Specific revolver recommendations?

[Snapdragon]

If she finds the Smith recoil too much to pleasantly practice regularly with, then she will feel the same about the Ruger LCR-anything...perhaps more so.

I seriously doubt this.

 

[roscott]

I still think a grip swap from wood to rubber designed to reduce recoil on the lady smith is the smartest place to start.

I probably should have specified. I already put hogue rubber grips on her Lady Smith. They are, however, still the small variants that leave the backstrap exposed. I was planning on getting the larger hogue rubber grips, but since this will be almost entirely a home defense and range gun, I decided perhaps I should consider a different gun entirely.



(And then of course the S&W becomes my BUG gun...)

 

[Twangbanger]

I probably should have specified. I already put hogue rubber grips on her Lady Smith. They are, however, still the small variants that leave the backstrap exposed. I was planning on getting the larger hogue rubber grips, but since this will be almost entirely a home defense and range gun, I decided perhaps I should consider a different gun entirely.


recoi
(And then of course the S&W becomes my BUG gun...)

Swapping grips is cheap. If you can find a set with the backstrap covered, I'd recommend taking it to a range where you can rent an LCR, take two boxes of your favorite flavor, and have her shoot the two guns back and forth for 100 rounds (not 50). Before spending your money. See if she can feel this major recoil difference people are alluding to. If she can, good for you and you just latched onto a Smith! If the laws of physics are plainly still in effect and she concludes they're just frick and frack, you saved 400 bucks. Good day for you either way.

 

[roscott]

Swapping grips is cheap. If you can find a set with the backstrap covered, I'd recommend taking it to a range where you can rent an LCR, take two boxes of your favorite flavor, and have her shoot the two guns back and forth for 100 rounds (not 50). Before spending your money. See if she can feel this major difference people are talking about. If she can, good for you and you just latched onto a Smith! If the laws of physics are plainly still in effect and she concludes they're two different sides of the same coin, you just saved 400 bucks.

True, but that still leaves me with the poor trigger. The LCR would resolve that.

 

[Archer]

What about an older (50s-70s) S&W Model 10 or 13, 4" variety? I've found the triggers on the older Smiths to be leaps and bound smoother than the newer production ones, custom shop models excluded. I have an old Model 36 no dash that has an excellent trigger. Plus grip options abound for K frames.

 

[Twangbanger]

True, but that still leaves me with the poor trigger. The LCR would resolve that.

Okay...I was just listening to what you said in the OP:

...I bought her a Lady Smith .38 special, and she really loves the gun, but does not enjoy shooting it. The recoil, even with easy hitting .38's is too much for her to have fun...

"Too much for her to have fun" was the part that stuck out to me. The LCR triggers _are_ much better. It will allow you to hit better - "if" you practice with it. But, recoil-wise, an 18 ounce gun, is an 18 ounce gun, is an 18 ounce gun. Just sayin'.

Good luck, I hope it works out well for you guys (and enjoy your Smith BUG!).

 

[mike trible]

My suggestion would be a 22lr cal. revolver. She could gain experience with a da revolver without the distraction of the recoil that she finds objectionable in a 38cal. revolver. After she has some experience with trigger pull and the noise it should be easier to transition to the 38.

 

[BehindBlueI's]

But, recoil-wise, an 18 ounce gun, is an 18 ounce gun, is an 18 ounce gun. Just sayin'.

Negative. Surface area of the grip, grip to hand fit, material of the grip, angle of the grip, bore axis, etc. all impact felt recoil. Weight is only part of the equation.

My 850 CIA weighed a few ounces more and after 50 rounds the web of my hand was pink. My LCR I can shoot .38s all day with no "pinking".

 

[Snapdragon]

Yep. I love my Smiths, but I'm never getting rid of my LCR. It was my first gun and out of the 9-10 revolvers I own, it's my go-to carry gun.

 

[Twangbanger]

Negative. Surface area of the grip, grip to hand fit, material of the grip, angle of the grip, bore axis, etc. all impact felt recoil. Weight is only part of the equation.

My 850 CIA weighed a few ounces more and after 50 rounds the web of my hand was pink. My LCR I can shoot .38s all day with no "pinking".

Negative. Surface area of the grip, grip to hand fit, material of the grip, angle of the grip, bore axis, etc. all impact felt recoil. Weight is only part of the equation.

My 850 CIA weighed a few ounces more and after 50 rounds the web of my hand was pink. My LCR I can shoot .38s all day with no "pinking".

That's fair enough, but, most of what you mention are grip characteristics. Hence the reason for trying rubber, covered-backstrap grips on the Smith and shooting it next to the LCR. I really think it would be useful to the buyer. If she doesn't like the rubber-covered-backstrap Smith's recoil characteristics, she's not going to like the rubber-covered LCR any better(especially if the Ladysmith comparison reference is the 21 oz. stainless version).

I really think the heavier, 6-shot 3-4" gun is going to get used/enjoyed more, again based on what's been said.

(Everybody is keeping in mind the OP is talking about "almost entirely a home defense and range gun" here, correct?)

 

[magus]

If I may chime in with a non-standard answer: Chiappa Rhino

Full disclosure; I've not shot one yet, still looking to try one out. From everything I have read it really tames the recoil down nicely with its inverted barrel and chamber. The looks of it are like a bulldog. You love it or hate it. I'm a massive nerd so the fact it looks passingly like Deckard's gun from Bladerunner is a bonus for me.

