I agree.    My mother prefers a customized Glock G22 and my wife a G27.

I prefer to layer security, as I mentioned above.    Those layers sometimes include  380s and 38s.

I was going to say...cheap + revolver isn't often the best idea. You often get a new, cheap revolver, or and old, beat up revolver. There really aren't many sweet deals out there to be found. Personally, I like Ruger or S&W...and that's it. Like someone said earlier, I have a 2016 year Charter Bulldog and it works fine...but it kicks hard, is unrefined, and .44 spcl is super expensive to shoot.

My wife has an old S&W 67-1 that she loves to shoot...but truth be told, she's a far better shot with my XD sub compact in 9mm. On top of that, unless you reload, .38 spcl really isn't super cheap to shoot either...at least 50% more than 9mm.

I'll also say that I agree with many concerning the small .38 J-Frame revolvers...they're not fun to shoot, at all. I'm not going to say that they hurt, they're just not fun. I've had several Airweight J-Frames as well as a poly .38 Bodyguard...I always land up getting rid of them.

I'm a dyed-in-the-wool S&W guy, but...

Out of pure curiosity, I picked up an all-steel Taurus 85 over the holidays for $240 out-the-door. Much more comfortable to shoot than an Airweight J-frame. Much more "shootable" to me in that I shoot it much better than I ever shot an Airweight, presumably on account of the added weight lending itself to more hand comfort throughout the session. I put 200 rounds of +P 158gr LSWC reloads  through it in one range session, and am looking forward to shooting it some more. I did not have any failures, but I did wipe down the face of the cylinder after the first 100 rounds. I think a lot of the issues that people have with binding cylinders on these guns may be due to carbon and lead buildup, powder and carbon under the extractor star, or both. Keeping those areas clean, mine ran like a champ.

Overall, I am somewhat impressed, considering that I carry pocket knives that cost more than this thing. She's an ugly matte blue and the cylinder ratchet looks like it was filed into shape rather than machined, but it's an accurate little gun that isn't punishing to shoot. All it has to do now is not fall apart, and it's not giving me any indication that it wants to.

My cheap Rossi revolver collection.....



Rossi BrazTech


The two above Rossi revolvers are close in size to the S&W J frame.  The grips are not interchangeable with a S&W.  Both are .38 Special, 5 shot, 2" bbl and made out of SS.



The above Rossi revolver is a .357 Mag, 2" bbl, 6 shot, SS.  It's about the size of a K frame S&W (but not).  Again, the grips are not interchangeable with a S&W.

The first pictured revolver and the third one, besides being Rossi stamped, also have the importer's stamp: Interarms.   Wow......yes, they're that old.

Aloha, Mark

Me too....well said

Ruger LCR

This is my first line revolver for the ladies of the house.
One Md.65, one Md.10.
I do have a 3" Md.66 but that's for me as a back up to my Md.27.

This thinking is why I just bought a Taurus 85 UL. That and I got it for $100 less than a Smith (and I do like my S&W 4566.) The point is that Taurus hasn't cut costs by removing the underlug to house the extractor pin, and you do get a lifetime weapon guarantee, regardless of owner.

What do I read about them?: First, CLEAN IT. Too many roadtesters and owners have stated that if they hose it out, including under the sideplate, it's a remarkably closer feel to a S&W out of the box. That advice is no different than what we tell new AR owners or new auto pistol owners, but for some reason, revolver buyers seem to think their guns were assembled in a clean room and can't possibly have machining swarf or heavy grease in them. Well, the others do, why would a revolver be different?

Second, wipe the face of the cylinder in long strings of shooting. They CAN get too much fouling in between the cylinder and forcing cone of the barrel - that is specifically a revolver thing that no auto pistol suffers from. One the other hand, it won't crack at the ejection port like an Austrian auto pistol after 100,000 rounds either.

NO gun is perfect.

From there, use crimped ammo, not reloads with lightly fitted bullets and +P powder loads that cause so much recoil it literally jerks the bullet out of the case mouth and jams them into the barrel while rotating.

Revolvers can be highly reliable, but if you don't do your part, then expect poor maintenance and bad ammo to fall into play. And, by the way, when recently looking up "revolver cylinders locking up" I found on one search engine that other makes came up often. Cylinder lockup is not the purvey of just one brand, and revolvers require more maintenance in use - they are not self loaders and their owners in the day never subjected them to 500 rounds a session. It was simply never considered.

Don't forget that all those Detective Specials were carried and cleaned much more often that shot on a daily basis. They were reliable because their owners understood maintenance was important. They were never intended to be low crawled thru mud, carried in frozen holsters, or even to require one and only one issued cartridge load manufactured under strict specifications. Military use moved to other designs pretty fast - but the personal handgun carried under a coat would tolerate the revolver design and work well. That is their correct application and they still serve in that role since they were invented.

Taurus makes a good inexpensive revolver, too often it's the owner who doesn't understand his part.

200 more rounds through the Taurus today, so I'm now at 400 rounds. I ran 100 standard pressure reloads and 100 +Ps. With 158gr LSWC, the point of impact seems well-regulated with the fixed sights. This is common, and to be expected, with fixed sight S&W .38s as well.

Unremarkable range trip #2 for this gun, and thats remarkable, if that makes sense. No failures, aside from one dead primer, the gun isn't shaving lead, hasn't kaboomed, and nobody has been hurt.

My Dillon is set up for standard pressure .38s right now, and I intend to load another 1-2k before switching it over, so the Taurus will see more rounds in the coming weeks for sure. Once it hits 1k, I think it will become a viable candidate for a truck gun.

