[zant]

For lady friend that does'nt have a lot of hand strength...Tried her with a .380 and a 9(with me in back holding arms),no they won't work.She did well with .22 auto,but I can tell in an emergency the controls would confuse her.I'm thinking a 2-4" revolver----any suggestions,Thx

 

[antiquedr]

The Ruger LCR may be the best bet in a rimfire revolver. The ones I've tried have a superior double-action pull over the S&W J-frames. J-frames can be tuned, but remember that rimfire revolves need a decent hammer spring tension to reliably crush the case rims and fire the cartridge.

Try the Ruger LCP II "LiteRack" .22 semiauto pistol. It does have a push-forward-to-fire thumb safety and a bladed trigger safety. The slide is very easy to manipulate. Another option would be the Beretta 21A which uses a tip up barrel so you never have to rack the slide. The trigger pull leaves something to be desired though with no real way to lighten it.

 

[Old School or Nothing]

One of those econo diecast SA revolvers may work and their not too complicated to use. Teach her how to let the hammer down easy and the rest comes natural.

 

[zant]

Good replies---I'm really thinking DA though,I tried her with a Heritage and she did okay but having to pull hammer back every shot confused her I think.Will check out Ruger.

 

[shootbrownelk]

Ruger LCR in 22LR . Much cheaper than a S&W .22 revolver.

 

[Old School or Nothing]

The walther p380 is easy to rack and the trigger is easy. The p22 is easy too but take some work and babying to make em work. Autos are too complicated for most new users though IMO. The ruger mrk models are not too bad - my wife does pretty good with using one of those. Good safety and no exposed hammer to deal with.

 

[Grizzly2]

This in 3" might be worth considering. It's probably hard to get good/light trigger pulls out of rimfires. This may be as good as it gets.

Tested: Ruger LCRx 3-inch Barrel .22 Revolver | An Official Journal Of The NRA (americanrifleman.org)

 

[93formee]

Diamondback sidekick is single/dbl action, and comes with cylinders for .22mag and .22lr. You did not mention if this is for Concealed carry, if so, this is probably too big.

 

[Firpo]

How about something similar to an IJ Target Sealed 8? It has a light DA pull and holds 8 rounds. I doubt in the heat of battle she’ll have to one for a reload. I’ve had mine for years and never as much as a hiccup.

 

[zant]

I've always had a soft spot for the IJ .22,may pick her up one for bedside use,guy around here always has 5-10 different IJ for sale.

 

[ral357]

I've always had a soft spot for the IJ .22,may pick her up one for bedside use,guy around here always has 5-10 different IJ for sale.

How much do those old IJs go for? Rossi make a 8 shot 22lr or 22mag in various length barrels called the plinker for less than $300.

 

[msheff]

The Beretta 21a was mentioned. I have one that works perfect but a lot of them don’t. They either work or can never be made to work. I wouldn’t recommend it for your wife. The one I have was my mother’s and she didn’t like it at all. Now she’s carrying my S&W Airweight 38

 

[Pyrite]

S&W model 63. ❤

 

[Virginia Patriot]

As mentioned in earlier posts, I would recommend the Ruger LCR. Best of luck in finding a suitable revolver for her.

 

[4*60]

If pulling back the trigger is confusing, be careful out there. Might be the best safety.

 

[mathews691]

So many people that have been "gun people" for years or decades can be total jerks when it comes to new people in the shooting areas. These same people can't get it into their heads that these people will not practice with it like they really should, so mastering malfunction drills is a very steep learning curve. There is something about a revolver where if it does not go bang for some reason, it is as easy as pulling the trigger. And having multiple steps on a single action, I need to cock the hammer all the way back, not half way can be confusing when you are working with someone new, that are coming in with a base of zero. Guns are intimidating, and so can gun people. This is a very scary thing to many people, it is our job to understand these feelings and thoughts and coach them through this.

I can see and understand how working a single action is more complex over a double action. Generally when working with someone that has zero experience we start with some form of 22, depending on the person and how I assess their abilities that 22 might be a single shot rifle, up to a 22 automatic of some kind....we work from there.

I forgot a suggestion, the LRC is a good suggestion, and if this is for self defense I think ruger still makes them in 22mag, I think that would be my choice over the LR version.

 

[jstert]

I forgot a suggestion, the LRC is a good suggestion, and if this is for self defense I think ruger still makes them in 22mag, I think that would be my choice over the LR version.

in my own experience the ruger lcr 22wmr offers way too much flashbang for not much better performance than 22lr. the former is very intimidating and puts off new shooters, my nongunner wife being a prime example. some folks, her included, probably shouldn’t have a firearm as they are unwilling to invest in training.

that said my wife is happy with guns in my hands. her big christmas gift to me was a ruger wrangler birdshead single action 22lr revolver. if someone wants to learn handguns a single action 22lr revolver by ruger or heritage is the best, new in box, inexpensive option. six confidently aimed 22lr stingers would be ok too.

 

[mathews691]

in my own experience the ruger lcr 22wmr offers way too much flashbang for not much better performance than 22lr. the former is very intimidating and puts off new shooters, my nongunner wife being a prime example. some folks, her included, probably shouldn’t have a firearm as they are unwilling to invest in training.

that said my wife is happy with guns in my hands. her big christmas gift to me was a ruger wrangler birdshead single action 22lr revolver. if someone wants to learn handguns a single action 22lr revolver by ruger or heritage is the best, new in box, inexpensive option. six confidently aimed 22lr stingers would be ok too.

Valid points, main reason I suggest mag over LR, is I THINK they have a little better QC. A side plus is that report and flash, it is something when pointed at you. Even a miss will have more of an effect over the LR. IMHO they are no louder over "normal" centerfire handguns.

 

[Grizzly2]

Valid points, main reason I suggest mag over LR, is I THINK they have a little better QC. A side plus is that report and flash, it is something when pointed at you. Even a miss will have more of an effect over the LR. IMHO they are no louder over "normal" centerfire handguns.

I'm not so sure about that. Years ago when, I think it was those AMTs, in an indoor range, I had to stop and go find out what was making that awful sound. It was those .22 magnums. Now, my full house .44 mag loads were probably much worse. But, they were more of a boom with concussion. Those .22 mags seemed much more high pitched and irritating.

 

[Telcotech]

Valid points, main reason I suggest mag over LR, is I THINK they have a little better QC. A side plus is that report and flash, it is something when pointed at you. Even a miss will have more of an effect over the LR. IMHO they are no louder over "normal" centerfire handguns.

I will just say that my BIL's Ruger LCR in .22 RF is pretty darn loud coming out of that short barrel....personally would not want to be hit by a .22 RF 40 gr HP at anywhere from 10-40' in a close encounter.