems doesn't mean they don't happen to other people.

Another problem with small semi-autos, especially small 9mms, is the difficulty in racking the slide. Women often lack the hand strength. It seems that the smaller the gun the stiffer the recoil spring. The Kahr K9 is my smallest 9 and the most difficult to rack. I don't imagine a CM9 or a Shield would be any easier.

 

[ArchAngelCD]

Small 9mm pistols also generate a lot more felt recoil than most .38 Special revolvers. (unless you buy one of those very expensive 12oz S&W Airlite .357 Magnums)

The S&W M640 or M649 are both good choices IMO.

 

[AirForceShooter]

See if she can find a .327 Magnum to try.
My wife is in love with hers.

AFS

 

[Crowman]

AirForceShooter has a point.

.327 Federal is an excellent but underrated cartridge. It is easy to shoot and is very accurate. The Federal 85 grain JHP works well in a compact revolver. The Speer 115 JHP loading is simply awsome. This is not only a great self-defense cartridge, it is a really good woods carry cartridge, especially in a 7-shot Ruger GP100 (but replace front sight with a Hi-Viz).

Revolvers in .327 Federal will also safely chamber and fire .32 S&W, .32 S&W Long and .32 H&R as well. She can use mild and cheap .32 S&W Long ammo for plinking and firearm familiarization and will probably out-shoot you with it.

Many manufacturers make revolvers in this chambering: Taurus, Charter Arms, S&W, Ruger

The pick of the litter is the S&W offering. S&W makes two revolvers in this cartridge. One has an exposed hammer and compensated 632 Carry Comp 3" barrel...too expensive, too heavy and too much muzzle flash. Avoid this one. The other one is the all stainless M632 Pro Series, Catalog # 178045 snubnose built on the DAO Century frame. It has a 2-1/8 inch barrel, holds 6 rounds and comes equipped with rubber boot grips, front and rear night sights (the best on any revolver in this class). This is the one to locate and buy. I am searching for one now, and it will be added to my CCW rotation. SKS makes 6-round speed loaders for this chambering and Dillon sells 8-round rubber speed strips for the .327 as well.

I have a Ruger SP101 in .327 Federal that I sometimes carry in a pancake holster and it is a sturdy revolver, but the double action trigger really sucks. Also the weenie grips did not fit my hand so I traded them out for a set of excellent Trausch synthetic French grips as used by their police. These grips look strange but are designed to facilitate a two-handed high grip for fast shooting. The sights on the Ruger are very difficult to pick up under most light conditions and the front sight has to be replaced with something worthwhile. The S&W comes ready to rock as-is.

 

[JRWhit]

When looking for a gun for my mother She ended up going for the Ruger LCR. She had week hands and was able to easily squeeze the trigger and hit her target and their is no hammer or safeties to fumble with. I have recommended this to many women shooters looking for a defense gun. Like it or not women don't get as excited as we do about our firearms and all the goodies to go with it.(most of the time) I recommend revolvers for women not only for easy function, but because of where it is most likely to be carried. In a purse. Holstered or not there is a lot to come in contact with when pulling the gun out. Possibly bumping the magazine release,the safety,exe. With the revolver if a women feels threatened or has reason to do so can walk with her hand in her purse and on the revolver. Obviously not in full grip for reasons of safety, for those waiting to chest thump. If a SD situation should occur the revolver can be fire multiple times through the purse, where as a slide would be obstructed and not cycle fully. If in a threatened position this gives a women an edge as she is more ready than otherwise and giving an attacker no time to notice her reaching for something and advert it.

 

[Haywood]

If you can rent a Ruger LCR357. Shooting them with 125G 357 is not bad. Shooting them with 38+P is a breeze. You wont find a smoother trigger. I carry one daily and have sold them to many male and female CCW Students.

 

[tomrkba]

Definitely review the resources mentioned

The snub nosed revolver is a terrible choice for any new shooter. Any short semi-automatic pistol with a short barrel and a grip that does not fully support the hand is also a terrible choice for a new shooter. Both are more difficult to shoot and the new shooter does not have the skill to run them. Attributes in a beginning revolver include: 3 1/2" to six inch barrel (some guys say 3", but I'm including 3 1/2" for the Model 27). and a full grip with gap filler behind the trigger guard. Semi-autos should have at least a three to four inch barrel and the grip should fully support the palm. Sights on both need to be clearly visible, preferably with at least a white dot on the front sight. 38 Special is a good target round and decent defensive loads are available. Any service style semi-automatic pistols in 9x19mm or 45 ACP should be fine. 40 S&W, 10mm and 357 SIG can be too snappy for new shooters. Much good can come from using a tuned 1911 in 9x19mm (or a Browning Hi-Power) since the trigger can feel beautiful and the recoil is low.

