Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Handguns S&W OR Taurus

I have a few S&W revolvers, all are VERY nice so I never thought I'd be asking a question like this, but should I condider a Taurus?

Here's the story... My widowed mother-in-law brought over an AMT single action 380 last night and said she wanted to learn how to shoot it. She found it in a closet and it belonged to by FIL before he passed away. There have been dogs in her yard barking and growling at her and she wants something to carry out when she walks with her 8lb dog. Her having that AMT in the house and loaded is just plain out of the question, so I figured I'd give her something to carry out with her. The only S&W that I have that is light enought for her to handle is a 4" HB Model 10, but it's blued. Since it'll probably never be oiled, that's out.

Sooooo, I start looking and S&W has airweight .38's for under $350. Are they any good? When I googled S&W 637, the reviews are very mixed. I suppose I'd also consider a stainless Taurus, but only because the frame is steel instead of aluminum. They are slightly cheaper, but not much. Which would you choose?

S&W 637 .38 special (Aluminum frame)
Taurus 605 .357 (but carry 38 spl's)for the same price (Steel)
Taurus 85 .38 special for $50 less than the above two? (Steel)

Or something else? Any semi auto is just flat out of the question.

Thanks in advance,
Adrian