Wanting to get a revolver for me and wife

[Cackalak Han]

So, I hope I'm not being repetitive, since there are so many handgun threads, but most of the other threads are cluttered with revolvers vs semi vs etc. I am only wanting some advice regarding revolvers. I understand the advantages and disadvantages of both, and for my needs, the revolver would be a better gun.

I don't have a concealed carry permit (but will get it after I decide on the gun), but I am an avid hunter. I've never carried a handgun, but my father owns quite a bit, so I've shot everything from a .22 to that Dirty Harry gun. I'm looking for something compact and something my 5'6" 110lb wife can handle and shoot. Of course, I will be going to the shooting range to test out the different calibers, but just wanted to get an idea of what I should demo. .38sp and .357 are obvious choices and probably will end up with one of them. The .38 does have quite a kick and I don't know if the wife will handle it well.

I am getting this for some remote camping trips and road travels. At home, I'd rather have my 12 ga. by my side, but in a pinch, I will turn to this gun, too.

Any other suggestions? Any advise appreciated.

Oh, and I'd like to budget maybe $400-500 for this. Thanks.

EDIT: And I understand there are a lot of you that protest carrying guns. I appreciate your concerns, but please keep on topic.

 

[DaktariEd]

I like my Ruger GP100, in .357 mag.
It comes in several barrel lengths to suit your shooting/concealing needs.
I can shoot .38 specials for plinking ($) and .357 for either plinking ($$) or for personal defense (HP rounds).
I don't think the .38 recoil is all that much. My daughter is similar in size to your wife and can handle it very well. In fact, she shoots a very nice tight pattern up close (<50 feet). :ar15:
Best bet is to get her to a gun shop with a range and test fire a few.

 

[rugbier]

If you think a .38 special has too much kick for your wife, certainly a
.357 will not be smoother.
As well advices priorly, the lenght on the barrel will help,
maybe get a .38 with a 5" barrel, plenty around and not that expensive
shall you decide after few month you want more impact power

 

[Fireman78]

Ruger GP100 .357 With a bit of a heavier frame, you will have a little less kick. The super light frames are quite jumpy IMO. Another great regular size pistol is a S&W 686+ (seven shot revolver).

 

[maximumrob]

I'm guessing since you're an avid hunter, you've may have already made up your mind what caliber is needed. However, you didn't state what the intended purpose is of the sidearm. Protection from 2-legged varmints or 4 or both? Plinking for fun? Popping small critters for eating?

My favorite "tent gun" is my Browning Buckmark Camper.

 

[JIMBO]

:elkgrin: I'll make this short and sweet

So, I hope I'm not being repetitive, since there are so many handgun threads, but most of the other threads are cluttered with revolvers vs semi vs etc. I am only wanting some advice regarding revolvers. I understand the advantages and disadvantages of both, and for my needs, the revolver would be a better gun.

I don't have a concealed carry permit (but will get it after I decide on the gun), but I am an avid hunter. I've never carried a handgun, but my father owns quite a bit, so I've shot everything from a .22 to that Dirty Harry gun. I'm looking for something compact and something my 5'6" 110lb wife can handle and shoot. Of course, I will be going to the shooting range to test out the different calibers, but just wanted to get an idea of what I should demo. .38sp and .357 are obvious choices and probably will end up with one of them. The .38 does have quite a kick and I don't know if the wife will handle it well.

I am getting this for some remote camping trips and road travels. At home, I'd rather have my 12 ga. by my side, but in a pinch, I will turn to this gun, too.

Any other suggestions? Any advise appreciated.

Oh, and I'd like to budget maybe $400-500 for this. Thanks.

EDIT: And I understand there are a lot of you that protest carrying guns. I appreciate your concerns, but please keep on topic.

If you're planning on a CCW, for you, then you should decide on the pistol for YOU-practice-practice-practice, off hand, on hand, left/right cold/hot/standing/sitting and much more, then

Get your wife a light duty revolver, just for her, have her practice-practice-practice, otherwise, owning a drawer/safe gun is useless, unless it's a collectors item

A lot of gun ranges have rental guns, that you BOTH can practice with, to determine the most logical for each of you

Just ONE REVOLVER for both of you, is highly idealistic and pretty rare !!

:costumed-smiley-007:safari-rig::safari-rig: JIMBO

 

[Mike S]

I am very partial to Smith and Wesson revolvers. Stainless weapons, in particular, are good for camping, canoeing, fishing, etc. S&W makes a wide range of .38 caliber revolvers in stainless and blued steel, with various frames and barrel lengths.

I am at the two ends of the spectrum - a S&W 4" barreled .22 LR/..22 mag, and a S&W 629 Mountain Gun (44 Rem Mag) with a 4" barrel. Both have Hogue rubber grips. The 44 Mag is especially pleasant to shoot, and accurate.

Neither of these guns is intended to be a self defense weapon. For that I have a 45 ACP Officer's Model. It's small. flat and easy to carry.

 

[Rexsname]

See if you can find a 3" Smith and Wesson Mod. 65. For a while there were a whole bunch of them on the market used.


REX

 

[Cackalak Han]

If you think a .38 special has too much kick for your wife, certainly a
.357 will not be smoother.
As well advices priorly, the lenght on the barrel will help,
maybe get a .38 with a 5" barrel, plenty around and not that expensive
shall you decide after few month you want more impact power

It might have been the gun I was using. IIRC, it was a snub-nose .38sp, I think the S&W airlite or whatever it was called. It wasn't anything that blew me back, but it was quite "jumpy" in my hands.

Ruger GP100 .357 With a bit of a heavier frame, you will have a little less kick. The super light frames are quite jumpy IMO. Another great regular size pistol is a S&W 686+ (seven shot revolver).

