I went into a gun store the other day with my wife. She wanted me to buy her some earmuffs for when we all go as a family, we were short one pair. Now she's got a matching pink set that we had gotten for my daughter.

So anyways.... She tells me she has the desire to shoot something and have something around for defense, but it has always been a challenge getting her to actually shoot.

I was a dolt and did everything backwards with her. I have no clue why I did this and feel dumb about it. I always desired she know how to defend herself if I wasn't around and I'd have her hold all the guns I have. Rifles seem too, well probably heavy and unwieldy. So we have always stuck with handguns. Well that's not true, last summer she shot the 10/22 and it was really the first time she didn't look scared or overwhelmed from the experience. And I'm kicking myself that I had not tried her out on a .22 pistol first. She had shot my Colt Detective special with wadcutters a couple of years ago and it hurt her hands.

The reason she shot the DS that time was because out of all my centerfire handguns, it seems the most intuitive for her. She can't rack the slide on any of the autos, and they seem like they overwhelm her in function. She actually hit the target center mass at 3 yards with the DS but was done shooting after 5 rounds or so. And it did actually leave a little mark on her shooting hand from recoil. I have no clue how wadcutters in 24 ounce revolver did that, but it did. So she was not excited about the pain.

So, the next time I take her to the range I'll have her shoot my Colt Huntsman. But I still think a revolver is a better deal for her. More intuitive. So I've been thinking I might want to pick up a rimfire revolver.

If you had to decide between getting a .22 mag revolver or just a .22 lr revolver in this situation, which way would you go. I do have a stash of .22 lr. Not tons but enough that I'm OK. But then there is the option of going up to a .22 mag and using some hornady critical defense, and maybe load some FMJ in the cylinder with it. I don't know. I know it's not optimal. But she doesn't have ANYTHING right now.

Or do you stay with a .22 until she learns to shoot better and then move her up to a more potent caliber? I suppose I could try some rubber grips on the DS and see if that helps. But I don't know if you can get any lighter loading than wadcutters. And to be honest, I'm not sure what it is but that DS has more felt recoil than my 442. But I have Hogue Tamer grips on my 442. The other issue is that the DS is out of time and I need to get it fixed. So do I take the money I'd spend on that and get a different rimfire revolver for now?

I feel like I should do something to get the ball moving for her, but I'm stymied. I still don't think she'd shoot a lot, but something is better than nothing and there are some other gals at church that want to shoot too. And I think she likes the aspect of wanting to be part of what some of the other lady's are doing. Plus there is just so much **** going on in the world I think my wife is thinking about it more.

I suppose I could have her try the 442 with wadcutters and see if it's any better experience for her. But I really think she needs to just shoot a .22 of some sort the next time to get her more acclimated.


What you all think?

we have a S&W 43c that's 11oz with an 8 shot wheel. mrs. bagga likes it and really shoots it well.

I am a Colt guy... But being this is a Smith forum, try and fine a snub Model 66 for her or even maybe a model 36. I know I don't want to get shot with any gun including a 22LR but if I ever had defend myself, or my family I would just as soon have something with a bit more pop than a 22. Again, a 22LR is a LOT better than nothing. My wife is a lousy shot although she does like to shoot. She really likes the Model 66.

See if you can borrow or rent one of those guns and let the wife try it. Rubber grips help a lot as you already know.

Charter Arms Pathfinder in .22 Magnum. Feels good, shoots well, gives you the bang of a round bigger than a .22lr without much more recoil, and you can get Gold Dot or Critical Defense loads for it.

Obviously won't knock a grizzly out of its flip-flops, but it's a great confidence builder. The gun is relatively inexpensive; practice ammo costs significantly more than .22lr, but you're not going to put thousands of rounds through it, so that shouldn't be a big factor.

I used one for years transitioning newbie shooters from .22 to .38 Spl.

Afternoon ABPOS;

I haven't had great experiences using .22 revolvers with my wife.

They seem to work OK in single action but most .22 ammo takes a real hard hit to get ignition so my .22 (revolvers) have fairly high double action trigger pulls.

