Trying to narrow down candidates for a revolver

[kc17 622]

I'm in the market for a revolver. My main requirements are 3" barrel, DA/SA and quality (overall build and trigger). For caliber I'm thinking either .38 Special or spend the extra money for the heavier frame of a .357 and run .38 Special in it. Still giving me the option to run .38 +P or .357 if I'm in the mood. I'd briefly considered .327 Federal, .32 H&R or .32 S&W and similar, but due to availability and cost of those cartridges I've decided to stick with .38 or .357. Cost of the gun is less critical, I figure with today's prices I'd be looking around $600 (out the door) at the low end and pushing $1100 at the high end, unless I stumble on something used. I think availability will be a bigger issue with .357 being the winner there based on initial searches. It seems 3" barrels are more rare, in any caliber, compared to their shorter and longer siblings. 

Purpose and reasons for what I'm after: Primarily just a range gun to give my wife more trigger time. Right now she will only shoot my .22s. Partially due to recoil, mostly due to her immense dislike of my M&P 9mm which had a habit of shooting brass back at the shooter. Even though my P320 does not do that, she still associates 9mm semi-auto pistols with brass in her face. Yes, a 4-6" barrel would offer less recoil, but she also tends to dislike the weight of my 9mms, mostly she feels they are forward heavy. I could see that since they are polymer framed plus the neutered magazine capacity does not help at all. Yes, I explain heavier gun = less recoil, it doesn't matter, she doesn't like my 9mm guns. I'd estimate my P320 with light & red dot to weigh in around 35 oz empty. As a comparison, the Ruger SP101 is spec'd to be 27oz. Enough for her to be happier, I don't know yet. I do think it will be less forward heavy than my SIG. The Ruger LCRx in .38 Special is only 15.7 oz. My concern there would be recoil with such a light weight frame. I do have the ability to reload, so I'm confident enough I could come up with something to lessen the kick more. The big issue with that one is availability.

Long-term I'm thinking of a carry gun for her, if she wants to go down that road. I'd considered going with something like a P365-380 or M&P 380 EZ. I'm not going that route now due to her aforementioned dislike of semi-autos and besides, I want another revolver in a larger caliber than my Heritage .22LR. I figure if she gets comfortable with a 3" revolver, then we can revisit the idea of a semi-auto CCW or smaller revolver. Although, I think she could handbag carry the 3", so she might be able to stick with that. Provided the hammer on whatever I decide on does not present an issue with drawing. 

My current front-runners are the Ruger LCRx, Ruger SP101, S&W 686 Plus 3-5-7 and Colt King Cobra. I'm open to others as well, but it seems these most match what I'm after.

Thoughts? I'm sure others have faced the same decision. 

 

[Tunaman 548]

I have a basically brand new SP 101 in 38/357 that my wife wont shoot.  Fired only twice so far maybe 25 rounds out of it. Its the 2.25" barrel.  I'll sell it cheap.  Send me an email at [email protected]

[kc17 622]

She won't shoot because of recoil or other reason? I'm pretty set on wanting a 3" unless someone is able to definitively change my mind based on first hand experience. I'm also waiting on permits, so cannot buy immediately. 

[Displaced Texan 11,742]

Find an old ‘Smith 586 or 686. One of the good ones, before the lock. 
 

If you can stretch a little more $, someone on here recently had a Colt Python with a 3 or 4” barrel. 
 

I’ve always wanted one. 
 

 

[kc17 622]

Further research on newer Colts has turned me off. Maybe an older one, before their financial and management issues resulted in drop in quality and Customer Service. The lock is a bit of a negative on the S&W, extra two rounds in the 686 Plus 3-5-7 over the Ruger though. 

I'll start stopping in gun stores looking for used in the future. I applied for P2P last week, my last set Pre-Bruen took about 3 weeks. I'm not counting on this set coming through that quickly. If I were to buy right now, it would probably be the SP101 in .357, Osage County even has them in stock.  

Hoping @Pizza Bob still lurks around these parts, I'm sure he'd have some valuable input as well. 

