Revolver for a woman - not in the pocket (308, best, range)
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If the Lady likes a revolver ,look into the S&W 5 shot concealed hammer 442.The 442 can be fired from concealment with out jamming or the hammer being blocked by fabric of a coat. https://www.smith-wesson.com/firearms/model-442
I own and shoot a S&W MP shield. I like the gun and shoot it accurately, but I bought it in haste and did not realize that I cannot rack and LOCK the slide open for some reason. I have small hands... oh yeah, I'm an older woman who lives in FL.
Because of this I don't take it to practice often enough, as I lack righteous confidence so it is stored in a case under shelves in my bedroom walk-in closet! I now have a grey elephant that is effectively less useful than a golf club, even tho I shot it well at the range. In a real pinch I'd probably grab and load my little Ruger 10/22 carbine as that firearm is an extension of me .
I now realize a revolver would suit me much better, but I don't really need it as concealed carry.
Q1. Is a concealed hammer still suitable for home use? and
Q2. Would a laser sight be of any practical benefit, either to scare threats or improve targetting?
Fortunately I can afford more than one weapon, but for an independent, otherwise intelligent woman, I feel like an idiot. Any advice would be greatly appreciated.
I thought my wife last year. She is very petite and does not have much hand strength. I have been collecting and competing with guns for over 46 years and currently carry one. Her girlfriend wanted a revolver because she could not work the slide but no one showed her the guns that have lighter springs or how to properly rack a slide. There are also devices which my wife has that allows her to just place the gun in a slot and lean against it to rack it.
My wife ended up with the Ruger LCP II. I has decent sights and she can rack it. It is flat and I bought her some pocketbooks with holsters in them and now she carries all the time. She can hit a man sized target at 7 yards but like most people with guns, they do not want to spend the time or money to train. Most want to feel safe and use a gun as a talisman to ward off even. Sad but true.
The new .380 Shield is supposed to have an easy to rack slide. Most do not know how to properly rack a gun so they go for the revolver only to discover that they have very heavy trigger pulls and without a lot of practice, they are difficult to shoot beyond bad breath distances. Most who I train stop carrying their guns. They are heavy, uncomfortable, or they can tell the future and know when they will need to carry a gun and not before. I showed my wife's friend a Taurus 22 that has a tip up barrel so you never have to rack a slide to load it. Beretta had two guns that worked that way too and you can find them on the used market. I also have a mini NAA .22 magnum Pub with night sights. It fits in the palm of my hand and is easy to shoot. **** the hammer and press the trigger.
I do not get into caliber wars with newbies because if they get a .40 call like the police use, they do not like practicing with it and cannot hit what they aim for. I believe and have shown some of the older shooters here that they can handle a 9mm. The problem is that everyone wants a very light gun with no recoil and that defies physics. Then there is choice of ammo to consider which affects recoil. I have a Ruger LCR ,in .327 Federal magnum. The beauty of it is that it can fire the milder .32 family of bullets that have very little recoil and its trigger is more weak finger friendly. My wife can shoot that and my 1911 9mm, very well. There is one women in her late 70's that carries and shoots a .44 magnum. I own a .44 mag snubbie but I load it with .44 spl rounds. These days the gun manufacturers are catering to women since they are the largest market segment right now and then want small, good looking and little recoil guns.
Most woman around her carry the Ruger LCP or Glock 42. I have bought the new Sig 365 that holds 10 or 12 +1 rounds and is the same size or smaller than most of my pocket .380's. That would make a good gun for just about anyone. It holds a lot of rounds and shoots very well. It even has a small rail for a laser/light combo for home defense. Almost everyone I have trained disregarded my advice about which gun to buy and bought a big mean looking gun or the gun that the police use. 6 months later they are buying a small pocket or purse gun.
It’s possible that your difficulty in racking the slide of your Shield is due to faulty technique. Go through the videos on YouTube and make sure you’re tried all the techniques. At a minimum, you’ll want to have tried the technique where you push the gun away from you, rather than pull on the slide, and hold the gun close in near your stomach.
If you still have problems, and like the idea of a semi automatic, look into the Shield 380 EZ.
Unless you're looking for an excuse to buy another gun, I'd strongly suggest you look at the Handi-Racker. It costs 20 bucks retail and all you need is a sturdy place to set it down with the gun in it and push down with your weight. A cripple can rack a 1911 even with stronger spring sets. Here's a 3 minute vid on it:
But if a revolver is what you want, the Ruger GP100 is used by almost all ammunition and reloading component makers to test their product. You can call any of them to verify it. It will outlast any gun that has ever been made so far. That's why they use it. Extremely reliable and extremely durable. Comes available in different chamberings too. https://www.ruger.com/products/gp100/models.html
I now realize a revolver would suit me much better, but I don't really need it as concealed carry.
Q1. Is a concealed hammer still suitable for home use? and
Q2. Would a laser sight be of any practical benefit, either to scare threats or improve targetting?
A concealed hammer is fine for home use, but a shrouded hammer is more versatile in that it allows both single and double action shooting. I carry a S&W Model 638 almost all of the time. It's light weight, accurate and unnoticeable. It is a fine gun. However, if you're not planning to carry it, I'd recommend the Model 649 which is the same gun but in stainless steel and chambers the .357 magnum as well as the .38 special. It's a better choice for casual shooting too since it weighs more.
Don't try to scare threats. Draw you gun only when you're prepared to shoot. A laser is of very limited use, but do try one if you ever get the chance. I own several but have only used them for recreational shooting.
I feel that a revolver is the right weapon for many people who do not have the strength or dexterity in their hands to operate a semi auto slide and besides that, a revolver is more cut and dry but with two exceptions, a person needs to make sure they have the finger strength to pull the trigger on a revolver, and second, a person needs to make sure they have the strength and ability to lower a cocked hammer on a hammer model, without the firearm going off, both need to be practiced with an empty firearm, not being able to lower the hammer is where a hammerless would be the best choice, as long as that person has the strength to pull the trigger multiple times with the firearm staying on target.
As for hammer or hammerless, that is a personal choice but IMO a hammerless is much safer overall for most people who do not use a firearm often, for myself, I prefer my revolvers have external hammers.
As for laser, a laser is an excellent training tool, turning it on and pulling the trigger on an empty firearm while pointed at a target will show and teach a person where the firearm would end up being pointed once the trigger is pulled, and second, a laser pointed at a person who has a lesser weapon can be a great deterrent, having one on my firearm saved me from having to kill a teenager who had a pellet gun that looked like a real gun, he had the good sense to toss it down when my laser was on his chest and fortunately for him he did not have the firearm pointed at me or he likely would have gotten shot, laser or no laser
I suggest a 6 shoot 357 Mag revolver with a small grip.
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