I may get the wife a revolver for the purse. If she doesn’t like it I’d keep it. But I don’t want a gun that says lady smith. Is there any significant difference between the 2 that makes the lady better for a woman?

IIRC,

Rosewood grips and Lady Smith engraving were the only differences in the revolver line. Had a M60 lady smith and it shot like every other J frame as I remember.

Thanks. I think I’ll get her the one with the crimson trace grip.

From what I've seen, the old pre-lock LadySmiths are worth a lot more than their standard model counterparts.

quote:

Originally posted by frayedends:

I may get the wife a revolver for the purse.

Does she want a revolver? Has she ever fired one?

These lightweight .38 snubnose revolvers are pretty stout in the recoil department.

Maybe go rent one at a range and have HER shoot it first before you buy one.

IMO a small Kahr 9mm like a CM9 is a far better choice with the same firepower and much softer shooting.

quote:

Originally posted by PASig:
Does she want a revolver? Has she ever fired one?

These lightweight .38 snubnose revolvers are pretty stout in the recoil department.

And have very long and heavy trigger pulls. (12+ pounds)

I routinely see J frame revolvers - and specifically the 642 - recommended by well-meaning spouses and gun store clerks for newer female shooters, when the reality is that they're one of the worst options for newer shooters and female shooters thanks to their tiny sights, tough trigger pull, extra recoil, and more complex manual of arms.

As PASig stated, unless she's a die-hard revolver shooter, she'd almost certainly be better off with a compact 9mm semiauto. But even the Kahr CM9, while an improvement over the 642, is not one that I'd recommend for a less experienced shooter due to its long trigger pull, strong spring, and overly stout recoil. Look even a bit larger, at something like the P365 or Glock 26. Get her a good holster purse or pocket holster for her purse, and maybe even go for the manual safety version of the P365, and she can still easily carry it in the purse. And she will definitely shoot it much better than the 642 thanks to the significantly lighter and shorter trigger pull, better sights, and better capacity and ease of reloading.

If the reason you're looking at a revolver is that you're worried about her having trouble manipulating semiauto slides, there are even compact semiauto options to address that, like the S&W Shield EZ. (And if that's the case, that brings up the point that if you're worried about her not having the strength for a semiauto slide, then how can you reasonably expect her to be able to handle an overly long 12+ pound trigger pull smoothly...?)

She is 100% against racking a slide. I had her try with my P365, 938, 226, and 250. No go. It's the type of manipulation. She's just weird about it.

She has a revolver, but it's an easy .327 magnum.It's like shooting a 22.

In any case the reason I don't want the lady smith is if she isn't comfortable with it when we shoot, I will keep it. I'm selfish like that. Maybe this is an excuse for me to get it.

I will try to find a Shield EZ to try. I've not seen one and don't know if they are compliant in MA.

I agree with the above sentiments. Most women and new shooters will benefit from a simply manual of arms like a non safety striker gun in a kydex holster.
A decent size grip is also a bonus for them as a sub compact is difficult to get a proper firing grip on quickly even for more skilled gun guys.
Two pistols that come to mind are the G43X or the M&P compact with the 3.6" bbl. (the shield is a bit too thin and recoil can hurt dainty hands.)
If your wife is a shooter and has experience with small revolvers then carry on.

quote:

Originally posted by frayedends:
I will try to find a Shield EZ to try. I've not seen one and don't know if they are compliant in MA.

The Shield EZ was specifically designed for newer/older/weaker shooters, and has a number of features built in to make stuff like loading the magazines and racking the slide easy.

Looks like S&W does have MA compliant S&W Shield EZs. You can filter by MA compliance here: https://www.smith-wesson.com/state-compliance

The Walther CCP is another 9mm semiauto that was specifically designed to have an easy to rack slide. You might check out that one too. https://waltherarms.com/ccp

quote:

Originally posted by frayedends:

She is 100% against racking a slide.

I'll bet she had a hard time in the past and it turned her off. The slide on my S&W M&P EZ9 is scarily easy to rack, it's like no other pistol I've ever handled. It's like you hold it and the thing just glides back with no resistance at all.

You should see if you could let her try one of those S&W M&P EZ380 or EZ9 models as a range rental, it may just change her thinking.

Looks like I found the EZ at a local shop. Plus they have a range (very rare around here). She is willing to try. So that’s great news. Except now I gotta find a non gun Christmas gift.

quote:

Originally posted by PASig:

quote:

Originally posted by frayedends:

I may get the wife a revolver for the purse.

Does she want a revolver? Has she ever fired one?

These lightweight .38 snubnose revolvers are pretty stout in the recoil department.

Maybe go rent one at a range and have HER shoot it first before you buy one.

IMO a small Kahr 9mm like a CM9 is a far better choice with the same firepower and much softer shooting.

Truth. Much better for non-shooting woman.

quote:

Originally posted by frayedends:
She has a revolver, but it's an easy .327 magnum.It's like shooting a 22.

.327 Fed. Mag. revolvers can be loaded with anything from powder-puff .32 to hotter-than-hell .327 Gold Dots pushing 500 ft-lbs of energy at the muzzle. And everything in between.
Surely you can find a loading that suits her and is also effective.

quote:

Originally posted by VictimNoMore:

quote:

Originally posted by frayedends:
She has a revolver, but it's an easy .327 magnum.It's like shooting a 22.

.327 Fed. Mag. revolvers can be loaded with anything from powder-puff .32 to hotter-than-hell .327 Gold Dots pushing 500 ft-lbs of energy at the muzzle. And everything in between.
Surely you can find a loading that suits her and is also effective.

The 327 isn’t carry size barrel.

I know several women who prefer a revolver type firearm over a semi-auto.
It's not all about racking the slide.

Since you're looking into the S&W EZ, just know that the 380 has an easier slide to pull than the 9mm model.
There's a couple real good articles about them, listing the pull numbers, weights, etc for each model.

https://www.americanrifleman.o...n-m-p-380-shield-ez/

https://www.americanrifleman.o...sson-m-p9-shield-ez/

quote:

Originally posted by frayedends:

The 327 isn’t carry size barrel.

Ruger SP101 ?

I work on these all the time.

The Wolf reduced power spring kits can really tame the trigger pull down and low recoil ammo is easily available.

You don't NEED ++++++++PPPPPPPPPPP+++++++++ howitzer ammo in a force multiplier weapon.

The 642 is a FINE weapon.

quote:

Originally posted by Excam_Man:
I know several women who prefer a revolver type firearm over a semi-auto.
It's not all about racking the slide.

True, and I'm married to one. Something that hasn't been mentioned in this thread is carry weight. Mrs. 'Hook carried a compact semi-auto 9 for a year and complained about the weight lugging it around in her carry-purse. Once she picked up a 642 at a gun show the auto (and heavy magazines) went in the safe. Admittedly, she is well versed in pistol handling, so there was no "transition" required for the revolver issues mentioned above.

quote:

Originally posted by Excam_Man:

quote:

Originally posted by frayedends:

The 327 isn’t carry size barrel.

Ruger SP101 ?

Yup

I don't know if your still looking for a 642 or getting the EZ but has she tried a Ruger LCRX with the 3" barrel? Granted they are not as smooth as a 642 but they are not bad and get better. Also, as she is familiar with the SP101, it will be essentially the same gun/operation. My wife,mother and myself, prefer the Ruger cylinder release as it is easier for them/us to manipulate.