Defensive revolver suggestions

A

Alex Johnson

New member
Hi everybody. A friend of mine is looking for a revolver to give to his girlfriend for a Christmas present. The revolver would be used for self defense. As I understand it she probably will now be carrying the gun too often so size is probably not all that important (she still wants a pistol though and not a shotgun). So, do you have any suggestions. My thoughts on the matter were since she wouldn't need to worry about concealment a medium frame .357 would be about ideal. I figured it would be easier to shoot and would be a bit more mild, in addition it would be easier and cheaper for her to practice with the cheaper 38 Specials. Unfortunately the dealers in our area are not carrying any decently priced model 19's, so I'm looking for other options/calibers. Rugers, Tauruses, S&W's, Colt's I'm open to any thoughts on the subject, Thanks a lot.

P.S. not that I was really thinking about it (well, maybe just a little) I saw a really nice 4" Taurus 41 magnum this afternoon with a ported barrel. My father has an older S&W model 57 4" so I'm familiar with the cartridge, but my question would be has anyone fired these guns yet with the porting? The .41 definitely feels good in my hands and I think it would fit hers pretty well too; however, I don't know about the availability of decent defensive loads for it (all the ones I've seen look like there for hunting), nor what the recoil level is with these loads. If it has as much recoil as the model 57 with the loads I've shot through it than it is probably a bit too much for her to handle; however if it is somewhat tamer it would definitely beat the hell out of the .357 as far as knock down power goes. Once again, thanks a lot.
 
The same...

...gun as the .41 you saw is available in a 7-shot .357 Mag configuration. Pretty swoopy piece; especially in Total Titanium with the Shadow Gray finish.
 
Suprise Christmas presents are wonderfull. But in this case the recipient should have a lot to say about the gun. If she gets to select, with advise, then she is more likely to shoot it. The more she shoots it, the better she will become. Hence, the safer she will be if need for use arises.

Sam
 
Tamara, there you go again with the "swoopy" deal.;)

I agree with C.R. Sam, let her have a say in the selection process. If you can, find a place that rents guns and have her shoot some .357 and .38 out of a small and medium frame revolver.

As for the ported Taurus model. I have it in .357 with the ribber (no thats not a typo) grips and the porting makes a minimal amount of difference on muzzle flip. The porting does increase the noise level though. The grips are nice and help reduce the recoil somewhat. Im very happy with my Tracker.
 
This is a home defense gun! Mil Inc Thunder five. Four ten shell shot revolver. Point low! :)

Found this picture while surfing one of the auctions houses.

ACFF371.gif
 
Whew!
Buying a small frame revolver chambered for 'any' mangum caliber for a untrained handgunner is not good..........
I have been dealing-literally- with that premise for over thirty years. I train-for free- any responable person to shoot a handgun.
I am qualified to do so.
You just cannot give a unspecting person any frame size revolver chambered in 357 and expect them to do anything but freak out when it jumps out of their hand and hurts the web of their hand in doing so.
How can I condense 30+ years of full time experince in an attempt to have you understand that the mastery or even acceptable performance of any firearm is a lengthy proposition.
I just takes lots of entry level chambered guns.......
Lots of easy going instructions on the line.........
The shooter has just got to gain some level of confidence before they chamber a magnum round and shoot it in a 2" barreled gun!
Whew!! I have seen green shooters do that.....
That will end their desire to go any further.
If you want to give her a Christmas present she will enjoy the rest of her life then locate a good used md 17-18-.22 rimfire- of course.
Buy some ammo which shoots well in it.........
Set the sights so she can hit the 2" at 25 yds.....
Get her some quality shooting muffs........
some quality eye protection as well.......
Let her shoot from a sandbag rest---single action at first.
Make sure she is taught safety--FIRST
Then after a year of that practice you can buy her another gun for Christmas---on down the road.
There is no short cut when it comes down to being a responsible accurate, and confident handgun shooter.
The handgun---any handgun---is the hardest of any firearm to master.
I am a civilian now.
The only way I can keep the 'art' of the revolver alive is to give the knowledge away to those who are interested.
It would take more money than you have to spend for me to charge you but I offer it for free.