Yeah, like I said above, it was probably the light frame that made me feel like it's not suitable for the wife. We'll try out some "regular" .38's and see how they shoot. I was looking at the S&W, but they're pretty expensive!! Do you think they'll be any better (reliable) than the Ruger?

I'm guessing since you're an avid hunter, you've may have already made up your mind what caliber is needed. However, you didn't state what the intended purpose is of the sidearm. Protection from 2-legged varmints or 4 or both? Plinking for fun? Popping small critters for eating?

My favorite "tent gun" is my Browning Buckmark Camper.

Well, if I were getting my own for concealed carry purposes, I wouldn't get a revolver. I'd probably end up with a Glock/Sig/or? semi-auto, and probably in a 9MM, since I can shoot those with the most accuracy. The intended purpose for this revolver is just a general safety measure when going out into the wilderness, and to get my wife familiar with shooting hand guns.

As far as plinking, I have a .22 Browning lever action rifle that I'm very fond of and use that for plinking and fun. I'd like to also get a 8 or 10 shot .22 revolver for plinking around, too. Or even popping a few grouse or what not.

Get your wife a light duty revolver, just for her, have her practice-practice-practice, otherwise, owning a drawer/safe gun is useless, unless it's a collectors item

A lot of gun ranges have rental guns, that you BOTH can practice with, to determine the most logical for each of you

Just ONE REVOLVER for both of you, is highly idealistic and pretty rare !!

:costumed-smiley-007:safari-rig::safari-rig: JIMBO

Well, I'd like to eventually get my own hand gun. For this gun, I'd rather have my wife be more comfortable with it than me. I'm hoping it would be a good learning experience for her, and more importantly, for her to develop the skills to shoot hand guns. I'd hate to have some wild game, intruder, etc. attack me and her end up shooting me! :Wow1:

We have a range about 10 minutes away that we will be spending lots of time at.

To everyone else --- Thanks so much for the comments. I am really interested in the Ruger GP100 and will definitely check them out. S&W is definitely nice, but may be just out of my price range for now...

 

[02TahoeMD]

I am going to go just slightly against the grain and recommend a gun that I think gets seriously overlooked.

The Smith and Wesson 625 Mountain Gun in .45 Long Colt

The .45LC is a great cartridge and is a personal favorite of mine. Handloaded properly, it is the equal of most .44 mag ammunition and it is easy to shoot. Put some mild load cowboy action ammo through it and you can shoot it all day. Load it with some Silvertips for personal defense and I think just the sight of that monstrous cylinder will take the fight out of most 2 legged adversaries. And if, heaven forbid, lead has to go down range you know you are sending something about the size of an ashtray down range.

Love my Mountain Gun and you can read more about it here.

Regardless, whatever you get make sure you practice with it, get some speedloaders, and run some drills doing reloads. Could pay off big time for you if "it" ever hits the rotary oscillating device.

 

[BIGdaddy]

I like my Ruger GP100, in .357 mag.
It comes in several barrel lengths to suit your shooting/concealing needs.
I can shoot .38 specials for plinking ($) and .357 for either plinking ($$) or for personal defense (HP rounds).
I don't think the .38 recoil is all that much. My daughter is similar in size to your wife and can handle it very well. In fact, she shoots a very nice tight pattern up close (<50 feet). :ar15:
Best bet is to get her to a gun shop with a range and test fire a few.

this is the best gun for the money. You will NEVER wear it out. My wife is a crack shot with one, and it will be my next gun purchase. (we've put a lot of rounds downrange at our local shooting club...)

 

[BIGdaddy]

oh, and listen, cuz this is important.

-.357 magnum will kill these things: people, dogs, mtn. lions, small black bears, zombies, rabbits, coyotes, wolves, pigs, deer, etc.

-they WILL NOT kill a big bear like a brown or grizzly. They will likely not kill a charging moose.

-For the WILL NOT list, you should have a 12gauge with Brenneke or similar slugs. a shotgun like a Rem. 870 is a cheap, simple, robust weapon who's ammo can be bought anywhere, and who's presence in a car or over a shoulder, LEO's will not bat an eye about.

Do not, NOT buy a .357 magnum cuz it won't kill big bears. anything bigger is really unncessary because bigger calibers become VERY difficult to shoot for wives/kids and the muzzle blast and flash makes a follow-up shot almost impossible. .357 mag is a very good comprimise.

that is all.

-Brian

p.s. Train how you fight. Don't train your wife to shoot .38's if you expect her to shoot the .357 mags you load
to go camping/hiking/fishing/exploring with. Same goes for you, different experience altogether.

 

[MuddyOval]

I got a Ruger Security Six in .357 for $200 used in great shape. Added rubber combat style grips and it's a great, cheap pistol. Because it's a .357 and a little heavier than a regular .38, it doesn't kick hard at all with a .38 round at all because of that weight. She can start with .38 and work up to .357. It's important to practice with whatever will be in there at home or in the field. If she gets used to .38, when she NEEDS it and it has .357 in it- it's going to throw her off.
I've seen women who barely weigh 100lbs cranking off 44 mags and 45's without a problem. She just needs to work up to it and not be afraid of it. It just takes practice. The 357 is the most versatile.

 

[mporter]

on the right track

sounds like your definitely approaching this in the right manner. Of course there is always the matter of personal preference, but logic and budget play an equal roll. If you like the GP100, i would also recommend looking at the SP101. It's a little smaller and only a five shot, but it's smaller size may fit your wife's hands better, and make it easier to carry. I have Security-six that I bought used as a police trade-in twenty years ago. It still shots great and is nice and tight. I like my smiths too, much better trigger pull, but for the money and ruggedness its hard to beat the rugers. IMHO

 

[SAR_Squid79]

Taurus Judge:

http://www.taurusjudge.net/