Revolver for the wife

[TCmofo]

I currently own a Glock 19 and a S&W model 66. I am currently looking to buy a revolver for my wife, I am in the military so when I deploy I like having the peace of mind that she is able to defend herself (will be moving to Illinois next week so this is for home defense only). I have only taken her shooting twice, surprisingly she is a pretty good shot, and she had fun so things are good to go there.

I am looking at either getting her a "2" or "3" Ruger SP101 or a S&W Model 60. Of course it will be to her liking and fitting, but I am just wondering if a "3" would be better for her since the recoil would probably be less pronounced as opposed to the snubby. Some of you may be asking why not just let her just have the 66... Well, it was my father's and I plan on babying that thing...although she will be using that until we get the 2nd revolver. So which model and size revolver should I go with?

 

[davidconatser]

Everyone is different, so our experience may or may not be relevant.

I took my wife to a range/store that had rentals. We were thinking J-frame when we went. 640 or 642. She shot those well, but what she really liked was the 686 with 2 1/2" barrel. That is now her home defense gun. She also has a 60 LadySmith, but likes the 686 best.

She is 62 and has a bit of arthritis in her hands. The extra weight makes the recoil easily manageable.

 

[Rokyudai]

Ruger SP101...for one thing it costs less (MSRP wise) than that particular SW but you are not sacrificing quality. As for recoil that is completely subjective and I won't attempt to tell you that my wife's first cousin's mother has one and it works for her.

If she is healthy and under 90 , and (heaven forbid) finds herself in a SD scenario, the last thing she will feel is recoil especially on a good revolver with a good grip that fits her hand. The 3 inch will hold no discernible advantage over a 2 inch barrel if it just sits on a nightstand and is a 'just in case gun'.


Have her shoot +P .38s through it ....


Rok

 

[bflobill_69]

Ruger SP101 would be a great choice... and quite accurate in my experience!

But for home defense - why not get a 4" barrel?

Bflobill_69

 

[Shawnee]

Above all... let her get the one she likes - that is more important than barrel length.

I taught women SD shooting and some of them competition shooting for three years - the hands down #1 choice they made was the S&W L-frame (686) with 4" barrel. The #2 Favorite (by a pretty good margin) was - believe it or not - the Ruger Security-Six.

I would strongly discourage any barrel length less than 4". Not one woman out of probably 250 that I taught, wanted anything to do with the short-barreled guns. They would shoot one once (or watch) and say "No Thanks - too loud!", and that was the end of it in no uncertain terms. Many of them said "too Dxxx loud!".

Good luck !

 

[wnycollector]

The progression of revolvers for the wife was as follows:
1st) S&W 638- She LOVED it in the gun store...but HATED it at the range with ANYTHING other than wadcutters.
2nd) S&W 36 she liked the added weight and hogue monogrip...but still not right!
3rd) 2.75" Ruger Security Six...SHE LOVES IT! With a mid range .357 (speer short barrel) she can put all 6 rounds into a COM out to 15 yards. She will even (occasionally) shoot my Doubletap 125gr loads (1550fps/667lbs!).

 

[JCMAG]

I know this is the revolver forum, but why not a shotgun if it is but limited to self defense?

I am obligated to say that. That said, I agree with Shawnee--the benefits of the short barrel really disappear when the gun isn't being carried conceal. The muzzle blast can also become a burden.

A 4" steel gun of her choice would fit the bill. If she seems insistent on a shorter barrel gun, have her try one out before she buys.

Most importantly, though, it's her gun and she should have total freedom in selecting it (with your experienced input, of course .

 

[Z71]

Let her decide.

Was easy with my wife. I went to a gunshow some years back by myself. One of the dealers had the DA only Ruger SP101 .357's on sale for like $249 new!

I left the gunshow with a SP101 and a Hogue grip to stick on it. Got home and was looking the cool little revolver over, had just installed the aftermarket grip. Wife comes in and asks to see it. OK, I let her see it. She says "oooh, thats comfy" "can I have it?"!!!

Well what do you say? I gave it to her, didn't get to own it but a couple of hours!

 

[Daizee]

Remember that snub-nosed revolvers are *not girl guns*, they are *expert guns*. Small, loud, kicky, hard to aim, less power, etc. You want to protect your wife, not hurt her. (not that girls can't be experts, but you know what I mean. And oh, I love me a sp101, but...)

