I have been wanting to purchase a revolver for home protection. I am choosing a revolver becuase I want my girlfriend to be able to use the gun as well. She isn't to comfortable w/ my semi-autos, so i figured the simplicity of a revolver would be easier to teach her on. I want her to feel comfortable so I can teach her how to use it safely without as many distractions as possible. Anyway, I really had my eye on a GP-100 4" stainless. I figured that it would be a good revolver to use becaue I could teach her w/ .38 specials and the weight of the gun would dampen the recoil for her considerably (she is concerned about the recoil being to much). Plus I figured that the 4" inch barrel would let you get the performance out of the .38 for home defense that you need for stopping power. Well, we went to try one out. She has small hands, and the trigger was a little hard for her to reach. She really had problems pulling the trigger w/ a double action pull. I was really discouraged. So now I'm back to square one. The range officer suggested trying a 3" ruger SP-101. My main concern is twofold: is the SP-101 heavy enough to dampen .38 +p loads for her to feel comfortable shooting it, and , 2nd, will a .38 perform well enough ballistically out of a 3" barrel to be suitable for home defense? She did hold it and it felt good to her. Any suggestions?
revolver question
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If she likes the feel of the SP101, let her shoot it, working up as you've already described. Many, many years ago, my wife started with a K22 and was hot on the M29 in less than a month. She is 5' 1", small hands, and came from an anti-gun family. Once she had a grasp of what shooting was all about, and found she could do it, all of the barriers came down. The emphasis I placed on her shooting was the fun - not the (to many women) dark side of defensive shooting. Once she adapted to the fun, she came to her own conclusions about her ability to defend herself, and she is deadly 
P
PreserveFreedom
Guest
SP101 is a fine handgun. The 3" barrel should be suficient, especially if you are shooting 38's from it. The main reason for people going with longer barrels for concealed revolver carry is for Magnum cartridges to reach their potential. A 38spl or 38spl+p won't recoil as bad as you think out of a 3" tube. If she is comfortable with the SP101, it will also make the recoil less of an issue.
The Plainsman
New member
Hold everything.....
meat;
As the proud owner of several Ruger firearms, including a 4" SS GP-100, I would suggest that you go back to where you saw the gun, buy it, take it home, order a Wolff Spring kit from Brownell's or MidwayUSA (or wherever), install the 8lb springs (about 10 minutes) and then go out and shoot the heck out of it. I guarantee, both you and your lady friend will love the trigger pull.
My 5'0", AARP member (no ages, please ) wife can easily pull the DA trigger on my GP-100 and SA is about 2 3/4lbs. The 4" GP-100 is a delight to shoot. It's heavy enough to take the kick out of .38 ammo and allows you to use .357 without bracing yourself against a tree. It's just an all-round, sweet, wheel-gun. Actually, I have two 4"ers and I'm about to buy a third in the 6" variety.
Enjoy! and good shooting!
meat;
As the proud owner of several Ruger firearms, including a 4" SS GP-100, I would suggest that you go back to where you saw the gun, buy it, take it home, order a Wolff Spring kit from Brownell's or MidwayUSA (or wherever), install the 8lb springs (about 10 minutes) and then go out and shoot the heck out of it. I guarantee, both you and your lady friend will love the trigger pull.
My 5'0", AARP member (no ages, please
) wife can easily pull the DA trigger on my GP-100 and SA is about 2 3/4lbs. The 4" GP-100 is a delight to shoot. It's heavy enough to take the kick out of .38 ammo and allows you to use .357 without bracing yourself against a tree. It's just an all-round, sweet, wheel-gun. Actually, I have two 4"ers and I'm about to buy a third in the 6" variety.Enjoy! and good shooting!