I have eight S&W J frames and two SP101s and shoot these guns a fair amount. Also, I got my wife set up with her revolvers. First and most critically your wife's revolver must fit her hand and weigh enough not to beat her hands up when shooting. Someone who knows what they are talking about should verify that the revolver fits your wife. New snubbys, both S&W and Ruger have bad trigger pulls but both can be greatly improved with a bit of work. I am going to catch some flack but I think the Ruger is more ruggedly constructed. Is that important? I don't think it is. Both guns designs are plenty durable. One other point to make is pocket carry. Some like it and some don't. I like it a lot. You wife may also. If so, the Ruger is too heavy in my opinion. All guns are a set of compromises but snubbys provide conceal-ability and reliability at the expense of some other highly desirable characteristics. I don't think snubbys are good guns for new shooters. Right now there is a 649 "no dash" in my pocket.