I really want my wife to understand, & intuitively use, double action for defense so my choice is a .38 or a .327.

I have a sweet little 4" SP 101 (.38) that I did a slick trigger job on. Single action is a little low at 2.4# but double action is just a tad under 7#. Always sets off even CCI primers.

She loves that gun & thinks she is Anne Oakly with it.

I mostly load it with mouse fart hand loads so she doesn't know what REAL recoil feels like but she isn't afraid of the gun & recoil either (I haven't ever allowed her to shoot heavy grain powerful loads.)

As she gets better with it I'm going to transition her to a 3" .327 with more powerful loads.

I'm having the same problem with my wife. She was so anxious to go with me to the range when I went there to fire my first 100 through my M&P .380 months ago. She shot one mag through it and was done---wanted nothing to do with the recoil. I have been trying to get her to go to the range with me to shoot my Ruger Standard and she has declined the last 3 times. However, she did express interest in one of those nice pink new Ruger 22's.
Sorry about that---what I'm getting at is I would start your wife out on a .22LR (revolver if you are concerned about her handling the potential complexities of a semi-auto) and then graduate from there when her confidence builds. If she just wants to stick with the .22LR so be it, it's better than nothing. Good luck!

Have you looked at the Hornady "breast cancer awareness" reduced-recoil loads in .38spl ?

The box has a bunch of pink printing, and the rounds are loaded with a 90gr FTX bullet.

I picked up a couple of boxes for the wife to shoot in her M36, but haven't hit the range with them yet. I can't imagine there's much recoil.

After 43 years of marital bliss, my wife mentioned a few months ago that we ought to do more things together. I suggested shooting and to my amazement, she agreed!

I started her out with a bolt-action Remington 541-T 22LR and she liked it enough that I bought her a Savage for herself. She also liked shooting my S&W 22A but struggled with the whole iron sight alignment thing so for now, she's using scopes.

My next step is to get her shooting a bolt-action .223REM so we can spend our time on the same 100-yard range. She is afraid of recoil so I had her shoot my 12-pound bench gun in .223REM and she didn't mind the recoil so I'll have her try a lighter rifle next. If you work into things gradually, the chances of her sticking with the shooting sports are improved.

Ed

I've had a S&W K-22 since I was a kid and love it but these days with them being so collectible I don't take it out to the woods/camping as much. The Ruger SP101 has taken its place as a true "field piece" and I like it (and I'm far from a Ruger fan). Kind-of heavy but well built and accurate.

When I take anyone to the range for the first time, we start with my Ruger Single Six / .22lr cylinder. Sometimes we more up to the .22WMR cylinder, then adjust based on the feedback.

I wish I had a S&W .22 revolver, I like the ejection scheme better than the Ruger, but the scope of use is limited, so can't justify the $$$.

Either light 38's in a full size .357, or if it needs to be a .22, try her on a Ruger MKII, or MKIII. Double action .22's aren't the easiest to shoot, and forget the .22mag all together. Too loud from hand gun and not enough benefit over .22lr in a short barrel.

With that said, my wife's defense gun is a 617, ten shots, and heavy enough to use as a club, if she needs to. I hope to transition her to a 627, but no luck so far.

How about .380? My Sig P238 is not a revolver, but all the women who have tried mine liked it. Very mild recoil, especially with the pinky grip magazine, very easy slide rack (I can do it with just thumb and forefinger even with my arthritic hands, and after some drill work, the manipulation of the weapon is simple.
Only down side might be that she would have to use the safety..

Sounds like she needs a Colt Diamondback .22LR "for something to shoot" and the DS for self defense.

My uncle's wife loved my S&W M63, but they went with a Taurus .22 Mag knock off because the Smith was expensive. Sigh.

Nothing turns off a newbie more than heavy recoil. My formula has always been to start new shooters out with a .22LR revolver because it's simple to operate, has little recoil, and is therefore easy to learn with. Once they have developed good fundamentals, I move them up to .32 long and then .32 magnum before tackling the larger calibers.

