Thinking about picking up a revolver

[FarmerTan]

Here's my 2 cents.... My wife has a true love for my GP100. 357's out of it don't bother her, and she says it's as easy on her slightly arthritic hands shooting .38's as shooting my old Smith and Wesson kit gun in .22. Plus she's more accurate with the Ruger!
She's not as fond of the LCR in 357 that I carry with 38's: just not as accurate.
My suggestion, if there is such an animal: go rent an LCRx in 9mm with moon clips. You'd save enough in ammo to justify buying one for you too! That way all your guns could share the same feed, and your marriage would be even stronger, as she will probably become as good, or even better a shot than you, and it would force you to be sweeter to her!
As a psych nurse, you have to trust me, I could tell you stories about men with missing faces from disrespected wives!

 

[OkieStubble]

@simon1 Good luck with that. Something about lipstick and pigs comes to mind here.....

 

[Highspeedlane]

A 686 would be a good choice. I like my 681. I got the fixed sights because it was going to be used as a duty gun and a guy at work had it for sale. $200 new in box. A police armorer went over it and slicked up the innards and after 35 years of shooting it the old Smith has one of the slickest double action trigger pulls I've ever used.

I put some new pants on it last year.

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It's more accurate than I am. If it was in a machine rest these 50 rounds wouldn't have had any flyers on the target.

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That is one sharp looking pistola'

 

[Acmemfg]

I own my share of plastic pistols. Carrying one as I write this. But I truly believe there is no substitute for honest and properly fitted wood and steel

 

[Highspeedlane]

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I own my share of plastic pistols. Carrying one as I write this. But I truly believe there is no substitute for honest and properly fitted wood and steel

Outstanding pics!

 

[Highspeedlane]

My wife similarly lacks the dexterity/strength to manipulate the slide of a semi, so we went with .38 snubs.

Though she carried a Taurus M85 .38 Spl for decades, we only trained using trigger cocking at the range. My thinking was train with one type of action to simplify things in a situation of stress.

Ultimately we got her into a Ruger LCR .38 Spl and she couldn't be happier. It shaves several ounces off the weight of the all-stainless Taurus and she can handle its DA only ignition system no problem. The smooth profile also provides for a snag resistant draw from concealed resting places.

 

[FarmerTan]

My wife similarly lacks the dexterity/strength to manipulate the slide of a semi, so we went with .38 snubs.

Though she carried a Taurus M85 .38 Spl for decades, we only trained using trigger cocking at the range. My thinking was train with one type of action to simplify things in a situation of stress.

Ultimately we got her into a Ruger LCR .38 Spl and she couldn't be happier. It shaves several ounces off the weight of the all-stainless Taurus and she can handle its DA only ignition system no problem. The smooth profile also provides for a snag resistant draw from concealed resting places.

Love that LCR trigger! My LCR in 22lr is of course a little stiffer, what with being a rimfire, but even it is smooth, and makes for a great, cheap training gun.

 

[Highspeedlane]

Love that LCR trigger! My LCR in 22lr is of course a little stiffer, what with being a rimfire, but even it is smooth, and makes for a great, cheap training gun.

I need one of those

 

[FarmerTan]

I need one of those

Yes you do!

It's kinda funny how I got mine. Stopped by the gun store to pick up my LCR 357. Wasn't there yet. My son and I had decided to run by there on a whim after an early AM prayer meeting at our church. So since the 357 wasn't in yet, and this lonely little 22 was 20 bucks cheaper than the 357, I decided it was a Sign that I had to give it a home!
The Minister of Baptist Defense, otherwise known as the War Department, found my reasoning to be less than Scriptural, but has enjoyed it the few times she has allowed herself to enjoy earthly pleasures, lol.

 

[FarmerTan]

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I own my share of plastic pistols. Carrying one as I write this. But I truly believe there is no substitute for honest and properly fitted wood and steel

Amen. I don't have a purtier, more effective handgun than my ole GP100 in stainless steel and rosewood.