 

[Crowman]

Since your lady friend wants a gun to take to the woods as well as the grocery store, why not consider the S&W 386 Night Guard. It has enough mass to make repeat hits viable, will chamber 7 rounds of either .38 Specials or .357 Magnums, and is light enough for trail carry or purse transport.

I use one as my primary CCW carry gun, and frequently pack 180 grain hard cast FP magnum hunting loads for protection from the small black bear or hawgs we have up here. Additionally, I load Speer snake shot for copperheads, timber rattlers and Eastern Diamondbacks when I go about the property. When I go to town, I load it with either 158 grain JSP or 125 grain JHP magnums. It carries well in a pancake holster or Miami Classic rig.

The synthetic grips are big enough to control the weapon and it comes with excellent night sights that are extremely fast to acquire under any lighting situation. Believe me, hubby would much rather touch off a magnum load in this revolver than in a LCR or J-frame.

Mine is a very accurate revolver despite the short barrel and it is controllable. The night sights are fixed, and are regulated for 158 grain magnum loads (shoots dead-on to point of aim).

 

[dprice3844444]

also note,less chance of accidental discharges with revolvers

 

[weblance]

Weblance, there are so many things wrong with that statement, I dont even know how to respond. Revolvers are no more reliable than any quality auto-loader, they are not foolproof, limp wristing malfunction is a myth as far as im concerned. Ive purposely tried to make my auto-loaders malfunction by "limp wristing" and could not make it happen with glocks, 1911's or XD's. Corneredcat, a womens site, for and by women, has specifically addressed this myth that women need or want revolvers for their first gun. Maybe you should check that out. Everyone should make a well informed decision about their first firearm purchase.

I stated my opinion and I stand by it. Just because you cant make an autoloader malfunction by limp wristing doesnt mean it doesnt happen. Hand my wife or my daughter a P95 and it will malfunction. I have over 3000 rounds thru my P95 and I cant make it malfunction, but they can in less than a full magazine. Hand them a GP100, SP101, LCR or J Frame and it goes bang every time. I trust a J Frame with my life every day because my LCP is unreliable. The LCP is a gun that just about everyone says is one of the most reliable autoloader out there. I dont agree with that. I have been shooting almost 40 years and have never had a revolver fail in any way. I have had autoloaders fail many times. Mostly Feed and Ejection problems that dont happen with revolvers. Im sure you will come back with some comment about how autoloaders are better than revolvers or some websight that says so, but you are not going to change my opinion about this. I stand by my original comment that a new shooter is better served with a revolver, and not because she is a woman.

 

[Crowman]

The original thread started as a woman's request for a firearm & cartridge combination that is suitable for both the trail and town. Not sure where she lives, but around here, a .327 Federal would be the smallest I'd take in my woods. I have some hard-cast 115 grain FP handloads for penetration in that caliber. Usually I pack a 386NG in .357 magnum or a .45 Colt Mountain Gun. Bullet selection is key.

So, 10mm autos notwithstanding, this requirement precludes semiautos. They are lousy woods guns. Sorry, fact of life. Can't vary the ammo, bullet selection not there (need hard cast SWC's for big things that growl in the woods at night), JHP's work great on people, but lack penetration on hairy critters with big bones, thick fur, etc. Looks like a .38/.357 combo is the minimum, but in a controllable platform as previously discussed. Ammunition must be selected for the job, ie. .125 JHP for anti-personnel & 158-180 grain JSP or Keith style hard cast SWC for critters.

As far as "limp wristing" semiautos, a 6'-6" tall friend of mine visited from Huntsville, AL this summer and he brought his Rock Island 1911 along for fun and games. I broke out my pre-war 1911A1 National Match hard-ball pistol and we went to my 25 yard pistol range and blasted away at some good old bullseyes. He kept experiencing malfunctions with his pistol because he "limped his wrist" and the gun could not recoil back into battery properly. When I got him to lock his arms and adjust his grip properly, his malfunctions ceased. Whenever he lapsed back into his old bad grip habits, the malfunctions started up again, so it is possible, even with a big guy with huge hands, to induce malfunctions by adopting an improper or weak grip and hold with a semi-auto (1911) pistol. Back in the early 1980's, I was able to create a "limp Wrist" malfunction on demand with my Colt Combat Commander as part of my weapons familiarization drills. Have not tried to cause a malfunction in a Glock or XD pistol yet.

I went out to the "CorneredCat" website. Her advice on concealed carry situations was spot-on as well as entertaining and she has some very good practical gun handling information out on it. Especially the part about racking slides. I taught my Wife that technique several years ago; however, she still has problems with it...bad finger joints.