My opinion (for what it's worth) is to start a newbie who's recoil-shy with a Ruger SR22. There's NO recoil, and anyone can rack that slide. It's super accurate at 10 yards and it's a lot less $$ than a S&W 22lr revolver.

I've been down this road. When we were younger my wife shot most any handgun. now that she's older she's recoil sensitive. Bought a 642, too light and recoil is too heavy. she shot my 38 s&w, not special, in a colt police positive and liked that okay. We Re now looking at the 380 shield with the laser. she can rack the slide on that one. you might look for 32 HE, or any of the 22s recommended here would certainly work. just tell her to keep pulling the trigger.

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Robert
SWCA #2906, SWHF #760

My deceased wife was different. Her first love was a 44 Super Blackhawk. I believe that a 22 revolver would be best for a beginner. However, I would let your wife test fire different handguns and let her make her decision. There are indoor ranges were she can rent different handguns and make a choice.

PS I know my wife was the exception to the rule. She loved the big bores. Her CCW was a 2 1/2" SW 629. She could clear the x and 10 rings of 25 yd target at 50 yds.

"But I still think a revolver is a better deal for her." I couldn't agree more. If a 22 is going to be a possible defense weapon, it has to go bang every time. With a revolver and you have a FTF, you pull the trigger again. No such joy with a 22 autoloader. As we all know, there has probably been more written and discussed about how a 22 is not a viable defense round than just about any subject I can think of. I personally think that's BS. CCI mini mags and stingers are vicious little rounds and any gun is better than no gun. You know there's an intruder downstairs and you fire off a couple rounds into the ceiling, they're going to think twice about heading your way. Bottom line in my book is, the best gun or round for defense is one that you are not afraid of, can consistently hit center mass with ease and have extensive practice with. If that's a 38 than that's great, but better to have the wife deadly proficient in at least something. I'm currently in the same boat and looking at model 34's.

I am surprised no one's mentioned the S&W Model 48 .22 magnum! My Grandfather had one of these in the 6" barrel configuration and it was a very sweet shooting gun! Not too heavy a pull DA and very smooth SA.

It comes in a 4" barrel also so it would depend on whether she's gonna target or use it mainly for self defense as to the barrel length you'd get.

Product: Model 48

Good luck and have fun with it!!

I found this model 63 at my LGS for $550.

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Years ago... a buddy & I would take his (then) wife shooting. We took my Ithica M72 saddlegun (now made by Henry) and my 22/32 kit gun with factory target stocks... and some small silouettes (once offered cheap by Remington). We thought a hundred rounds would keep her busy for a long time. She went through the hundred rounds... came back for more... and more...
She "knew how to shoot" but didn't much care to... except with these nice light and accurate .22s.
When I taught novice shooters... I'd start with easy to shoot well .22s, work up through bigger calibers after she's mastered sights & trigger pull... at close up targets. Before moving back as skill improved. And gradually increasing power. I often had novices shoot a few full house .357s & .45s before going back to lighter loads. If nothing else, the novices came away undrstanding & respecting the skill.

BTW, I still have both the Ithica & Kitgun.

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NRA LIFE
Reserve Officer 9yrs

I never heard of the breast cancer awareness .38 rounds. I'll look into that. I also didn't think of the fact that some .22 revolvers might have heavy trigger pulls. I do remember shooting my friends 63 two years ago and I thought it was great. And accurate too. I was banging small steel at 25 yards in DA from a rest. It was so much fun. Not ever time but enough that it gave ME hope that I could shoot DA. I had never shot my DS very well and I think it's because it's out of time. When I got my 442 I was pleasantly surprised at how I did. I've been shooting for years, but it was mostly semi auto single actions.

Anyways... point being I think some .22 revolvers might be fine. And that was part of my thinking too, that someone mentioned. Semi .22 have just too much of likelihood of FTFing. And with a revolver you just keep that thing spinning. I'm not sure I like the idea of my wife having to remember immediate action drills at this point.

I hear a lot of talk of .380's but that seems counter intuitive. I thought they didn't use locking devices and just blowback and the springs were always lighter. Except I realize some of the newer models are going to locking systems. I think the Walther .380 uses one, but many claim that thing was/is junk. Not be be trusted. I don't know. I'm kind of interested in the 1911-380 Browning came out with.

