Female wants a wheelgun but.....

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PaleGreenHorse

New member
Well after one of my female co-workers got her SP-101 the other female co-worker wants a firearm for carry in our shop.

A few notes of intrest here though. She is 5'5" and weighs a whopping 100lbs soaking wet. She cannot even pull the trigger on a stock DAO SP-101 without making the "stressed" face. It is very difficult for her to reach the break during dryfire and the SP-101 is heavy for her.

I am using the SP-101 for a comparison because its what we have available for comparison in the wheelgun world at our shop.

I have tried to explain to her that she might want to go with an Auto, but she is hell bent on a Wheel, so my question is what would be a great gun for someone with her size and strength, with this being her first gun purchase. Something light weight, with a light DA trigger, and something that is not going to kill her witht he recoil?

I was thinking maybe a 9mm Taurus wheelie, but like I stated before I don't have much experience when it comes to revolvers, so I don't know much about the trigger on them. A list of good options would be great. Thanks PGH~





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...She cannot even pull the trigger on a stock DAO SP-101 without making the "stressed" face. It is very difficult for her to reach the break during dryfire and the SP-101 is heavy for her.
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Practice, practice, practice. ;)

She should be able to, in time, build up finger, hand and arm strength to hold a revolver and pull the trigger.

I thought a foot clutch with a manual transmission was hard the first time I tried it, but it got easier... :D

"Pain is weakness leaving the body."
-USMC slogan
 
Revolvers.....

Lots of good revolvers are available in many price ranges as well...

Taurus have been good to me and those I know. Smith and Wesson is a little more price but also very good models are available too. I would steer clear of the 9mm idea for a few reasons..... The biggest is lack of available models in 9mm vs. 38/357 type models. But if she is thinking that is what she wants - don't try to stop a woman with her mind set. One thing about the 9mm is the ammo is a little easier on the budget. As far as triggers are concerned? It sounds like a gunsmith would be the guy/gal to talk to about getting that trigger a little less for your friend to pull.

The revolver is a great option but as with any tool.... The user must practice and get education from a good shooting instructor or person with good teaching skills. I wish you and your friend the best of luck... I hope she never has to use her weapon other than on the range....... :) Regards Rojoe
 
She definately needs something with a light stock pull so that when the trigger job is done its even lighter. She's just not physically strong enough, it would be like us trying to get use to a 30lb trigger pull. What is the stock pull on the Taurus vs. a Smith?
 
S&W 642, I have a friend who is about the same size and she could hold the 642 well. The only problem she had was when she shot it, it lifted about a foot and after a bit of practice she learned to control it.
 
She cannot even pull the trigger on a stock DAO SP-101 without making the "stressed" face.
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I had one. I'm 6', 187lbs, and neither could I!!! ;)
This one is lite, very smooth action and affordable...The M36 is a great recommedation! the Taurus is lighter, (al. alloy) .38Spl. +p.
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You might try any one of the J frame S&W's.

My wife is facing a similar problem, but for a different reason. Hers is that she has rheumatoid arthritis, and as such has very little grip strength.

Observations:

A> She does like my S&W 422 -- it is light and slim and single-action, and since it is a .22 the recoil is negligable. It is yet another case of it becoming "Hers". But, it is a .22, so I'd like for her to have something with more authority.

B> She has tried my Bersa Thunder .380, and she does NOT like it. She can't rack the slide by herself. And the recoil is a bit too stout for her.

C> She actually does like my 686. Yes, it is too heavy for her to shoot much, but she really doesn't have a big problem with the trigger -- she just shoots it single action. I have every bit of confidence that if it came down to it she'd find the strength to shoot it double action, she probably won't even have to think about it -- adrenaline and all, ya' know.

D> Just the other day at the gun shop, she managed to say "NO" to every autoloader I got them to let her handle: grip too big, trigger too heavy, can't rack the slide, and so on and so forth.

With that in mind, it looks like it is going to be a lighter S&W wheelie that isn't a snubby. Seems like the Model 60 comes in a 3" model, that should do the trick nicely. Sounds like something like that would do for your co-worker. She can always load it with lighter .38 SD and target/practice ammo, you know.
 
Hulk Trigger

I just handled an SP101 today and you're right - the DA trigger is insanely heavy. I don't know why they need to be do heavy. SA is fine at least.

The GP100 was much nicer.

Ruger must have lost a few sales on this since concealment-size guns go largely to female buyers.
 
