A revolver for the wife.

[tooexcessive]

I am looking to purchase a revolver for the wife. Some time back she was in an accident and severely injured and lost a bit of strength in her hand. She is unable to rack the slide on any pistol we have tried. In addition her index finger doesn't bend well and tends to get in the way of the ejection port. I considered a .38 special and we are getting ready to go shoot a friend of mines. I fear that the recoil is going to be a bit much for her judging from her reaction to shooting a .357 and 9mm. Thinking of a .32 or .327 but ammo seems to be an issue as well as I am not sold on Charter Arms or Taurus all that much. The only other option seems to be a quite pricey S&W. Any suggestions would be welcomed!

[Barth]

I am looking to purchase a revolver for the wife. Some time back she was in an accident and severely injured and lost a bit of strength in her hand. She is unable to rack the slide on any pistol we have tried. In addition her index finger doesn't bend well and tends to get in the way of the ejection port. I considered a .38 special and we are getting ready to go shoot a friend of mines. I fear that the recoil is going to be a bit much for her judging from her reaction to shooting a .357 and 9mm. Thinking of a .32 or .327 but ammo seems to be an issue as well as I am not sold on Charter Arms or Taurus all that much. The only other option seems to be a quite pricey S&W. Any suggestions would be welcomed!

Quite pricey S&W???
You should be able to get a 642 for ~$400 NIB.
Less used.
How much do you value your wife?

S&W M642 38 1 7/8 No Lock Stainless NIB Buds $379

[CPO15]

If recoil is an issue, I'd stay away from the Airweights; have a try with the all steel J Frames shooting .38s. And, if concealment is not involved, 3" or 4" 686 may be to her liking; again with .38s.

Good luck, try to shoot until she finds what she likes.

[chrish]

Have you considered .22 wmr. They are hard to find, but smith makes a nice model called the 351PD, and ruger now has one in the LCR.

http://www.ruger.com/products/lcr/models.html

For the recoil sensitive or in your case, somebody that may need lower recoil due to an injury, not too bad of a caliber to consider.

[jeepster09]

I would trade ya the wife for a nice revolver.....oh wait maybe I misunderstood your question....never mind

[Bill K]

Have you considered .22 wmr. They are hard to find, but smith makes a nice model called the 351PD, and ruger now has one in the LCR.

http://www.ruger.com/products/lcr/models.html

For the recoil sensitive or in your case, somebody that may need lower recoil due to an injury, not too bad of a caliber to consider.

+1

I think that Ruger wmr might just be the answer...

http://www.ruger.com/products/lcr/images/5414.jpg

[CJB]

SP101 3"

Have the single action notch removed. The most dangerous situation is when shes holding a cocked revolver, and cannot safely decock it. DAO cures that.

[tooexcessive]

Quite pricey S&W???
You should be able to get a 642 for ~$400 NIB.
Less used.
How much do you value your wife?

S&W M642 38 1 7/8 No Lock Stainless NIB Buds $379

That is a model 642 .38, I was speaking of the model 632 .327 cal...it runs over $800. Sorry for the confusion.

[getsome]

Hi Tooexcessive and welcome to Kahrtalk, Stick around here and I promise that you and your wife will enjoy talking about Kahr's and other guns and you will make many friends here and feel right at home....

I have to agree with Bill K and go with the Ruger LCR revolver but in .38 special...
While it won't take home the pretty prize it's a great choice for an inexperienced shooter with a handicap like a bad hand....Rugers are tough as nails and they back them up with excellent customer service should something ever need repair...The LCR has a very nice out of the box trigger pull, is light weight and fits shooters with small hands very well...Train with her to shoot double action only at very short distances like 7-10 feet so she can see where the shots go and she will gain confidence that she will be able to hit a bad guy and defend herself well if God forbid the time comes...The LCR is priced right, is small and easy to carry and most women will be carrying in a purse so size/weight is an important issue for them ....

Have her shoot some standard .38 special target loads to get used to the recoil and it shouldn't take too long for her to get over being afraid of the weapon and become less recoil sensitive....For carry loads stay away from +P and load it with any decent .38 special JHP rounds like Speer Gold Dots or Winchester PDX and she will be good to go....

