Looking for help, my wife wants a revolver

[Murgatroy]

Try as many guns as you can. Revolvers aren't a cure-all. There have been many things pointed out in here. I have been shooting all my life, and I love a good single action revolver, but I tend to shoot my double actions revolvers in single action to ease the mile long twenty pound pull.

 

If hand strength is an issue, look at an old tip up barrel Beretta Tomcat or similar. You can get then in .32ACP, which is a nice gentle round. The benefits of a tip up barrel are that you don't have to rack the slide to chamber the first round.

[tnhawk]

Take her to a range that rents guns and let her try different models.  She will find the one she comfortable with.  

My wife shoots a 45 acp well but doesn't like it.  She prefers a .40.

Edited January 28, 2018 by tnhawk

[DaveTN]

4 hours ago, Tuffus said:

A Ruger LCR loaded with 38 S&W is both light weight and lower recoil than even 38 special ammo. You can get the LCRX with a 3 inch barrel and a longer grip than the smaller version. Recoil should be relatively light with the 38 S&W loads.

.38 S&W is an old round hardly made anymore.

.38 S&W Special and .38 Special are the same thing.

4 hours ago, BHG123 said:

I had not thought of trading up to the 3" version of my current LCRx .38 special +P.  I wonder if it would be enough to take the recoil strain of a lightweight revolver off my wrist?

Probably not it only weighs 15.7 OZ.

[Tuffus]

1 hour ago, DaveTN said:

.38 S&W is an old round hardly made anymore.

.38 S&W Special and .38 Special are the same thing.

Probably not it only weighs 15.7 OZ.

38 S&W is indeed an old round but it can still be found. It is about 150 ft pounds of muzzle energy as opposed to 200 ft pounds with the 38 special. I suggested to a friend that was recoil sensitive to try the 38 S&W instead of 38 special and it made a noticeable difference in felt recoil for her.

[bucnball]

Or considerate the old but not obsolete 38 Special wadcutter round that has devastating potential & light recoil as it is designed for paper target punching . 

[Bill5335]

Thank you all for the replies. It's always a pleasure to learn from other's experiences. 

She wants a revolver for carry. Our main home defense gun is a Springfield 9 mm semi auto. We keep it racked and loaded, so all she has to do is pull the trigger. She is comfortable shooting it, just not loading it and racking the slide.

She likes the trigger and no recoil of our Ruger Single Six. It doesn't feel good in her hands, and loading is slow (one round at a time).

She does not like loading the magazine or racking the slide on the 9 mm, hence the desire for a revolver.

We have taken a gun safety class together when we lived in Minnesota. (Glad we are out of the cold).

I think our next step will be to visit our local conceal carry instructor. Talk to him and try out as many guns as we can.

Thanks again.  

Bill

[graycrait]

Thank you all for the replies. It's always a pleasure to learn from other's experiences. 
She wants a revolver for carry. Our main home defense gun is a Springfield 9 mm semi auto. We keep it racked and loaded, so all she has to do is pull the trigger. She is comfortable shooting it, just not loading it and racking the slide.
She likes the trigger and no recoil of our Ruger Single Six. It doesn't feel good in her hands, and loading is slow (one round at a time).
She does not like loading the magazine or racking the slide on the 9 mm, hence the desire for a revolver.
We have taken a gun safety class together when we lived in Minnesota. (Glad we are out of the cold).
I think our next step will be to visit our local conceal carry instructor. Talk to him and try out as many guns as we can.
Thanks again.  
Bill

I would recommend not buying until you try any ultra light SW or Ruger LCR in rimfire. DA trigger is much heavier than centerfire due to heavier hammer spring to get reliable rimfire ignition. Ruger SP 101 in .327 Fed Mag might work using 32 SW or 32 SW Long. SP 101 action can be smoothed up quite easily as well. Enough weight in the SP 101 too.

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[chances R]

It is doubtful that the majority on this forum started with larger calibers.  Get a 22 and start shooting with proper instruction.  Some gun that can be used with confidence is best.  Then as one tries other guns new ones can be acquired.   We all probably use a much different gun now than when we started.  We need to get out of the habit of thinking there is one perfect and final purchase for a new shooter.

[Jamie Jackson]

7 hours ago, bucnball said:

Or considerate the old but not obsolete 38 Special wadcutter round that has devastating potential & light recoil as it is designed for paper target punching . 

I find the .38 wadcutter to be a viable option. It was a round and design championed by the late  Jim Cirillo of the famous NYPD Stakeout Squad. He even collaborated with Fuzzy Fletcher to produce the SafeStop round a number years back. There are quite a few trainers in the self defense industry that still recommend the full wadcutter round.

Ed Harris makes some good points in the article below. I've seen and traeted wounds from multiple handgun calibers. The overwhelming majority of entry wounds look nothing more than a pinprick. IF a hollowpoint expands, it'll do it's tissue damage inside the body. Quite a few don't expand unfortunately.

A full wadcutter, with a sharp ogive, should "cut" rather than push aside tissue. This is the principle that drove Cirillo's development of the SafeStop round.

Not to mention inherent accuracy and low felt recoil in a lightweight small revolver. It's a consideration imho.

 

https://www.luckygunner.com/lounge/wadcutter-ammo-self-defense/

http://www.grantcunningham.com/2011/11/ed-harris-revisiting-the-full-charge-wadcutter/ 

[DaveTN]

9 hours ago, Tuffus said:

38 S&W is indeed an old round but it can still be found. It is about 150 ft pounds of muzzle energy as opposed to 200 ft pounds with the 38 special. I suggested to a friend that was recoil sensitive to try the 38 S&W instead of 38 special and it made a noticeable difference in felt recoil for her.

Even if they would fit; it’s not safe.

Both the .38S&W case and the bullet are a larger diameter than the .38 Special. If the case went in the cylinder the probability of a squib is high.

[Guest BHG123]

There is a ladies firearm event in Knoxville this Saturday called "Lady Sure Shots."  It might be a great way for her to get started.  There will be other first-timers there also.  Here is a link to the thread I started about the event:

Lady Sure Shots Knoxville

[Colt4530]

https://myshootersedge.com/