Considering a snubbie for my wife

[dyerwatcher]

I am leaning towards the 22 mag. Yes-I know the ballistics but in the spirit of better than nothing, I'm settles unless I find a great deal on a 327 Federal Mag. Not likely. Question -which one? I am generally a S&W fan, not a Taurus fan. I do not like the Ruger LCR in .38, never handled one in 22 mag. Charter Arms?????...thanks

 

[Bigtanker]

The LCR in 22 mag felt good when I tried it.

Btw: the title of this thread was miss leading!

 

[45fan]

I am leaning towards the 22 mag. Yes-I know the ballistics but in the spirit of better than nothing, I'm settles unless I find a great deal on a 327 Federal Mag. Not likely. Question -which one? I am generally a S&W fan, not a Taurus fan. I do not like the Ruger LCR in .38, never handled one in 22 mag. Charter Arms?????...thanks

Not to put any of the choices that you propose down, but shouldnt your wife be the one making the decisions as to what she is a fan of, and comfortable with?

I myself do not care for Taurus or Ruger DA revolvers, but my wife has both. She has really taken a shine to the Ruger DA revolvers, and has started to accumulate quite the collection of them. She also has quite a few different semi-auto pistols that she prefers to carry over her selection of revolvers, depending on the what/when/where of her day.

 

[dyerwatcher]

I totally agree. That's why I am looking for a 22 Mag. She will decide what she likes, I hopping she can shoot it first. She does not like semi autos, likes my Python, but not short barreled 38s

 

[T4rdV4rk]

I totally agree that a gun is better than no gun. If she is recoil shy or a new shooter, then a .22 seems like a good idea.

My next thought is that if she is a new shooter, the double action of a revolver might be a hindrance. Just something to think about. Good luck to you!

Nevermind, just read your post stating that she does not like semi autos.

 

[45fan]

Sounds like you have a good idea of what she is looking for then, sorry if I came across as condemning

Something that you may want to try, if you can, look into standard pressure 38 Special ammo and a steel framed little gun. Even a wadcutter target load is going to have similar energy to a 22 Mag, and punch a bigger hole with a heavier bullet. I have never shot a short barrled revolver in 22 mag, but I have shot a Heritage with 7 1/2 barrel, and its a good bit of a step up in recoil over the 22 LR I normally put through it.

I have, however, shot many different smallish revolvers with a variety of 38 special ammo. My wifes LCR is just a powder puff when shooting the target stuff through it. I have even loaded up a few 90 .380 bullets for it at slightly higher than 380 velocities with really decent luck that had almost no recoil. A model 60 with good grips that fit her hand and light loads would probably be as light as you can find in a small package.

The .327 is an interesting option, if you can find one that fits your needs and price range. I have been looking for one myself, but it seems that a modestly priced .327 is a bit of a unicorn these days.

 

[ViperJock]

Letting the wife buy her own will save you money in the long run. I hear good things about the LCR and decreased observed recoil. I haven't tried one myself but I hear the 38 is really not to rough. There is a whole thread on that somewhere...

 

[45fan]

Letting the wife buy her own will save you money in the long run. I hear good things about the LCR and decreased observed recoil. I haven't tried one myself but I hear the 38 is really not to rough. There is a whole thread on that somewhere...

Something else that I forgot to mention, a 38 Special snubby will likely be easier, if not cheaper than the other options that were mentioned in the OP.

 

[throttletony]

As others have said, she should choose, but it sounds like you guys are figuring it out together, so good for you (and her)!
If you reload, the .327 has real possibilities. I think they make a Ruger SP101 and GP100 in .327 (sure, they're heavy, but that's up to you guys)
.22 mag is better than nothing. Hornady makes some 22 Mag rounds that are made for shorter barrels (handguns). If you go with the 22mag, Ruger LCR would be at the top of my list unless a full-size, single action is of interest. Note that the LCR in 22 holds more than the LCR in 22Mag (8 vs 6).
Kel-tec PMR30 would be a fun, interesting option as well, but that is full size and semi-auto (I know she doesn't like semi autos, but thought I'd mention it)

 

[dyerwatcher]

Went to Blythes Valpo. She handled a few and to my surprise really liked the S&W Pro Series 38 with a three inch barrel. It fit her hand very well and the trigger is awesome. She will start with low recoil rounds until she becomes confident. If it still has too much bite - we'll I guess I scammed a great little revolver. The will circle back to the 22 Mag.
Thanks to all who weighed in. Appreciate the input.

