22 magnum snub nose?

[Sebring Pop]

check out a 32 H&R mag. I think this is your answer.

 

[snubbiefan]

Not throwing water (or gasoline) on the fire, but I've been down the 32 road myself with the wife. The 32 Longs are okay-ish, but she preferred the 32 shorts....which cost much more. The 32 H&R was out of the question and was actually worse in recoil and blast than a 38-special, or certainly comparable.

I think OP is stuck on a 22MAG and that's just fine. My only point is that the 32 route is not going to net much, unless she shoots the shorts or longs.....if she can even stand those.

I'd sooner pay the $2-$3 more/box for 38 Short Colt fired from the 38-Special and achieve better results in terms of blast and recoil.
Of course....this is just MY situation and opinion. The only thing I could ever get to work for my lady was a mild-loaded 38-Special or 38SC.

 

[Stainz]

I started CC with an OWB carried 296 then pocket carried it. I opted for a smaller/lighter 642 - with +P 158gr LHPSWCs - or 148gr LWC paper hole punchers for my wife. The size was fine - the weight was still a bit much, so I finally relented and bought what TN lawman Mas Ayoob suggests as a backup - a 351PD 7-shot .22 WMR snubby AirWeight. I had found a bucket list member several years ago, a 4" 651, so I had over 2k rounds of CCI MaxiMags and hundreds of Hornady FTX 45gr Critical Defense, designed for the short barrel of the 351PD. It's a lot less brisk in bark than my 'real' .327 Federal Magnums in my similar snubby 632 Pro, much less something like .357 Magnums from a 340/360. Recoil is teeny - the DA rimfire pull is stout - but you could still put 7 shots on target in short order.

Stainz

 

[suckersrus]

.... TN lawman Mas Ayoob suggests as a backup - a 351PD 7-shot .22 WMR snubby AirWeight. ....

No flames intended but you may want to check your facts. Mas is a Captain in the Grantham, New Hampshire police department. I suspect you have him confused with someone else.

Also, I do not recall him suggesting the 22 mag as backup nor can I find any reference to that.
He did say, "...While poachers have been known to kill jacklighted deer with .22s, and the occasional desperate Inuit has been known to slay the largest of bears with a .22 bullet placed with perfect precision, no person who was both sane and gun-savvy would recommend the .22 for anything much bigger than a fox. The .22 is at its best on rabbits and squirrels, and of course, on the shooting range..."

 

[Onequickwrench]

For the recoil sensitive I can wholeheartedly recommend a 351 PD or C as a viable defensive revolver.
All of us are guilty of getting hung up on caliber/stopping power and forget that shot placement is the key.

I routinely carry my 351C as a deep concealment primary when the wardrobe requires. That being said I also carry my NAA Pug as a backup to 351C - the fastest reload in the world isn't as fast as another gun in a life or death situation.

Just my $.02 - YMMV

 

[jpeschken]

Sometimes I think we sell the ladies a little short. My lovely 120 lb. wife shoots .38 special +P and 9mm without a problem, and she is no weightlifter. She is fierce, though. It just took a couple trips to the range for her to get over the fear factor. Those range trips should be mandatory if you're going to shoot and carry a gun in any case. She hasn't tried .357's yet, but I see no reason why she could not. In one respect, size and weight are smaller issues for her. She carries her Airweight in her purse instead of having to pocket it or carry it on her person like I do.

 

[thebeamanater107]

The hornady critical defense round in 22mag is compared to the 38 critical defense. All the numbers are very close. It's been a while since I read it so I don't remember the exact numbers but if the 38 round was flying 1100fps, the 22mag flew 1150fps. Penetration for the 38 was like 3 3/8", then 22mag was 3 1/8". The test gun was the s&w snub nose revolver, and I think the name of the gun was bodyguard. I can't remember the differences between shield and bodyguard, I just remember one is double action and the other is striker fire, and one is a revolver in 38 or an automatic in 380, and the other one is 9mm.

My point, a 22mag snub nose revolver with critical defense ammo is a serious gun with good personal defense potential, not a toy plinker.

the original point and click interface, by Smith and Wesson

 

[vipermd]

I guess the question or answer that I have not seen from the OP is:
1. Has his wife tried the 38 snub? If so did see fire 1 rd? 2 rd?
2. Is his wife physically fit and able to function any firearm?
3. Physical size may limit carry options due to attire ( Fl ) but does not limit the caliber. My wife is 5' 2" , 53 yr old- she carries a custom Colt Officers, with 230 gr +p ranger ammo and hits what she shoots at. June she was in AK fishing and had the 500 SW 4" on her belt, 325 gr XTP, I may have the target? So size should not be the limiting factor.
4. Most important do we or he know what his wife wants??
5. No I will not take a photo of my wife in her " little black dress" with the 500 on, family forum. Be Safe,

 

[Sebago Son]

Mas has moved.

I said I'd never own another one of these, but this one fell in my lap last year...

