Short Barrelled Revolver........For My Wife!

Hokus Grey

Hokus Grey

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Somewhere between "WTF?" and "FTW!".
Well, she's gone and done it now!

With the preview of WildTV on, I actually caught an episode of Guns&Ammo TV last night. My wife and I were watching and during a segment of some revolvers, she exclaimed, "I'd like that one.".

I don't think she knows what she did. LOL!

So, now I'm on the hunt for a short barrelled revolver. Something small,for low weight and not a hand breaker. Wish we could get the Ladysmiths, but I ain't 12-6.

So, I'm looking for suggestions from fellow CGNr's. Please post pics if you can, I just want to know what my options are and what's available here in the great white north.

Thanks in advance!
 
Not being 2(6) limits your option for a light revolver.

I think that there is a fairly new Ruger with a 4.1" barrel that is legal here.
Don't know much about them but Ruger is usually good. Depends also as to what caliber would suit her.
 
I think you're looking for a Ruger GP100 with 4.2" barrel ;)

it's really not that small tho - larger than most full size semiauto's
 
There's the Rugers that were already mentioned but the frame and grip on them is anything but small and compact in the sort of manner it sounds like she wants. I think you're looking at a custom job to shorten a J or K frame option from Smith and Wesson down to 4.2 inches or a little longer. And if you can find a round butt version it would add a lot to the smaller look of the gun and fit a smaller set of hands better.

Or if she wants to shoot .22 there may be one of the cheaper revolvers from Harrington and Richardson or Iver Johnson that would suit her. But to get a smith to shorten the barrel would likely cost as much as the cost of the gun itself in these cases.
 
Yeah, not being 12.6 really limits the options. Imma hunt around and see if I know anyone who's got a 4.2" Ruger GP-100. Heck, I might just buy one for me! In stainless! lol

I'm not very knowledgable about revolvers, so I'll have to do a little bit of looking around. Perhaps if I start her out with something in .22, I could take some time and search around.

Keep comin' with the ideas though folks!
 
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Go with the Ruger GP100 4.2." I'm sure she will love it. How can you not love it? I have the 6" version, but that would be too big for a lady. Easy to load and easy to shoot. I mostly shoot 38 special, but if she wants a challenge, load some 357 magnum rounds. :D

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Hokus Grey said:
.... (re:short barrel restricteds)..... How about anything by S&W?
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Sadly S&W doesn't have anything up for sale at the moment. But keep in mind that the Ruger 4.2 inch solution wasn't done primarily for us up here north of the 49th. It was primarily a solution to a California ruling that is now restricting some aspects of 4 and less inch barrel guns. We are just riding the coat tails of their 4.2 inch answer to that law.

Common sense and marketing pressure would suggest that S&W will follow suit but so far I haven't even seen any rumours.

Even the recent sales of the NAA mini revolvers by Kodiak Outpost which received Canada specific serial numbers were based on the company's California ruling barrel lengths and we just benifitted from that change.
 
I assumed as much. I am really liking the Ruger, but I'm going to keep digging around and see what pops up. The GP-100 Stainless is pretty much 100% what I had in mind. Now it's just a matter of getting the $$$ together and finding one at a good price. I LOVE THIS SITE!!! LOL!!
 
Having shot a couple of nicely tuned Rugers you won't be dissapointed. I hear that the trigger isn't totally smooth out of the box but these days the S&W products seem to have a rep for being less than silky smooth until tuned or broken in with a few thousand rounds.

But the grip size on the Ruger's is more fitted to a man's large glove size. I suspect your wife will enjoy shooting it but she's not going to leave you alone until she's got a gun in HER size.... :D
 
i know this sounds kinda dumb but could you get a ruger 4.2 with a 38 p= cylinder instead of 357 to reduce the weight and little size?could this be done by a custom pistol smith?
 
BCRider said:
Having shot a couple of nicely tuned Rugers you won't be dissapointed. I hear that the trigger isn't totally smooth out of the box but these days the S&W products seem to have a rep for being less than silky smooth until tuned or broken in with a few thousand rounds.

But the grip size on the Ruger's is more fitted to a man's large glove size. I suspect your wife will enjoy shooting it but she's not going to leave you alone until she's got a gun in HER size.... :D
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Well that just means I'll have to keep buying guns until I get it right, goshdarn it! lol I've got a funny feeling the Ruger SR9 would fit her hand well and when she laid eyes on the new Ruger SR22 she said "That's a .22!?". She had been telling me about the little bolt action .22 her dad and her used to shoot together.

Looks like she might be a Ruger girl!

:dancingbanana:
 
What about a S&W 686 in 5" barrel? I know it's not really a small gun, but that will help with recoil. You'd certainly never be dissappointed by the quality.

Those lightweight .357s can be a bit unpleasant to shoot. I have an alloy frame Colt Cobra, with a 2" barrel. That thing almost jumps out of my hand with factory 38 special loads. It's much worse than my model 29, with 44 special loads. Sometimes, more is less.
 
bigdawg said:
i know this sounds kinda dumb but could you get a ruger 4.2 with a 38 p= cylinder instead of 357 to reduce the weight and little size?could this be done by a custom pistol smith?
Click to expand...

I don't think this can be done as the flame won't allow because if you cut the back of the cylinder, the firepin couldn't strike the primer and if you cut the front, there will be a gap between the force cone and the barrel. Even a 4.2" Ruger still weight about 40 OZ which is quite a bit heavy for a woman to start out.

Trigun
 
bigdawg said:
i know this sounds kinda dumb but could you get a ruger 4.2 with a 38 p= cylinder instead of 357 to reduce the weight and little size?could this be done by a custom pistol smith?
Click to expand...

That's just not a practical option. A shorter cylinder would require a new frame. You're pretty much talking about making up a whole new gun. Also Ruger doesn't make any current or recent history guns in .38 Spl only so there's no such cylinders.

If you want a 4.2 inch barrel and lighter weight is your goal then the way to get there would be to have the barrel of a Model 10 or other J or K frame .38Spl be cut down. Of course this means remounting the front sight as well but the costs would be a small fraction of what doing what you suggested to a Ruger.
 
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