[Redeye65 162]

My wife also suffers from the same complaint about kick on pistols, she is 4’ 11” and has very tiny hands, although she can drive tacks with my Colt 1911 in 45acp, she doesn’t enjoy it, even though the single stack fits her hand well. I have a 38 captain special, she likes the small revolver, likes the 38 special round, but doesn’t like cocking the hammer, and double action is to strong a pull for her, grrr…

She primarily shoots her M&P 380 EZ, small pistol but with a bit of kick, she will run 3-4 mags through it and say she had enough due to the kick. Today I took her to the range and her first question was, did you bring my Ruger .22, ahh back to the no kick, didn’t bring the Ruger but had her try my Beretta PX4 Storm compact Carry, explaining that it has less kick than her .380 EZ even though it’s a 9mm, she laughed.

I installed the Langdon trigger job in a bag and the transfer bar, what a trigger pull it has now, so smooth. After 3 mags she says to me, ohh, I like this. The rotating barrel absorbs some of the recoil turning it into a very soft shooter, on par or less than her .380, at 27oz it’s not a deal breaker for my wife, soft shooting with a great trigger, finally I get a smile out of her.

I know it’s not a revolver, but if your wife is anything like mine, you’re going to spend a bunch of money on hand guns to get a scrunched nose and a “I don’t like it”. Your wife is welcome to try it out, if you make it down to Weshoot in Lakewood some Sunday, send a PM and I can meet you there. Good Luck… 

 

[Scorpio64 5,154]

3 hours ago, Tunaman said:

I have a basically brand new SP 101 in 39/357 that my wife wont shoot.

The SP-101 is well made, great gun.  Back when I was active on a Ruger forum, they talked a lot about that model.  There were more than a few complaints about the grips, cushioned grips were a common upgrade. 

[RUTGERS95 890]

smith 585 is a great suggestion

taurus 856 is an excellent revolver with 2" barrel.  My wife loves it and 1 of 2 Taurus handguns that get excellent reviews universally.  Ours has about well over 1k with zero issues.  I actually love shooting it.

 

If you can find a m85, jump on it

[Mrs. Peel 7,157]

On 10/30/2022 at 9:49 PM, Redeye65 said:

I know it’s not a revolver, but if your wife is anything like mine, you’re going to spend a bunch of money on hand guns to get a scrunched nose and a “I don’t like it”. Your wife is welcome to try it out, if you make it down to Weshoot in Lakewood some Sunday, send a PM and I can meet you there.

Truer words were never spoken! LOL.

@kc17, don't buy anything she hasn't tried out for at least a full range session... or you're flushing money down the toilet. BTW, while you and your wife are at Weshoot, she might want to inquire at the front desk about The Well-Armed Woman chapter that meets there. Last I knew, they were still having monthly meeting at that very range - not sure if they're open to guests at the moment, but if so, it would be a room full of women, many with the same issues (small hands, weak hands, turned off by too much hot brass or recoil, etc.) - so chances are, there would be a LOT of good firearm options in the room that night for a woman shooter...  and those groups tend to be very friendly about "try this one, try that one" etc.

Another group, Second Amendment Women (SAW), meets in North Jersey at Gun for Hire, but had also started a second chapter somewhere further south as I recall. They have regular Open Shoot nights - where, again, a guest could try out a whole slew of guns owned by other women. Sorry I don't have their contact info anymore, but you could probably contact the Gun for Hire range to at least get in contact with SAW's co-founder, Sandy... last name was Muldoon as I recall? Might be worth some inquiries.  Edit: just found out they disbanded! see note below.

 

[Krdshrk 3,877]

20 minutes ago, Mrs. Peel said:

Truer words were never spoken! LOL.

@kc17, don't buy anything she hasn't tried out for at least a full range session... or you're flushing money down the toilet. BTW, while you and your wife are at Weshoot, she might want to inquire at the front desk about The Well-Armed Woman chapter that meets there. Last I knew, they were still having monthly meeting at that very range - not sure if they're open to guests at the moment, but if so, it would be a room full of women, many with the same issues (small hands, weak hands, turned off by too much hot brass or recoil, etc.) - so chances are, there would be a LOT of good firearm options in the room that night for a woman shooter...  and those groups tend to be very friendly about "try this one, try that one" etc.

Another group, Second Amendment Women (SAW), meets in North Jersey at Gun for Hire, but had also started a second chapter somewhere further south as I recall. They have regular Open Shoot nights - where, again, a guest could try out a whole slew of guns owned by other women. Sorry I don't have their contact info anymore, but you could probably contact the Gun for Hire range to at least get in contact with SAW's co-founder, Sandy... last name was Muldoon as I recall? Might be worth some inquiries. 