 

[TexasRaider]

Get a 22 LR j-frame for practice and plinking.

Holy Thread Resurrection, Batman, but I'm wondering what specific model that is...?
Thx

 

[ABPOS]

I think the .38 short colt is a good idea for recoil sensitive. I've never tried them yet though. And I've never seen it for as cheap as you are saying. Where do you find them at that price?

38 Short Colt- MidwayUSA

Not throwing water (or gasoline) on the fire, but I've been down the 32 road myself with the wife. The 32 Longs are okay-ish, but she preferred the 32 shorts....which cost much more. The 32 H&R was out of the question and was actually worse in recoil and blast than a 38-special, or certainly comparable.

I think OP is stuck on a 22MAG and that's just fine. My only point is that the 32 route is not going to net much, unless she shoots the shorts or longs.....if she can even stand those.

I'd sooner pay the $2-$3 more/box for 38 Short Colt fired from the 38-Special and achieve better results in terms of blast and recoil.
Of course....this is just MY situation and opinion. The only thing I could ever get to work for my lady was a mild-loaded 38-Special or 38SC.

 

[silversnake]

Holy Thread Resurrection, Batman, but I'm wondering what specific model that is...?
Thx

Not mine but that's an older Model 63, great little gun.

Re: .22 mag, it looks like a great caliber in a longer barrel. I would not feel undergunned with a Model 48 with a 6" barrel, or even better, a Henry Goldenboy with a 20" barrel. In a snubby a lot of the powder doesn't have time to burn so you get lots of noise and muzzle blast without that much velocity. It's still faster than a .22 LR but it wouldn't be my first choice for a low recoiling handgun.

 

[LL617]

I carry the 22MG

My favorite carry is a lovely customized S&W 38Sp model 10-65.
This gun pull is very easy and smooth. Unfortunately, my back is starting to complain about the weight, so I have moved to a Ruger 22mg. The revolver is a bit of a icky beast at this point; new springs and all mean the pull is heavy to put it mildly, but the weight is such that I can easily carry it all day long.

Now if the 617 came with a 2" barrel for a low price, I would switch! But the Ruger is nicely sized. I don't shoot it for fun, only for practice.

 

[BigBill]

A s&w m48, 4" barrel in 22wmr is on my want list. I like it. I think the Henry plain Jane lever carbine in 22wmr is around $299.

 

[silversnake]

A s&w m48, 4" barrel in 22wmr is on my want list. I like it. I think the Henry plain Jane lever carbine in 22wmr is around $299.

The Henry's are a great value in my opinion. I wonder why S&W does not build a Model 48 with higher capacity, you could probably fit 9 rounds in a K-frame cylinder. That could potentially be a good home defense gun for a person who doesn't like recoil and wants the simplicity of a revolver.

 

[BigBill]

I bought the new grandson a carbine Henry in 22s/l/lr. He has late 1800 22 pump rifles too. Besides older 22 revolvers. He has a head start.

As my sons were born I bought them shotguns, deer/bear rifles. That's 40 years ago.

 

[Watchdog]

Have owned several short barreled revolvers, in .22 Mag.

They will make you hearing impaired, VERY quickly, without hearing protection. The blast seems to be MORE than a .357 Mag.

I sold them all, because of this. The slight increase in muzzle velocity, wasn't worth the horrendous BOOM !

The .22 WMR is loud, no doubt about that. And would probably be even louder from a short barrel revolver.

That said, I doubt any sensible person is going to put in hours of practice with one without using ear protection. The word "sensible" is the operative word in that sentence.

I'd probably carry one if I had it. I'd probably buy a quality one, if I had the disposable income to buy it.

One or two rounds fired in self defense might degrade your hearing a little bit for a while. That applies to any handgun...revolver or semi-auto, no matter what the caliber.

If I had to use any of my guns in self defense, I guarantee you the last thing on my mind would be worrying about hearing loss.

Better to be slightly deaf, because there is no slightly dead.

 

[BigBill]

Yup I'm slightly deaf in one ear. I have one good ear left. No muffs running 100cc chainsaws.

 

[Cal44]

You don't have to jump from 22 mag up to 38 special to get a more powerful revolver cartridge.

A 32 revolver is a better option than 22 magnum. For energy, for bullet weight and diameter, and for noise.

Perhaps M30 or M31 in 32 S&W long would be a good choice for someone who can't (or won't) handle a 38 special.

Another hard-to-find option is a 431PD or 432PD in 32 H&R magnum.

My M431PD will shoot H&R magnum and 32 S&W long and weighs only 13.5 oz.

M431PD:

 

[Walkingwolf]

I'm going to make this short, and simple. Get her what she wants.

NOW if she is wanting guidence then I would suggest a 327 LCR loaded with .32 S&W Long. Should be very mild recoil, and lower report than a 22 magnum.

Energy may still be slightly less, but the power factor will be higher. The 22 mag should have a power factor of around 50, and around 70 for the S&W long. Probably cost of ammo is close to the same.