In order to participate in the GunBroker Member forums, you must be logged in with your GunBroker.com account. Click the sign-in button at the top right of the forums page to get connected.

Buy Mom a gun...again

idsman75idsman75 Member Posts: 13,398 ✭✭✭
edited February 2002 in General Discussion
Dad and mom want a revolver. I helped them buy a Kel Tec last year because they are "frugal" and wanted a gun for home defense. The Kel Tec was the only gun with which I felt comfortable in the price range they gave me. Mom doesn't like the Kel Tec anymore because of the trigger pull. Now mom and dad want a revolver. I am buying their Kel Tec from them and they want to know what kind of revolver they should be looking for. They are thinking about something with a 3" barrel or less. I suggested a .357 so mom could shoot .38 Special and dad could shoot .38 +P and .357.I know the DA trigger pull of most revolvers is tougher than a Kel Tec but mom wants one that she could fire in either DA or SA.Any advice? I've already recommended Taurus, S&W, Ruger etc....
· Share on FacebookShare on Twitter

Comments

  • k.stanonikk.stanonik Member Posts: 2,109 ✭✭
    edited November -1
    how about a S&W mod. 60, or colt diamondback in 38
    · Share on FacebookShare on Twitter
  • BullzeyeBullzeye Member Posts: 3,560
    edited November -1
    Wow!I recall you mentioning to me that your parents werent cool on guns. This must be a major step for them.
    · Share on FacebookShare on Twitter
  • idsman75idsman75 Member Posts: 13,398 ✭✭✭
    edited November -1
    They weren't cool on guns. Then dad met a firearms and 2AMM enthusiast at church. He bought his first gun (Ruger Red Label) and went hunting. Fortunately, he had the same reaction I did. Then I made him a member of the NRA and then he progressed down the same road I did.
    · Share on FacebookShare on Twitter
  • Matt45Matt45 Member Posts: 3,185
    edited November -1
    Ids-Last year I bought my wife what seems to be the ideal revolver, a nickle/satin finished Taurus M-65 chambered for .357 with a 4" Bbl, and we load it up with .38's for the range. The heavy frame designed for a .357 load soaks up the recoil and makes the .38's seem light(Saxon, I agree about the loss of power/vel., use the ammo in the gun it was designed for. IMHO the training value is much diminished using full power loads, on the other hand, in an actual fight for your life scenario, you won't notice the recoil difference of .357 v .38). It has a very smooth factory trigger, and is SA/DA. The stock sights are adequate, a fixed channel and front ramp, but, with this type of revolver instinct shooting would be the most likely scenario. Me and my wife have both shot this on the range and it groups well, about 3" at 60', offhand and in the modified weaver stance.I suggest this because it's the gun my wife carries and is comfortable with, and even though she does not have a lot of experiance, she is picky about her firearms. She regularly shoots it with ,38's to maintain proficiency, but carries with .357Mag 158gr Golden Sabres, and 2 HKS Speed Loaders with more of the same.Hope this helps
    Reserving my Right to Arm Bears!!!![This message has been edited by Matt45 (edited 02-08-2002).]
    · Share on FacebookShare on Twitter
  • competentonecompetentone Member Posts: 4,696 ✭✭✭
    edited November -1
    Specific answer: a basic S&W or Ruger; the Ruger SP101 has a nice feel that a lot of women like.But: If this is a firearm just for home defense, how about something like a carbine? Ruger PC-9 or PC-4; M1 carbine? They handle well; are real soft on the recoil, and have a greater "fun-to-shoot" factor than any handgun I've used IMHO.
    · Share on FacebookShare on Twitter
  • idsman75idsman75 Member Posts: 13,398 ✭✭✭
    edited November -1
    Mom is the quiet timid type. I could never envision her holding a long gun to her shoulder. I've known her long enough to know that a long gun would sit and never get picked up. They live in the middle of a city where there is no place to practice with a long gun. Concealment isn't an issue because you can't get a CCW in that city no way no how unless you have a SERIOUS "need" for it (as defined by that city). Mom and Dad have their hearts set on a handgun so a handgun it will be. They will never be gun enthusiasts nor have a love for firearms. Dad has a Ruger Red Label and I'm sure he never renewed the NRA membership that I bought for him when it ran out. They are stubborn Dutch folk (no offense Rembrandt) that are set in their ways and they aren't the type that will be involved in the fight for 2nd Ammendment rights. If there ever was a gun ban, I would purchase their guns from them before it came into effect because I know that they would hand them right over to the cops. When it boils right down to the nitty gritty, my parents want a revolver and they don't want anything large or heavy. I've been emailing them gunbroker auctions just to keep them interested. The fact remains that there will never be a loaded gun in their house and mom is not very strong these days and isn't very proficient with racking the slide on a semi-auto. Hence, they want something that mom can load quickly (i.e. speedloader sitting next to the gun). When dad is away, their little yippy ankle-biter sleeps next to the bed on a pillow. He gets up in the middle of the night and makes his rounds several times throughout the house. He wakes up to everything and barks almost every time the wind changes direction outside. Taking everything into consideration, mom will need a .38 with a couple of speedloaders.
