revolver suggestion for a woman

[DCunniff]

Looking for suggestions on one 4 inches or longer to do practice target shooting.

My wife has a Taurus .38 Special snubby that isn't for a lot of shooting, even with rubber grips. Has quite a kick. I have a 4 inch older S&W 357 Magnum but she doesn't like the trigger. Other revolvers are larger caliber or also snubbies. She doesn't like autoloaders.

Was thinking of maybe a Ruger GP100 357 Magnum, they are available in 4 or 6 inches.

Thanks.

Dana

 

[Pilgrim]

you're considering a .357 because the .38 kicks too much???????????

Go after a nice S&W K framed 22, Model 17, 18 or one of them in the 300 or 600 series.

 

[DCunniff]

Sorry, left out some info. She has a Taurus 85 Ultra Lite for self defense. Have an interest if her shooting a longer, heavier revolver. If it was a .357 she could still use .38 Specials for target shooting.

Dana

 

[M1911]

Why don't you take your old S&W to a gunsmith and have them do a trigger job? Cheaper than buying a new gun.

If you just want to buy a 4" .357, I recommend a S&W 19 or 66. I would go for a used, pre-lock model. In general, my experience is that S&W triggers are better out of the box than Ruger triggers. YMMV. The GP100 is certainly a solid gun.

I would recommend AGAINST a 6" barrel. The 4" barrels have better balance.

If the gun is really for her and not you, take her with you to the gun store and have her handle the guns. Let her decide what fits her hand, because what fits your hand might not fit hers.

If the gun is really for you, then buy what you want.

 

[joe6486]

I would strongly recommend an SP101. The higher mass does an excellent job absorbing recoil, and even the .357 magnum doesn't kick as much as 38 spc in an airweight. And the extra weight of the SP101 is really no big deal in my experience.

 

[jhrosier]

Dana,
The 4" S&W 686 and Ruger GP100 are both excellent choices.
The ability of both to use larger and smaller grip sizes makes it easier to fit the gun to the shooter.
For target shooting, either would require a trigger job and a set of Millet sights.
This is money well spent and will result in a revolver that will be treasured and used for many years after the initial cost is long forgotten.

Jack

 

[Chuck Would]

All good answers. Now the right thing to do is bring your wife to a gun shop and let her pick out what feels good in HER hand. Anything anyone else picks out will just be a guess.

You might want to take a run up to Manchester Firing Line and rent a few different pistols so she can try them out. But I'd call them 1st to see what they have for revolvers in stock.

 

[vellnueve]

S&W Model 10 would be a great way to go for a pure .38. Take her to the Smith and Wesson Shooting Sports Center... they have the best selection of S&W revolvers around.

 

[USMC109]

+1 I have a 4" S&W 686 and I love it...but let her pick.

 

[packingungal]

I love my Ruger sp101 - very comfortable, easy to shoot - I shoot it better than an automatic. It was my first gun, and I continue to use it regularly along with automatics every time I shoot. Easy to clean too

 

[Palladin]

I have a beautiful Smith K38 Combat Masterpiece in the classifieds....lol

 

[K-DUB]

All good answers. Now the right thing to do is bring your wife to a gun shop and let her pick out what feels good in HER hand. Anything anyone else picks out will just be a guess.

+1! Let her pick out her own. You wouldn't pick out her shoes for her, now would you?

Personally, I like a nice 4" S&W 500 for the range, & a .357 340PD for carry, but not all the ladies like that sort of thing.

 

[Shootist]

Most S&W DA revolvers have more main spring pressure than they need. There is an adjustment screw in the grip frame. First remove the grips so you can see how it works. Remove the screw and clean both the screw and threads with a de-greaser. Using BLUE Loctite, put the screw back in. Take it to the range and adjust it for reliable ignition on hard primers such as CCI's. You will have a much lighter trigger pull in both SA and DA modes. The right Packmyr grips will also make a huge difference. For most ladies, a slender grip is a good start. Most of the factory wooden grips are too bulky. Like others have said, get it into HER hand.

 

[jkelly]

Dana,
I have several S&W models in 4”, 5” or 6” that I’d be happy to let your wife shoot at the Mansfield club this coming weekend, if you’d like.


Respectfully,

jkelly

 

[Arioch]

I love to introduce new shooters to centerfire with my old S&W model 10 in .38 spl.

 

[Bugs100]

My wife tried my 66-5 4 inch and liked it so much that she had me get her a 617 4 inch 10 shot also. Now I can't get her to try any thing else.

 

[DCunniff]

Thanks for the suggestions.

Yes, it would be for her. My current S&W 686 Chiefs Special .357 Magnum feels OK to her but she didn't like the trigger as mentioned. She shot the S&W 29 .44 Magnum and didn't like it, as could be well understood.

I saw where Ruger had a smaller caliber .32 H&R revolver.

I'll look at the recommendations some more, as I know she has to like the trigger and hand feel, balance. Is time for me to have her in another gun as she doesn't like the complexity of autoloaders and she needs a longer barrel, heavier revolver for target shooting.

Dana

 

[Chris]

I agree with the Model 10 suggestion. If you want a 4", you can find N.I.B. Model 10's from the 70's for cheap coin that have awesome triggers out of the box and will fit well in the typical female hand.

And the Bluing on a classic S&W revolver is nothing short of beautiful.

 

[DCunniff]

JKelly, I'll check on her availability. I am leaving for a trip this weekend through next weekend. I'll see if she is around and I'll get back to whether she will be at Mansfield Fish & Game this weekend.

I may send you a private message.

Dana

 

[KimberCT]

I know Taurus is often looked down upon, but I've had very good luck with both their autos and revolvers.

I've been shooting a Taurus Tracker lately. Shooting .38 special, the thing feels like a .22.

 

[dwarven1]

Unfortunately, Kimber, the OP is in MA, which means that if he can find a Taurus, he'll pay a premium for a used gun.

and their triggers are nowhere near as good as S&W's, generally. At least, in my experience.

 

[Chris]

Next time you are at 4-Seasons, ask Carl to tell you the stories that prompted him to drop Taurus guns long before the laws changed.

 

[bob999]

My wife has a S&W model-60 (2 1/8 barrel) 357 that she loves. She shoots 38 special out if it. It's beefy enough to comfortably to shoot mag rounds out of it as well.

 

[KimberCT]

Unfortunately, Kimber, the OP is in MA, which means that if he can find a Taurus, he'll pay a premium for a used gun.

and their triggers are nowhere near as good as S&W's, generally. At least, in my experience.

Well that sucks. I assumed the Taurus revolvers would be MA legal since they include the same safety features as the S&Ws.

 

[dwarven1]

Well that sucks. I assumed the Taurus revolvers would be MA legal since they include the same safety features as the S&Ws.

That has nothing to do with it; Taurus hasn't submitted 5 of each model to MA to be destroyed so there are fewer eeeevil guns in the world destructively tested - drop tests, etc. That's the only way to get their stuff allowed.

 

[cdkayak]

My wife has a Ruger SP101 in .32 H&R mag which she enjoys shooting. That will fire .32 S&W, .32 S&W Long & .32 H&R Mag. I replaced the trigger & hammer springs with Wolf springs to adjust the trigger weight a bit.