appropiate gun for the wife...

[Guest supergus]

I'd like to get a small handgun for my wife for protection/ home defense, however I feel that she is limited in choices. The reason being, she has weak and aching hands due to Fibromyalgia. Her hands are small, too. She also doesn't have much forearm and shoulder strength. She tried to rack the slide on my Accu-tek .380 and couldn't do it, so I'm leaning towards a revolver. I also think that a revolver will have less recoil so it would be easier for her to control. I have three questions: what would the minimum caliber be that would have good stopping power? also, what should I consider for type of action( SA, DA) AM I correct in thinking that there aren't any autos with an easy to cycle slide? I'd appreciate any thoughts or recommendations.

[TGO David]

Because of the limitations you outlined, the first cartridge that came to mind for me was the .32 H&R Magnum. It's a more powerful version of the .32 Caliber that I usually would turn my nose up at, but it would be perfect for this.

A good gun chambered in it might be the Taurus 731 Ultra Light.

Taurus Model 731 offers 6 shots of the increasingly popular .32 H&R Magnum round in an UltraLite package small enough for lawful concealed carry and powerful enough to get the job done. The Model 731 incorporates all of the innovation that Taurus offers the unique Taurus Security System and the Unlimited Lifetime Repair Policy. Test fire one of these beauties today. You will want to take it home with you.

And here's an auction for one that I randomly pulled off of Gunbroker.

http://www.gunbroker.com/Auction/ViewItem.asp?Item=87360619

[musicman]

Ditto Tungsten's idea.

Also, I'd add a good old S&W model 10 into the mix... 3" or 4" barrel. It may be a smidge heavier than some other choices, but that will help a great deal in reducing felt recoil. I have a friend with VERY painful fibromyalgia as well, and she does very well with a 3" heavy barrelled 10-7 that I gave her. She shoots standard, non +p loads in it. Buffalo Bore makes a great 150gr wadcutter loading in standard pressure that is easy to shoot.

As for trigger pull, I'd imagine a good gunsmith could reduce it for you a little bit, but not too much. Some, of course, will say that the trigger on a defense weapon should never be tinkered with as a liability issue if it were ever used in a shooting, and that is your choice to decide upon.

Where are you located? I've got a few different 38s and would be more than happy to meet up at a range some weekend and let her try whatever she wants.

[Guest 2HOW]

My wife carrys a S&W 649, shoots it well with .38s she wants a 9mm semi. I want her to get a .40 A Taurus PT 140, small and a good shooter. A KEL-TEC may be the right pistol for her if she is weak, either the .380 or the 9mm

[Guest CMSTA]

My wife has shot both the P11 and P3AT kel-tec. She doesn't like them, I think because the small frame jars her hand. She does shoot a full-sized 9mm with no complaints. I plan to get her an XD sub-compact with the extented mag.

[Guest Halfpint]

I'd have to second what Tungsten said . . . .32H&R Magnum, or .38 Special out of a Smith 640. It's a little heavier than the Taurus Tungsten mentioned, but the weight will keep recoil down.

If you can find one used, a Smith 332 is a good choice--just like the Taurus, but with an enclosed hammer like the Centennial.

[Guest supergus]

Thanks for the input guys. Musicman, we're moving to Sneedville next week. We'' be getting settled for awhile but I appreciate your offer. I'd like to take you up on that in the near future.

[Marswolf]

If you feel comfortable with a 32 Auto caliber, you might look at the Beretta Tomcat. You don't have to rack the slide to put a round into the chamber.

Most people here think the 32 is a bit weak, but I know several law enforcement folks who carry them as back-up-guns and some women who carry them as primaries. It's a far better choice than having nothing.

I'll agree that some revolvers are also a reasonable choice but they must cock easily. Pistols have the advantage of not having to re-cock the gun for a second shot. Fibromyalgia can be a severely limiting factor in the choice.

Above all, don't buy her a gun that she hasn't had a chance to hold and at least dry fire. She needs to make the choice. Sock drawers are just full of unloaded guns bought for wives who didn't care for the weapon.

[DaveTN]

You left out the word “carry”, so I will assume this is a home protection gun and not a carry gun.

I would recommend a 2.5” (or maybe even a 4") revolver like the S&W K-frames (Model 19, 66, etc). Good stopping power, It‘s heavy enough that it’s comfortable to shoot with .38’s, you can get pretty small grips and if you sell it off or trade you get the resale of a .357Mag.

