revolver for home defense... help!

G

Glockstar .40

New member
HEY everyone im a glock guy (dont hurt me) but i love wheel guns as well. i dont know much about them and im looking for one for my wife's night stand. she has a hard time with the semi-autos.....any suggestions on a nice reliable wheelgun? probably around the 4-600$ range. thanks guys
 
I would take her to the gun shop and try some of the various S&W and Ruger offerings. There are a lot more options for revolvers than there once was, but maybe not as much variety as you find with semi-autos.

A friend purchased S&W 686 model that actually holds seven rounds while the gun is chambered in .357 they actually load it with .38 +P ammo. The gun is large enough to absorb a lot of the recoil and still small enough to be manageable for home use.
 
If you're shopping new, then that price range will get you a good revolver from Ruger or S&W. If you check out your used options you can get a revolver that's just as good (in most cases better) for about half the price of a new one. Stick with an American made revolver and you'll be fine as far as quality goes.

If your wife is recoil sensitive then she'll probably be better off firing .38s. A .357 magnum can also fire .38s. If you can find a good used S&W K-frame (a model 10 or 64 for example) you won't do much better for a house gun, and they're pretty darn cheap too. Something with a 4" barrel is a good balance. Though a longer one will dampen the recoil and increase velocity, with a slight disadvantage in portability.

Also be aware that some women have a hard time with the double action trigger on revolvers. So be sure she dry fires it a few times before purchasing.
 
My home defense gun is a Rugur Security Six. Very happy with mine. The GP-100 or S&W 686 would be nice also.
 
my bride

I had a similar situation as you did except that I have equal revolvers to autos. My wife has shot revolvers for many years so the autos were new to her. She has some problems racking autos and I guess all of us will eventually.

So we did just what as been suggested above, we shopped and shopped. She picked up every model of S & W and Rugers and a few more that I cannot recall now. She finally settled on the LCR in 38 with the Crimson Trace. She does carry all of the time but it is her night stand and car firearm. It handles well for her and it fits her so she is comfortable with it. It certainly is not a firearm you take to the range and run a couple hundred rounds through.

I carry an LCP and she doesn't care for that one at all. Fine, she has what fits her and this is vitally important when and if she ever has to use it for SD.
 
I can't re-emphasize, as posters above have said, that she try out the gun with whatever ammo is going to be used. My wife likes shooting my big ol' S&W 627 but the reach for the trigger (even with a trigger job down to a 6# DA pull) is just too much and she has to go single action.
 
I'm guessing that your wife is a new shooter.

I suggest the following:

Enroll her in a class with an instructor with whom she is compatible. Let her pick the instructor. After years of trying to teach my wife I followed this procedure. She is now a fair shooter and interested in our sport.

As a part of her training have her shoot as many different calibers makes and models as is possible. She will find one that is right for her.

When she decides on the gun she wants, she will make that weapon her own and be confident in its use. This will make her more effective in a defense situation.

You may also get a shooting partner who supports your addiction.

My wife in two years has gone from accepting my intrest in shooting to trying to claim my guns as her own. So far she has appropriated my Ruger Mk II, my tz 75, my Win94 in 44mag and is attempting to get her mitts on my M-4.

come to think about it I'll let her have the M-4 and get myself an M-10.
 
I just bought this one, with similar thoughts in mind. Ruger SP101 with 3in barrel. I figured it could function in multiple roles...woods gun, home defense, and if need be it's still fairly small for CCW. Also, reasonably heavy so recoil isn't too bad.
 
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I have an Sp101 in my night stand as I type, loaded with .38 spcl +p. I have big hands and it might be too small. If your wife has smaller hands it might fit her well.
 
My wifes house gun is a 4" Model 686-1.
The daughter-in-law's house gun is a 4" Model 64-2.
My neighbor gals house gun is a 4" Model 10.

All 3 have Hogue Rubber grips.

All Steel for a little heft, and to soak up recoil.
A 4" barrel to make it a more shootable platform.
Hogue Rubber Grips soak up some recoil, they are grippy and do not squirm around in the hand. When given a choice girls seem to prefer Hogue Rubber gripps on S&W revolvers from my experiance.

You could add a few more to the above list.

About any 3 or 4 Inch K or L Frame S&W that will shoot 38 Special should work fine.
Ruger Security Six, SP101, or GP100. Either 3" or 4" barrel.

Bob
 
I'd vote for any of the hammerless Smiths. That way, she can carry it in purse or jacket pocket when she's away from the house. The gun's got to fit her hands, and that may mean after-market grips, (but really, the current S&W factory grips, the rubber 'boot' type' fit well in both of our hands...they may fit your lady's hands just fine. (BTW, while both of our guns are hammer models, the hammerless really makes more sense for pocket or purse carry.)

My wife carries a Smith 637 Airweight in .38 Special. The hammer's exposed but does not pose a problem to her draw from hand bag or pocket...it's just not a problem for her. She keeps it on the night stand as well. The light weight makes it easier to carry when away from home as well. This is the gun, but we've since added Crimson Trace laser grips...far better feel than the S&W "Boot" grips shown, and the laser's use in low light situations is obvious.

The 2nd pic's of my (used to be hers) S&W M36...an older gun that I especially like for its wood grips and those adjustable sights on the three inch barrel. It's my fishing companion most days, and one of several carry options.

We carry with Remington's Golden Saber 125 gr JHP +P rounds, but practice with 158 gr LSWC's hand loaded to the same "felt" recoil levels. Impact points at 15-21 feet are close enough for defensive work. Rod

SWAirweight38.jpg


3inchChiefsSpecial.jpg
 
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For a night stand revolver I would suggest a S&W model 10 or 64 in 4 inch barrel. The 38 special round is plenty good enough for home defense. I have a model 10 4 inch heavy barrel as my home defense gun. I have two speed loaders ready with Buffalo Bores LSWCHP 158 gr 38+P. That should do the job if you wife does hers.
Regards,
Howard
 
OP,
IMO, you can't go wrong with a heavy 4" bbl revolver that fits her hand well. Use the heaviest .38 load that she can handle with confidence. This has worked well around here, sort of. The odd thing is that my wife, with large hands, chose a 649 and my daughter, with little hands, chose a 4" 686. Go figure. The point is that your Mrs. has to do the choosing and be comfortable.
 
My next million dollar idea

A magazine in the butt of the revolver, and when an empty chamber comes around, it loads a bullet up into that empty chamber.

Think about it... :)
 
Glockstar40:

Find a good four inch Smith & Wesson model 19 or model 66 and take your wife
to the range to learn to shoot it. You won't be sorry.

Semper Fi.

Gunnery sergeant
Clifford L. Hughes
USMC Retired
 
I really like the 4" GP 100, can shoot .38. Might be a bit heavy for some lady shooters (40 oz). I also like the S&W 64 also, can be picked up inexpensively on the internet.

Mike
 
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