 

SAW closed down unfortunately.  

[Mrs. Peel 7,157]

5 minutes ago, Krdshrk said:

SAW closed down unfortunately.  

Ohhh, wow... I'm genuinely sorry to hear that! I hadn't been in touch with Sandy for several years, so thank you for chiming in with that update. I guess TWAW is still an option though for kc17's wife.   

[gleninjersey 2,141]

Ruger GP100.  

I purchased the 4 inch barrel.  I've taken quite a few new shooters to the range and start them with that using very light 38 wad cutters.  Hardly any recoil.  It can of course also handle much hotter 357 loads if you want it to.  Everyone who has shot it likes it a lot.

Trigger may not be quite as smooth out of the box as a S&W but it breaks in VERY nicely over time.

Excellent combination of value and quality in my opinion.

[Underdog 1,593]

I would take Mrs. Peel's advice on trying first.  

I agree with Glen and would strongly consider a 4" barrel as well.  Either  a Ruger GP100 or S&W 686 should do the job!  For a shorter barrel maybe the S&W 66 Combat Magnum w/ a 2.5" barrel or an older blued Model 19.  The K and L frame sizes are sweet!  An SP101 in a larger caliber would work, but unless you update the grip it probably won't be that confortable to shoot as Scorpio 64 pointed out and the larger K and L frames would work better for recoil.  Similar in size to the K frames are the Ruger Sixes that are in between the Ruger GP100 and SP101 in size and close to a S&W L frame.   Drum role please...

Here is my recommendation... If you don't mind a little shorter than the 3" requirements you can get an OLDER and AWESOME Ruger Speed Six with a 2.75" barrel and round butt frame and fixed sights and nice balance.  If you are really lucky a rare Postal Inspecter model (GS33-PS) with a coveted 3" barrel is out there somewhere.  You could even find the Speed Sixes at a premium price in 9mm and moon clips that would keep your ammo consistent, but that variety would kick more than the .38s.  Yes, you might find some value in one of the older Ruger Sixes and that's what I would look for with your 3" (2.75" requirement).  Look into the Security Sixes and Services Sixes as well.  Not sure, but they should have equivalent barrel length and perhaps adjustable sights if that is something you want.  If you were thinking that the 3" might work to  carry later on then the  2.75" barrel will be even that much better!  If I was going to carry a revolver and didn't pickup one of those polymer Rugers the Speed Six would be my first choice!   Perhaps the only negatives are that you might be limited in grips if you don't like the one that is stock and S&W K-frame holsters should work.  Pachmyr Gripper Grips are nice and Hogue probably has something to still offer as well.  I always wanted to find a bicentennial model stamped with "Made in the 200th year of American Liberty" Speed Six!  Not sure if Ruger will still service these relatively bomb-proof revolvers, though, so there is that.

For a "budget" revolver I would consider a Taurus 66 6 or 7 shot with a 4" in barrel and a supposed lifetime warranty.  These are decent quality and similar to their S&W counterpart with a slightly less desirable trigger.  Rutger's 95 has a good suggestion in the smaller Taurus as well.  

As for a soft-shooting 9mm semi-auto, consider one of the CZ 75 flavors, and the matte stainless model would be a nice rendition, or possibly an alternative, a Baby Eagle Jericho 941 or one of the older metal Smiths such as the 39 semi-auto.  Redeye's suggestion of a PX4 would be nice as well; I've always wanted a compact PX4!  If I remember there was a South American company besides Beretta that had a similar rotary design but the brand//model escapes me. 

You should definitely check out a Ruger Speed Six if you can find a nice one!

 

[kc17 622]

8 hours ago, Mrs. Peel said:

The Well-Armed Woman chapter that meets there. Last I knew, they were still having monthly meeting at that very range - not sure if they're open to guests at the moment,

 

According to their website, they are not accepting new members. Bummer. Thanks for the suggestion, I'd forgotten about them. I believe there are other, similar groups I will try to track down. 

 

[RichP 115]

Quote

The rotating barrel absorbs some of the recoil turning it into a very soft shooter, on par or less than her .380, at 27oz it’s not a deal breaker for my wife, soft shooting with a great trigger, finally I get a smile out of her.

