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[Jack L]

Hi all, my girlfriend has moved out of her nest and is living on her own. She currently has my trusty "in glock we trust" subcompact 26 as her firearm of choice on her nightstand. She loves that pistol, but I brought her a factor in using auto type pistols. Such as will she be able to manipulate a semi-auto type pistol if needed? After discussing some things about auto pistols, she is vouching to go shopping for a wheel gun. And so my question to you is, she loves my revolver but hates the 10lb double action trigger. How many lbs of trigger pull is out of a J frame smith and wesson? K frame? L frame? I went on their website but it is not listed to say how many lbs is their trigger pulls? Above all we'll go to a gun shop let her dry fire some revolvers. But if you guys know a ball park range on how many lbs in their trigger pulls it'll be great to know an average.

APEX sells a kit for J frames. It takes the trigger pull down to 8 pounds and only cost $25. Don't buy anything less than a 3 inch barrel if you want to actually hit your mark. I have a S&W Model 60 and I love it shooting .38+P.

[beerman]

K frame S&W all the way...4" model 15 is the ultimate...I think357s scare most newer shooters.Better to have them shoot with their eyes open.......my opinion

[Twofer]

I provided advice I think is appropriate and shared a few of my experiences.

Pretty much. It's an internet forum and we're here to share our experiences to help other shooters. (And to debate the finer points.)

Using a CZ75??? Boy, the trigger change for that second round is going to be different than the first, right? Or are you starting cocked and locked - similar to the single action S&W.

The DA trigger is a bit brutal on the CZ, but only a bit worse than a revolver. It's the -B model, so we're treating it like a 1911. Stored condition 3, remove from safe, rack slide, engage safety, finger straight and off the trigger, call 911 on the cell, grab kids, hole up in the bathroom. Disengage safety to shoot, fire 3, reengage safety afterward, search and assess.

And yeah, it's taken a couple months of weekly range trips to get there.

Why even talk about a reload in a defensive situation?

Because guns can and do run out of bullets eventually. I've heard that, statistically, defensive situations usually last about 2 rounds. I like to have a little safety margin there, so 6 + a speed loader is good. (Or 10+ 9mm, or the 12ga with 7... etc.)

[movie zombie]

http://www.calguns.net/calgunforum/showthread.php?t=357584

there is a ladies forum at calguns. this topic has been beaten to death by a lot of men. why not check out what women shooters have to say?

[ElvenSoul]

Ten pound pull on a wheel gun ain't the same as Semi Auto.

[SimpleCountryActuary]

One other thing. Any DA revolver will have a heavier trigger pull than, say, a 1911. My cameralady solved this problem by teaching herself to fire in single-action. This woman must've been a cowboy in a previous life, because she's doggoned good at it--naturally. She's fast with it and dead-on accurate.

Also, just this holiday weekend, I had an 8-year-old boy who doesn't have a lot of trigger finger strength try out my .357M. He couldn't pull the DA trigger, so I taught him "cowboy style". He handled that just fine and got nearly all his shots in the black 3" circle.

I was going to suggest that. She could also use her left hand to cock the pistol if need be.

[scarville]

Bad idea for a defensive situation. Cocking the hammer back is like asking for a negligent discharge. Double action is the only way to go, and that's a 10 to 12 pound, long, and possibly gritty pull. It's my opinion that the long, heavy, gritty trigger pull will kill any hope of accuracy for someone with weak hands.

I guess that means a Ruger Blackhawk is inadequate for self defense. I wonder if Jim March is reading this thread. He might have something to say about that.

[six10]

Woman shooter here and I don't shoot anything but DA revolvers, always in DA mode. The Ruger SP101 is a great gun for women: heavy enough to absorb the recoil of .38+P well, and sized between a S&W J frame and K frame -resulting in a good fit for the average woman's hands. The trigger pull issue is going to be there no matter which revolver you buy and the best way to deal with it is by strengthening one's trigger finger through regular dry-firing (in addition to range practice, of course). I'm in my fifties and had never fired any guns two years ago; nowadays one of my favorite revolvers is a big honking N frame, so just about any revolver *can* work out -it just takes patience and practice.

