Hi ladies.

Do any of you daily carry a revolver, and if so, which one and why?

I renewed my conceal carry permit today and it was a reminder I've been without a carry gun since the big bad breakup 4 years ago, when I had to sell damn near everything to pay off mutual debts.

It sucks and I finally have some wiggle room for something small and cheap. Looking for suggestions.

Not a woman. But if you insist on a sd revolver a smith and Wesson 642 is hard to beat.

I've worked with two ladies as they trained/practiced to get their concealed carry licenses.  I own several revolvers, and let them shoot the various models.  Both of them settled on the Ruger SP101.  A little on the hefty side, but smallish as it's only a 5-shot, and the weight helps mitigate recoil/muzzle flip.  Being a .357, you can choose what power level you want - 38, 38+P or .357.  38+p seemed to be the one most preferred.  Add the Hogue monogrip, and they both shot very well and comfortably.

Not a female but this popped up in my active topics:

I took my mom gun shopping and out of every handgun the shop had she really liked a DAO SP101. Though it’s chambered in 357 I bought her some HST 38s for carry. Recoil is very manageable and the DAO model seems to have a much lighter/smoother trigger than my old DA/SA SP101. The 357 LCR also has manageable recoil (when compared to the 38 LCR and loaded with identical 38 loads) but she liked the stainless better.

Same here; I carry a 640-1, which is a hammerless J-frame in .357. I have +P ammo  in it. I like having the options of different ammo.
640-1



642 as Vengarr mentioned. It appears to have the dreaded Lawyer Lock in it; I don't know if they were available before that legislation passed.



Bianci speed strips for feeding after the first engagement:



They can apparently be had in 5, 6, 7 or 8 round models. I got the 6 round for my 5-round J frame and also my 6 round GP100.

Holster: I've switched to The Holster King. This holds my 640 or my Springfield XD45. I had to modify it slightly and now it works perfectly!

Best of luck, and I truly hope you never have to use it in anger.

We’ve tried virtually everything for my wife. She prefers the LCRx in 38 Special.

My sister likes her Smith Model 66
Not a big gun, not a small gun, .38 Special or .357 Mag

Out my Smiths the ladies enjoyed the Model 10 K frame 4" barrel the best. I was surprised they didn't like the smaller S&W 36 Chief Special 3" barrel. Larger gun had less recoil and trigger was easier for them to pull. They had trouble with the J frame triggers. I love my 642 for carry, but first time lady shooters hate it. The 686 Plus loaded with 38 Special was also popular, 4" barrel, 7 shot, L frame. I really want to get a Kimber 3" barrel revolver next. I think the ladies might like it. And yeah the Ruger SP101 is a good choice for ladies as well. I know a few women who carry that gun.

Do you prefer a revolver, or are you thinking it might be a cheaper option for a carry weapon? I carried a revolver until I got some semi autos. If price is the biggest consideration, I recently got a Ruger LCP .380 (1st gen) for $175 brand new when the new generation came out. After spending $20 for a couple of grip extensions, $14 for a Hogue rubberized grip sleeve and $30 for a belt clip, I ended up with a nicely set up CCW for under $250.

Not a woman but an instructor who has carried revolvers as well as semi-autos.

Problem with revolvers is carrying reloads. I used the Bianchi Speed Strips but can tell you that reloading with them is cumbersome and under stress, it is likely a real bear! Carrying speed loaders are very bulky and difficult to carry effectively, plus if you change grips be sure that they clear the grips . . . they sometimes won't!

After carrying a S&W 642 for 5 yrs every day I settled on semi-autos and won't look back.

Just some info for you ladies to consider in the decision-making process.

I've just always liked them. I dunno. I'm sure it's not the most practical comparatively, but I've always wanted one.

The first gun I ever shot was my dad's .44 Magnum. Obviously he had to help me with that one at a young age. Always saw dad as this big tough badass with a revolver on his hip, so there's some nostalgia there. I just want a lot smaller.

Also not a woman but have worked with them as a instructor quite a bit.

Most always a battle to pick a carry gun. What is easy to carry is small and light and therefore difficult and unpleasant to shoot . What is easy to shoot is too large and heavy to easily carry. These things hold true for both men and women. always a compromise.

I myself carry mostly a S&W 642 (light alloy 5 shot38sp) but it is difficult to shoot well even with standard 38 special loads , with 38 +P it is a stinker. Don't consider
any of the similar airweight guns in 357

Although I am a serious S&W guy I have shot and been impressed by the Ruger LCR line.

First step is to identify how the gun is to be carried. In the car (if legal in your area) is one thing .belt carry on your person is something else , in a bag is something else again.