Good luck to you and your wife and have her post how she does with whatever handgun you go with...We are a family friendly site and encourage female shooters to join up and enjoy Kahrtalk....Happy shootin to ya'll...:yo:

[getsome]

One last thing, A .22 WMR might be the maximum she can deal with and if so a .22 WMR will have to do but I think a .38 special should be the minimum if the revolver is to be carried much and shot little....

We had a recent case here in Georgia of a woman at home with her two 9 year old twins and a burgler broke in on them while they were home...She managed to get her .38 special and hide with the kids in a crawl space but the burglar found them and she unloaded 5 shots of .38 special at point blank range and the guy went down but managed to get up and get to his car and drive off...He was later found bleeding profusely and arrested so don't count on even a .38 special getting it done...IMHO for what it's worth I would consider a .38 to be the minimum caliber I would stake her life on.....

[Bawanna]

I agree completely with both post. Well done.

[les strat]

I personally find the recoil on most small revolvers to be a bit more intense that that of a semiauto counterpart.

I know you said she can't rack slides, but has she tried a Glock 19? To me, they are one of the easiest to rack, has a great reputation, and 9mm+p SD ammo is on par with .40 nowadays. Recoil is negligible. Carried in a dedicated holster, it is one of the best concealable high-cap SD pistols IMO. A G26 is good too, but the 19 is a bit easier to be accurate with.

[OldLincoln]

My neighbor lady has the Ruger shown above and loves it. The trigger pull is not bad, but then she has the strength anyway. One very serious caution I have is to make absolutely sure she does not try to help her weak hand by supporting the gun over the barrel end of the cylinder. It would be natural to allow the weak hand to slip up a little but could get hurt very badly should that happen.

For a weak hand I'm inclined to think small .25 auto would be safer for her. It won't stop a determined thug but it will make them bleed. You have to match the gun to the capability of the shooter. Sometimes that may even be no gun at all (as my handicapped wife can attest).

[Yogi 117]

SP101 3".
+1, without a doubt, my wife's favorite handgun. Keep it loaded with .38sp and she can shoot all day...and fairly accurate at self defense distances too. :D

Pic of SP-101 3" & GP-100 4".
http://i1117.photobucket.com/albums/k596/jdud77777/ARugerGP-100SP-101-1.jpg

[tooexcessive]

Thank you all for your imput! Unfortunately the .38 I was going to have her shoot is the .357 airlite which would not be a good comparison to the Ruger you have suggested. This is one great disadvantage of living in a small Kansas town....no firing ranges to rent and "try out" a model you may be interested in. I will ask around to some of my friends and see if someone may have something similar, in weight, that she can give it a test drive. Thank each of you again. Cheers!

[CJB]

Again I say... be absolutely sure that if she cocks the hammer, she can de-cock it once again... safely, every time.

[jocko]

she can shoot 38s in that 357 air lite. That is a nice gun ad IMO shold ake a women a nice gun. She can't jam it, she can easily unload it and see that it is safe, she can easily load it and not screw up anything. She will more than likely not shoot it as accurate as a semi auto but again a BG when he hears that gun go bang is gonna wet his pants big time. A woman has to have confidence in any gun she uses and by that I don;'t mean hitting the target as that only comes with some practice but I mean mental safety with the gun, Most women cannot rack a kahr, they just can't, so they are not gonna clear a jam, let alone unload it around the home if kids are present etc. She doesn't have to have the hottest 38 loads to protect herself either, she has the option also of shoooting the shotshell 38 in that wheel gun. Up close it is a very potent round, probalby won't kill a BG but again they don't want to be in a room with a woman with a gun and they have no clue as to what is coming out of that barrel either. Corbon makes the glazer round which is a killer round but normally will not be a wall penetrator and for a women if she knows kids are in anutter room maybe, she might be hisitant to fire anygun for fear of where the round might go. there is ammo made to not do that.

Bottom line imo IS u gotta make that woman 100% comfortable with the gun she is going to carry or have around the home. If she is the least bit aprenhisive, SHE WILL FIND ALL KINDS OF REASONS TO NOT CARRY IT. and then u have defeated your purpose.

