My fiancee is downtown as we speak braving the Fulton County licensing process, so I'm going to surprise her with a suitable carry gun and would like some input. She's shot my Glock 19 and doesn't mind the recoil, but she really doesn't care for the brass being ejected around her, so a revolver is a logical choice. I was thinking of getting one chambered in 9mm mainly because I like to stock up on ammo for anything I own, and I already have plenty of 9mm ammo but no .38/.357. It looks like my choices in that caliber are pretty much either a Taurus 905 or a S&W 940 J-frame. The Taurus appears to have an external hammer, while the 940 is hammerless. 940's haven't been made in a while, but the 905's are still available NIB. With either of these, I would be looking at the stainless steel versions and I would add a set of Crimson Trace grips (pink, per her request) to either. Would either of these be a good choice for a woman with little firearms experience to carry, or is there something else I should look at? (We'd take a class to improve both our skills before I think she would start to carry it.) Any disadvantages to the 9mm chambering, or problems with the moon clips? Is a hammer vs. hammerless design preferable? Any other reason to choose the Taurus vs. the S&W, besides the S&W being a few hundred $$ more expensive? Since this is (sort of) a surprise, she can't try in advance, but I have no problem trading the gun for something different if it turns out she doesn't like it. I just want to make sure the idea is viable in the first place.
9mm revolvers have a reputation for being finicky about ammo. Also you don't save anything on size or weight going with 9mm. Rimmed cartridges work well in revolvers and can be loaded and unloaded one or two at a time. Call me old fashioned but i would rather have .38 in a revolver especially for a less experienced user.
I just saw new S&W 642s in .38 special +P going for $299 after rebate at the last gun show. Check out Cherokee Gun and Pawn in Canton if you are interested. I can understand if would prefer a heavier steel frame revolver rather than an Airweight for her, from a recoil standpoint. In any case though, for my money I would prefer NIB S&W or Ruger revolvers over a Taurus. Not saying Taurus is junk, just that I would prefer a Smith or Ruger if I were buying new and the cost was anywhere in the same ballpark.
The Taurus is a damn good gun. I have several members who use them as an EDC and have never had a problem. .38 has a noticeably higher felt recouil than a 9mm in addition to keeping your ammo centralized. You won't go wrong if you get the Taurus.
I imagine that limiting oneself to 6 rounds is a rather high price to pay to not be ejecting brass. If she really wants a revolver, you did suggest to her a .357? Show her articles where the bad guy didn't stop until after being hit with more than 6 rounds, and you may be able to talk her into a Glock 19 or something similar. Hopefully.
Can you elaborate? I wasn't aware revolvers could be finicky with ammo. I do not want to talk my fiancée into anything. I want to find a gun that is reliable, reasonably affordable, that she will be comfortable both carrying and practicing with, and ideally that does not require me to stock up on a new caliber. If I get something she doesn't like, she might not carry it or practice with it, which defeats the purpose, and I don't think you can scare someone into being comfortable with a particular gun. We can always upgrade later if she wants. Thank you. If the Taurus is reliable, and there's not a fundamental problem with the concept of the 9mm revolver using moon clips, I think that's what we'll start with.
Did you see this part? I would not suggest giving a person with little firearms experience a .357. Good way to scare her off the gun. Taurus or S&W 38 Special with 125gr Federal (non +P) Nyclads. Low recoiling, low flash, good accuracy and expansion. Nice combo for anybody but especially a person with limited experience who does not want a semi-auto. I would suck it up and just stock 38s. Like you said if she isn't comfortable with it she won't carry it. Just my
Hard ejection. Don't know the exact reason why, but have read about it in more than one account. It could be because of the pressure levels. My J frame .357 doesen't like to eject full power loads either. Also some reports of the tapered 9mm backing up against the recoil shield and binding the cylinder. I have never owned one and can't comment from personal experiance, but while it seems like such a good idea, in real life the 9mm revolvers have never sold well compared to the more conventional .38/357.
I have never used a 9mm revolver, but I like the concept. However, a 9mm should generate MORE RECOIL than a .38 special using similar bullet weights. Because it pushes those bullets faster (maybe 1100 fps versus 900 fps, in the 125 grain weight?) it must have more recoil and muzzle flip. As for ease of reloading, here's my comment: If she doesn't carry speedloaders or moon clips (or half-moons) with her, who cares? She's not going to be reloading while under attack anyway. All we should ask is, "is the gun easy enough to load and unload at the shooting range, so that she will enjoy practicing with it and not get frustrated?"
While researching the SP101 9mm, I found that to be reported, although mathar1 stated otherwise. mathar1 maybe you could conduct a test with the same weight bullets in each gun?
I thought the 9mm would have had more muzzle flip and felt recoil but after shooting both (about 75 rounds through a Taurus 905 and 60 through a Ruger GP100 firing 38spcl) the 9mm had noticeably less. Not scientific and goes against what "should" happen but the 9mm was more comfortable with less muscle strain and flip.
When I shot one of my customers we were shooting 115 grain PMC bronze FMJ range stuff and Magtech 158 grain 38 spcl FMJ range stuff. Not scientific and not comparable weights but that is what he had to play with and the 9mm was far and away more fun and comfortable to shoot. Just my opinion your mileage may vary
She will be better served with a small revolver similar to the S&W 940 chambered in .357mag but using .38spl rounds. If she out grows the revolver, it will still be a good back up gun.
My best advice would be to buy her something that she has tried and likes to shoot. If that something is a 9mm revolver, then great. If not, so be it. It should really be her call. She will be more inclined to practice with it and carry it.
People have successfully defended themselves with low cap single stacks for years. A five shot revolver is easier to conceal than a midsized double stack auto, is also lighter and would more likely be carried by her. And your point is what? There are stories where 8 rounds of .45ACP didn't stop a BG, where 6 rounds of .357mag didn't, and where 1 .22LR did. Why would you want to talk her into in caryring a gun that she doesn't like? Why would you try to talk her into carrying what worlks for you? There are reasons that guns come in different calibers, sizes, action types, materials, etc. We are all different have have different likes, needs, wants in a gun. You should never take someone new to carrying and try to "talk them into" what works for you. You should find what works for them. They will be be more likely to train, practice and carry it that way. GoDores, You can't really go wrong with the Smith or the Taurus revolver. I voted fof the Smith solely because the triggers tend to be a little smoother out of the box.
Speaking from limited experience here, but seems to me that anything she enjoys shooting and carrying all of the time would be better than something she's afraid of or not confident with. I wouldn't ever carry a .22LR myself, but if that is as far as my wife wanted to go and she was comfortable with it.. that's better than throwing the junk in her purse at them. If I was in your position, I'd let her try out as many options as possible. Let her pick up and try whatever she wants.. might surprise you.
I had a Taurus and I worked fine with any ammo I fed it. It would be real good if you could somehow arrange for her to shoot it before you purchase. The felt and perceived recoil difference between a semi-auto and a revolver could make the revolver an unpleasant experierance for her. I was quite surprised in the difference when I fired the 9mm revolver.
I have a Ruger SP101 3" 9mm revolver. I have shot 115 fmj-147 fmj and had no problem with recoil, muzzle flip or unloading the cylinder-with or without the moonclips. The recoil seems less than my 357 2 1/4" ,but that could be from the longer barrel on the 9mm. It is my understanding that the porting was after-market- not from Ruger. The gun is one of my best shooting revolvers and is easy to carry-IWB or OWB.