the small revolvers will work particularly if you tune the thing with some trigger work. Now here is my experience. My wife is not a gun person, I fight her to get to the range 1-2 times a year and make sure she can still hit the broad side of the barn. I have tried her with two steel frame hammerless smith and wesson pistol, and a heavier SP101, all guns had trigger jobs. The SP101 a fellow chucked up the main spring and turned it down, trigger pull was amazing and it lit every cartridge we shot in it.
She was slow and not particularly accurate with any of the 3.
I bought her a Kahr PM380 which she likes a lot as there is negligible recoil and she shoots half again size groups as with the revolvers. The longer double action trigger pull in the revolvers contributes to being off target. Plus its a longer reach for her finger to engage the trigger on a revolver. Then she will carry the thing as it is not a big gun, thus more fashionable.
edited to add- trigger pulls on the ruger 380, smith bodyguard 380 and Kiltec 380 are horrible, if you want to try a 380 get that little Kahr CW 380 I have one of those as well and I cannot tell the difference in it and the PM380.
Last edited by jimmyp; 11/25/15.