Do not force ur wants on her, If she wants a gun that shoots forks out the barrel. start looking and u will find someone who makesd a fork gun. IMO a wheel gun is the best gun to buy a woman for the reasons I stated above. She can't limp wrist a wheel gun..Just sayin and certainly range time with a woman is the best mental sales time..:israel:

[Barth]

That is a model 642 .38, I was speaking of the model 632 .327 cal...it runs over $800. Sorry for the confusion.

Ops,
My bad.
I'm not knowledgeable with the .327 round.
And it's hard to imagine not having enough strength to rack a Glock slide.
As others have stated, the Ruger LCR-22MAG might be an option.
Speer makes a GDHP Short Barrel in that caliber.
I personally find it hard to recommend anything less than 38 Special.
Can she shoot an all steel J-Frame in a light standard pressure 38?
http://randywakeman.com/GoldDotShortBarrel22wmr.jpg

[getsome]

Well actually the .357 would work as long as you shoot standard .38 caliber in it as that is the beauty of an airweight .357 revolver, it can shoot super light .38 hand loads and if one is brave enough you can shoot full house .357 mags in one and I have done so and trust me one is enough and the recoil/muzzle blast is pretty brutal....

The S&W airweight .357 revolver would be a close enough comparison to the Ruger LCR just to see is she can handle .38 standard pressure loads....What ever you do don't let her shoot a .357 mag by accident of she will be forever lost to recoil panic!!!!!!:eek:...

You also mentioned a .327 mag and I think this is a very interesting round...My nephew has a Taurus .327 mag revolver and we shot it last year at dear camp...The recoil is almost between a standard .38 and a .38 +P but is extremely loud and with quite a big flame muzzle blast....The book specs on a .327 mag look quite good...The caliber has very respectable muzzle velocity and at 50 yards down range....I really wish the round had more of a following and the ammo was more available....It seems like a great idea being able to fire any .32 caliber revolver cartridge like .32 H&R mag and .32 S&W long but the caliber never took off and I cant remember the last time I saw a revolver chambered for it on the shelf...

[jocko]

IMO the 327 is a gimmick round, will never really catch on, so don't expect alot of ammo variations.. I really think if she can shoot a 22 mag, she can shoot any 38 spl , just buy the proper ammo. big differenc ein bullet weight of a 22 and 38...

But I guess if worse comes to worse any gun in a womans hands is better than a butcher knife--well maybe..

[getsome]

Listen to ole Jocko there Tooexcessive, He is our go to guy here at Kahrtalk and after you post 25 times we will send you a double secret Jocko decoder ring so you too will be able to interpret and learn from the master!!!!...:p

[jocko]

getsome,is it a$$hole or A$$hoe. Just sayin:D:D

[tooexcessive]

Listen to ole Jocko there Tooexcessive, He is our go to guy here at Kahrtalk and after you post 25 times we will send you a double secret Jocko decoder ring so you too will be able to interpret and learn from the master!!!!...:p

LOL...It will have a place of honor next to my L'il Orphan Annie decoder wheel.

You all have been a great deal of info and given me much to chew on....very grateful!

By the by...I do own a glock, but it is the 30SF and not a 19, she cannot even get close to racking that brick. A friend has a 19, perhaps she can give it a tug and see what happens. She is quite a small woman so we will see what happens. I, and she I believe would be more comfortable with her utilizing a wheel gun. And I agree, she has to be able to rest that hammer gently. She really liked the S&W airweight I spoke of eariler, she thought it was "cute"...sigh.

[tooexcessive]

Well actually the .357 would work as long as you shoot standard .38 caliber in it as that is the beauty of an airweight .357 revolver, it can shoot super light .38 hand loads and if one is brave enough you can shoot full house .357 mags in one and I have done so and trust me one is enough and the recoil/muzzle blast is pretty brutal....

The S&W airweight .357 revolver would be a close enough comparison to the Ruger LCR just to see is she can handle .38 standard pressure loads....What ever you do don't let her shoot a .357 mag by accident of she will be forever lost to recoil panic!!!!!!:eek:...

