327 Fed. I have it in an SP-101 and love the thing. .32 longs are a blast as close to .22 rimfire as you need for practice.

.32 H&R is nice and snappy and a great start towards power, while still pretty easy to handle. Move to .327 Fed and you've got the real deal.

You'll most likely want to buy ammo on line, that's the down side. Then again some people see that as a positive.

Try an LCR Ruger in .327 feed it longs they'll be sold.

quote:

Originally posted by reflex/deflex 64:
327 Fed. I have it in an SP-101 and love the thing.

^^^ This one ^^^

Found a four inch SP-101 a few years ago and it is one of the few I plan to keep.

I have had good results starting ladies out with a .22 then moving up to a .32.
I have a Ruger sp101 and a a lcr, both in .327 Fed. I use a .32S&W Long when graduating to the center fire. They can step up to the .32H&R Mag then to the .327 Fed. if and when they are ready. I would rather they carry a .32 then leave something bigger at home.

I also think a revolver is a fair choice for beginners.
KISS=keep it simple stupid

Haven't read all the responses but - like a lot of things in life - the answer is 'It Depends'.

People are different.

If she is less stout physically - I would start out with a .22LR. Because you can always move up. (I'm not being sexist - I would make make this comment about men too).

Otherwise you could probably start with a 9mm.

But in all honesty - you can never go wrong starting with a .22LR and mastering the fundamentals. Then stepping up.

-------------------------------------------------

quote:

Originally posted by SigSauerMarine:
Is .357 magnum a good choice for a novice female shooter? While leaving the indoor range this past weekend I overheard an employee recommending several .357 revolvers to a customer. Judging the cnversation, I learned she was interested in a weapon for personal/home defense.

While I'm not qualified to train or advise on personal/home defense, .357 seems a tough round to introduce a new shooter to? Wouldn't 9mm make for a better choice?


Thoughts and comments are welcome.

Regards,
Anthony

If the question is about a good home defense caliber, that's one thing. If its about teaching a novice to shoot, that's another and I don't think the answer is the same, IMO.

Learning to shoot, I would say .22. Home defense, a .357 revolver would be fine. Although magnum in a small revolver is not the best choice, IMO. Better 38+P perhaps. The person would also need a good bit of practice to be comfortable.

The common wisdom seems to be that revolvers are easier to shoot and more reliable, so are a better choice, but I'm not sure that is always true.

It also depends on the novice and how uncomfortable they are with recoil. Some people just eat it up, some are scared to death of it.