Low cal revolver?

[Dblkick]

I'm looking for a small daily carry hammerless revolver for my wife. She currently has a BG 380 & doesn't like shooting it, too much kick & heavy trigger. Is there a smaller caliber other than a .22 that would be easier to shoot & ammo is available?

Thanks,
Dave

 

[Jamie]

I have a Smith and Wesson 642CT that is a great little carry gun. My girlfriend is pretty recoil-shy, and she had no issues with it. It's a .38 Special and will handle +P+ loads, but you don't HAVE to shoot them. Mild loads are very tame in it. The Crimson Trace laser grips are pretty cool, too.

 

[fbirdquik6]

taking your criteria into account...How about a lcr 22mag with some speer gold dots? Or a lcr 38spl with light wadcutters

 

[Woodstock]

What Jamie said. Nothing lighter than an airweight, and probably better off with the weight of a stainless or blued steel gun to absorb recoil. If not a .38, look for a .32 J-frame, which has one more round. Ammo is scarce, though. A J-frame in .22 magnum will have one more round, ammo is plentiful, and recoil is negligible. It has high muzzle velocity and can be deadly. There are those who recommend against any .22 for self defense, but if there's a misfire in a revolver due to missing primer compound, pulling the trigger will bring the next round under the hammer.

 

[jtnf]

I have a 32 J frame Smith - It's pretty much the smallest centerfire handgun cartridge still in current production... LIMITED production! There is usually only one or two brands of ammo available, only at places that tend to stock the obscure (Rileys in NH, Outback in Plympton.)
I reload for mine.

Not hammerless, but it certainly meets the low recoil criteria.

 

[92G]

taking your criteria into account...How about a lcr 22mag with some speer gold dots? Or a lcr 38spl with light wadcutters

^^this

the ruger lcr in 22 mag is a gem. shoots great. Modern 22wmr defense loads are pretty respectable...i wouldnt want to get shot by one.

while i love my lcr-38, the recoil is too high for my wife, mom or sister so i dont even bother w it.

another option w be the lcr in .357 mag but shoot .38 from it....the 357 model is like 5-6 oz heavier so recoil is better w .38.

 

[NavelOfficer]

How about the Ruger SP101 in .327 Federal? I know it doesn't fit the hammerless category, but the heft should absorb recoil and you can shoot .32 S&W, .32 S&W Long , .32 H&R Magnum and .327 Federal. Ammo won't be as common as 9mm or .38 Special, but I doubt your wife will be popping a hundred rounds a day, using this as a range gun. I reload .32 S&W Long and .32 H&R Magnum and don't even own anything in this caliber, so it can't be too scarce to come by.
I can't guarantee .327 Federal will be as common as .45 GAP, but .32 S&W Long has been around for ages.

 

[92G]

I transferred an SP101 to my mom some time ago thinking it would fit her. The problem was the double action trigger pull was too heavy....she simply couldnt shoot it accurately in double action...so she traded it for a glock 17 and thats her HD gun now.

 

[Dblkick]

I ended up going to the Sturbridge gun show & bought her an LCR in .22LR. I know she is comfortable with the .22LR so why fight city hall! She loves the LCR, plan to take it to the range tomorrow for the final test.
Thanks for all the support!

 

[Pondhill]

I can not help with the hammerless part but my wife has a sig 238 and loves it and she has a S&W in 32 mag and likes shooting that with 32S&W longs.

 

[92G]

I ended up going to the Sturbridge gun show & bought her an LCR in .22LR. I know she is comfortable with the .22LR so why fight city hall! She loves the LCR, plan to take it to the range tomorrow for the final test.
Thanks for all the support!

good choice.
that's a great gun. i had an LCR-22 for a while. i loved it because could shoot 22LR, 22 long, 22 short, whatever. plus it cycled ANY 22LR because it's not an auto. and with 8 rounds in cylinder it's sweet. recoil is non-existent so she will actually shoot the gun! the 22 magnum version is also nice.

 

[coachjpg]

I have a Smith and Wesson 642CT that is a great little carry gun. My girlfriend is pretty recoil-shy, and she had no issues with it. It's a .38 Special and will handle +P+ loads, but you don't HAVE to shoot them. Mild loads are very tame in it. The Crimson Trace laser grips are pretty cool, too.

This. Get the Apex kit.

 

[92G]

the J-frames need an apex kit because they trigger is horrific.
the ruger LCR's really don't need any trigger work. the standard LCR models (e.g. 38, 357) have a freaking amazing trigger due to their friction reducing cam that ruger designed specifically for the LCR. the LCR-22 has a slightly less-awesome trigger than the LCR-38 but I still don't see any need for trigger work.

honestly i ditched the J-frame a while ago and went with an LCR-38 because I can hit steel plates at 25 yards with this gun....that's not a product of my amazing marksmanship, it's a product of the amazing out-of-the-box trigger on an LCR.

 

[Mike-Mike]

Sounds like she is complaining about recoil and trigger pull. I would ask what she uses for method of carry. If she uses "off body" carry (purse).. then I would stay away from small light guns. Also, the DA pull on a MA complaint J frame is going to be HARDER and longer than the BG. An m&p9c (with trigger kit) for instance will most likely have less felt recoil than the BG to her. Best is to get out to the range with a bunch of guns and see what she likes.


ETA:

If she does carry in the purse than I would make sure she understands the huge advantages in a hammerless revolver for this application. So an old Smith and Wesson model 40 would be better than any of the airlites due to the weight and will also have a better trigger than the new MA models.