[Guest supergus]

For the time being it'll be for home protection. She's never shot before and she held a gun for the first time the other day. Eventually I'd like to get her to where she carries, but only when she's comfortable.

[Guest supergus]

Can any revolver chambered for .32cal use .32H&R Magnum rounds? I'm thinking this might be a good middle ground for my wife. From what I've read it has better stopping power than .32ACP and comparable power to .38cal but with less recoil. Any other thoughts on this would be helpful. Thanks.

[DaveTN]

Can any revolver chambered for .32cal use .32H&R Magnum rounds? I'm thinking this might be a good middle ground for my wife. From what I've read it has better stopping power than .32ACP and comparable power to .38cal but with less recoil. Any other thoughts on this would be helpful. Thanks.

You have referred to “stopping power” a couple of times. If by that you mean the ability to stop a threat from an attacker; most any round will do that. If you mean stop a threat by an armed attacker only a few rounds are good at that.

With all due respect you are reading about these different rounds when you should probably be letting her try different things before ruling them out. You will read on these gun forums about 9mm’s that have the “stopping power” of a .45ACP. That doesn’t make it true.

Try a medium frame .38, if she can handle that try a small frame and she what thinks. If you have already tried this… disregard this post.

[Guest canynracer]

agreed, if you want to read the forums you will see any and all of our opinions..we have had several discussions about this. I would say to take her to the range, and try a couple...as Dave stated...a .22 will stop a threat from an attacker..but it doesnt mean it is the right thing for self defense. It does its job for some, most, or none of the situations.

[Guest Phantom6]

Whatever you do let your wife make the final decision. If she is not comfortable with it she will not shoot it and then in a tense situation she will have a problem using the tool. My wife had fibromyalgia and has found the Beretta Tomcat to be the best bet for concealed carry as like Marswolf said with the tip up barrel you do not have to rack the slide to put a round in the chamber. The first pull is DA and it's a long one but the trigger resets in short order and the subsequent pulls are short and crisp. Great for concealed carry. Otherwise she shoots a XD9 for home defense. Revolvers typically have too strong a trigger pull for her to fire accurately in DA though she has always wanted a Taurus 44 mag. 4" revolver so I got her one with a ported barrel for Christmas with a trigger job.

Nothin' says love like stainless steel chambered in magnum dimensions.

[Guest mc30707]

I bought my wife a taurus 357 mag snubbie. Easier for a novice to use. She likes it ok. But she has taken a shine to my new 92FS. She can rack the slide and has deemed it hers. I agree with the others. take her to the gunstore and let her choose what feels right.

[Marswolf]

Phantom6 covered my thoughts about trigger pull and such. Again, your wife needs to pick out the gun, with your assistance.

Here's the Tomcat with the barrel flipped up.

Note that you can cock the hammer for an easier SA first shot or in a panic just pull the trigger in DA.

One more thought. In my view, it's a good idea to stick to "standard" ammunition. My rule of thumb for that is - if I can't buy ammo for it at Wal-Mart, I don't want the gun. That doesn't mean that the ammo you want for defense is at Wal-Mart, just that you should be able to find practice ammo there.

[Guest supergus]

Thanks, I really appreciate everyone's feedback.

[towerclimber37]

Nothin' says love like stainless steel chambered in magnum dimensions.

man..now there's a good husband! Julie wants cookware..but I want her to take your home defense course and get her ccw.

[musicman]

man..now there's a good husband! Julie wants cookware..but I want her to take your home defense course and get her ccw.

Hey, you could always get some self-defense tupperware ... I mean a Glock... as long as Marswolf doesn't see!

[Marswolf]

If you could cook with a Glock, it would fall apart when you did home cooking using non-factory prepared ingredients. "I'm the only one in this kitchen professional enough to use this frying pan."

I think Julie needs a carry permit,

cookware (non-Stainless),

and

Wüsthof-Trident cutlery. (I like the Grand Prix handles.).

Note that one of Wüsthof's slogans is, "Quality without compromise !", which sounds strangely like one very high quality German gun manufacturer's slogans.

[molonlabetn]

Revolvers do not have less recoil unless they are much heavier, or firing a lower powered cartridge than the semi-auto they are being compared to. Though the strength required to rack the slide is usually a deciding factor...

I'd recommend a steel .38spl revolver, or a .32H&R... Perhaps a 3" Ruger SP101. Or, a Kahr 9mm... those are pretty easy to rack.