Good luck!

[six10]

Woman shooter here and I don't shoot anything but DA revolvers, always in DA mode. The Ruger SP101 is a great gun for women: heavy enough to absorb the recoil of .38+P well, and sized between a S&W J frame and K frame -resulting in a good fit for the average woman's hands. The trigger pull issue is going to be there no matter which revolver you buy and the best way to deal with it is by strengthening one's trigger finger through regular dry-firing (in addition to range practice, of course). I'm in my fifties and had never fired any guns two years ago; nowadays one of my favorite revolvers is a big honking N frame, so just about any revolver *can* work out -it just takes patience and practice.

Good luck!

[Twofer]

I guess that means a Ruger Blackhawk is inadequate for self defense. I wonder if Jim March is reading this thread. He might have something to say about that.

This isn't the 19th century and as such, there are better options. While I like shooting my Colt New Frontier in 45 Colt, I'll grab a wonder-nine or double action revolver before I go for the SAA. My main concern is the very light trigger on a SA revolver. Too easy, in my opinion, so set off accidentally. My second concern is the lower ammo capacity, and third, the ability to reload.

Saying you're only going to need 6 rounds is like saying you'll only need 10 sheets of toilet paper. It's good to have extra in case the s**t really goes down.

I'm not familiar with Mr. March, but I infer that he is an expert with single action revolvers. But we're not talking about Mr. March, we're talking about normal folks who want to defend themselves.

If you like revolvers, get a revolver. If you like autos, get an auto. It's worth looking into all options to figure out what best suits your wants and needs. The reason I entered this discussion was to present another option, and because too often I see "the gun guy" recommending a revolver for females because "autos are too complicated". They aren't.

[Timbob55]

A K frame S&W revolver is often a very good choice. A simple Model 10 heavy barrel (even a narrow barrel for that matter) is a very effective tool. Add a couple of speedloaders, a flashlight, some training with all those tools, and a not too hot .38 +P round = GTG.

You can find good quality used S&W revolvers in just about any gun store. Older will, as noted above, most often equal smoother.

But definitely let her do some shopping and some test firing. She needs to be comfortable and confident.

+1 - I have a J frame 38 +p that is NO fun to shoot.

[scarville]

Woman shooter here and I don't shoot anything but DA revolvers, always in DA mode. The Ruger SP101 is a great gun for women: heavy enough to absorb the recoil of .38+P well, and sized between a S&W J frame and K frame -resulting in a good fit for the average woman's hands. The trigger pull issue is going to be there no matter which revolver you buy and the best way to deal with it is by strengthening one's trigger finger through regular dry-firing (in addition to range practice, of course). I'm in my fifties and had never fired any guns two years ago; nowadays one of my favorite revolvers is a big honking N frame, so just about any revolver *can* work out -it just takes patience and practice.

Unrelated but I plan on getting an SP101 now that I know a bit more about fixing up the Ruger lockworks. It looks likes a good size for CCW.

My wife's problem picking a gun was never the size of her hands or her finger length. She plays the piano and can span over a full octave on the keyboard. In fact when she tried a PPK/S and Ruger P95 the problem was her finger slid over the trigger so far she was pulling with her middle joint and the tip of the distal was hitting the frame on the opposite side. It blocked her being able to pull the trigger. Don't even get me started on the problems that caused her with a Glock safety.

Her hand problems are three fold. Hand strength meant a heavy triggers that stacks defeats her. Secondly she has mild arthritis that causes her pain when stressing the joints in certain directions and racking a slide was painfull for her. Finally, she is left-handed so using an overhand grip to rack the slide will pinch her palm between the ejection port and the barrel if she isn't very careful.

Fortunately the action work I did on my S&W 686 smoothed up the trigger, lightened the pull weight and reduced the stacking to where she is comfortable shooting it. It meant having to buy, break in and modify another 686 to replace it but I'm an old fashioned kind of male.

[vf116]

My Girlfriend bought a 686 4" we pick it up in 4 days.