It comes in double and double/single action flavors and barrels from 2-6" with several finishes and calibers. I've handled one and found the trigger to be quite nice, although my revolver experience is limited to my dad's Python. I'm seriously thinking of getting the 20DS Black .357 as my summer/easy conceal EDC. I love my VP9, but it's not the easiest critter for me to comfortably conceal in the summer without looking like I'm are trying to conceal.

So that bulldog-beautiful piece may be my gateway into revolvers.

 

[45fan]

First thoughts, if she isnt happy with the trigger on a slicked up Lady Smith, either its not a good trigger job, or she just isnt going to be happy with a revolver. My little 442 is about the lightest, smoothest DA revolver trigger that I have ever felt, and its nothing more than a spring kit, extended firing pin, and some simple polishing of the internals. As far as a factory trigger that is acceptable, my wife has a 38 Spl LCR that is pretty darn close to my 442. Recoil on her pistol seems to be more manageable than my Smith, even though the weight is (I believe) a few ounces lighter. Im thinking that the polymer frame and better grip design help tame the tiny gun recoil.

If you havent tried it yet, perhaps getting ont of the larger grips for the little gun would make a difference. Maybe a combination of the LCR, longer barrel, and bigger grip will make it even better.

 

[BE Mike]

My wife's handgun was a S&W model 60. After some time she tired of the weight and admitted it when I asked her why she didn't carry it much. I started looking around before Christmas for something lightweight, had a light, smooth trigger pull and manageable recoil. I bought her a Taurus 738 TCP. It is easy for her to shoot and reliable. The proof is in the photos:

 

[roscott]

If you havent tried it yet, perhaps getting ont of the larger grips for the little gun would make a difference. Maybe a combination of the LCR, longer barrel, and bigger grip will make it even better.

That's what I'm hoping. Again, if only the 3" LCRx was a little heavier!

 

[Cerberus]

If you can find one, a good older S&W K frame is a pure joy to shoot. Perfect feeling triggers, little felt recoil.

 

[Dog1]

If you can find one, a good older S&W K frame is a pure joy to shoot. Perfect feeling triggers, little felt recoil.

I used to think that too...until I got a L Frame.

Nothing wrong with the K's..I have several, but the L frame is better.

 

[Snapdragon]

If we're opening it up to all Smith revolvers, my police trade-in model 64 is my favorite out of my 8-9 Smith wheelguns.

 

[roscott]

Update:

We ended up going with the Ruger LCR in .357, which she will run .38's in. We haven't had a chance to shoot it yet, but she loves it so far. The trigger is WAY better than the S&W 442, even after a gunsmith went over it, and the grip appears much better. The true test will be shooting it, but it's 5 oz heavier than the S&W, which can't hurt.

While it's not the perfect gun, it should work great as an HD gun for her, and thats the important thing! Thanks to everyone that helped me find it!

 

[wesnellans]

Update:

We ended up going with the Ruger LCR in .357, which she will run .38's in. We haven't had a chance to shoot it yet, but she loves it so far. The trigger is WAY better than the S&W 442, even after a gunsmith went over it, and the grip appears much better. The true test will be shooting it, but it's 5 oz heavier than the S&W, which can't hurt.

While it's not the perfect gun, it should work great as an HD gun for her, and thats the important thing! Thanks to everyone that helped me find it!

I'm guessing you'll find the combo works quite well. My wife is recoil sensitive and after many many carry gun "test-drives", has come back to the LCR 357 shooting 38's. Tried the 38 special LCR, too much recoil. The extra weight of the steel on the 357 LCR over the aluminum of the 38 special makes a world of difference. This is the same woman who for a time carried a 3" heavy barrel Smith 36, which we sold off due to it being just a tad too long for her carry. She feels the LCR 357 firing 38s has a felt recoil akin to the 23 oz all-steel Smith. That tamer grip and the polymer grip frame module seem to contribute to a sweet spot for the recoil control vs weight equation we all seek.

Now, 357s in it are an ENTIRELY different matter. Those won't be fun, if they're even close to regular power. The light 110gr/1300 fps loads bang enough for her to say "nope". And I won't get into what she thought of full-house loads.

 

[BehindBlueI's]

I'm guessing you'll find the combo works quite well. My wife is recoil sensitive and after many many carry gun "test-drives", has come back to the LCR 357 shooting 38's. Tried the 38 special LCR, too much recoil. The extra weight of the steel on the 357 LCR over the aluminum of the 38 special makes a world of difference. This is the same woman who for a time carried a 3" heavy barrel Smith 36, which we sold off due to it being just a tad too long for her carry. She feels the LCR 357 firing 38s has a felt recoil akin to the 23 oz all-steel Smith. That tamer grip and the polymer grip frame module seem to contribute to a sweet spot for the recoil control vs weight equation we all seek.

Now, 357s in it are an ENTIRELY different matter. Those won't be fun, if they're even close to regular power. The light 110gr/1300 fps loads bang enough for her to say "nope". And I won't get into what she thought of full-house loads.

The 125 gr medium velocity seemed to be the most comfy .357s I tried in my LCR. 158gr sucks. Like "Ow, that sucked" sucks.

Update:

We ended up going with the Ruger LCR in .357, which she will run .38's in. We haven't had a chance to shoot it yet, but she loves it so far. The trigger is WAY better than the S&W 442, even after a gunsmith went over it, and the grip appears much better. The true test will be shooting it, but it's 5 oz heavier than the S&W, which can't hurt.

While it's not the perfect gun, it should work great as an HD gun for her, and thats the important thing! Thanks to everyone that helped me find it!

The Winchester PDX-1 .38+P is my carry load. I'm sure there are several good ones out there, but I'm quite satisfied with these.