Looking for a handgun for the Wife and I have been leaning towards a 357 in either a S&W or Ruger. I know the Ruger’s are less but they will require more work. I own 3 Ruger’s in 44 and bought them because they are Sherman tanks but I am figuring that 357 is going to be a different can of worms. All feed back is welcome.

I also had plans on going to a gun show this weekend and having her physically hold them. If she doesn’t like the way the feel she is not going to like the gun!

Duane

It really comes down to which one she likes the best and can operate the best. The size and strength in a womans hands is usually very different than ours and she needs to be involved in the decision in my opinion. If she's never been around guns much it may be wise to start her off with a .22 revolver.

I 2nd Gary. My wife constantly claims my Security Six is hers & 22's are boring. I'm looking for either a 3" Mod 60 (ADJ sights) or the same in an SP101 357/9mm in 3-4". She liked them when she handled them.

A snubby SP101 in .357 is painful to shoot, even for a guy. I'd start with .38 and then go to .38+P. If the use is for defense the .38 is plenty powerful, with a lot less flash and noise as well as recoil. If you've never shot a gun in an enclosed area without hearing protection you couldn't understand. The .38 is also quicker to get back on target for a second shot. The grip size is perfect for smaller hands. I really like mine, even moreso than my GP's.

My wife loves my .38 5 shot and also the SBH hunter with .44spls and .44mags, she just can't hold up shooting two many .44mag rounds before the recoil gets to her.
I think the .38spl is a good round to start them off with.
Buy a .357mag so she can start with .38's in it. Then she can shoot the mag. when she feels she is ready.

I planed on doing that. She is no stranger to guns. She handles her Rem700 30-06 and G2 6.8L very well. She has shot turtles with my MKII 22 and can handle my 44sp rounds out of my SBH with out any problems. I just don’t know anything about 357’s and that is the reason I am trying to ask questions. She likes my 44’s but I think a 357 would do better for her, particularly if she was going to carry it while fishing and such.(I am also taking the sure weight of the gun into consideration.) So with that being said I had planed on taking her out to the gun show this weekend to she what she likes to hold. I agree 100% Gary, if she doesn’t like the way it feels she is not going to like the gun at all. She doesn’t like SA’s. She really likes my DA. So that is the reason I am trying to ask about the 686 and GP100. I had planed on staying away from the Taurssssss.

If she was going to be deer hunting with it I would be looking at a Redhawk in 44, shooting primarily 44sp out of it. But lets be honest, I have more than enough hunting handguns for the both of us. I think for just caring, on a belt, and target practice the 357 is going to be more applicable.

Thanks

Duane

What is a Security Six?


S&W or Ruger for a 357... Why?

The Security Six was Rugers .357 medium frame befoer the GP's came out. Good gun in stainless steel, never had a problem with mine.

rupe

although I'm a ruger guy I think the S&W is better suited for what your looking for at this point. The only weak point in a smith comes up in physical strength when compared to the ruger but I've owned a bunch of smiths over the years and alot of rugers though most of my rugers were single action but all of the smiths were more accurate and had better actions out of the box than did my rugers.

my wife loves my security six and she does not shoot alot but
that and my single six i carry the 357 fishing makes a nice
varmint getter.
larry

I have a 6" GP-100 and a 4" Security Six both are nice guns and with 38's have very little recoil. My Wife likes my K 38 Model 14 S&W best she is not much of a shooter but she like the width of the hammer and trigger. I also think the target grips give a little more control. If i had to pick it would be a 4" S&W K frame.

Thanks for everyone’s help. What a great sight. The people actually care enough to make sure I am not setting a beginner up with a hand cannon. I am going to look hard at the options and just see what she says she likes the best. Luckily I have 357/38 dies, powder, and primers so all I have to pick up is 38sp brass and bullets. Thanks for the concerns and I promise that she WILL be directly involved in picking it out! We have a trip planed this Sat to go to the gun show. To be honest, if we find a D&W that she likes at a good price I am all for it!

PS, my wife looked up the Security Six and she said she really liked the looks of it. Thanks for a little direction.

PSS, I am a fan of shooting sp loads. From the last issue of Handloader I learned that the 44 sp was equivalent to the 45 ACP. I think the 38sp will do 95% everything she needs.

Thanks

Duane

My Mom has a Security Six and loves it. My wolf use to shoot her Dad's K-38 alot when they went out for the afternoon. Any of the medium frame 357/38's from Ruger or S&W will be good. Also remember if the gun balances well and the weight is right the grips can be changed out for aftermarkets in a huge variety to fit her hand. Another gun to think about is the Dan Wesson model 15. It's a nice small frame 357 with alot of barrel and grip options.

Hard to beat my 4" security six. The old lady loves it too.

Lars

I've also had a couple of model 37's that my wife used to shoot and they were real nice shooting little guns. I don't think you can get the model 37 anymore I think they are all model 637's but you can even get them with pink grips but you have to let her keep it as much as I know you'd want to take the pretty pink gripped gun to range and show it off. Iffin you want the most all purpose gun though I'd go with a 4" 686 I think she will like the way it fits her hand and the way it shoots a little better than the Ruger. The 686 would make a good self defense gun and yet it would be a comfortable plinker even with full house loads and heavy bullets plus it would work for close range deer hunting should she decide she was interested in pursuing that course of action.

357 in general when load hot have a lot of muzzle blast that can be intimidating to new shooters epecially in 4" and shorter barrels. They are great learning guns with 38 special target loads. I have seen many guys make the mistake of transitioning from 38s to 357 mag by using a 125g bullet with max velocities thinking that the lighter bullet will have less recoil. Partially true but it will also have more muzzle blast. I like to transition my shooter to a 160-170 grain cast swc doing around 900 fps. Much less blast and I've noticed much less flinching. Someone mentioned there wife was able to handle 44 special loads with no problem, same reason, less muzzle blast. Transition slowly and the 357 can be a fine weapon for a woman. I prefer using the S&W 686 mine happens to be a 4". Slightly heavier to carry but very comfortable to shoot and a great single action trigger right out of box. I've used it to train 4 women shooters so far and by slow transitioning all can now shoot stout hunting loads with accuracy. Just my 2 cents

Hay Gascheck I think you are 100% right. My wife has really enjoyed my 4 5/8 SBH with 44 sp’s. I was looking at the 357 with the intention of shooting 38’s out if it. The 357 frame is smaller in a 686 or Security Six and would be easier for her to carry and handle. As long as she is NOT deer hunting with a 38 it will do 99.9 of what she wants to do. She enjoys hunting with her rifle(s), and yes they are hers, and if and when she wants to hunt with a handgun I have a nice 7-30 Waters that she could use. I would have given her my SBH and just continued to let her shoot the 44sp but she likes the DA over the SA.

TC, one of the things I was very concerned about when I was choosing a firearm with my mother was how she is going to carry and store it. The purpose of her gun is personal safety. I read a few people talking about the possibility of your wife carrying the weapon. In my opinion a concealed hammer is a top concern for a cc gun. Mom and I settled on a S&W 642. it's a light weight j frame 38 +p. My mother loves the way the stock grips fit her hand and there is no hammer or protruding rear sight to get caught on anything. They even come now, with crimson trace grips as an option.
My only problem with the gun was the trigger was junk out of the box. However a quick trip to my gun smith and the trigger is smooth as silk and very light to pull.