The Walther CCP has a similar recoil-reduction system. Might be worth it to take a look.

[YankeeSC 1,204]

12 hours ago, Underdog said:

For a "budget" revolver I would consider a Taurus 66 6 or 7 shot with a 4" in barrel and a supposed lifetime warranty.  These are decent quality and similar to their S&W counterpart with a slightly less desirable trigger.  Rutger's 95 has a good suggestion in the smaller Taurus as well. 

Seconded.  Taurus does not get enough love.  I have the 605.

https://www.taurususa.com/revolvers/all-taurus-revolvers

[Mr.Stu 1,919]

To be honest, an aversion to recoil is never going to be addressed by switching to a small revolver. A semi-auto soaks up some of the recoil to cycle the action. Revolvers just don't.

Have you considered employing a good instructor who can teach her how to grip the gun to optimize recoil control?

For small hands, the CZ P10 is a great gun. Available in full size and compact.

[Krdshrk 3,877]

9 hours ago, kc17 said:

According to their website, they are not accepting new members. Bummer. Thanks for the suggestion, I'd forgotten about them. I believe there are other, similar groups I will try to track down. 

We also have the 2A4E Diversity Shoot coming up on November 10th at Heritage Guild Easton.  Good place to try some new stuff out - and if there's anything you want your wife to try, I can try to bring that.

I do have a Beretta Px4 as well as a Jericho 941.  My full size handguns are generally much easier on the felt recoil.

13 hours ago, Underdog said:

As for a soft-shooting 9mm semi-auto, consider one of the CZ 75 flavors, and the matte stainless model would be a nice rendition, or possibly an alternative, a Baby Eagle Jericho 941 or one of the older metal Smiths such as the 39 semi-auto.  Redeye's suggestion of a PX4 would be nice as well; I've always wanted a compact PX4!  If I remember there was a South American company besides Beretta that had a similar rotary design but the brand//model escapes me. 

Turkey you mean?  Stoeger Cougar?  

[BigGuns 262]

13 hours ago, Underdog said:

You could even find the Speed Sixes at a premium price in 9mm and moon clips that would keep your ammo consistent, but that variety would kick more than the .38s.

Speaking of 9mm. Does anyone actually have a wheel gun in 9mm? Something that has interested me, being able to use existing ammo I have in inventory, instead of collecting a new caliber just for the wheel gun.

[kc17 622]

1 hour ago, Krdshrk said:

We also have the 2A4E Diversity Shoot coming up on November 10th at Heritage Guild Easton.  Good place to try some new stuff out - and if there's anything you want your wife to try, I can try to bring that.

I do have a Beretta Px4 as well as a Jericho 941.  My full size handguns are generally much easier on the felt recoil.

 

Thanks. Weeknights are tough, and zero chance of making it to Easton by 6. I was offered an opportunity to handle and dry-fire a decent collection of revolvers by someone on another forum, I just need to set up a time. 

[kc17 622]

1 hour ago, Mr.Stu said:

To be honest, an aversion to recoil is never going to be addressed by switching to a small revolver. A semi-auto soaks up some of the recoil to cycle the action. Revolvers just don't.

Have you considered employing a good instructor who can teach her how to grip the gun to optimize recoil control?

For small hands, the CZ P10 is a great gun. Available in full size and compact.

But wouldn't an all metal revolver with light .38 loads improve the situation?

Yes, an instructor would be good, the trick is finding and scheduling a good one. I took her to an NRA Basic class hoping to get more out of it. I hate to say it, but that turned out to pretty much be a waste of time and money. 60-80% classroom and nearly no coaching at the firing line. I tried to give him the benefit of the doubt and took another class with him myself on CCW. Again, nearly all classroom and a waste of my time and money. 

She doesn't have very small hands, nor is she petite. She just has her mind set on what she does and doesn't like. She also had a bad experience when she was young when her &^%&!*@ of an uncle thought it would be funny to have his young nieces shoot his high recoil loud guns. Is that still a factor on a subconscious level, maybe?

[Mr.Stu 1,919]

32 minutes ago, kc17 said:

But wouldn't an all metal revolver with light .38 loads improve the situation?

