Revolver shopping for the wife

[T. O'Heir]

"...stiff small hammer, and the double action was also rough..." All of which would be fixed with the trigger job any new firearm requires. Fitting her hand and the resulting smile is the important part.
Armybrat's Ruger Security Six would do nicely though. Made for normal size hands.
K frames do not fit smaller hands. If a GP is too big(really too heavy?), a K frame will be worse. Unless it's a 2" or 3", M19/66 with Pachmayr grips. Has to do with the shape of the grip frame. Had a 4" 19 for eons that never did fit right, no matter how many different grips I tried.

 

[Jim Watson]

S&W 60-15 was just about right, and smooth.

So what is the question?

There are fair numbers of M60s with 3" barrels and adjustable sights, there are a few 5".

While a K Smith is a good choice for many, you report the L frame 686 as "too big."
It is certainly heavier, but its grip and trigger reach are the same a K and the hammer spur is actually lower, unless you get the wide K Target hammer.

 

[AVG]

The wife at 75 years old has been shooting for over 50 years all types of guns. This is the latest a Rossi R46202 SS using 38spl. for target shooting. It has a good trigger, small grip for her hands, recoil is good. It's cheap and accurate.

 

[Rich_357]

My friend's wife is small framed with small hands. She liked the weight of the LCR .38 until she shot it. The report/recoil was pretty uncomfortable for her; I don't know if she would have liked the .327 better but I'd be curious to shoot one someday. The only problem is finding one!!!

 

[Model12Win]

A Smith's and Wesson's K-frame .38 is all you will ever need or want.

 

[Slimjim9]

Then she shot the Charter Arms snubbie very well too. Says she's perfectly happy with the snubbie.

I wanted a new pistol. I don't get a new pistol. Need new plan.

New plan is she keeps the snubbie, and you get the new pistol. You're welcome.

 

[Slimjim9]

My friend's wife is small framed with small hands. She liked the weight of the LCR .38 until she shot it. The report/recoil was pretty uncomfortable for her; I don't know if she would have liked the .327 better

Not unless you plan to shoot 32H&R. From what I've heard, the .327mag rounds are fairly brutal from the LCR. Best recoil from this platform is standard pressure 38s from the LCR357 frame. I'm confused about the "report" comment though. maybe that's just getting used to firearms in general. Hopefully she was wearing ear pro.

 

[Vet66]

S&W model 65-5 will surely make her happy.

 

[Cosmodragoon]

My friend's wife is small framed with small hands. She liked the weight of the LCR .38 until she shot it. The report/recoil was pretty uncomfortable for her; I don't know if she would have liked the .327 better but I'd be curious to shoot one someday...

Was she using standard-pressure .38 special? Also, did it have those nice cushy stock grips or was it fitted with Crimson Trace or another more concealable aftermarket grip? I ask because the LCR 38 not only has a great trigger. It's also got the best recoil mitigation of any alloy snub-nose on the market.

If yes, then .327 will also be too much. I've shot the LCR 38 and LCR 327 back to back. A light factory load in .327 Federal, the 85-grain Hydra-Shok, is indistinguishable from most .38 +p in terms of recoil. However, just as you can shoot .38s out of a .357 revolver, you can shoot a few different .32-caliber cartridges from a .327 revolver. The old .32 H&R magnum achieves .38-special power levels with fairly light recoil. If that's still too much, the much older .32 S&W Long has very light recoil. It's not the most powerful cartridge in the world but I'd sure take it over rimfire!

 

[Jeffincoln]

M200 is cheap and comes in 4 inch.

They are super cheap and decent guns I heard. Have big grips and wouldn't kick too bad.

 

[L-2]

As mentioned by others, these two fit the OP's criteria and are current production:

Ruger LCRx:
http://ruger.com/products/lcrx/specSheets/5431.html

S&W, these specific Model 60s:
http://www.smith-wesson.com/webapp/...57768_757767_757751_ProductDisplayErrorView_Y

http://www.smith-wesson.com/webapp/...57768_757767_757751_ProductDisplayErrorView_Y

 

[Rich_357]

I'm not getting into this discussion again. My friend's wife didn't like the report or the recoil on the .38 LCR. That's it. I'm not busting on the gun; that was her personal experience. She likes smaller rounds. The report most likely due to the snub nose; the recoil most likely due to her small frame/hands and the weight of the gun.

I was more inquisitive as to whether the .327 would be a better preference for the OP question. Let's get back to that.