S&W 36LS Lady Smith

[Buffalo Bill]

Hey ladies,
I'm thinking about buying my wife a 36LS as her first gun for home defense. Believe me, getting from "I don't like guns in the house" to this is a minor miracle. I think moving to a rural area, and the fact she doesn't have to be licensed to buy a handgun or ammo was a factor. Anyway, a full metal 38 Special revolver seems the ticket for practice and realistic defense at 7-21 feet. Nothing complicated like my autos, low recoil so she'll practice with me. Fairly adequate cartridge at close distance, especially with the +P's available. May change the wooden grip to a beefier Packmayr rubber wrap-around with logo for cushioning and secure grip. Any of you ladies had experience with this revolver? Any suggestions?

 

[MrsWildweasel]

Be careful on the grips. I personally like them to fit my hand. I know we women have small hands.

 

[FPrice]

Buffalo Bill,

A S&W j-frame can be a very good choice but I would advise one thing.

Let her pick the pistol she wants. Take her to a place where she can handle several different makes and styles (reputable of course) and see what she thinks she likes. Even better, let her fire several (if you already haven't) and see what she thinks.

Then offer to buy her what she chooses.

Just my two cents.

 

[dvl]

I second FPrice's suggestion. Choosing a pistol for someone is like trying on shoes on their behalf. You might choose excellent shoes, but...

The first time I sampled a half dozen or more pistols, I was very surprised at how they all felt like awkward lumps of metal until there was one that felt just right, like part on my hand. Clearly that was the one I would practice with, the one I would shoot the best with, the one that I would enjoy.

 

[dwarven1]

Buffalo Bill,

Try taking your wife to Manchester Firing Line http://www.gunsnh.com/. They have a lot of rental guns there - revolvers, semi-auto pistols, rifles, shotguns and even full-autos - for rental. they're not far from the Manchester airport.

And let me second the comment about grips - my Charter Arms .38 snubbie is quite a handful with the cute little pakka-wood grips when it comes to recoil, but it conceals easily, whereas it's not as concealable with the Pachmayr's on it, but it's a LOT more controllable. Let your wife try them out first to see what's comfortable.

Ross

 

[SiameseRat]

I was going to suggest Manchester Firing line but Ross beat me to it.
Since I wasn't born a gun nut, but was born a woman, I can tell you from personal experience it took the right gun to get me hooked.
I started out on .22 semi-auto, wasn't thrilled, tried 9mm semi-auto, hated it, then shot .38S revolver (S&W 686P 6" barrel) and I was hooked. It was love at first round.
Ofcourse now I love them all, but if I hadn't had a chance to try them all I probably would have given up. Let her try a few different guns, maybe she's a semi-auto woman, never know until she tries them all!

 

[dwarven1]

another comment on grips - when I tried my first revolver, I really hated the stock grips that came on my Model 19. When I put on a set of Siles rubber grips, the 19 fit my hand perfectly.

So grips are (almost) everything. With small hands, you are limited - I have short stubby fingers, so a 1911 is about the biggest pistol I'm comfortable with. (Guess I'll never own a .44 Automag).

Ross

 

[M1911]

I'm not a woman, but I'll add my 2 cents anyways...

If it is for home defense, then I strongly recommend that you get a gun with a longer barrel and real sights. The 36 LS has a very short barrel and the rear sight is a shallow gutter in the top strap. That makes it a very hard gun to shoot accurately. The extra sight radius of a longer barrel, combined with a real rear sight will make a gun like a 3" model 60 much, much easier to shoot accurately. In addition, the extra weight will reduce recoil and muzzle flip.

The 36LS is designed for concealed carry. It is not ideal for home defense.

As others have mentioned, make sure that the gun fits her hand. If she has larger hands, a K or L frame would make more sense.

Stay away from the lightweight AL or TI frames -- they have much more felt recoil.

 

[Buffalo Bill]

Thanks

I'm worried if I suggest we look at guns for her she may back out. She's still on the edge. Maybe a Model 64. Little heavier(30oz.), better recoil control. Either way, I'd rather have her chose the one she wants that feels the best in her hand. [?]

 

[KMaurer]

So don't take her to pick out a gun. Take her shooting someplace where she can try several different guns. Then you can get an idea of which one she was most comforatble with and later, buy one for her. If you can't get her to go shooting at all, then having a gun for personal defense is s dumb idea, since she'll only do under stress what she's practiced. If it isn't shooting, then the guns won't even be a good club. The 36 might be a goof carry gun for her, but I'd second to notion of something heavier with a longer barrel for home defense. Less recoil, easier to aim or point. But the absolute criteria is something that she'll like for practice. Better she should have a .22 target pistol with which she practicies regularly than a .38 or larger that she leaves in the safe.

Ken

 

[SiameseRat]

Better she should have a .22 target pistol with which she practicies regularly than a .38 or larger that she leaves in the safe.

Ken

Have to agree with Ken 100% there. .22 may not have as much stopping power but it's better that she should be able to hit what she's aiming at with .22 than completely miss with .38

 

[M1911]

Maybe a Model 64.

First, how big are her hands? If her hands are large for a woman (medium for a man), then the K-frame will work. But if her hands are medium for a woman, then the K-frame might be a touch large.

If you do decide to go with a K-frame, I would strongly recommend a Model 66 instead. You said home defense, so concealed carry is not a requirement. The Model 66 has a better rear sight than the 64. Consider the full 4" barrel.

If she's willing to go a range, I'd be glad to meet you and bring a 3" Model 60 (J-frame) and 4" Model 66 (K-frame) for her to try. I'm sure there are others who would make a similar offer.

 

[Nickle]

I'm with Ken and SiameseRat on this one. I went through a similar scenario with my wife, though she's never been a stranger to firearms. In the 70's, she shot my Ruger Blackhawk I had (45 no less), and qualified Expert with the 1911A1 while in the Army. A few years ago, she finally gets the bug to have her own pistol. Being half Austrian, she of course wants a Glock. Good choice, except, she now finds that due to aging, and shoulder injuries, she doesn't like getting beat up by recoil. So, we find her a 22 that she likes. That was the ticket, and we even kept the Glock 19. Of course, I'm also fond of the Glock, since it's smaller than my 1911A1 gun (and conceals easier).

So, first get her something she likes, AFTER she's tried a few. Second, I'll ditto this thought "Better to hit with a 22, than miss with a 45 (or 9)".

Some people like revolvers, some like semi's.

 

[dwarven1]

I'll ditto this thought "Better to hit with a 22, than miss with a 45 (or 9)".

This is why I don't worry that my carry gun is a .380. I figure that I'm following Rule 1 of gunfighting this way: Have a gun.

Ross

 

[Nickle]

And the 380 can be had in a small package that is manageable to shoot. And the 380 will get the job done. A Makarov is about the same power, and cheap. Another good choice.