 

[Lightcs1776]

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I own my share of plastic pistols. Carrying one as I write this. But I truly believe there is no substitute for honest and properly fitted wood and steel

Great ... more firearms that I would love to add to my tiny collection but have to wait for the kids to be on their own. Not a bad thing, they would want to borrow them anyway. Beautiful firearms.

 

[dreadpirate]

I like my S&W snub nose 38. The Ruger GP101 and GP 100 would be worth a look for sure.

 

[Badgerstate36]

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Thats by fan the coolest Glock Ive ever seen but something about a murdered out, poly 1911 just seems wrong to me. Before I bought my Walther, I seriously considered a Browning 1911-380 but I felt like it was a little overpriced, not to mention it comes with plastic sights, unless you get the Medallion model thats $800+.

 

[Badgerstate36]

Here's my 2 cents.... My wife has a true love for my GP100. 357's out of it don't bother her, and she says it's as easy on her slightly arthritic hands shooting .38's as shooting my old Smith and Wesson kit gun in .22. Plus she's more accurate with the Ruger!
She's not as fond of the LCR in 357 that I carry with 38's: just not as accurate.
My suggestion, if there is such an animal: go rent an LCRx in 9mm with moon clips. You'd save enough in ammo to justify buying one for you too! That way all your guns could share the same feed, and your marriage would be even stronger, as she will probably become as good, or even better a shot than you, and it would force you to be sweeter to her!
As a psych nurse, you have to trust me, I could tell you stories about men with missing faces from disrespected wives!

We're probably going to rent an LCRx and a 637 the next time we go to the range.

 

[Rudy Vey]

S&W 686!! Have 3", 4" and 6" and all are superb shooters.

 

[Jeff10236]

Since it sounds like the primary use for this gun will be for home defense, with carry as a possible afterthought, I'd suggest forgetting the small frame revolvers (like the Ruger LCR) and going for a medium frame .357mag loaded with .38+P.

The larger revolver will better absorb recoil, with less felt recoil range sessions will be more pleasant and you will both spend more time on the range, and with more practice you will be a better shot than with the smaller, lighter revolver. Further, it is easier to shoot well than the small snub. Small frame snub revolvers are the hardest guns to learn to master. The short barrel, small grip, and heavier felt recoil all make it harder to shoot well. A medium frame revolver will usually have a longer barrel (and even with the short barrel K-frames and L-frames, you have a bigger frame and longer overall length for a longer sight radius) and the longer sight radius makes it easier to shoot accurately. The heavier weight means faster recovery from recoil, which means faster and more accurate follow up shots. Add to the better performance, a small frame snub in .38 or .357 will typically hold only 5 rounds. A S&W K-frame or Ruger GP100 (and some S&W L-frames) hold 6 rounds, and the L-frame S&W 686 Plus holds 7 rounds.

If you want to be able to carry it, an IWB holster with a good cant will make a 4" revolver almost as easy to conceal as a 3". If your wife's bag won't hold a 4" gun and holster, and she doesn't want a new bag, you can get the Ruger GP 100 in a 3", a used K-frame in a 3" or 2.5" (both are not made anymore), a K-frame in a 2.75" (the 66) and the S&W 685 (Plus or regular) in a 2.5" or 3" barrel.

 

[Badgerstate36]

Since it sounds like the primary use for this gun will be for home defense, with carry as a possible afterthought, I'd suggest forgetting the small frame revolvers (like the Ruger LCR) and going for a medium frame .357mag loaded with .38+P.

The larger revolver will better absorb recoil, with less felt recoil range sessions will be more pleasant and you will both spend more time on the range, and with more practice you will be a better shot than with the smaller, lighter revolver. Further, it is easier to shoot well than the small snub. Small frame snub revolvers are the hardest guns to learn to master. The short barrel, small grip, and heavier felt recoil all make it harder to shoot well. A medium frame revolver will usually have a longer barrel (and even with the short barrel K-frames and L-frames, you have a bigger frame and longer overall length for a longer sight radius) and the longer sight radius makes it easier to shoot accurately. The heavier weight means faster recovery from recoil, which means faster and more accurate follow up shots. Add to the better performance, a small frame snub in .38 or .357 will typically hold only 5 rounds. A S&W K-frame or Ruger GP100 (and some S&W L-frames) hold 6 rounds, and the L-frame S&W 686 Plus holds 7 rounds.