I need start thinking about my 15 year old son. He runs the Ruger Mk1 real well and I need a centerfire for his stature. I don't think he can handle any of my 9's or 45's yet. His hands are still small. He's not a real big guy. And then there's my daughter. She just wants to shoot the 10/22 for now. She's only 12 though. No need to rush anything. Side issue there, sorry....

Lots of good responses. I still think leaning towards a .22 lr revolver may be the ticket. I think a 3" k frame or J frame would be great. Or 4" too. A K frame might even get a little heavy unless it was aluminum. Which I don't think they make. Or maybe the do..... I mean in .22.

I am hearing a couple of you like the .22 magnum though. Which seems like a viable option. But maybe too much of a compromise. I don't know. Seems like it would be more effective than a .22lr if you actually had to use it.

You have to let her pick what she likes for herself.
Take her to a club range where there are other folks around that will let her try different firearm types.

I have recently let two different 50-ish year old women shoot my Benelli MP95e, they really liked it and shot it well.
That surprised the heck out of me, I always thought it was a tad awkward until you had a chance to get used to it.

ABPOS
Most everyone, including me, agrees with starting with a .22 LR. Your intuition is correct, "But I really think she needs to just shoot a .22 of some sort the next time to get her more acclimated." Any new endeavor seems to go better if you start easy, become successful, and build confidence.

A model 63 (.22 LR, 26 ounces) seems like a good mix of all the attributes you are looking for. Low recoil, reliable, easy to use, 8 shots. A model 317 AirLite might be a good alternative .22 LR revolver with 8 round capacity but there will be more recoil in the 12.5 ounce gun. Either gun, while not an ideal self defense weapon, is better than no gun. If she never graduates to a bigger caliber she will have something dependable, comfortable to use, and hopefully something she will be confident with.

I have minimal experience with .22 Magnum revolvers however I would pass on a .22 Magnum revolver for your purposes. Having read many posts about comparisons of .22 LR and .22 Magnum gives me the impression there seems to be a consensus, at least regarding shorter barrel revolvers, that there is no dramatic ballistic advantage to the .22 Magnum but there is significantly more muzzle blast and the ammo is significantly more expensive.

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Scoundrel & Ne'er-Do-Well

ABPOS, I think you are on the right track. I recently decided to have a 22 only day at the range. Just shot my 3 inch 63 and 6 inch 617. Hadn't had the 63 out of the safe in a while. The 617 gets shot more frequently as I often alternate my center fire revolvers with the 22. It was just a really fun time at the range.

Your wife wants to shoot so let her shoot a 22 LR revolver as much and as long as she wants. The skills she develops will transfer to the guns it sounds like you already have.

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Accuracy supercedes Speed

I have that identical gun. I figured it would be cheap practice for my 640 Pro and my 340 PD. But the trigger pull (DA) is much, much heavier than the other guns. And I've been told it is necessary because rimfires require a heavier hit than centerfire revolvers.

So while the size and shape is similar to the 640 Pro (I have banana grips on both) the practice does not transfer well.

If the OP wants a gun that allows practice to transfer well, then a .38 or a .357 in steel or stainless steel using wadcutters or lightly loaded .38s is probably a better way to go.

But if you want to just shoot and shoot and shoot, then the 63 is a decent little gun, and the ammo is very cheap.

I also have an Olympic style air gun, and that is very cheap and you can practice in your basement. It improves steadiness and aim, but does not ready you for recoil. I like it.

Any of the fine 22 revolvers mentioned will do. More than anything availability may be a larger part of the equation. Buy it. Everyone needs one (or more). If she graduates to bigger calibers, fine. If not, ok, too. You'll have gained a companion for shoot days.