Maybe, but there's a cut off. The LCR and SP101 are small guns and don't carry much weight. The 686+ might be the sweet spot, but every revolver is going to transfer the recoil directly to the web of the hand with nothing delaying or soaking it up.

Switching to a softer load is sort of cheating, IMO. I can make a handload that will barely jump out of the ejection port, much less smack anybody in the head, but I don't think that's what you want either.

[Mrs. Peel 7,157]

@kc17 - not sure if Tactical Training Center (TTC) is too far, but fyi, they also have a very active chapter of The Well-Armed Woman. I believe (don't quote me, call TTC and check if this is still the case), but at one point over the last year or 2, they were also the regular meeting site for the NJ chapter of A Girl and A Gun (another nationwide women's shooting group). Yikes, it seems these ladies shooting groups seem to sprout up and die down in quick fashion sort of like mushrooms, lol...I'm sure it's because it's a lot of work to keep them running. But, if you call TTC - the lady at the reception desk can give you info, I'm sure, as to what women's shooting leagues meet at that range currently.

Honestly, I feel bad... I would have been delighted to guest your wife in at the relatively new ladies night shoot at SCFGPA in Bridgewater - but since the event is still rather fledgling, attendance varies greatly month to month. I wouldn't want her to drive all the way to Bridgewater to find out it was just 2-3 of us - that defeats the whole point!

 

[Scorpio64 5,154]

1 hour ago, Mrs. Peel said:

Yikes, it seems these ladies shooting groups seem to sprout up and die down in quick fashion sort of like mushrooms, lol.

I wanna say, I had something for this, but sadly, I do not.  I'm so ashamed.

1 hour ago, Mrs. Peel said:

I wouldn't want her to drive all the way to Bridgewater to find out it was just 2-3 of us - that defeats the whole point!

.That isn't necessarily true.  I think a smaller group may be less intimidating for a first date.  Running a large group requires a program, structure.  Small groups for newcomers (phrasing, boom!) would be more inviting.  They can just ease into it... (SERIOUSLY, are we not doing phrasing anymore?!)

[Mrs. Peel 7,157]

2 minutes ago, Scorpio64 said:

That isn't necessarily true.  I think a smaller group may be less intimidating for a first date.  Running a large group requires a program, structure.  Small groups for newcomers (phrasing, boom!) would be more inviting.  They can just ease into it... (SERIOUSLY, are we not doing phrasing anymore?!)

 ... ah, yes... phrasing!

I don't disagree that a small group is less intimidating... but my original point was that some of these ladies' shooting groups are a great opportunity to try a WHOLE BUNCH of guns, because you've got maybe a dozen shooters there, each with her own firearm (or more). So, you can try on a bunch for size with no rental fees. I think that's the advantage of a bigger group, especially if you're driving a distance. This group is so new at SCFGPA - last month there was a dozen, the month before?... I was alone, lol. - the month before that, there were 5. It's all over the map. It takes a while I think to get them established. Once it's more consistent, I'll regularly be inviting people. 

[Scorpio64 5,154]

1 hour ago, Mrs. Peel said:

but my original point was that some of these ladies' shooting groups are a great opportunity to try a WHOLE BUNCH of guns,

Baby steps, walk before you can run, etc...

[RUTGERS95 890]

22 hours ago, Underdog said:

I would take Mrs. Peel's advice on trying first.  

I agree with Glen and would strongly consider a 4" barrel as well.  Either  a Ruger GP100 or S&W 686 should do the job!  For a shorter barrel maybe the S&W 66 Combat Magnum w/ a 2.5" barrel or an older blued Model 19.  The K and L frame sizes are sweet!  An SP101 in a larger caliber would work, but unless you update the grip it probably won't be that confortable to shoot as Scorpio 64 pointed out and the larger K and L frames would work better for recoil.  Similar in size to the K frames are the Ruger Sixes that are in between the Ruger GP100 and SP101 in size and close to a S&W L frame.   Drum role please...