For the OP , sounds like you had something in the past,no use re-inventing the wheel , if it worked in the past go for a similar gun or model .

Finally my top suggestion is to somehow find a way to shoot a gun before purchase if at all possible

Maybe get something more practical and inexpensive for now, and get the nostalgia revolver when you are more financially settled? I agree with LenS: revolver reloads are problematic, and that's probably the best reason for not recommending one for a daily carry.

Personally, if I had the ca$h for it, I'd go for a semi-automatic, simply because of the additional magazine size. However, many of the super-concealable semis only offer one more round than the revolver, so the advantage is moot.

Full disclosure, I'm not a woman, but I have taught a lot of women to shoot.

I would go with the Ruger LCR snubnose in .357 Magnum.  Here are the reasons why :

With a .357 Magnum revolver, you can shoot 357 Magnum or .38 Special ammunition.  If we ever find ourselves in a scenario where we have to scavenge for supplies this will come in handy.

The front sight is pinned in place.  This means you can easily replace the front sight with an aftermarket front sight like a XS Big Dot front sight.  The vast majority of S&W snubnoses, the front sight is machined out of the steel that made the revolver.  To replace this front sight, you would need to take it to a gunsmith and have the front sight ground off and then the replacement front sight epoxied in place.

In the winter months I carry a snubnose in my winter jacket pocket in addition to what ever is on my belt.

I hope this helped.  Be safe.

Also not a woman. So it sounds like you want horsepower in a small package, excellent choice. Unfortunately it's not easy since their's compromises to be made as you know.
I'll spit ball for a minute:

1. forget revolvers, trigger pull, recoil & reloading puts you behind the curve with semi's. I'm assuming your wanting this for self defense carry?

2. look for a semi with a Steel frame, not aluminum. BHP type gun that's S&W "Shield" size would be the bee's knees.
Something reliable in the smallest, and most heavy hunk of steel will be the fastest to become proficient with
and enjoy.

3. Magazine fed is built in with Semi's.

4. Revolver's while inherently reliable, are also more time intensive to shoot accurately compared to Semi-auto's.
Since all the recoil is absorbed by the shooter and not the gun and shooter. (Depending on the person's hatred
of recoil etc..) It will take more time to become as proficient with a revolver compared to a Semi-auto.

Just with my personal experience I'll recommend the S&W shield in 9mm. Its the smallest package I'd
be comfortable with that has enough firepower for self defense carry.

I'm late to the party but I agree with selfmademan.  After teaching dozens of women to shoot over the last 15 years, a revolver would not by my first choice for anyone unless they are willing to practice on a regular basis.

The Shield is a nice choice as it is reasonably priced and reliable.

A quality, compact 1911 in 9mm is also a good choice. The heavier weight is a little harder to carry but they shoot like a dream.

n/m already replied.

We’ve found another gun my wife likes.  The M&P Shield EZ, its a 380.

Not female.  On the other hand, I am an le firearms instructor in way back when my first duty gun was a smith model 19.  I also have carried various wheel guns off duty or as a backup.  So no recommendations but things to consider.

While bigger IME/IMO snub revolvers tend to conceal better in a pocket than a similar sized or even larger semi.  I carried a colt agent (alloyed frame detective special) for over a decade as a BUG and off duty.  I shot it enough to wear it out.  Dimensionally it was similar in size to a glock 19.  But was less obvious in a front jeans pocket than the 26 I eventually had to replace it with.

Snubs can be very accurate.  Back in the day, smiths were slightly smaller but colts snubs were considered more accurate.  I have run the colorado post course and qualified with the colt, an older taurus, a rossi  special and sp101's in 38 and 357 and a ruger lcr in 38.  The course goes out to 25 yards.

I recommend avoiding stainless front sights.  I know a lot of people who have issues with stainless on stainless sights washing out and/or being harder to use.  It was not an issue when I was younger but as I have aged it has become more of an issue for me.

Change the fucking grips.  You do not always have to, but if the revolver you end up with has skinny wood grips or if it as an lcr, ditch those grips and get something that fits.  It is relatively cheap and while it may make the gun a little harder to conceal the increase in comfort, trigger control and accuracy makes it a good trade.

Fucking practice.  My second academy most people had revolvers but three had autos.  I had just spent a year and a half of the previous 2 years firing 50-100 rounds  a week.  So I could almost keep up with the semi auto guys (nope cant do it anymore, the colt went by by around ten years ago and I have put maybe 200 rounds through wheel guns since then.  though I am working on it since I just picked up an lcr and a model 19).