If you want to be able to carry it, an IWB holster with a good cant will make a 4" revolver almost as easy to conceal as a 3". If your wife's bag won't hold a 4" gun and holster, and she doesn't want a new bag, you can get the Ruger GP 100 in a 3", a used K-frame in a 3" or 2.5" (both are not made anymore), a K-frame in a 2.75" (the 66) and the S&W 685 (Plus or regular) in a 2.5" or 3" barrel.

Yeah, Im pretty much not looking into a snubnose. I have no plans to conceal carry and the main purposes will be home defense and recreational shooting. Im looking into something with a barrel at least 3" with a bigger grip and that is a bit heavier. The Smith J frames are out and probably the LCR is too. I think Im probably leaning towards the Ruger SP and GP and the Smith 686. I tend to prefer handguns with longer barrels, so Id probably get one of those with a 6" barrel.
I talked to the wife about it today and she told me that the Walther was fine because she could just use the shotgun but Im still not comfortable with it because the Walther and whatever revolver I get will be my nightstand gun, whereas the shotgun is tucked away in the closet. If someone were to break in and I werent home, Id much rather she be able to simply grab the pistol out of the nightstand, instead of having to dig the shotgun out of the closet.

 

[miguel]

 

[Jeff10236]

Yeah, Im pretty much not looking into a snubnose. I have no plans to conceal carry and the main purposes will be home defense and recreational shooting. Im looking into something with a barrel at least 3" with a bigger grip and that is a bit heavier. The Smith J frames are out and probably the LCR is too. I think Im probably leaning towards the Ruger SP and GP and the Smith 686. I tend to prefer handguns with longer barrels, so Id probably get one of those with a 6" barrel.
I talked to the wife about it today and she told me that the Walther was fine because she could just use the shotgun but Im still not comfortable with it because the Walther and whatever revolver I get will be my nightstand gun, whereas the shotgun is tucked away in the closet. If someone were to break in and I werent home, Id much rather she be able to simply grab the pistol out of the nightstand, instead of having to dig the shotgun out of the closet.

The GP100 or S&W 686 are great choices. My personal preference is the 686 Plus due to the extra round (7 rounds of .38+P for home defense, or of .357mag when in the woods is hard to beat in a reasonable carry sized gun).

The SP101 is a nice gun, though you are back to 5 rounds again (like the J-frames). It is heavier than the small frame S&Ws so it will be more shootable, but not as much as the K-frame and larger. However, if you ever do decide to carry (like in the original post where you mention maybe having your wife carry in her purse), it is probably one of the best of the 5-round small frame snubs for use as an all around revolver (though I still prefer a 6-shot K-frame for that duty).

Even if you don't carry, I am a fan of 3" medium frame revolvers. My 65LS (3" K-frame) handles and points better than just about any other gun I own. Though, the extra inch if you go 4" may be better for home defense due to the extra inch of sight radius (easier to aim accurately) and the extra inch will give you a little more velocity. The extra length can be pretty significant for the ballistics of the round, especially when you step up to magnum loads. When fired out of a 6" barrel, .357mag is getting into reasonable bear defense territory (not recommended for home defense though due to over penetration issues).

 

[Sdm84]

I have several revolvers from the airweight to the N frame. The L frame revolver is hard to beat. I don't think you need the .357 magnum, but if you get a 686 you have that option. 38 +p loads in that gun would be plenty and don't forget about the fireball and deafening report that is the .357 magnum. You would need low flash loads for home defense.

IIRC the stock double action trigger pull is around 15 lbs which is significant. You would need to train with it for accuracy, but the pull wouldn't be that noticeable during an adrenaline dump- just might not hit the intended target.

Please do not get a j-frame for home defense- too short a sight radius, recoil is stout, and accuracy is a big concern. IMO a j frame is for up close and personal social work not distance which is why it is my EDC.


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