 

[BehindBlueI's]

Nevermind, I see the decision was made.

 

[mrjarrell]

At least she chose something with impact. The only .22 Mag I have is a derringer and it is snappy in the palm. It's a last resort calibre, though. Glad she found something bigger.

 

[actaeon277]

Next time you or her are looking, we have quite a few NWI members be happy to let you try their revolvers.
https://www.indianagunowners.com/forums/handguns/333690-2014-great-snubbie-shoot-off.html

We actually have more than those on the review. We just got tired after 3 hours.

 

[stevee]

The wife just bought a S&W Model 642 no lock. She hasn't fired it yet and I hope the recoil isn't too much for her. I'd hate to have to take possession of it for myself. She has a Model 36 snubbie but wanted something lighter for carry.

 

[swmp9jrm]

She will start with low recoil rounds until she becomes confident. If it still has too much bite - we'll I guess I scammed a great little revolver. The will circle back to the 22 Mag.

One point in case she ends up circling back to the .22 magnum: the LCR .22 mag has a 16 pound trigger pull and no hammer. My wife likes my LCR .38 +P, but doesn't like the recoil, so we got her the .22 mag LCR. She has a hard time with the heavy trigger, so we got her a Taurus 941 - it has almost the same double action pull, but it has a hammer and the single action pull is MUCH more manageable for her.

 

[NKBJ]

My better 2/3's chose her own over twenty years ago, a S&W airweight .38. She shot it great until growing older changed her hands. The trigger guard bouncing on her middle finger started hurting. So, we went to various stores to handle available models. She chose a .357 SP-101 with Crimson Trace grips. She doesn't have any use for the laser but the cats enjoy it and the cushy formed grips suits her hand.
My opinion, the .357 is the best choice for all the obvious reasons including mild .38's for practice.

 

[Clay]

That's what she said.

(sorry, first thing that came to mind when I read the title. I have nothing productive to add to this conversation)

 

[DoggyDaddy]

That's what she said.

(sorry, first thing that came to mind when I read the title. I have nothing productive to add to this conversation)

I know, right?? Looking for a "snubbie" for his wife, but then goes on to say she likes his "python". Terribly confusing!

 

[NKBJ]

Hack saws are cheap.

JUST KIDDING!!!

 

[ru44mag]

Sounds like you have a good idea of what she is looking for then, sorry if I came across as condemning

Something that you may want to try, if you can, look into standard pressure 38 Special ammo and a steel framed little gun. Even a wadcutter target load is going to have similar energy to a 22 Mag, and punch a bigger hole with a heavier bullet. I have never shot a short barrled revolver in 22 mag, but I have shot a Heritage with 7 1/2 barrel, and its a good bit of a step up in recoil over the 22 LR I normally put through it.

I have, however, shot many different smallish revolvers with a variety of 38 special ammo. My wifes LCR is just a powder puff when shooting the target stuff through it. I have even loaded up a few 90 .380 bullets for it at slightly higher than 380 velocities with really decent luck that had almost no recoil. A model 60 with good grips that fit her hand and light loads would probably be as light as you can find in a small package.

The .327 is an interesting option, if you can find one that fits your needs and price range. I have been looking for one myself, but it seems that a modestly priced .327 is a bit of a unicorn these days.

I really like the idea of loading the really light weight bullets in the 38 special. My wife loves her Sig P238, but this might give her a second choice when shooting. I bought her a Taurus model 85, but the recoil was just a little much. I like shooting the little revolvers, maybe I can get her interested again with some light loads.