Hi, I am looking into buying a revolver for my wife everyday carry/put in the car gun and have decided on a revolver for her because of the simplicity. I am contemplating on a 6 vs 7 shot revolver. I'm thinking something like a Taurus 617 2'' (with choice of .38 or devestating .357) so she can put it in her purse easily and as many rounds as possible.
 
Am I correct thinking that a 6-round revolver will be bigger/thicker than my 5-round revolver? Furthermore, is a 6 round revolver any smaller than a 7 round (i've read they are the same diameter cylinders..so hence same size ?) ? If that is so, am I correct thinking 7-round would be more advantagous (more rounds, same size) to a 6-round and would only loose to the 5-round (more rounds, but bigger) ? Then, what would be another good option balanced in size/price/etc. revolver besides my choice Taurus 617 ?

Yes.

yes, the cylinder has to be larger to accomodate more rounds.  sometimes they can squeeze in one more if there is room in the cyldiner.

if this is a car/truck gun, then why would size matter?   you could have a cannon in there and no one would know.  If she is going to carry then that would be a different sit.

just go out to your local gun shops/shows and feel whats out there.  

there are several options from Taurus, S&W, Colt, Ruger.  probalby some others too.

one thing nice if you get a 357, you can shoot 38s thru it, but not the other way round.

if you can find a rental range, i would see whats availble there and have her shoot them will full house loads. thet way she will have an idea on the bark and recoil.

357 in small frame guns can be tough to handle- I have a smith model 60 3 inch that I shot a couple cylinders of 357 in- never again. gets carried with 38's. if it is a car gun (I'd never leave a gun in my car in my area) a medium size 6 shot would be better, but tough to conceal for a small frame woman. I'd go for S&W before anything else. Can usually find used smith model 10's (the quintessential cop gun of the 20th century) cheap and they are very accurate and relaible, a good bit easier to shoot effectively than the small frame guns.

Generally the more they hold the bigger the frame they are built on. Sometimes capacity can vary in the same frame size and the extra round is free. Smith L frames can hold six or seven, N frames six or eight.

   Regarding that, the only exception is when moving from a 6-shot to 7-shot cylinder diameter is the same, hence size is the same correct ? just wanted to confirm that.

+1 on what captain' said.
if it was going to be a shooter i'd stay w/S&W.

Just throwing this out there...
You said that you want to get her a revolver because of its simplicity.  A Glock or an M&P, for example, are quite simple also.  Instead of 6-8 rounds she could have 10-18 rounds.  You also mentioned that she may carry the gun instead of just have it in the car.  An auto will be slimmer and thus easier and more comfortable to carry.  It's also going to be easier for her to make accurate shots with an auto.  

(Before anyone says that autos can jam - revolvers can too.  It's actually a pretty rare occasion that a quality autopistol with quality ammo jams.  When a revolver does jam: good luck fixing it quickly.)

Anyway, don't discount getting her a more capable firearm.

Whatever you do, let your wife decide.  Let her try some J, K and L frame Smith & Wessons, with different grips.  A J-frame will be the lightest, but recoil from +P ammo will be substantial.

When she shoots, make it double-action.  It's easy to get good group single action, but if she's forced to defend herself, it's going to be DA.

Not necessarily. A K frame will hold 6 but never 7. An L frame is larger and is available in 6 or 7 shot form. So if you get a SMith 686, it is an L frame, and the plus model as it is called, will hold 7.

  I've narrowed it down to: S&W 686, 686+, and Taurus 617. Are all three models the same size (length, width, etc.) ? anyone have experience handling them ? I need to go to the gun show with her and have her handle them, but never any time these days.

  Reason i picked revolver because its easy to handle, no safety, and LESS prone to jam (yes my taurus 608 cylinder "broke/blew off" once). AND you can shoot it underwater without jaming (yeh i know, like she'll need that). I took her to the range for the first time some months ago and went through all my semi's (glock, beretta, etc.), that was her "first" time shooting, and she doesn't like to do it...which means she'll never do it again. That's another reason I want something that she can pick up if the situation ever came to it, point, and pull without thinking. I had to literally throw a gun into her car for her to carry it, temporarily my carry S&W model 60. Next step is to get a CHL for her.

If she does not like to shoot, then no amount of forcing it on her will ever change that, no matter what firearm she picks.

If she is not willing to practice and become even moderately proficient then she probably should not have a weapon in the first place.

IMHO, no offense meant, just trying to be honest.

May as well get the Plus. Smiths are better than Tauruses and 7 shots are better than 6.