You also mentioned a .327 mag and I think this is a very interesting round...My nephew has a Taurus .327 mag revolver and we shot it last year at dear camp...The recoil is almost between a standard .38 and a .38 +P but is extremely loud and with quite a big flame muzzle blast....The book specs on a .327 mag look quite good...The caliber has very respectable muzzle velocity and at 50 yards down range....I really wish the round had more of a following and the ammo was more available....It seems like a great idea being able to fire any .32 caliber revolver cartridge like .32 H&R mag and .32 S&W long but the caliber never took off and I cant remember the last time I saw a revolver chambered for it on the shelf...
I too think the the .327 round is interesting. The balistics reports I have read are quite impressive. I am really not all that familar with it but it appears, on paper, that the recoil is quite manageable.

[Barth]

She really liked the S&W airweight I spoke of eariler, she thought it was "cute"...sigh.
http://www.budsgunshop.com/catalog/images/411535197-1.jpghttp://cdn2.armslist.com/sites/armslist/uploads/posts/2012/08/02/496996_01_new_ruger_lcr_pink_38spl_revol_640.jpg

[jocko]

u should care less, if she carry's then u have suceeded. Love the t!tty pik grips, did Bawanna make them. He did a refinish ona pair of Herretts stocks for my model 60 and they came back pink. He claims they are not pink. who u gonna believe???

I'm sure that Ruger is a nice gun BUT FOR ME it ain't a smith J frame, just lacks class when both together..

[pineappleshooter]

The Beretta Tomcat might be an option - no slide to rack with the tip up barrel. I guess it depends on in her finger would be out of the way of the ejection port like you stated in your previous post.

[getsome]

+1 on the Smith J frames...They are a classic design and a beauty to behold....I only mentioned the Ruger to Tooexcessive because of the LCR trigger pull but IMO I'll take my S&W 642 airweight with a heavy trigger any day rather than a butt ugly LCR or anything else for that matter...

Oh as for whether it's a$$hole or A$$hoe it's MR. A$$HOLE to you brother!!!...:cool:

[MW surveyor]

OK you two, knock it off! And no name call'n either!
I've got a j frame airweight and it is Not a joy to shoot. My SP101 with 3" barrel has a better trigger and can be shot all day without any discomfort with 38s.

Anyway, see if she can use her other hand rather than trying to shoot with her previous strong hand. It only takes practice to get good enough for SD work at close range.

[jocko]

OK. Mr. A$$hole, I get the picture. My J frame model 342 had a hard trigger but I had a nice triggerjob on it and it was super. I wish Smith wouldhave done it out of tyhe box but it was the best $75 I spent on it. Probalby for a woman it would not make a hill of beans, but it was a crapy trigger for such a high quality gun, Course my M &P 9 had the worlds worst triger in it until David Bowie got done with it. It wa sthenb so smooth and for me even hairy that I sold it, but it sure was nice for a shooter that understands and appreicated Bowie's work.. glad u call that lcr butt ugly and not me. let um climn on urass for awhile. Just sayin

[Barth]

OK you two, knock it off! And no name call'n either!
I've got a j frame airweight and it is Not a joy to shoot. My SP101 with 3" barrel has a better trigger and can be shot all day without any discomfort with 38s.

Anyway, see if she can use her other hand rather than trying to shoot with her previous strong hand. It only takes practice to get good enough for SD work at close range.

Same applies to my S&W 640-1 2.125" J-frame and particularly 65-3 3" K-frame.
Both have tuned triggers. But I'll put Special K up against any revolver.
https://www.t-mobilepictures.com/myalbum/thumbnail/photo35/eb/a7/52b4193810c9__1338743392000.jpeg?tw=0&th=720&s=true&rs=falsehttps://www.t-mobilepictures.com/myalbum/thumbnail/photo36/c0/c9/0209b2046852__1338736921000.jpeg?tw=0&th=720&s=true&rs=false

[muggsy]

I am looking to purchase a revolver for the wife. Some time back she was in an accident and severely injured and lost a bit of strength in her hand. She is unable to rack the slide on any pistol we have tried. In addition her index finger doesn't bend well and tends to get in the way of the ejection port. I considered a .38 special and we are getting ready to go shoot a friend of mines. I fear that the recoil is going to be a bit much for her judging from her reaction to shooting a .357 and 9mm. Thinking of a .32 or .327 but ammo seems to be an issue as well as I am not sold on Charter Arms or Taurus all that much. The only other option seems to be a quite pricey S&W. Any suggestions would be welcomed!

