The Best Revolvers For WomenRevolverGuy.Com
I recently ran across a blog that listed some revolver recommendations for women. I scanned through the article and found most of the recommendations to be based on superficial factors like the color of the frame. Yep, – I kid you not – pink. The other key factors seemed to play right into the old size stereotype. According to this article, the J-Frame reigned supreme as the ideal revolver – or possibly even the ideal handgun – for women. Today I’m going to submit my thoughts on the best revolvers for women.
I’ve had this article in the queue for a while, and was waiting for the right opportunity to run it. This week I was spurred into action. Greg Ellifritz responded to an article about guns for women. Go read his article, and the article that prompted it. Still, unbelievably, there is a lot of bad information about “guns for women” floating around out there.
Revolvers for WomenCurious, I searched for a few more articles of this ilk and consistently found the same themes over and over: pink guns, tiny guns, guns that are “easy to operate” or “user-friendly”
I ran the idea of “revolvers for women” by my girlfriend. This was at least partially spurred when we were in a gun shop and she noticed pink and purple snubnose revolvers. . . and was not amused (she’s a pre-lock Smith fan, after all!). We chatted about the idea for a while, and I came to some conclusions. It seems that an awful lot of articles about “[fill in the blank shooting product] for women” are based on poorly considered criteria.-----
More Bad CriteriaI recently ran across a blog that listed some revolver recommendations for women. I scanned through the article and found most of the recommendations to be based on superficial factors like the color of the frame. Yep, – I kid you not – pink. The other key factors seemed to play right into the old size stereotype. According to this article, the J-Frame reigned supreme as the ideal revolver – or possibly even the ideal handgun – for women. Today I’m going to submit my thoughts on the best revolvers for women.
I’ve had this article in the queue for a while, and was waiting for the right opportunity to run it. This week I was spurred into action. Greg Ellifritz responded to an article about guns for women. Go read his article, and the article that prompted it. Still, unbelievably, there is a lot of bad information about “guns for women” floating around out there.
Revolvers for WomenCurious, I searched for a few more articles of this ilk and consistently found the same themes over and over: pink guns, tiny guns, guns that are “easy to operate” or “user-friendly”
I ran the idea of “revolvers for women” by my girlfriend. This was at least partially spurred when we were in a gun shop and she noticed pink and purple snubnose revolvers. . . and was not amused (she’s a pre-lock Smith fan, after all!). We chatted about the idea for a while, and I came to some conclusions. It seems that an awful lot of articles about “[fill in the blank shooting product] for women” are based on poorly considered criteria.
One huge reason for recommending revolvers to women: simplicity. Revolvers seem to be upheld as the ideal carry/defense gun for women because they have a very straightforward manual-of-arms. This assumes that women are incapable of learning and cannot be counted on to train or practice. This assumes they can’t (or won’t) become proficient on a system with a more complex manual-of-arms.
I think the assumption is accurate, but only in the exact same way it is accurate for men. Sorry men, but most of you (and by most, I mean something like 99%) will never seek training beyond basic, state-mandated minimums for your concealed carry permit, if you even bother to seek that level of training. This means a gun with a simple manual of arms shouldn’t be a gendered firearm; people advocating revolvers for women on the basis of simplicity should probably be pushing them on their male customers, too encouraging customers of both sexes to train more, regardless of what they purchase or carry.
Unfortunately, despite being popularly considered a gun that requires no skill, small revolvers are recognized by experts as the domain of the expert. All other things being equal, a smaller revolver will be more difficult to shoot than a larger one (obviously up to a point). To answer the question, “is a J-Frame (or equivalent) the best revolver for a certain woman?” we should first ask another question: “what is the woman’s current level of competency and/or is she willing to practice and seek training?” If the woman in question is willing to seek knowledge, invest in training, and commit to some practice, a small revolver might just be the perfect firearm. Or it very well may not be.
More Bad CriteriaAnother criteria common to most of the revolvers recommended to women seems to be size. In articles, gun stores, and family discussions, small revolvers are often recommended to women. Does the majority of the female market want small guns? Maybe, and I really can’t answer that. However, even if the female market desperately demands small revolvers that still doesn’t speak to their suitability.
Secondly, because a woman happens to be female doesn’t automatically mean her hands are small. I absolutely loathe the knee-jerk “woman = small hands = small gun.” Consider the variability of the human form. I have fairly small hands for a man. I have a good buddy who is is about six inches taller than me and has a very muscular fifty pounds on me. His hands, however, are much smaller than mine. I’ve also dated at least two women whose hands were larger than mine.
Better CriteriaLet’s assume you are a woman who is interested in owning/using/carrying a revolver. What makes a good revolver for you? I have compiled some objective criteria that I think make a good revolver. I will recommend a few specific models further down in the article, but understanding what makes a good revolver is more important than specific recommendations. The things that make a revolver well-suited to nearly any purpose, be it defense, training, fun range sessions, or whatever, are these: high quality, an excellent trigger, good sights, and sufficient grip surface.
Criteria 1: High QualityAny firearm that is relied on for life-and-death defense should be of high quality. This is a problem I see with many of the pink/purple/pastel guns on the market: most of them are from second-tier manufacturers. These guns will usually work (I was impressed with the Taurus I recently reviewed) but there is probably a reason they use marketing gimmicks like a broad range of color options to sell guns. I would recommend sticking to one of the top-tier manufacturers. Ruger is a good example – I’d almost hands-down recommend any of their revolvers. These guns will be far less likely to have problems from the factory. If cared for they will last several lifetimes. None of their revolvers, to my knowledge, come in pink or purple.
There’s another benefit here, too. Popular, high-quality revolvers from top tier manufacturers will usually give you access to the generous aftermarket support. It is very difficult to find holsters, speedloaders, replacement grips, and other accessories for some of the lower-end revolvers unless they are direct knock-offs of larger manufacturers. This is not always true; if you’re purchasing a very new model support may still be limited.
Criteria 2: An Excellent TriggerOne of the most important criteria in a revolver is its trigger. All double-action revolver triggers are going to be long, but there are other qualitative differences. Triggers can be smooth or gritty and light or heavy. Choosing a gun with an excellent trigger will go a long way toward making you accurate with the gun. A rough, gritty trigger can smooth itself out over time; a heavy one will not lighten perceptibly over time.
Smith & Wesson factory revolvers will have a sub-optimal trigger when they are brand new. This can be somewhat corrected with lots of use, both at the range and in dry practice (both of which have other, obvious benefits). The components of the trigger smooth with use. Triggers are not going to get much lighter through use, though. The S&W J-Frames are perennial favorites as “purse guns,” but their triggers are notoriously heavy. This can be corrected with the addition of an Apex Duty/Carry Spring Kit or TK Custom’s J-Frame Spring/Firing Pin Kit, but there are also excellent options available out of the box.
Criteria 3: Good, Visible SightsI’m also a fan of revolvers with the best possible sighting situation. Preferences vary based on the shooter. For some, good sights might simply mean a plain blade with some pink or orange nail polish or model paint applied. For others it might be a fiber optic front or a set of night sights.
More:
https://revolverguy.com/the-best-revolvers-for-women/