My tecnique has never failed so don't spoil a potential handgunner by allowing her to hurt her hand right off the bat.
I am a single parent. Girl--15
I understand that girls are not like us and thank God for that I might add!!
They will beat you when it comes to handgunning if you will just start and the beginning instead of near the end with a 357magnum!
Girls are smarter than us........they learn quicker......they are more attentive to instructions and will progress faster than men.
So if you are qualified to properly instruct her then by all means do so.
Don Mallard
 
The best available IMHO is a S&W 686+.

It's a 7 shot revolver.

With a 4" barrel shooting .38 specials it is very user friendly to a new shooter.


Available used at good prices.

Stick with the .38's until she is very comfortable with the gun.

Make dang sure the new shooter wears hearing protection!
 
Alex, I purchased a 617T for my mom a couple of years ago, and thought I was doing her a real favor. Unfortunately, I had not really taken the time to make sure it would fit her. We don't live close to one another, so she gets her training from a friend there...Recently, we went shooting, and I saw that she was having a lot of difficulties with the gun. Turns out that the DA pull is much too far for her hands. We found a *&* Ladysmith that fit her perfectly, and she's MUCH, MUCH, MUCH happier.

Moral of the story: What YOU think is a great gun may not be best for your loved one.

Boycotters: I agree 100% with you, but when it comes to arming your mom, you can't let politics get in the way.
 
Thanks for all the replies, I guess I need to clarify a few things though. First she has had quite a bit of experience shooting, mostly shotguns and rifles, though she has spent a considerable amount of time shooting 22 pistols as well. I have advised my friend that the purchase of a .357 would be good, but only if she started out on standard velocity .38's first and than worked her way up. As far as a surprise Christmas present goes, I agree that it would be better if she could handle the gun an pick her own out; however, for reasons unknown to me, this does not seem to be an option. As a competition shooter, for years I have used revolvers in competition and have worked with several female shooters in that time. All except one was able to comfortably shoot both my K-38 in addition to my K-22 very well. His girlfriend is not unlike most of these women in physical stature (and she likes to shoot also) which would lead me to believe that she probably would not have any trouble with a similar size revolver (the grips can always be modified or replaced to suit her hands). One thing I have attempted to do is steer the decision away from a small j-frame size snubby since I don't believe that this is a suitable gun for a beginner considering the increased muzzleflash, recoil, and shorter sight radius.
So, I guess if worse comes to worse and my friend buys a pistol for his girlfriend that she just absolutely can't shoot well, than he'll just have to bring her down to the gunstore after Christmas and either trade the gun back, or keep it and buy her a totally different gun that is to her liking (knowing him he'll probably keep the gun anyway and add it to his collection). Once again thanks for all the responses.
 
I agree with NOT-BUBBA that the SW686Plus is the best all-around magnum out there. If she wants a smaller frame, the SW model 66 is also an excellent choice (I own both). The 4" barrel is the best trade-off of accuracy and concealability.
 
I know I am not answering the question you asked: but why a revolver? I shot some 357, 38, and 38 plus P this week. Forget about practicing much with 357--it is brutal coming out of a compact revolver, even one that is ported or all-steel. According to writers, 38 special and 38 plus P do not have enough velocity out of a two inch barrel to expand on impact most of the time. I believe this is also true of 357, but there seems to be some disagreement on this.

I think that the Ruger P95 should be considered. 27 ounces, double action/ single action, accurate, durable, dependable, can hold 15 round mags, which are readily available. After taking into account the current Ruger rebate, you can get a P95 for well under $300. There is no way that a double action, single action revolver can be as accurate as an auto shooting single action. Just my opinion.

Drakejake
 
Don't know if you're friend's gun shop does gift certificates, but it might be worth asking. IMO, the person who's going to use a gun should pick it out.
 
Greeting's All,

Lot's of good post here; but I'll have to agree
that the recepient of a weapon on any and all
occassions, should have some input as to what
that present will be. There are just too many
variable's that enter into this equation; and
damn it would be bad to receive a gift (weapon)
that you could not use, and/or did not want.
So, my advice is let the person who is going
to ultimately use the weapon take part in
choosing it, as well.

Best Wishes,
Ala Dan, N.R.A. Life Member
 
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