    SSG idsman75, U.S. ARMY
    · Share on FacebookShare on Twitter
  • offerorofferor Member Posts: 8,625 ✭✭
    edited November -1
    If you can find her a gun that's been to a performance center or a good smith for a trigger job, you'll be in better shape. Trouble is, most revolvers have an average 12 pound trigger pull. The smith can go lighter sometimes with springs, but if you go with too light a hammer strike then you risk a misfire. I'm not a revolver expert by any stretch, so others may have better suggestions, but in this case a good dealer may actually be your best advisor. There once was a Ladysmith revolver made by Smith & Wesson (later abbreviated to the less gender-specific LS designation) which I believe had a somewhat lighter pull. I think it was either .32 or .38. But as a general rule, the bigger the cartridge, the harder trigger pull is for reliable ignition. I've heard good smiths can work wonders though. I really think your mom would be better off with a Light Double Action semi-auto or a Millenium (9 lbs.) or a Glock with a New York trigger (8 lbs.). She's going to have to dry fire a few revolvers to see what it's like, I'm afraid. (Dealers may now cringe.)
    "The 2nd Amendment is about defense, not hunting. Long live the gun shows, and reasonable access to FFLs. Join the NRA -- I'm a Life Member."
    · Share on FacebookShare on Twitter
  • Big TimberBig Timber Member Posts: 103 ✭✭
    edited November -1
    Buy a .357 for your dad. Let your old man shoot the .357 and give your mom a speed loader full of .38's. Why the revolver?BT
    · Share on FacebookShare on Twitter
  • idsman75idsman75 Member Posts: 13,398 ✭✭✭
    edited November -1
    Mom has weak fingers. She can't load magazines and it's no fun for her at the range. She wants a revolvers so that she can fire it single-action at the range and can also fire it double-action. She has a Kel-Tec but her hands just get too tired after a few magazines. My dad does well with the Kel-Tec but they are frugal and probably won't be buying more than one gun. This is the same guy that bought a Ruger Red Label to take to the skeet range 3 or 4 times and then hunting woodcock once.
    · Share on FacebookShare on Twitter
  • offerorofferor Member Posts: 8,625 ✭✭
    edited November -1
    ids --Then if I were you I'd go with a smaller frame gun than a .357. I'd go with a .38 at most, let your dad have the +p or the Corbon and your mom the best performing regular .38 special loads. Any decent .38 will handle a reasonable amount of shooting with +p ammo (with the exception of the very lightest Charter Arms wherein the manual does not recommend them). The .357 is almost always beefier by a few ounces, including spring tension, and that means your mom is gonna get sore and tired sooner. Given the restrictions, I think .38 with the lightest trigger pull you can find is the answer. You're not going to get that much more advantage from .357 over the +p Corbon and the disadvantages of having a gun capable of shooting .357 are clear. The lighter trigger pull on a good .38 should also mean the hammer will be easier to cock for single action shooting, and the grips may be a bit smaller to fit mom's hand. Make sure she doesn't fumble the hammer cock -- if she insists she needs to shoot single action, she may have to apply both thumbs if she's very weak, not the best form in the world. I wouldn't rule out the SP101 suggestion, but stay with the smaller snubbie and forego the .357 for dad. Sounds like your mom's needs are more pressing, and dad will find the +p suitably effective, I think, particularly the Corbon which supposedly emulates +p+ for us common citizens.
    "The 2nd Amendment is about defense, not hunting. Long live the gun shows, and reasonable access to FFLs. Join the NRA -- I'm a Life Member."
    · Share on FacebookShare on Twitter
  • OtomanOtoman Member Posts: 554 ✭
    edited November -1
    Sounds like the Lady Smith or the Model 60 Smith and Wesson would be perfect with a set of Pachymer Grips she would be set...Auto
    · Share on FacebookShare on Twitter
  • idsman75idsman75 Member Posts: 13,398 ✭✭✭
    edited November -1
    Thank you gentlemen.
    · Share on FacebookShare on Twitter
Sign In or Register to comment.