Any new revolver that you purchase will need to have a trigger job and the action smoothed up. Even S&W's trigger pull is a bit on the heavy side. A good set of pachmyar grips and magnaporting will tame the recoil. Even a .22 in her purse is better than nothing.

[JFootin]

Any new revolver that you purchase will need to have a trigger job and the action smoothed up. Even S&W's trigger pull is a bit on the heavy side. A good set of pachmyar grips and magnaporting will tame the recoil. Even a .22 in her purse is better than nothing.

Muggy's right about the action job. And find a gunsmith who knows how to lower the pull weight substantially while not getting light strikes and misfires. I did. My S&W 638 Airweight now has a 4.25 lb DA trigger pull, and it has never failed to go bang. You probably could leave a couple more lbs in your trigger. My hands are mostly paralyzed, so I really need it that light. I have no problem with accuracy using that light trigger. I think the super stiff factory trigger is what keeps people from being able to shoot them well.

Knowing what I know now, I would have bought a 642. The 638 can be cocked and shot single action. But that is a hair trigger even before any trigger work, and definitely not suitable for use in an emergency situation despite how often you see someone cock a revolver for added effect in movies and TV shows. Just keep it simple with a DAO revolver.

The recoil is manageable, especially with standard pressure rounds. I put the one piece Hogue Bantam rubber grip on mine and I love it. Really secure handling the gun and it clears speed loaders better than the stock grips. The rubber helps cushion the recoil, too. The recoil doesn't just slam your hand strait back like a small auto does; it is a smooth rolling recoil that is not unpleasant.

[ltxi]

Never sell a .22 for self defense short. Can be quite deadly in competent hands. At the top of my list of never sell guns is a Beretta Minx that got me out a nasty scrape once.

[Planedude]

I shot a model 60 S&W with a 3" barrel in 327 federal. Can't imagin an easier to shoot magnum. Lots of noise, not bad flash and in that hefty(ish) stainless pistol recoil was a good bit less than my 3" J frame shooting .38spl.
Pricepoint used (Gunbroker) was aprox $600 for the one I shot (it was like new) and the box of JHP ammo came from Midway as I knew the gun was coming to a rangefest I was attending. Can't speek to your local ammo availablity but recently they did have it at my local Academy sporting goods store (no 9mm, 45acp or 40 S&W though).
Many others (two women) shot the gun that day with a number of different .32 types of ammo as the gun will shoot almost any type of .32 rimmed ammo.
If you can afford and find one, a stainless Model 60 in 327 Fed would be a great choice. Best of luck in the search.

[Armybrat]

I like Rugers and have several myself, but believe the J-frame Smith is the better choice for a small light .38 revolver like my Bodyguard Airweight:

http://i522.photobucket.com/albums/w349/ScoPro/SWrevolver002.jpg

And I have a Ruger SP101 .357 too.

[jocko]

oh that is just so sexy looking. I think I seen one of those in that ink blot test to. Nuttin wrong with the sp101 but this J frame eaks in looks and function to.

[AIRret]

I've never shot a gun with a port, and I don't know if they can put a port on a snub nose but maybe that would help her with recoil.

[Barth]

I've never shot a gun with a port, and I don't know if they can put a port on a snub nose but maybe that would help her with recoil.

They can.
Even an Air Weight.
Even my Titanium 342 38 can be ported.
http://www.magnaport.com/hgun.html
http://www.magnaport.com/images/scandwm.jpg

[newCW45guy]

I am looking to purchase a revolver for the wife. Some time back she was in an accident and severely injured and lost a bit of strength in her hand. She is unable to rack the slide on any pistol we have tried. In addition her index finger doesn't bend well and tends to get in the way of the ejection port. I considered a .38 special and we are getting ready to go shoot a friend of mines. I fear that the recoil is going to be a bit much for her judging from her reaction to shooting a .357 and 9mm. Thinking of a .32 or .327 but ammo seems to be an issue as well as I am not sold on Charter Arms or Taurus all that much. The only other option seems to be a quite pricey S&W. Any suggestions would be welcomed!

I'd rather my wife have a gun she can shoot well so I'd lean toward the .32. Or even a Ruger LCR .22mag with Hornady Critical Defense.

Charter and Taurus revolvers aren't for the most part any better than S&W.

