Recommendations for home defense pistol for wife...

[Snapbug]

I am looking for recommendations for a revolver pistol for my wife to use in home defense if a situation ever arises. I was looking at a S&W 442/642 to begin with, but got to thinking that since she is not going to carry, maybe I should consider something that is not as lightweight and will have less recoil.

She has never shot a gun and is totally scared of the recoil issue. Therefore I want to put something in her hands that is not going to frighten her off after the first shot... something with relatively low recoil will hopefully be at least a step in helping out.

She has very small hands, so I am thinking something on a smaller scale like the J frame would be good, but not sure which of these if any would have less recoil than the 442/642 and cost about the same.

Your experiences and suggestions are appreciated.

 

[USAF385]

Most important thing: get her involved.

If she indeed wants a gun, she should do some research of her own and if possible, try different guns and different calibers. What you want might not exactly gel with what she wants or needs.

 

[halco46]

Wife Gun

Buy her one of these,S&W Governor. Take her out to shoot it with some Federal 000 Buckshot then keep it ready to go at the house.

 

[Snapbug]

Most important thing: get her involved.

If she indeed wants a gun, she should do some research of her own and if possible, try different guns and different calibers. What you want might not exactly gel with what she wants or needs.

Getting her involved is easier said than done... and believe me, I have tried. She is not one to research and leaves that totally up to me. In this case she is only going to trust my decision for her. At this point all we have is a .22 LR auto that has virtually no recoil and a .357 Magnum that she won't even attempt to shoot. I have a Sig P238 and Kahr P380, but I am afraid even those might be more that she will care to handle... and I have no idea how those will compare to a 442/642 revolver as far as handling and recoil.

Buy her one of these,S&W Governor. Take her out to shoot it with some Federal 000 Buckshot then keep it ready to go at the house.

Seriously? That looks like a monster.

 

[P&R Fan]

Welcome to the Forum.
The 442/642 revolvers are great carry guns for someone who is proficient in their use. For a beginner I would choose something larger and heavier, especially if concealed carry is not an issue. The Centennial revolvers you mention are pretty light, so they're going to have a good bit of recoil with anything but the lightest loads. Plus their trigger pulls are usually pretty heavy. Add the sub 2 inch sight radius and you have a revolver that will be very difficult for a beginning shooter to master.
I would recommend a K-Frame revolver. The M10 (blued or nickle) or M64 (Stainless) are excellent choices. Get at least a 3" barrel or a 4" would be even better for home defense. There have been millions of these made, and they can be purchased new or used for a very reasonable price. Then get a .22 revolver for extended practice sessions. The lack of recoil and much lessened muzzle blast will allow her to get a lot of experience without breaking the bank. Plus she'll have fun. She would obviously need to train with the .38 revolver too to get used to the added recoil.
I applaud you for wanting to protect the Woman you love. These are just my suggestions, but I think it's a good place to start.
Jim

 

[ogilvyspecial]

Personally, if strictly for home defense, I would go a little bigger than
a J Frame, if funds allow that is. Our bedroom gun is a M686 Plus
(7 shot / .357 mag) with 3" bbl, but a 4" M686 has also filled that slot.

I have hands on experience using a .410 Revolver shooting critters and wouldn't
choose to use any of the .410 loads for self defense. A Governor isn't a bad choice
since recoil seems to be an issue, it could be used with the .45 acp option.
By using moon clips reloads would also be fairly easy for a non-gun person.....

In spite of it's looks the Governor weighs the same when loaded with
the heavier 250 gr. Speer .45 Colt rounds as my K Frame does with
Buffalo Bore 158 gr. Lead Semi Wadcutter Hollow points.

As always, your mileage may vary.....

 

[Snapbug]

Thanks guys. A couple of close to home invasions that have taken place here recently have been somewhat of a wake-up call for us. We have been training ourselves for the "what if" scenarios and she has finally agreed that she needs to learn how to use a gun.

I thought about maybe getting a little heavier semi-automatic DAO that we can keep loaded and ready to fire in the home. Something that either of us could use other than the short barrel 357 I have that would probably blind us in the dark anyway, but something that would be heavier than the 380's. Would the K, L or Z Frames have less recoils than a regular 9MM or .40/.45?

 

[GyMac]

What I got my wife, who is not a "gun" person, was a S&W Model 10 Heavy barrel. She was able to learn to shoot it well quickly. I'm convinced it was the best choice for her.

 

[Snapbug]

I wonder how any of these revolvers would compare to the M&P 9MM, which is supposedly a very light recoil gun? I initially did not consider a semi-automatic because I feared her not being able to chamber a round or deal with a FTF/FTE... however, the M&P seems to be extremely reliable and a round will be chambered already when she picks it up.

 

[NE450No2]

For the wife, for home defense I would pick something in 38 Special with a steel frame and a 3 to 4" barrel.

I would also consider rubber grips. I would let her handle a 3" J frame and a 3 and 4" K frame, and get her the one she likes the best.