I can't figure out how they can manufacture this gun and be able to sell them so cheap while still turning a profit. Fascinating.

Rec'd the Taurus and inspected it. No heavy millling marks on visible surfaces, and handles nicely. It came with the new Taurus rubber boot grip which I find more comfortable to hold than a blocky auto, which is about all I have ever shot and previously owned.

Now, about the trigger pull. Heavier than a Kahr CW380 sure. But not much longer nor gritter or exceedingly difficult. I find I (with older hands and suffering some carpal tunnel issues with the right) can pull the trigger quite well and rapidly with little bouncing around while dry firing. The issue is do I use the index fingertip - outside the knuckle crease - or, do I use the second joint.

When I dry fired SA, the tip works fine, my hand isn't straining and the pull is light. When DA, I use the second joint which keeps my hand from rotating in the grip clockwise (looking down) and it's more secure.

Sure everybody insists you use your fingertip to shoot accurately and preaches if you do not you are an ignorant newb and you will die because of it. Maybe not so much - MY better grip is with the trigger on the second joint and I hold my grip more securely. "Oh you are just going to pray and spray it you fool." Ahhh, um, it's a snub nose. It's NOT a sniper rifle. Given most confrontations well may be within 21 feet then the Minute of Man targeting solves itself - use the sights and aim, pull trigger. Whether it's on the tip or not won't matter nearly as much as Being Aware.

Let's not force Target Shooting disciplines on a Combat Revolver. I think this is where so many are mixing things up and the result? If you are already dealing with grip issues and hauling back on a 13 pound trigger, then Why Oh Why are we recommending a method that compromises it? If you really want to get that fingertip method down pat then I would suggest some kind of grip spacer and lengthening the pull of finger - same as the set back grips for TARGET SHOOTING AR's.

Stoner didn't do that and neither did Mr Smith or Wesson. Snubs don't put your fingertip on the trigger (unless you are twelve or under) and the reason might well be you are better off hauling back on it with the stronger position of the second joint with the better grip on it. At least to me.

But, since I'm an unwashed hillbilly, many will ignore it and continue to study those who shoot highly customized guns and a thousand rounds a week. An 85 isn't and I don't. So be it. I will grab it and enjoy having muscular advantage on the trigger without compromising my grip.

TL;DR: Women don't shoot J frames well = Your teaching them wrong.

Love my Charter Arms .357 and .44 spl, no issues what so ever, great guns!
Huck

I picked up a RIA M206 new a few months ago for cheap. It was filthy, greasy, and looked like it was finished on a grinder. I cut my hands when I handled it. After a good cleaning I shot a few hundred through it and it was perfect, so.... I tore it apart, stripped the factory parkerizing off it, de-horned it and did the Duplicoler high temp paint with ceramic on it, then fit a set of Barami Hip-Grips to it. I now have over a thousand rounds through it with zero issues. While apart I did a little polishing in the trigger group resulting in a shockingly good single action pull, and a very good DA trigger. I know these get a lot of bad reviews, but they get a lot of good reviews too. I bought it as a Jeep gun, and something to tinker on and learn about the inner workings of a revolver. I am very happy to this point with it. And the warranty is good from everything I've read. Also, the lock up is good as is the timing....so far. I don't plan on running +P through it so hopefully it stays solid. If not..... meh, I learned enough about a few things that it was worth it. I would buy again.

My 85 at 700 rounds or so and u wouldn't know it. Used all kinds of ammo and she just plugs away.   Impressed

Model 10 if it’s a nightstand gun, new 442 for carrying

Was looking through one of a few LGS's recently for an inexpensive (notice I didn't use the word "cheap" ) and for the price to apparent-quality-ratio I settled onto a Taurus Ultra Light 85.  Its the silver/natural finish version and seemed decent with a slightly firm trigger pull. Almost fo'd on it, but still shopping. They also had a model 2 in .380 with the same silver/natural finish. Seems doable since I have lots of 380.  Very small package, but the trigger-pull was the heaviest of any revolver I can recall, expect maybe for a SW 44 mag.  Crazy-heavy trigger pull on a tiny 380 revolver....strange, but liked the price and seemed decently put together.

Anyway, it's primarily for my wife who' still settling into a CCW that fits her daily carry demands and does not have 1.) manual safety, or 2.) single action light-weight trigger pull (like her Glock42).  All the decocker pistols are either too spendy, too big, or POS's.

eta - settled onto model 85 after comparing many low cost S&W's,to include Bodyguard revolver and also Ruger LCR's.

Grab a gun has the 638s for like $315 w/o the laser. They are nice because they.can be shot single action and have the shrouded hammer. The 642 is a heavy trigger pull.

It's still rough, but no where near factory rough.

My (12 y/o) daughter loves it. It shoots soft and she's plenty capable with it, so I guess it's a win. For what I have into it if it breaks tomorrow (it won't) I win.

Letting a woman who knows nothing about handguns decide what's best for her is like letting a man who doesn't cook decide what kitchen appliances would be best for him.

A revolver is perfect for getting an inexperienced shooter started.

On the subject of inexpensive .38's, SOG has a pretty good deal right now-

That's a good deal!

Let's not forget that the .38 and .380 were both developed for men to carry for self protection - and used on their respective continents for decades as the preferred issue round for many jurisdictions. This went on until both were replaced in the 1970's by the wondernine automatics, another military and LEO weapon.

A round often derided as being chosen because women make up a significant number of members.