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NRA LIFE
Reserve Officer 9yrs

Nix the 22 magnum idea right now.
What you want is a 22 revolver. like a model 317 Kit Gun. with adjustable sights.
A revolver can use CB caps and/or shorts until she gets used to shooting.
Make sure it has a hammer. Shooting single action is easier for a beginner than double action. Mine is an Air-lite and not heavy to hold and aim .
You can adjust the sights if needed for CB caps, shorts, longs or long rifle ammo.
The intimidation factor is hard for them to overcome once they have been subjected to centerfire muzzle blast and recoil, so you need to go back to square one with the 22 LR. The 22 magnum has too much muzzle blast and that is sometimes worse than actual felt recoil for a timid shooter.
Gary

Just a thought from a granny who brings some novice girlfriends and granddaughters to the range. My 4" 686+ loaded with light .38sp is universally accepted. The function does not intimidate anyone and the accuracy makes it fun for all. A side benefit is that the caliber is potent for home defense. I pair that revolver with my .38/.357 lever action rifle for more low drama shooting and a good time is had by all. And of course you can run more potent stuff when/if she lets you.

I agree. Before buying a 22 magnum check the cost of ammo. The 22 mag is not the bargain it used to be.

Only issue I have with a 4" k/l frame is it might be too heavy for her when holding or aiming. But yeah, it would soak the recoil more than a smaller lighter, revolver.

You know what I think one of the differences of the DS and J frame is that when you look at the backstrap of both, the j frame allows it to sit in your hand lower. On the colt the dimension from the center of the bore to the top of that backstrap of the frame is a longer dimension. Enough that you can tell it's quite a bit longer with just your eyeballs. That might be why the DS has more felt recoil, even though it's heavier. Along with the grips. I just have the wood grips with a tyler t grip. Which I actually like on that gun.

What .22 magnum ammo? I thought it was all at the Smithsonian!!

Randy

I had a model 10 and now I have a 686. I reload very light .38 special loads and she has a blast. I do the same thing with my 30-06. I got tired of getting beat up by standard loads mostly for target shooting. I use a 115 gr. lead RN with a light load of IMR 4759 which is already designed for light loads. They run 1500 to 1750 fps and are as much fun as a .22 to shoot.

Now when I WANT some excitement I go full tilt on both of them.

Oh, as far as your original question goes the first thing I'd do is buy her a .22.

__________________
"He was kinda funny lookin'"

Yeah, if only I handloaded..... Twould solve a lot of problems......

I was wondering if .22 mag ammo was available, but I haven't checked. I suppose I should've done that before even thinking about it. Problem is .22 is not so easy either, obviously. But I do have some on hand.

ABPOS,
22 magnum ammo seems to be seasonal and it's also pretty expensive.
You've gotten a lot of good suggestions and advice. I'd add that
the model 30-1 shown below is a lot of fun to shoot, with very little recoil.
It fits my big hands better with a set of banana target grips, but the standard grips are not uncomfortable.
Its size and looks seem attractive to some women.
Unfortunately, it took me a long time to find a nice one and it wasn't cheap.
George

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Let's not over think the problem here!! First off the suggestions to rent/borrow a .22 for her to shoot is a very good one. Next, go ahead and check for availability/cost of ammo for the .22LR and the .22WMR..

Availability is the main thing as the cost IS going to come down. Eventually..... And again. I'm a fan of the .22mag over the .22LR for stopping power, in case she want's to use it for a carry gun..

And Please, no comments about the .22mag being too weak! After all, shot placement is EVERYTHING!!!!!!!!!!!!

I agree. I bought an SR22 for my wife after she tried one at a shooting class. Once she had shot for a while she moved to my GP100 with cowboy loads. She loves that gun although she finds it heavy.

BTW I started my 9 year old son out on the SR22. It's one of the few pistols that fits his hand properly.

There is a huge difference between shooting and self-defense.

Even though it caused her some physical pain, she can handle the .38 for combat accurate hits at self-defense distances, so there is no need to completely switch to a inadequate caliber just to get her shoot more. Irregardless of what you do, I'd have her stick with a .38 as a defense gun and maybe look at a different heavier model(Maybe something like a DAO Ruger SP101)to train with if desired although for civilian self-defense, more time learning ECQ tactics and techniques generally are much more valuable than more traditional range time shooting at static paper targets from a fixed position since that has relatively little resemblance to what you have to do in a real defense situation.