May as well get the Plus. Smiths are better than Tauruses and 7 shots are better than 6.
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 Yeh, thats what i wanted to confirm. 6-shot cylinder is the same, in terms of diameter as the 7-shot ? if so, Does that go for all 7-shot vs. 6-shot revolver or just the s&w?

Just the smith I believe. The L frame was built for six but they fit another in.

So this is just a counterpoint given by some random chump on a gun board but if I may:

I highly recommend AGAINST purchasing a revolver for a female shooter unless she's the sort of shooter who's already into and proficient with revolvers.

Revolvers are orders of magnitude more complicated - both mechanically and operationally - than autos.

Their limited capacity requires their shooter to be more proficient with their operation than do shooters with autos.

The FBI has compiled statistics showing that in 80+ years of data collected on firefights that only 19% of rounds expended actually strike their targets.

Therefore for a five-shot revolver, you're looking at a less than one hit per all five rounds expended.

These same statistics have stated that one-shot kills are by far the norm, with many gunshot wound victims requiring several center mass strikes to be neutralized.

A revolver is more complicated and requires more fine motor skills to reload than does an auto and thus requires extensive training to assure a fast, consistent reload. And with the above point about hit ratios explained, the shooter WILL be reloading a revolver in any given gunfight. It is to be expected.

Now given these points, I reiterate that I would recommend against giving a revolver to a female shooter unless she is:

I. Willing to train.
A. Willing to train on the high-power defensive loads which as a guy who carries a small revolver can tell you, ain't pleasant on the hands when firing.
B. Willing to put in the thousands of repetitions required to be able to reload a revolver from a speedloader or speedstrip, while under the stress of a live-fire situation in order to stay in the fight.

II. Willing to carry.
A. Revolvers are considerably heavier and bulkier than small autos.
B. Revolver speedloaders tend to be bulkier than spare magazines.

and III. Willing to use the thing.

Now I'm not here to talk you out of buying a revolver, but these are the points I give to anybody who wants to buy one for their wife/girlfriend/daughter what have you as they tend to think that a revolver is a much simpler affair for a carry gun than an auto.

It's my opinion as a layman who's taken a few defensive pistol courses, as a salesman who has sold a ton of handguns and as a revolver aficionado myself that you purchase a polymer-framed striker-fired or DAO auto in the 9x19 caliber.

There is nothing wrong with the Glock 26 or Kel Tec P11 (or PF9) for a female shooter. I gave my P11 to a female friend because I felt that since she wasn't willing to put in the time and dedication on training with the revolver her ex had given her and that she'd be best off with a DAO auto (and I just happened to have one laying around).

Now if your wife is the sort of person who sits in front of an open youtube window and shadow-apes Jerry Miculek as he's loading and unloading in that amazing super-fast way he does, then by all means get a concealed hammer Smith and buy her tons of Bianchi speed strips and keep her loaded with Gold Dots.

I understand men's desire to protect their wife/gf, but it's pretty much useless unless she's in it.



By the way, if she can operate a car then she can operate a semi-auto. The learning curb to operate one is not much more harder than a revolver. Also, semi-autos are easier to shoot in my opinion.



 

You  might want to reconsider.  My wife made the carry decision and we went to all kinds of places before settling on a firearm that she chose because it suited her well.  She's a revolver shooter, but selected a 3913TSW for her carry piece and loves it.

Revolver is a bad choice for a first gun. The small ones are hard to shoot, the big ones are big.

I got my girlfriend a Glock 19, she loves it. 15+1 rounds of 9mm, easy shooting, simple to operate, super reliable, and plenty accurate. I had her take Paul Gomez's Intro to Defensive Pistol, which is a better one day class than most full vlasses, and we took Tactical Response's Fighting Pistol and Advanced Fighting Pistol. She just took her CHL class and is waiting to get her permit.

Revolvers have a place, but not for her.

Your wife has to want to defend herself. Any gun in the hands of someonewho doesnt have the correct mindset is dangerous.

Mindset > tactics > skill > gear.

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The heavy L frame  in 2.5 or 3inch barrel

will help big time with recoil of +P 38spl ( dont even bother with Full power 357mag loads)

I`d rather have the 6rds myself

My X wife carried a S&W 640 357mag (5rds)
But only used 38+P

Again the heavy SS frame helps with the recoil

Just wanted to say that my wife carries a glock 19, and the Smith 686+ is a fantastic gun even if large-ish.
Let her pick out the gun she wants. Make sure she is committed to using it if necessary.