Here is my recommendation... If you don't mind a little shorter than the 3" requirements you can get an OLDER and AWESOME Ruger Speed Six with a 2.75" barrel and round butt frame and fixed sights and nice balance.  If you are really lucky a rare Postal Inspecter model (GS33-PS) with a coveted 3" barrel is out there somewhere.  You could even find the Speed Sixes at a premium price in 9mm and moon clips that would keep your ammo consistent, but that variety would kick more than the .38s.  Yes, you might find some value in one of the older Ruger Sixes and that's what I would look for with your 3" (2.75" requirement).  Look into the Security Sixes and Services Sixes as well.  Not sure, but they should have equivalent barrel length and perhaps adjustable sights if that is something you want.  If you were thinking that the 3" might work to  carry later on then the  2.75" barrel will be even that much better!  If I was going to carry a revolver and didn't pickup one of those polymer Rugers the Speed Six would be my first choice!   Perhaps the only negatives are that you might be limited in grips if you don't like the one that is stock and S&W K-frame holsters should work.  Pachmyr Gripper Grips are nice and Hogue probably has something to still offer as well.  I always wanted to find a bicentennial model stamped with "Made in the 200th year of American Liberty" Speed Six!  Not sure if Ruger will still service these relatively bomb-proof revolvers, though, so there is that.

For a "budget" revolver I would consider a Taurus 66 6 or 7 shot with a 4" in barrel and a supposed lifetime warranty.  These are decent quality and similar to their S&W counterpart with a slightly less desirable trigger.  Rutger's 95 has a good suggestion in the smaller Taurus as well.  

As for a soft-shooting 9mm semi-auto, consider one of the CZ 75 flavors, and the matte stainless model would be a nice rendition, or possibly an alternative, a Baby Eagle Jericho 941 or one of the older metal Smiths such as the 39 semi-auto.  Redeye's suggestion of a PX4 would be nice as well; I've always wanted a compact PX4!  If I remember there was a South American company besides Beretta that had a similar rotary design but the brand//model escapes me. 

You should definitely check out a Ruger Speed Six if you can find a nice one!

 

Bersa?  Is that who you were thinking of perhaps?

Semi I'd go xds

[Krdshrk 3,877]

12 hours ago, Mrs. Peel said:

 ... ah, yes... phrasing!

I don't disagree that a small group is less intimidating... but my original point was that some of these ladies' shooting groups are a great opportunity to try a WHOLE BUNCH of guns, because you've got maybe a dozen shooters there, each with her own firearm (or more). So, you can try on a bunch for size with no rental fees. I think that's the advantage of a bigger group, especially if you're driving a distance. This group is so new at SCFGPA - last month there was a dozen, the month before?... I was alone, lol. - the month before that, there were 5. It's all over the map. It takes a while I think to get them established. Once it's more consistent, I'll regularly be inviting people. 

If it wasn't on the 10th when I'll be at 2A4E I'd stop by with some pistols...

[Underdog 1,593]

I was thinking about the Stoeger and the Bersa.  Not sure why I get those both confused.  A while back I wanted a Stoeger Cougar and I allso wanted a Bersa 22LR. 

Listen to the advice about revolver recoil.  Yes, a larger all-metal revolver with some heft will have reduced recoil,   but it will definitely be different than a semi-auto.  A 4' one would make more sense.    And recoil in general is subjective and different.  A 45 ACP has a different recoil feel than the harsh .40.  Even if it had more recoil it rolls instead of the 40 caliber.  The 9mm heavy metal revolver certainly has more felt recoil than say a polymer 9 auto.  \

BigGuns a 9mm revolver is a fun thing to have, especially a Speed Six.  And those moon clips are quick to load and unload.   

And the accuracy may not be there compared to other revolvers with the 9mm, but the Black Hawk with 9mm and 38 cylinders is quite nifty if you don't mind single action.  

[Underdog 1,593]

On 11/1/2022 at 5:14 PM, kc17 said:

But wouldn't an all metal revolver with light .38 loads improve the situation?

Yes, an instructor would be good, the trick is finding and scheduling a good one. I took her to an NRA Basic class hoping to get more out of it. I hate to say it, but that turned out to pretty much be a waste of time and money. 60-80% classroom and nearly no coaching at the firing line. I tried to give him the benefit of the doubt and took another class with him myself on CCW. Again, nearly all classroom and a waste of my time and money. 

She doesn't have very small hands, nor is she petite. She just has her mind set on what she does and doesn't like. She also had a bad experience when she was young when her &^%&!*@ of an uncle thought it would be funny to have his young nieces shoot his high recoil loud guns. Is that still a factor on a subconscious level, maybe?