https://www.shoptaurus.com/revolver-...sm-frame-67000Originally Posted by TheNewbie
These grips don't cover the back strap and should give a shorter trigger reach. If you have the original grips that come on the 856, these might serve you better.
https://www.shoptaurus.com/revolver-...sm-frame-67000
These grips don't cover the back strap and should give a shorter trigger reach. If you have the original grips that come on the 856, these might serve you better.
Thank you!
May try a lighter spring kit as well to see I can get the trigger pull down. Plus we will go check out some Colts and LCRs next week.
If she can manage the trigger reach on a K-Frame Smith, I bet she will find it MUCH more shootable than any of the smaller guns. With the right grips, a K-Frame is pretty damn friendly to smaller hands. For years my wife’s favorite piece was a 3” Model 64 with a Hogue Bantam grip.
ETA: there are very very few things in this world that I find more shootable than a K Frame for myself personally. I can manage 170 or better pretty consistently on the HiTS Revolver Super Test with a 2.5” barreled Model 66 and 158 grain 38 SPL ammo.
If a K-frame S&W is chosen look at grips which leave the backstrap exposed for maximum trigger reach.
If you can find a Colt Detective Special or one of the similar models (Agent, Commando Special, etc.), these seem like they would be good for small hands with the right grips. In the case of the Detective Special from the 1990's, those right grips might be the Colt version of the Pachmayr Compaq grips that come with the gun. I do not know if the newer versions of the Cobra are similarly sized, but I suspect they would be worth a try.
I am probably one of the few people here who does not like T-grips. For me, they put the ridge between the finger grooves right in the center of my middle finger.
Try to have your wife shoot whatever you try side by side with the .380 EZ. She might just decide that the EZ is the way to go.
My wife is 5'4", small hands (not midget sized, but small). She does not like to shoot any revolver. The jframes in .38 are "punishing", "painful". The Kframe .22 is just alright. She prefers her G42 in a centerfire by a large margin, and mostly prefers to shoot .22s. The G44 is a current favorite (more fun than the K22), but she loves the Ruger MKII we've had forever.
The recoil of aluminum frame guns is definitely a concern here. One of the biggest mistakes I made when teaching my wife to shoot and having her try different guns was letting her try a super-lightweight J-frame too soon. Even with standard pressure .38, these are only for people who are comfortable with recoil.
The Agent I mentioned above has an aluminum frame. The grip is a bit longer than a J-frame, but the factory grip is still a wooden splinter grip. A Pachmayr Compaq grip would be strongly recommended.
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In order to tailor a revolver to your wife's requirements, hand size and trigger reach, y'all just gonna have to go shopping and see what works and doesn't. I know a couple whose wife had a Ruger LCP for personal protection. For whatever reason, she eventually went with a S&W Shield EZ in .380. She and her husband don't shoot much at all so there's that.
Just see what's available and go from there.
Please, try before you buy. Many people love the idea of a small revolver until they actually shoot one. I frequent a LGS, and I can't tell you how many times I've seen small revolvers come back in on trade in the hands of well meaning husbands. When I asked the husband, the best rebuff from the female shooter was, "F@#% that!" after firing one shot. As previously mentioned, "Punishing" is a good descriptor. Having ones hands and wrists battered with every shot will not lend itself to consistent accuracy, and will develop flinches that weren't there previously as the recoil is know to be bad. Small revolvers with lighter weight and smaller gripping surfaces firing service caliber cartridges are more of an experienced shooters weapon of choice and only for certain applications.
Realistically, small revolvers are great backup guns. I have both a Smith 637 & 642. Stature wise, I am 6' 250# and trim. My hands are XXL glove size, and I won't fire more than 4 cylinders full out of a snubbie at one range session. The J frames get shot last if they are going to be shot at all.
I completely understand wanting to try things out. This is how we gain experience and true opinions. I honestly believe that continued dry work with the shield 380 with attentive range sessions will make her more comfortable with that type pistol. Firing the little fire breathing snubs will have the opposite effect.
A range with a rental counter is your best buddy in this scenario!
K frame with a hogue mono grip would be my suggestion if she can manage that.
If not an sp101 or lcr in 327 are good options.
You may also wish to look at the S&W Bodyguard revolvers. While purists may dislike them, the factory stocks feel somewhat like an integrated t-grip, and the trigger is very different than typical DA pull. My wife, who dislikes revolvers generally, likes this trigger better than the LCR.
I have run one hard as what was intended as an easily replaced training backup to my M&P340, first in Ed Lovette's class and then whenever I was working on higher round count days (yes, the cylinder release differs, but I have found moving between the two styles relatively easy switch, same enough as with Ruger or Colt).
The polymer frame does seem to soak recoil differently than the classic J frames, which may also be a bonus.
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