Recommend a revolver for my wife please....

Let her choose.

Call up your shooting buddies and have them come out to the range with their revolvers. They should let you know the caliber so you can pick up one type of ammo to test in all of them. The results will be more consistent that way. Get something like lead semi-wadcutters for her to try out. Stay away from the magnums unless she wants to compare them to a .38. If the calibers vary, try to get comparative ammo (no magnums or +p loads) that is moderate in recoil.

Let her judge on the basis of comfort, ease of operations, trigger pull, accuracy and most important of all, confidence.

If your buddies won't share (what sort of buddies are they then?), then find a range that rents some guns and take your wife there. Try before you buy.
 
What CR Sam and SaxonPig said...

If you get your wife to agree to something she isn't really sold on, then she'll never carry the gun.

Best regards,
Married 35 years
 
Lots and lots of choices, but .....

My suggestion would be to take her to the range and let her shoot a couple ( or more ) and see which she is comfortable with and go from there? Same goes with ammo.

Give it a try, she may surprise you!
 
Man, I can't believe people suggest a J frame .38 for an inexperienced person who lacks hand strength. These little guns are killers on recoil and would totally intimidate a new female shooter
Click to expand...

Ummm...killers on recoil??? Not! .357, yeah, maybe...but .38?..No way! An Airweight J-frame .38 just kicks a bit, but an all steel J-frame .38 is a pussycat. The .357 J-frame in any configuration, steel, aluminum, scandium, titanium, what have you...all kick like a mule.

Any woman who can't shoot a J-frame .38 is a real sissy!;) She probably runs like a girl too!:D
 
I thought that I was fairly average on recoild tolerance. The K frame .357 Magnum doesn't bother me much, and I have shot 40 rounds of .375 H&H without too much distress. The M29 with full loads is a bit much for my taste, and a little goes a long way. I must admit my .460 knocks the snot out of me and after maybe three shots I am flinching pretty badly. But I guess that by your standards I am a sissy as I find my M40 rather unpleasant with full power loads. Rather unpleasant for an experienced shooter usually translates into unbearable for a neophyte.
 
Taurus .32 H&R Magnum

My wife is 5' tall and has a .38 S&W air-lite, weighs 11 oz and kicks like a mule and cost $550 . She loves it.I don't like the recoil
I don't like shooting the .38s.Bought a Taurus .32 mag weighs 17ozs make a mild recoil ,fun to shoot fits in front pocket.I did my telephone book test to see the diference from .32 to .32mag..32 from KT half way through..32 mag all the way through leaving a big hole.32 mag cost $300.Whatever she buys don't carry it in purse allways better on person.
 
Karstho, great decision. Build confidence and competence and take your time seeing where to go from there. Nice to see someone with the patience to do things right (patience I know I lack myself sometimes!). Good luck, and I hope you both enjoy shooting.

cw
 
What brand and what price range???

Now that we have decided....


Suggestions for brand, and what price range????


I apologize in advance if this starts a raging debate.:D


I would like to pick one up for 200.00 or less and used is ok with me....
 
hey, why not a S&W 686 with 2 1/2"barrel?
loaded with 38's should be an easy shooter.the snubbies aren't as muzzle heavy,and IMHO promotes better gun handling for a woman. i've seen and helped several women shoot,and they all hold the gun funny when they have long or heavy barrels.
weapon retention is a big factor in my book for a woman as well as a man.
check out Hogue Bantam grips for this one.
i think you have to be in tune with what a woman wants to get anywhere. knowledge is the key. adrenaline will pull the trigger;all she has to do is aim.
oh,and as far as auto's;larger is better for ease of slide action. it's getting hard to find full size auto's with single column magazines. to my thinking the 1911 actually makes alot of sense for a woman willing to learn.with short trigger,straight backstrap,and thin grips,along with federal 165 grain hydroshoks.ta-da!
 