I would have her shoot mostly 148 gr Wadcutters for practice and then only a few rounds of the chosen defensive ammo.

 

[mc5aw]

New shooter + smaller physical build + self/home defense = .22 magnum revolver.

 

[Homechicken]

A used 4" K frame Model 10, 15, 67, etc. may be the way to go, but she must handle them herself. The gun must be comfortable in her hands or she may never enjoy shooting it or be able to become proficient with it. Also, unless you are going to inspect, clean and care for it regularly, a stainless model may be a better choice. A J frame IMO is too light to make a good home defence gun for an inexperienced shooter. Great for carry and personal defence, but the K frame Smiths are the perfect sized revolver for most people and most tasks. I say used because there are good deals to be found if you hunt a little and why spend money for a new one if its just going to be for her to use in case of emergency? It doesn't have to be pristine and if it sits in a drawer unloved by a non gun person for extended periods, why take a chance on messing up the finish on a new one? I recently purchased a 40+ year old Model 10 that mechanically is perfect and appears to have hardly been fired, but the finish, while not terrible, has some blemishes. I'm sure the previous owner bought it, shot a few rounds through it, then threw it in a drawer for 40 years. The models I mentioned are all .38 Spl, but you could opt for a .357 K frame and just shoot .38 Spl in it if need be. That would give you/her greater range of use. Get her comfortable with .38 then .38 +P and then move up to .357, or just let her stick with .38 if those are all she is comfortable with. As its been said before, a hit with a light powered cartridge is infinitely better than a miss with a high powered one.

 

[Homechicken]

I wonder how any of these revolvers would compare to the M&P 9MM, which is supposedly a very light recoil gun? I initially did not consider a semi-automatic because I feared her not being able to chamber a round or deal with a FTF/FTE... however, the M&P seems to be extremely reliable and a round will be chambered already when she picks it up.

Auto is a bad choice for someone who has no interest in guns and will likely never try to become proficient with them. There's always the possibility of a malfunction, and someone who is too weak to operate the slide, or is not familiar with the operation of the piece, will be left with nothing more than a small club and is in danger of it being taken away by someone that can use it. I have many autos and my wife cannot remember how to operate any of them even though they are all basically the same, and doesn't have the hand strength to operate the slides anyway. She used to go with me to the range frequently and shot all my guns, revlovers and autos, but could never keep the operation of an auto straight. She lost interest over the years and now a revolver truly is the only option for her. Though I doubt she'd remember that I have one hidden loaded for emergencies if she were to need it.

As to your other question about recoil, my K frame .38s have no more, and probably less, recoil than my 9mm Glock 17. Even the rubber gripped snubbies I've shot with .38+P have been quite manageable. Revolvers tend to exhibit more felt recoil sometimes because the center of the bore sits higher from you hand than on an auto, but given the mildness of .38 Spl, even .38 SPl +P, recoil is neglible in a K frame IMO.

 

[Ltlbear]

Revolver, steel frame that fits her hand.
My wife likes the Model 36 with stock wood grips. As she said, it just feels right. She has not shot this one yet, but has shot a 442, a mustang, a p228, TCP PT738, and a 3" alloy frame 1911 so the recoil will not be an issue for her. The 36 is the only one she has ever picked up and said, I like the feel of that and the trigger pull is perfect for me.
A revolver has very little operational training for loading and unloading and is the original point and click interface.

 

[Moonman]

A 12 Gage shotgun for home defense. A pistol is to buy you time to get to a shotgun or rifle.

 

[coach22]

Ruger GP 100 with a 3 inch barrel.
Loaded with a nice 38+P.
Whatever happens will be at close range.
The gun is heavy enough to absorb the recoil
and is as strong a gun as you can find.
In my opinion, in a home defense gun, adjustable sights are a waste
and a longer barrel just gives a bad guy something to grab.
Hence the 3 inch barrel.
We use the earlier model at home. The Speed Six.

 

[StatesRightist]

I started my wife off with a .327 magnum, which also shoot .32 longs. 32 longs have no recoil, yet the 327 has 80% of the ballistics of a .357.
Load the .32's for practice, the 327's for SD. She'll never notice the recoil if someone's in the home.

This sounds like the way to go since you feel even a .380 might be too much.

 

[24spenser]

Wheelgun, 3 or 4 inch for her.

 

[Iggy]

What I got my wife, who is not a "gun" person, was a S&W Model 10 Heavy barrel. She was able to learn to shoot it well quickly. I'm convinced it was the best choice for her.

What he said..

 

[hatt]

What .357 do you have? You realize you can turn a .357 into a.38 by using .38 ammo?

I sure wouldn't consider an auto if she's not willing to put in some time. In my personal experience, a wife or girlfriend can turn an otherwise boringly reliable auto in a jamomatic.

I like the Model 10 idea. The Colt .38s like the police positive special are another idea. A little smaller than the K frame Smiths but still give you six shots.