NEED REVOLVER ADVICE!

[fauxcult]

Come July I'll be joining the ranks of married Calgunners. My fiance and I are looking for our first apartment and it gives me the (fun) job of finding a good home defense revolver for my bride-to-be. My fiance is a very petite woman and has a hard time racking the slide on my 1911 and my 22 doesn't really fit her hand that well, though she is a pretty good shot with it. I had thought about getting a Taurus Judge for the house but she hates shooting my .45 because of the noise and recoil so I figured the Judge wasn't really a good idea because she'd be reluctant to practice with it. I'm also worried about the weight. Anyone have any suggestions for a home defense revolver that is RELIABLE, accurate, small, light, and easy to shoot? I don't really know much about revolvers, so feel free to lay down some knowledge for me. The more I know the better. I don't want to make an ill-informed purchase when it comes to protecting her life.

[Wicked Pete]

I like the old reliable: S & W snub nosed (snubnose - snub nose) .38! JHP's.

[AJAX22]

S&w model 10 or hand ejector (pre-56) in 2 inch snub...

The old round butt smiths work really well in small hands.

And they have enough weight that the recoil is manageable but not so much that they are excessively heavy for small people.

[AJAX22]

Damn it Pete I was typing that

[rromeo]

I'll almost agree with the two above. Since it's to be a nightstand gun, I have a 4" S&W Model 10 for my wife. She likes it better than my snub J frame.

[not-fishing]

I purchased a S & W 36 Lady Smith for my wife but she doesn't like it.

To much recoil.

I had purchased two other autos and she liked the Sig .232 but you should know that the double action trigger pull is to long for small hands, single action is fine and she could rack the slide. The other pistol we tried was a Walther PPK - I wouldn't suggest it as racking the PPK slide makes my 1911's seem easy.

I'm currently still searching for the optimum handgun and looking at the S&W 60 Pro .357 in 3" For both of us and the HK P2000sk in 9mm. I want to get her away from the .380 acp.

I tend to heavy revolvers over lite because of the recoil. If they're to heavy just bring them closer and shoot two handed.

Also I've trained a fair number of new shooters, we always start with 22's and move up. When I take any smaller or newer shooter I limit the number of centerfire rounds they shoot. We generally start with 5 shots and see how it goes. I want them to learn they can shoot the pistol and not beat them up practicing

[solo3937]

Have you looked into something chambered in a 327 magnum?

Here, check this out:

http://ruger.com/products/sp101/specSheets/5759.html

Don't own one, but looks interesting.

[cmichini]

I'll almost agree with the two above. Since it's to be a nightstand gun, I have a 4" S&W Model 10 for my wife. She likes it better than my snub J frame.

I think this is a great choice. Solid, reliable should be heavy enough to reduce felt recoil and with 38 Sp. JHP's it will definitely ruin someone's day.

Also, I don't think you can buy the Taurus Judge in CA. It's considered a short barrelled shotgun I believe. Not certain, but that's my recollection. (PS - I could be spewing FUD so stand clear and watch your shoes).

[dunndeal]

Also, I don't think you can buy the Taurus Judge in CA. It's considered a short barrelled shotgun I believe. Not certain, but that's my recollection. (PS - I could be spewing FUD so stand clear and watch your shoes).

Not FUD, Taurus Judge not legal in CA.

[CmpsdNoMore]

For home defense I would suggest NOT getting a revolver with a shorter barrel. When you don't need to conceal it, the extra barrel length will help in recoil (since it's heavier) and it has a longer sight radius so it'll aid in aiming.

[glockman19]

I'd get a 3-4" S&W .357mag and load it with .38+p.

Why?

Smaller revolvers, j-frames, are more difficult to aim, followup shots are not as accurate and have a little recoil that petitite women may have trouble with.

a larger 686 with 3-4" barrel will have enough sight line to aim accurately and the heavier gun will reduce felt recoil for a easier and more accurate follow up shot.

[fauxcult]

That's a good suggestion. I was thinking overall weight might be a problem, but I suppose I'd rather she place one, very well aimed, shot and have a slightly more difficult time hefting the gun than struggle to make a connection shooting across a room. I'm sorry to hear the Judge isn't CA legal (though I'd be foolish to be surprised). Anyone own a Ruger or have any other suggestions that might be lower cost? Also, I've seen that Taurus makes a 9mm revolver. It seems like a good way to save on ammunition but it strikes me as pretty strange. Any thoughts?

[SnWnMe]

J frames are cute but hard to shoot well with real loads so put those types at the bottom of your list next to the Desert Eagle.
I have no doubt you will put the time in to learn to shoot but what about her? Revolvers aren't necessarily a newbie gun. They easy to use but hard to shoot well. So I suggest you get thee to a rental range, put a bunch of handguns (and a shotgun or two) in her hands and see how she does. Nothing beats real life hands on advice.

[Jonathan Doe]

My wife's gun is a 2 1/2" S&W model 66, using Winchester 110 grains +P+ rounds. She is pretty good with it. I prefer a revolver for my wife, since she doesn't have to think about anything but grab it and shoot. With a little bit of weight on the gun, the recoil is manageable for her.

[robcoe]

Come July I'll be joining the ranks of married Calgunners. My fiance and I are looking for our first apartment and it gives me the (fun) job of finding a good home defense revolver for my bride-to-be. My fiance is a very petite woman and has a hard time racking the slide on my 1911 and my 22 doesn't really fit her hand that well, though she is a pretty good shot with it. I had thought about getting a Taurus Judge for the house but she hates shooting my .45 because of the noise and recoil so I figured the Judge wasn't really a good idea because she'd be reluctant to practice with it. I'm also worried about the weight. Anyone have any suggestions for a home defense revolver that is RELIABLE, accurate, small, light, and easy to shoot? I don't really know much about revolvers, so feel free to lay down some knowledge for me. The more I know the better. I don't want to make an ill-informed purchase when it comes to protecting her life.

Well, the judge was out anyway(short barrel shotgun), my advice would be a SP101 with 3 inch barrel and .38 special rounds for a small gun, GP100 with .38s for a larger gun that has next to no recoil.

Little heaver than some, but easy to shoot and reliable.