You can buy a .22 cal revolver that has a second, interchangeable cylinder chambered for .22 mag. (Ruger)

Some .22 mag ammunition produces only a little less muzzle energy than some 9mm ammo. due to the high velocity of the .22 mag bullet.
 
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I bought a Taurus 94 4 inch a good while back. It still gets shot frequently. The factory springs made for a very stiff trigger. I have some Wolff replacements here. I'll install them and get back to this thread tomorrow.
But I digress. I think the optimum barrel length is 3 inches, but none were avaiable when I was ready to buy. This one seems like a pretty fair deal
http://www.gunbroker.com/auction/ViewItem.asp?Item=5142636

It's cheap, quiet, and fun to shoot.
 
Charley,
I've got the 2" stainless Taurus Model 94 and installed the Wolff springs in it and ended up with lite strikes due to the hammer spring being too lite. I did leave the Wolff trigger return spring in place. Man, it sure had a nice trigger pull with the Wolff springs in place, but...... Anyway, my wife got ahold of it and I gave it to here -- so, I had to locate and buy a 2" S&W Model 63 to replace it.;)

On Wednesday I'll be picking up my new S&W Model 331, so I'll make my initial comments on Wednesday evening or Thursday sometime. I am just hoping the durned thing has a decent trigger without having to ship it back to the S&W Custom Shop for a tuneup to make it function like it should from the factory in the first place -- sorta like they used to do before the 80s got here.:rolleyes:
Rich
 
Does anyone have, or have knowledge of an older model Taurus in .38 called the model 2 ??? Just curious cause I may pick one up for me as MY first revolver.:)


It was apparently made back in the 1990's...


Thanks
 
Finally got the S&W 331. I am very pleased with it, but it has a pretty heavy DA trigger pull. It is smooth, but heavy. I am told that is to be expected with an 10.9oz revolver.

I've only put about 75 rounds through it so far, but the initial thoughts are very good for a snubby. Due to the heavy DA trigger pull I have bigger groups than I want, but quite acceptable for a CCW. At 7 yards I am getting groups in the 3" range and at 15 yards it opens up a bit more.

This revolver carries very well in a Desantis pocket holster in either a front pocket or back pocket. It conceals extremely well. I recommend it. I just wish there were more commercial SD loads available for it.
Regards,
Rich
 
My wife owned a Taurus 85CH, she didn't like the DAO pull and the 2" barrel made it hard to shoot accurately. We've decided on a S&W 64 with a 3" barrel. Autos are out of the question, too complicated for stressful use.
 
I'd like to suggest two very good choices. Both have DA triggers that are smooth, light and consistant. Both are absolutely reliable and available used at reasonable prices.

The first is the S&W M-19 357Mag. Loaded with 38spl ammo it is a joy to shoot and very, very accurate. It might be necessary to get smaller grips than the stock one if her hands are small.

The second is, IMHO, the sleeper pistol of th ecentury. It's the Colt Police Positive. It's about the same size as the S&W K frames but the grip is deeper and so it's far more manageable than the J frames. It's available in either 38spl or the 38 S&W calibers. The 38S&W is slightly less powerful than the 38SPL but is is a very soft, slow, manageable recoil. It might just be the perfect compromise round for your wifes's first pistol.

Here's a pic of the K framed S&W M-19 and the Colt Police Positive so that you can see their relative size.

standard.jpg
 
I agree with a .22 to start out with (and plink with later!)

FWIW - My S.O. is VERY pleased with her Taurus 650. No hammer to snag. Nice trigger (we think). It is heavy enough that recoil is fine using .38s. Actually she prefers +P ammo when carrying.

.357s are still a bit much for her though. When we hike, we usually trade guns (I take the 650 loaded with magnum loads and she takes my 9mm).

Logistar
 
I definately have it narrowed down to either the tarus 94, or the taurus M85, but unfortunately I am suffering from lack-o-denero at this time. maybe in a few weeks I'll pick up one or both. :)
 
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