For years now, my wife has carried a S&W model 36 "J" frame 5 shot 38 spl. I originally changed out the grips for some larger Pachmayrs, and it transformed that gun into a really great carry gun for a woman. But, with all the escalating weirdness happening these days, she was feeling the need for something more substantial. My wife is gun-proficient, being a concealed-carry instructor and multi-gun competitor. Although she is only about 160 lbs, she is able to wield a Kimber 1911 on the multi-gun course with fair proficiency. However, she does have to "two-hand" it, and it's too big for a purse gun, as are most of our other handguns. We shoot all the time, and are fortunate enough to have enough land to shoot whenever we want.
We have a bucket full of handguns, both revolvers and semi-autos, but nothing that would fit her personal requirements. It had to be light, have the power of a 50 BMG, no recoil, fit easily in a purse, and never run out of bullets. And, she has to be able to "one-hand" it. You know, the "perfect" woman's carry gun. When reality finally set in, she admitted that she wished she had a little more power than the 38 spl and at least one more shot than the Model 36. And, it had to be a revolver that she can "one-hand" shoot and carry in the purse. After much shopping and shooting, she went with a S&W Model 66 Combat Magnum .357 with 2.75" barrel. In her words, "..it's a bit heavy, but I can one-hand it OK with 38 spl +P loads." And, it is a 6 shot vs. the 5 shot of the Model 36. The Model 66 fits in the purse, and the 2.75 barrel gives it enough sight plane that you can actually start to get accurate at distance with it. With .357s it's definitely a two-hander, but manageable.
Now, you might be thinking she should go with a semi-auto in 9mm or .40. Size-wise, power, and capacity, I have a Glock 23 that would be perfect. But, it's a semi-auto. My wife has no problems with semi-autos, and puts about 100 rounds a week through them. But, she and I both had the semi-autos hang one up every now and then, and it will always happen when you really wish it hadn't. We could probably start a whole new thread over the whys and wherefores, but neither she nor I can remember the last time we had one of our wheel guns fail to fire.
If you significant other is looking for a carry gun and she has the hands for a K frame, you should give the Model 66 2.75" a look. The .38 spl +Ps will give it more beef than regular 38 spls, and you can shoot .357s out of it if need be. It's not quite as smooth as my 25 year old 686, but it is still new, and it's still a Smith. My wife has only put about 100 rounds through hers so far, but she says she really likes it.
We have a bucket full of handguns, both revolvers and semi-autos, but nothing that would fit her personal requirements. It had to be light, have the power of a 50 BMG, no recoil, fit easily in a purse, and never run out of bullets. And, she has to be able to "one-hand" it. You know, the "perfect" woman's carry gun. When reality finally set in, she admitted that she wished she had a little more power than the 38 spl and at least one more shot than the Model 36. And, it had to be a revolver that she can "one-hand" shoot and carry in the purse. After much shopping and shooting, she went with a S&W Model 66 Combat Magnum .357 with 2.75" barrel. In her words, "..it's a bit heavy, but I can one-hand it OK with 38 spl +P loads." And, it is a 6 shot vs. the 5 shot of the Model 36. The Model 66 fits in the purse, and the 2.75 barrel gives it enough sight plane that you can actually start to get accurate at distance with it. With .357s it's definitely a two-hander, but manageable.
Now, you might be thinking she should go with a semi-auto in 9mm or .40. Size-wise, power, and capacity, I have a Glock 23 that would be perfect. But, it's a semi-auto. My wife has no problems with semi-autos, and puts about 100 rounds a week through them. But, she and I both had the semi-autos hang one up every now and then, and it will always happen when you really wish it hadn't. We could probably start a whole new thread over the whys and wherefores, but neither she nor I can remember the last time we had one of our wheel guns fail to fire.
If you significant other is looking for a carry gun and she has the hands for a K frame, you should give the Model 66 2.75" a look. The .38 spl +Ps will give it more beef than regular 38 spls, and you can shoot .357s out of it if need be. It's not quite as smooth as my 25 year old 686, but it is still new, and it's still a Smith. My wife has only put about 100 rounds through hers so far, but she says she really likes it.