Speed strips are your friend for ccw, especially in warm climes, but you need to practice, a fucking lot.  Speedloaders are easier but bulkier/harder to conceal.

Weight.  This is huge with snubbies.  Lighter nicer to carry but more recoil.  Figure out how you are going to carry it then figure out which one you want.  Carrying an sp101 in a front pants pocket fucking sucked.  It sucked so much I sold the bitch.  Over a pound and a half loaded  IMO, pocket carry weight should be a pound or less unloaded. If your primary carry is going to be in a purse, fuck it shop around for a three inch k frame or a speed or security six in the 2.75 range.

If IWB is your thing, you are probably better with an auto than a wheel.  yes, You can carry a wheel gun IWB but IME it is not fun.  Especially with a non rigid holster.

Auto cartridges in wheel guns.  I have never owned one but I keep hoping to come across an sp101 or security/speed six snub in 9mm south of $400.  I remember reading an article about the sp101 9mm when they were new where the author claimed chrono'd velocites from his sp101 the same or slightly higher than he got with his beretta 92.  As a young cop carrying a beretta 92, it made me feel all funny.

As to specific guns.

Hands down my all time favorite revolver (not just snubby) was my colt agent.  It was more accurate than I was, it was close in accuracy to my 6" model 19.  I shot it better than I shot my 2.5 inch 19.  It concealed incredibly well.  It was a joy to carry (alloy frame).  Plus that sixth shot was huge to me.  1 round is not a lot of increase.  20% on the other hand is.  Additionally, the old colt detective special and its alloy siblings could be reloaded with k frame speed loaders.  So it made life easier if your primary was a k frame.

SP101 second favorite to shoot.  The only snubby I owned i liked carrying less was my model 19.  Largely due to front pocket carry.  The damn thing probably weighed as much as my glock 26 with fewer bullets(25 ounces empty).  But it was a joy to shoot and I would shoot quals with it with full house 357's while not fun it wasn't to much worse than plus p's through the colt.

Taurus/rossi.  Just don't.  While I used to be willing to carry their wheel guns my last one changed my mind.  First range trip the cylinder detent (front side plate screw holds in a ball detent and spring which keeps the cylinder in place when open) came out of the gun.  I did not realize it had come out.   I have had a replacement on back order for two fucking years.  But fuuuuuck I loved me some rossi 44 special.  Wished I had never sold it.

The ruger lcr.  So far it has been ok, but I just don't love it as much as the colt or sp101.  To be honest, I liked the taurus 85 I had as a spare for a couple years a little better.  But I have not shot it much so that might change with more practice.  I will say, I like the weight and I do have a big dot night sight in my amazon list for it.  Which is a nice feature IMO.

Charter arms.  To be honest, i am not sure.  QC over the years was hit or miss.  But they did make some nice guns at times.  The only charters I have shot were 70/80's manufacture.  Maybe some one else has more recent experience.

Full size snubs.  I liked my 2.5 inch model 19.  My rossie 44 was on a kframe iirc.  They were great to shoot.  Concealing them was noticeably harder than the colt or any of the five shot snubs.  But if weight is not as much of an issue, it is something to look at.  And, in all honesty if you are going to be limited to one gun and belt or purse carry it may be a better option than a j frame.

Good luck.  And as always, JMHO/YMMV

Yeah, I never get why girls are pointed towards revolvers, they are not better or easier to use. As a guy I gravitate to what's better and easier to use and it's nowhere near revolvers, bolt action rifles, lever action rifles, black powder rifles or shotguns in general.

XCRmonger can do what she wants, because she probably knows what she is getting into for the most part. But I just don't get why girls are directed down the road (usually by guys) of hard to use antique firearms... It just makes no sense.

Ruger SP101, 3.whatever" barrel.   It recoils back into the hand.  I loved mine, then my wife loved mine hers.  I had to chase another down.  Both of mine are the early models, which were actually Ruger's toe dipping.  They basically relabeled their SP101 to 357 to see if it would sell, before they tooled up for the 357 cylinder.  So mine are bother stamped 125 Grain only, meaning the cylinder is a bit shorter than the 357 cylinder.  I loved em both and my wife could shot a group the size of your palm right out of the box.

Now, if you want to step it up a notch i cost and go retro, the Colt Detective is a great revolver.   That's my theater gun.  I hate having a gun on my hip at the movies, so I carry the Colt in a shoulder holster.  I've shot this Colt next to several S&W revolvers and, like the Ruger, it recoils into the hand without the muzzle snap.

Sent a PM, and then came back and realized this is a zombie thread.  Silly me!

I had a K6S I liked, but now it's a P365 for the town and a P320C for hiking.