SP101 in .327 Federal for Wife/home defense?

[32magfan]

The 327 SP101 is my carry gun. I do not / would not feel undergunned with it. 32 H&R loads or the "Low Recoil" 85-grain Federal load are not harsh in the rather beefy SP101. You also gain another round over a J-frame 38/357, SP101 in same caliber or LCR which all have only 5 shots.

Another thought is the GP100 in 327. It has 7 shots and is a little bigger but soaks up recoil better than an SP101.

I have to second whoever said an old model 10 in 38SPL would maybe be the best option. I have one and it is my house gun along with a 12 Gauge Pump. They are available from Bud's currently for $269 - a great deal.

I am a fan of 32's so go for it if she likes it.

If you reload, the .32's really shine for economy reloading. :wink:

My .02,

32Magfan

 

[Bear Paw Jack]

CH good to see you over here. I sold you the 338 fluted barrel. I really like the SP101 especially with the hogue grips and a 3" barrel I think she could handle 38 specials. Another gun women like a lot is the Ruger Security Six with the Hogue grips. 4" barrel 38 specials should be just the ticket. A little tough to find sometimes but they are out there. If you decide to go that way maybe I could help you find one.
Glad your wife is doing better. I suspect spending a few minutes with an empty gun dry firing and holding the gun would go a long ways toward helping her build up her strength.

 

[Verndog]

I purchased a SP101 .327 for my wife several months ago for some of the same reasons as you. Her strength is OK and she handled the Security Six well but we wanted something smaller we could carry in the motorhome with us. As stated the .32's are easy shooting, the 32 magnums just a bit more, then the .327's are a substantial jump, more so in noise then recoil. We went to the low recoil 85g and she was OK with them but they are still very loud to shoot and cause her a bit of anxiety to shoot comfortably. The good thing is there are many choices, I think the 32 H&R magnums may be what we settle on but for now I have the low recoil .327's loaded. I always have her finish up last 6 rounds at the range with the SD load after shooting 32's as the difference is significant to .327 mag.

 

[Coyote Hunter]

CH good to see you over here. I sold you the 338 fluted barrel. I really like the SP101 especially with the hogue grips and a 3" barrel I think she could handle 38 specials. Another gun women like a lot is the Ruger Security Six with the Hogue grips. 4" barrel 38 specials should be just the ticket. A little tough to find sometimes but they are out there. If you decide to go that way maybe I could help you find one.
Glad your wife is doing better. I suspect spending a few minutes with an empty gun dry firing and holding the gun would go a long ways toward helping her build up her strength.

For the time being we stuck my 9mm Browning BDM away where she can get at it quickly, empty chamber, though, so she will have to rack it. Might change that and just leave the hammer down. Sometime in the next few days I think we'll hide her Single Six with the .22 Mag cylinder and the 45g Hornady FTX "Critical Defense" rounds loaded up. I still want to get her a DA revolver, however.

Tonight we played around with changing her grip and using her left thumb to cock rather than her right (she is right-handed). Although a little unnatural for her at first, it made it easier for her to cock the revolvers from the standpoint of reaching the hammer while maintaining a good grip. Worked well on the Single Six as well as my Blackhawk. My Super Redhawk .44 Mag has Hogue grips and it helped her there, too. (They appear to be identical to the ones used on the GP 100, or nearly so.)

I can't thank you enough for the barrel. It has found a good home and will get a lot of use. You've undoubtedly seen the pictures before but for those that have not, here is the completed .338 Win Mag on the left, assembled from an action, barrel and stock by Lockburner Firearms in Monument, CO. The scope is a Burris Fullfield II 3-9x with Ballistic Plex reticle.

(The rifle on top is a #1 in .280 Rem.)

Here is the elk I took with the .338 last November:

Love that rifle!

 

[Bear Paw Jack]

Great pictures and some good eating there. Looks like a winner to me.
Take care.

 

[flatgate]

My wife just doesn't have the hand strength to rack the slide on a centerfire pistol. Choice #2 was the SP-101 with .38 Specials. Much better until she saw the LCR! She's very comfortable with the operation of this one.

flatgate

 

[Russ7777]

I am also looking for a pistol for my wife. We are going to the store today to look at a .327 mag for her. I am thinking very strongly about a GP100 for her. We are going to look at one and see how it fits her hand.

I am going the revovler route because she cannot operate the slide on my autos.

 

[Pal Val]

Picking a gun for your wife? Bad idea. You might do just as well picking out a bra for her. I say again, let her pick her own. The day a man learns what's inside a woman's mind, Einstein fall a far second place in the genius list.

Long experience and a good number of hard knocks taught me...

 

[PiratePast40]

We bought the older style grips for our GP100 and they fit my wifes hands better than the newer Hogue grips with the finger grooves. 115 grain .38 specials are very manageable for her without hurting her arms or hands. She finds the .357 's very uncomfortable.

 

[Singleshotneeded]

I'd get the SP101 in .357 Magnum, it's got a bit of heft to reduce recoil in order to handle the magnum cartridge, and you can use Hornady Critical Defence .38 Special ammunition in it for her. If you feel like shooting it one day at the range, you can load it with .357 Mag ammo and enjoy. I'm thinking the weight of the GP100 might be a bit much for her...all the best!