For in-the-home defense, get her the full duty-sized revolver that best fits her hands and aesthetic sense. Load it with modern, premium near-full-weight subsonic .38spl+p even if it's a .357, so that if you have to rush home after she's potted an intruder you don't have to yell into her hearing aid for the rest of your lives.

That's my $0.02 for old or new shooters of any gender w/ a .357/.38 revolver. It's worth about what you paid for it, and most of you have been around the block way more than me.

-Daizee

 

[greener]

I think I agree with Daizee. I bought a 442 a few months ago. Nice little, light revolver. Great for carry. Took me a while to get over the combination of relatively heavy trigger and light weight. Recoil doesn't bother me, but it took me a while to get accuracy down. They aren't exactly the easiest guns to shoot.

The best idea is to let her look at the revolvers, and other guns. I like 4" (GP100, 686, etc) better than snubbies for shooting and HD. But that's me. Your wife will probably have absolutely different opinions.

 

[Elm Creek Smith]

I can only agree with those who say, "Let her choose it." My wife chose my 4" S&W 629 loaded with Winchester .44 SPL Silvertips. I made the mistake of trading it off. She uses my 4" S&W 681, but she's still mad about the 629. Now I'm going to have to find another one.

As for barrel length, short barrels are generally better for retention in CQB, but longer barrels are easier to shoot well. As I said, let her choose.

ECS

 

[CoLJ]

Another vote for "let her decide", but also take the time to shoot a lot of rentals at the range.

As for the SP101... it looked great on paper, felt right to her in hand, etc...

But when she got it to the range she didn't like it... too hard to pull the trigger. Kick wasn't an issue for her (we were shooting .38 special).

After several guns, she's liking the XD9 the best- excellent trigger feel.

 

[TCmofo]

Yeah I guess I will just have to get her out to shoot the 66 4 inch my dad gave me. If she likes it great, we will go out and get her one of her own...I will have to wait for my snub hehe..

Yeah the trigger pull is heavier on a revolver, but she is a novice at shooting so that is why I wanted to go with the revolver...point and shoot. As she gains more experience a semi-auto can always be bought, if not I love wheelguns anyway.

Shotgun...well she has no experience with one of those yet, and honestly neither do I. My friend has an 870 so I have to wait to go out with him...that is going to help me decide whether I want a Rem 870 or a Mossy 500, I will have a shotty within a year though.

Thanks for all the replies and advice!

 

[novaDAK]

Check out a Smith model 10 or 64. Cheap and more importantly a great gun. Those made after the 1960's will handle +P .38's with no problem.

EDIT: sorry didn't see you already narrowed it down that far. I'd say go with the 3" SP101 .357mag WITH the hammer spur. It will shoot and handle like a full size gun but without the bulk or weight.

 

[Eb1]

Took my wife looking at the Model 60, SP101. Beleive it or not. She wanted the Rossi 6 Shot Stanless stubby. She like the trigger and the feel of the Rossi Better

 

[Shawnee]

TCmofo...

Not that you asked for an alternative but I'll suggest one anyway that you and your wife might both like.

If nyou can - try out a .44 Special. Any .44 magnum will fiire .44 Specials so you could try it out even in someone's Ruger single-action (Super Blackhawk) or one of the DA revolvers.

The suggestion is because the recoil (and blast) is different than a .357 - more comfortable to many people and the .44 Special is an A+ defense round and, as you may know, it was/is one of the most accurate of all handgun target calibers and ruled target handgunning for a long time. It's definitely worth a look!

Good Luck !

 

[Gryphon1410]

Been thinkin' the same....

TCmofo,

I've been thinking along the same lines as you and looking to get a wheel gun for the wife and had the same questions. Great minds think alike, Brother. So far we're thinking of getting a Ruger but I'd really like to try out your sixgun first.

 

[wjh2657]

Although I am a S&W fan, with the options you give, go with the Ruger. A smith K frame would be my recommendation but you didn't offer that option.

 

[langenc]

Whatever she gets let HER pick it out. Works bst at a shop that has a range and rentals. Rent will probably be credited if purchase made-make that part of the deal.