Have her try a rental or borrowed gun before you buy a .38. Sub compact .38s really kick.

[newCW45guy]

One last thing, A .22 WMR might be the maximum she can deal with and if so a .22 WMR will have to do but I think a .38 special should be the minimum if the revolver is to be carried much and shot little....

We had a recent case here in Georgia of a woman at home with her two 9 year old twins and a burgler broke in on them while they were home...She managed to get her .38 special and hide with the kids in a crawl space but the burglar found them and she unloaded 5 shots of .38 special at point blank range and the guy went down but managed to get up and get to his car and drive off...He was later found bleeding profusely and arrested so don't count on even a .38 special getting it done...IMHO for what it's worth I would consider a .38 to be the minimum caliber I would stake her life on.....

Seriously point blank range with at least one reported head hit maybe the only one seems to me she missed more than hit. She was likely one miss away from an empty gun. Recoil takes a ton of training and capability.

Myself I'd favor more training and finding a recoil that's manageable by the user. All steel .38s still kick a bunch. The current trend of lightweights even more.

OTOH .22Mag loaded with Hornady Critical Defense which is designed for short barrels and six shots center of mass at short range comes easy.

My choice for my lady would be a LCR in .22mag (and she was a qualified 40/40 marksman in the Army). Handguns are another matter.

[addictedhealer]

+1 on the Smith J frames...They are a classic design and a beauty to behold....I only mentioned the Ruger to Tooexcessive because of the LCR trigger pull but IMO I'll take my S&W 642 airweight with a heavy trigger any day rather than a butt ugly LCR or anything else for that matter...

Oh as for whether it's a$$hole or A$$hoe it's MR. A$$HOLE to you brother!!!...:cool:

Hey watch your mouth! My lcr is not butt ugly! They look better than any hammer less s&w!

[mr surveyor]

in my opinion the best two choices of carry revolvers on the market are the Ruger (3" da/sa) SP101 chambered for .357 mag, and any of the all steel S&W .38 spl snubbies. I would stay far, far away from the airweights (any brand) for use by anyone (lady or man) with limited shooting experience.

Steel.... It's what real guns are made from.

[jocko]

PORT IT. then go light. Just sayin. neither is a peace of cake to shoot either, ..Probalby a gun that was made to carry far more than made to shoot..I got damn tired of carrying my Model 60 whenI had the lightweight ported model 342..

[stickbow9]

Okay I notice that you are not all sold on Taurus yet, but I will say I have two and their quality is increasingly better everyday. They have a new model that may be perfect for your wife, it is the M380 (assuming that .380 is okay for you). If she is just shooting for fun and to get used to the recoil this would be perfect. It is slightly smaller that the LCR and is hammerless too. 5 shot .380 and one of our members Ljutic has a site that he has done a two part review on it. PocketGunsandGear is where you can find it, and in his videos you can clearly see that the recoil is very manageable. I was thinking about this for my wife. I believe there are trigger kits for this pistol too. Plus a lifetime warranty and a free 1 year NRA membership. Hope this helps.

[tooexcessive]

Okay I notice that you are not all sold on Taurus yet, but I will say I have two and their quality is increasingly better everyday. They have a new model that may be perfect for your wife, it is the M380 (assuming that .380 is okay for you). If she is just shooting for fun and to get used to the recoil this would be perfect. It is slightly smaller that the LCR and is hammerless too. 5 shot .380 and one of our members Ljutic has a site that he has done a two part review on it. PocketGunsandGear is where you can find it, and in his videos you can clearly see that the recoil is very manageable. I was thinking about this for my wife. I believe there are trigger kits for this pistol too. Plus a lifetime warranty and a free 1 year NRA membership. Hope this helps.
Even though I am not a big fan of Taurus, I do have an open mind. I am going to start reading about this model and see what folks think about it. Thanks for the info!

[JustinN]

My Taurus Poly Protector is a nice little gun, and lite 38s are nothing out of it....though the 357s are a major handful. The main thing is finding a gun she likes. Something she'll shoot. I know what feels good in my hands, doesn't translate to my wife. Smaller hands handle smaller guns better. Find something she will shoot a lot and get good with. No gun will make up the difference in training either. I agree with the earlier posts in that a .22 HIT is 100 times better than any other caliber miss.....