[thaddeussmith]

I married into a gun culture family - the wife had her CHL at 21, grew up shooting shotguns, semi-auto pistols, and rifles. I've quickly started by my own guns and she has expressed interest in getting a revolver. She enjoys shooting my XD45 and even our Taurus pt111 (least favorite gun, hand-me-down from FIL), however, semi-auto's intimidate her due to the amount of moving parts, safeties, etc etc.

So I'm looking for something that has a carry-able weight and size to it (purse probably), moderate trigger weight, and ease of use/safety for her confidence. Not sure on caliber - does .38 special sound like a good self defense round without too much kick?

We'll eventually go to a shop/range to check a few out, but I like to ask the stupid questions on the internet first so that I don't look completely moronic when I'm face to face with someone that does this for a living.

cheers - Michael

 

[JayDay]

I'm thinking a hammerless revolver would be best for in-purse carry to avoid it snagging on "lady things" if needing to deploy it quickly. The S&W Model 642LS looks like a good choice in .38 S&W +P.

http://www.smith-wesson.com/webapp/...57768_757767_757751_ProductDisplayErrorView_Y

 

[ArmyGuy45]

agree on the smith 38

 

[1lowlife]

agree on the smith 38

Me too..
S&W 642 or 442 for carry.
JayDay's 642LS looks nice..

Make sure you get the right grips for her..

And welcome to the forum thaddeussmith.....

 

[JayDay]

Me too..
S&W 642 or 442 for carry.
JayDay's 642LS looks nice..

Make sure you get the right grips for her..

And welcome to the forum thaddeussmith.....

BTW, I don't have a wheelgun. I was just looking around for him. I wouldn't feel manly carrying a Ladysmith. lol

 

[1lowlife]

BTW, I don't have a wheelgun. I was just looking around for him. I wouldn't feel manly carrying a Ladysmith. lol

Didn't mean to imply that you owned the gun..
I was just supporting your suggestion..

I owned a 642 for a few months.
Tried it for pocket carry but the LCP took that spot.
Nice gun though, pretty accurate at 15 yards...

 

[Cuda66]

Lightweight snubs are not for those new to revolvers. Especially if it gets stoked with warmish defensive loads.

Look at a good mid-sized, steel revolver, or a full-sized pistol. See if she likes it, and then go from there.

S&W K-frame would be an excellent place to start, and any decent gunstore will have a couple.

And .38 is a perfectly good defensive round.

 

[Russ7777]

The Ruger LCR would also be a good choice.

 

[Dirty Rod]

Picking a gun, particularly a carry gun, for someone else doesn't work out many times. Taking her to the store and letter her fondle everything or better yet, to the range and renting a bunch, is he best route as you mentioned. I started down that path last year showing my wife all kinds of .380s, 9mms, and micros and she walked away with a G19 which was the last gun I would have chosen for her. She now carries a Springfield EMP IWB which again is something I would never have envisioned.

I'd take her to the store and let her fondle every gun in the counter and let her pick it. Just my suggestion.

 

[PistolEd]

I took the wife to the fun shop and she'd looked at all the girlie guns too, eventually she seemed to settle on the S&W Bodyguard 38. She hasn't picked a weapon yet but she's gone back to the store several times to look at the gun.

 

[Richard Conrad]

My wife has the S&W Bodyguard .38. She likes it, took a while to get use to shooting it. Shes pretty good with it now. I shot a few rounds out of it and the first 4 rounds missed the target by a bit. :shock:

 

[thaddeussmith]

all great input and this gives me a direction to start with, thanks guys!

 

[scooter123]

Over on the S&W Forum there was a thread on what revolver had the most vicious recoil. While it may seem surprizing the general consensus was the most violent recoiling revolver wasn't the 500 Magnum but the 340PD stoked with 357 Magnums. At a bit less than 12 ounces it's a handful even when loaded with mild 148 grain wadcutters. Point is that featherweight revolvers with tiny grips aren't for someone new to shooting, they are guns you have to work up to.

That said, in your case your wife has grown up shooting shotguns and a 12 gage isn't a powder puff, so she will probably take to something like the 442 in time. Another alternative is the model 60 which has an all steel frame and a bit heavier weight at 24 ounces. However, the model 60 does feature a spur hammer which can present issues with some modes of carry.

As for the 38 spl. keep in mind that it has a history of about 80 years of effective use in the hands of various police forces. While it's no powerhouse it will do the job if the shooter does his. It is also far far easier to master than the much more powerful 357 Magnum.

Now for the downside of the S&W J frames. That is that by design they are almost exclusively used for Defense. Because of this they feature a double action trigger that is pretty heavy to absolutely insure reliable primer ignition, generally in the 10.5 to 13 lbs. range from the factory. I would strongly suggest that you have your wife try test shooting any revolver under consideration. By doing that you'll avoid the mistake of choosing a gun that has too much recoil or too heavy of a trigger. I would also suggest you spend the money to have her shoot some of the premium defense load in 38 spl. or 38 +P becasue the recoil can be a good bit stouter than standard cheap range ammo.

Finally, I'll point out that most snatch and grab thieves target womens purses for their crimes. As a result I consider purse carry as nothing more that a means to provide Criminals with free and easily obtained handguns. To be blunt, purse carry should be taken out of the options. Instead look into the various methods of body carry and have her choose a method that will work for her.

 

[N.E. Tx.XD]

The Ruger LCR would also be a good choice.

^ This. +1

 

[DixieXD]

Oh, Scooter, I was so close to getting in my 2 cents, but you snatched it. My wife doesn't carry and never will. I, personally, would never even have a firearm in a backpack on my shoulder. Way too easy to grab. I'm just not thinking it wise to have all that stuff in a convieniently grabbable place (chairback, etc.)

 

[thaddeussmith]

all fantastic feedback, thanks guys!

 

[Frenchy]

I second the Smith K frame. I trained both my wife and daughter on the venerable model 10, and both became very good with it. It has a better trigger than the J frame because it utilizes the leaf spring rather than coil, and is more tuneable.

 

[JayDay]

[/QUOTE]Finally, I'll point out that most snatch and grab thieves target womens purses for their crimes. As a result I consider purse carry as nothing more that a means to provide Criminals with free and easily obtained handguns. To be blunt, purse carry should be taken out of the options. Instead look into the various methods of body carry and have her choose a method that will work for her.[/QUOTE]

Good point indeed.

 

[sbrader]

I bought my wife a handgun for our anniversary/Christmas last year. I took her down to the local gun store and they took a ton of time helping her select the one she was most comfortable with. She is kind of afraid of the slide on my semi-autos so she wanted a revolver. The guy at the store spent well over an hour with her, helping her to figure out the grip/balance/etc that she liked the most. She ended up selecting a Ruger LCR in .38 Spl. She loves it and has gotten to be remarkably accurate with it.

I reload her range rounds at a Cowboy Load level to keep the recoil down on such a light handgun. Most gun shops sell light recoiling reloads if you don't load them yourself.

At least according to my wife, you can't go wrong with the LCR.

Scott

 

[EMN83]

I have a Taurus 85 that my wife uses. it's a great gun, and it's about 30 years old, and works great