She could shoot in single action... most people say it's slower, but I don't think it's much slower - I run my thumb over the spur during recoil phase, and the hammer cocks itself as the barrel falls back on target. At least if shooting a brisk *measured* pace (about 1 round/second) and using sights, if it's slower, it ain't by much.
 
First get her a tennis ball and tell her to practice squeezing it every night. She needs hand strength as all small framed revolvers have fairly heavy trigger pulls. There is not enough mechanical leverage to make the pulls much lighter without compromising reliability.
 
Pick up a snub Smith in 38, you can reduce trigger pull with spring kit. The taraus 9mm has more recoil then the 38 so she probably would,nt like that. The semi,s are gonna be hard for her to rack slide. I would get her a spurless Smith and have her set at nite and dryfire it a couple hundred times and increase as finger strenght does.
 
If she is having trouble with a trigger pull I definitely would not want her to be stuck with an auto. I once dated a tall 300 pound woman who had trouble cycling the slide of an auto pistol.
Hell, I was a 250 pound weightlifter and I had trouble cycling the slide of some full size service autos with the hammer forward myself when I was young.
If she is short and scrawny, i really doubt she will have an easy time with the slide on some 3 inch .45 auto.
 
The standard answer is J-frame S&W. In this woman's case, however, she might do better with a K-frame. The Model 65 Ladysmith has an easier trigger than the J-frames and is a great gun to boot. A used Model 10 would work just fine for a shooter. The great thing about revolvers is that different stocks can be had to adapt to different hand sizes. My daughter is 5'2" and has absolutely no problem shooting a 686 with 158 grain magnum loads. I gave her a Model 66 to use for a house gun, and she shoots that one very well. She is partial to Houge grips. Each person's hands dictate what grips work best for them.

If the woman wants a revolver, by all means she should have one. If she will try a few for fit and function, I feel sure that she can come up with one that will work well for her.

Clemson
 
Clemson is right. The k-frame trigger can be made easier to shoot than the j-frame; particularly if she is willing to limit herself to Federal standard pistol primers, as do virtually all competition revolver shooters.
 
J-frame, K-frame, or a small Kahr (even though that's an auto). I would go with one of the first two. Will she be carrying this or will it just be an at home gun?
 
Careful on the snubbie revolvers in higher caliber. I have a Centennial S&W 42 that looks very nice but is punishing to the hand with just target loads. Since she should be practicing with it, I cant imagine what putting 30 round downrange would do to her hand.

I think part of this problem might be the DAO aspect of this gun. If it had been SA I might have done better. But will she be thumbing back the hammer after every shot in a confrontation? Prob not.

Going with a wheelgun, also recommend Lasergrips or the like. Nothing to boost th econfidence level of someone than to see the nice red dot on the center of mass.

If the .38 doesnt work for her, how about the .32 Magnum? S&W makes the 432PD with Crimson Trace laser grips built in. It might be more manageable for her. Since she prob cant handle higher caliber rounds, will .38 Special make that much difference vs. .32 Magnum? Prob not. So might as well go towards her end with comfort - 2 or 3 shots on target in .32 are better than 1 shot in .38 Special.
 
My local pawnshop has a K-Frame S&W in .38 Special with a two inch barrel. I think it might be a Model 10. Smiths seem to have pretty good triggers and the medium frame would help her control the recoil better than a J-Frame would. Also, a K-Frame with a 3" barrel would give better ballistics and a full length ejector rod without adding too much bulk. I think J&G Sales has police trade in Model 10's with a 3" barrel (or 4" if you prefer but I assume she wants a carry gun).
 
I just handled an SP101 today and you're right - the DA trigger is insanely heavy. I don't know why they need to be so heavy. SA is fine at least.

The GP100 was much nicer.
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Agreed on all counts. And they demonstrably don't need to be so heavy. My gunsmith cleaned my SP101 right up with an action job.

It's a pity so many SP factory triggers are bad, because they are otherwise great revolvers.
 
Wheelgun for the Lady--

The same issue arose in our house. My wife has very small hands and is unable to pull the trigger (DA) on my 469. She now carries an older Rossi copy of the SW 36. She is able to fire it DA with no problem. Loaded with 135gr. GDHP +P's and its very managable for her. My wife has a tendency to shoot 3 COM and the last 2 go CNS (Center of Head on B27). She says she can't seem to hold it down for the last two :rolleyes: Whatever works. At least she's not one of the "Femi-nazi's" that seems to always place two in the "crotch" area of the target. :eek:

A SW 36 or Ladysmith would be my recommendation.
 
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