I respectively disagree with the above. Never force a person to fire a handgun they are not comfortable with. In a defense situation they will just close their eyes and yank the trigger with no possibility to hit anything. A midsize .22 revolver that they will actually practice with and be capable of hitting something with is what they should start with. "IF" they decide they want to try something larger, use a 38 revolver with light target wadcutters. Working their way up eventually to what they can handle. One well placed shot is far better than 6 misses.

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H Richard
SWCA1967 SWHF244

I had been shooting for many years, and my Wife showed little interest in the Sport. About 10yrs ago I became disabled and was in a Wheelchair for a while, pending a Double Hip Replacement. So my Wife started to go to the Range with me to help. After a while she told me that she wanted to Shoot. I started her out on an Old Model 17 22lr. After a Month or so of shooting the 17, she asked me if she could shoot something bigger. I started her out on an old model 10-8 and I loaded her Ammo with 3.4 grains of Bullseye under a 158 LSWC. The Lady was a Natural Shooter and soon was shooting Half Dollar size Groups @ 10yds. She now shoots a S&W 4" 686-3, and enjoys Shooting as much as I do.

OP said she put 5 rounds on center mass at 3 yards with the .38 snub. The issue was it hurt her hand a bit. If their life was in immediate danger, I don't think anyone would be concerned with a little red mark on their hand in the aftermath. So perhaps work around the issue if desired. It's fine if she want to play with a .22 at the range, but for defense use, stick with a caliber that is likely to work. I'm talking pure self-defense, not range work, shooting or "sport".

I with the whole baby steps method, K22, then K38, then J38.

My GF was gun shy but agreed to try after I bought her a Model 60 , J frame .38 for home defense.

On range day I started her out on a K-22 and let her shoot that until she was comfortable , I then let her shoot some .38 wadcutter 700 fps mouse loads in my N frame 6" Model 27, basicly no recoil slightly loader bang, when she was comfortable slowly stepped her up to 135 then 158 grain target loads then alternated three 38 special rounds and three .357 rounds, Pop, BANG , Pop, BANG, Pop etc.
Next up was a 4" K frame Model 19 with .38 special, when she was comfortable with that moved her to the J frame 38 for a few rounds showing her the ammo was just as important as the size and weight of the gun to tame recoil.

By the end of the day she fired my Model 19 with full house .357 Mag and was laughing at how mild the K-22's recoil was.

Biggest surprise when offered any to shoot she preferred the 6" Model 27 with .38 special loads.

I eventually will let her try some mild .44 special in a 6" Model 29 but .44 Mag is out of the question.

I can't recommend a .22 revolver...my wife owns/shoots bigger calibers, although she owns a 10/22 takedown.

My recommendation is to acquire some rimfire Tannerite targets and find a safe area to shoot them, with her. This might make it even more fun for target practice.

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-jwk-
US Army '72-'95

My wife started on a 4" 10-shot 617. She loved it for a couple of years, got pretty darn good at 10 yards.

When she was ready, she moved to a 6-shot 686 using lite 38 spl loads. She enjoys the larger holes, is just about as accurate, and feels like she no longer is in a "beginner" gun.

She shoots both, but the 38 spl revolver is her favorite.

She likes the simplicity of a revolver much more than a semi (9mm M&P CORE).

Buy her a pair of shooting gloves to take the sting out of the recoil.

For your wife I might look at the Rossi Plinker, an inexpensive STEEL 8-shot revolver available in .22lr or .22 Magnum. Barrel lengths available are 2", 4", and 6".

1) A 22 revolver will never be a safe queen, its universally accepted.

2) Sometimes its really not the recoil they dislike but the noise.
I had to start out with subsonic 22 in a rifle to get my kids less shy from the report. 22mags can be startling.

3)A small self defense gun does not make a good range gun.

4) A tip for building confidence in newer shooters, bring along a sandbag for a rest. It also helps build the front sight picture fundamental much more quickly.

5)Really, Men are horrible trying to figure out women, we know what they need, hardly ever do we know what women want