Need help picking revolver for girlfriend...

[racegunner]

1. I am familier with semiautos and full size revolvers, but not the newest small offerings.
2. Are we still boycotting S&W, Ruger & Colt ? Because if they are still on the bad list, than that widdels my choices down to nothing.

I am looking for a small revolver for my girlfriend
Ruger 5 shot looks good with 3 inch ported barrel. This is also available in 9mm (still?) I'd rather that as I have a pile of 9mm for my semi practice and wouldn't have to buy .38 then. Is the 9mm a good choice? Do the empties fall out nicely as there is no rim on the cartridge?
How about the .22? Or do you think the .357/.38 is the best bet for revolver?

any opinions are appreciated.

thnx-Brian

[mikey357]

Brian-politics aside,S&W, Ruger and Colt have many good offerings...as does Taurus. The big question is, what will your girlfriend use it for??? If its just for casual target shooting and plinking, the answer would be different than if she plans to carry it concealed...see why we need to know WHAT she's going to do with it??? It would also be helpful to know what, if anything, she has shot before. BTW, the 9mm REVOLVERS are neat, but you MUST USE "moonclips" with 'em for them to extract/eject properly....mikey357

[Jay Baker]

How familiar with handguns is your girlfriend?? If she's just starting, I'd buy a good .22 L.R. revolver, and have her shoot about three bricks (1,500 rounds) through it to practice safety and accuracy... and it won't cost a small fortune to learn the fundamentals.

Then, move to a .38 Sp., if she likes revolvers, or a good semi-auto, if she prefers them. But I would not buy her a 9mm revolver. I know two guys who have them, and they never carry them anymore, because of the half moon clips being awkward for reloading, etc.

A good .38 cartridge will do anything a 9mm will do, and is much easier to reload in a revolver in a stressful situation, using the speedloaders.

I prefer HKS, but other people like others. Whatever works best....

JMHO. J.B.

[Chris McDermott]

Take her with you when you buy it and let her see if it feels right in HER hand. Everybody's hands are shaped differently, and if it's not comfortable in her hand, she won't enjoy shooting it.

I looked at Ruger's web pages and they aren't listing the SP101 in 9mm anymore, but you might still be able to find one. S&W made the 547 which was very well liked by most people who saw one (see other thread about 547).

For a beginner a .22 rimfire is best for learning, but if you want a self-defense weapon now, a 357 makes more sense as you can use 38 Specials for learning and practice, and reserve the magnum ammo for CCW.

[rock_jock]

I recently bought a S&W 331 (used, I didn't want to contribute to their coffers) for my wife. She will eventually get her CCW and carry it. This is a great gun for women who don't shoot much (and are therefore not completely comfortable with the operation of a handgun) and are a little intimidated by recoil. It weighs only 11 ozs, , fits very well in a small hand, is chambered in .32 H&R Magnum (with half the recoil of a .38, but almost the same knockdown power), and is fairly accurate. As a plus, it holds six rounds. I recommend it. You can probably pick up a used one on GunsAmerica.com.

rock

[racegunner]

It would be for home protection.
I am leaning toward the SP101.
.357 would be first choice and have her fire 38+p
but .22 looks nice with 4" barrel more pointable but
only six rounds. SW makes 8 round small .22 but aluminum frame. I like the all steel Ruger, but how hard can a .22 be on the light SW? I assume it wouldn't be a problem to practice often with it. She tried both Ruger and
SW (just picked them up to feel them so far). Both fit about
same. I like Ruger grip. If I (we) go .22 I'd like to have
an 8 rounder. I think SW makes full size 8-10 rounders maybe I'll check into those.

1 or 2 hits with .22 are better than 5 misses with .38. I have to keep reminding myself she'll be shooting it not me.

[Kief]

I second the 357 choice. Here's two experiences I've had. My wife is 95 pounds, small hands but strong. She flinched so much when we started that we moved to a Smith 22 revolver. She loved it because of the lack of noise and recoil. After she felt confident that she could hit a target consistently we went to the range to try out 357 snubby revolvers. We used 38 special's with minimum powder loads. She did not like the light titanium revolvers because of recoil. She preferred the steel Ruger. Now she has move up to full 357 loads but will practice with 38's.
My grandaughter, a freshman in college, and about the same size as my wife preferred the steel Smith snubby because of the reduced recoil. She also started with the Smith 22 and moved to more noise and recoil.
My humble opinion about the political aspects of the Smith and Wesson agreement is that the government tried to shut down all gun manufactureres with unbeleivable pressure from law suites. If we boycot Smith and Wesson we do the job the government couldn't do. We'll shut down the best gun manufacturer is the US because of the decision of their chairman. Not the workers. I try not to judge the Indian until I've walked a mile in his moccasins.

[beemerb]

Is she shooting your guns?I assume so.I this is true I think you should go with her and let her pick out her gun with any questions she has answered by you.I have seen so many of these threads about what should I buy my girlfriend or wife and don't really understand.Allmost all are capable of makeing there own informed choice.No different then a man starting out.I have taught a fair number of of women to shoot and allmost all have turned into very good shooters.The men I have tried to teach think they know it all.(most not all) and are very hard to teach.All males give them a chance.They will surprise you with their intellegent choices with some factual input.Never underestimate the so called weaker sex,they aren't.
WHen its all done you will have great shooting partner.

[Quantum Singularity]

Get the Ruger SP 101. I was shocked at its controlability and accuracy. It is the best overall snubby revolver IMO. The only weak area is the trigger pull...

BTW, the ergonomics are awesome on the SP 101. It is the only revolver that fits my hand like a glove (I usually like semi-auto grips much better)...

[Edited by Quantum Singularity on 12-07-2000 at 11:53 PM]

[4V50 Gary]

I agree with Chris. Let her find something that feels good in her hands (besides your hands). Ahem...

It may be a matter of finding grips for a particular gun too. It would be best to gather guns which belongs to your shooting buddies and let her test fire them. That way she can determine what she likes on a trial basis rather than you go through and buy "le gun du jour," which, in and of itself, isn't bad if you've got the capital.

As for training, I agree with starting with a .22 and then using something larger. If you don't want to buy a .22, get a pellet gun. Shooting principles are the same either way.

[branrot]

My small .357 is the S&W Model 60. I chose it over the SP101 because of its lighter weight and smaller size. These might be issues for a female (yes I'm stereotyping here; she might be able to bench press me for all I know). Either way, I wouldn't get a DAO only gun, especially if it's for home defense. Definately go for somthing with an exposed hammer which can lighten the trigger pull if necessary. My DAO S&W 342ti is a bear to shoot due to the stiff trigger and big recoil.

[John D]

Got my wife a used S&W model 10 in 38 Special (well, I guess they all are, huh?!). Small, manageable grip, 4" barrel, will handle +P if needed. Can shoot single or double action, easy to point, easy to handle.

Start out with wadcutters and work your way up.

[Tamara]

...for the weak of hand or recoil-shy, that an alloy snubbie, especially with +P loads, is one of the most vicious-recoiling handguns on the block. I've spent extended shooting sessions with Airweight J-frames that left the knuckle of my traffic finger bloody and bruised within the first couple of cylinders. I know I'm just a girl; but my short-barreled Vaquero isn't that unpleasant, even with full-house .44 Magnum loads. :eek:

An all-steel J-frame or K-frame snubbie is far more pleasant to practice with and less likely to induce a hard-to-cure flinch.

[racegunner]

After Christmas we'll head out to find a Ruger SP101 in .357 3" or med frame S&W. (God willing and the creek don't rise) Now I'll have to train her so she doesn't shoot me when I work late and arrive home after dark.