Suppressors Home defense pistol for my Mom?

[Smokin]

Took my mom shooting for the first time. Shes a bit over 60 years old and has never fired a firearm before in her life. Watching the news and the recent threats to our 2A rights has sparked her interest in learning to shoot and getting a firearm. I let her shoot my .40 Sig 229 and my G17. She liked the 9mm a whole lot more but had trouble racking the slide (she doenst have much strength in her arms at all). My question to you guys is...do you know of a reliable 9mm with a slide that is incredibly easy to use? Or should I recommend a wheel gun?

 

[paraman1]

Re: Home defense pistol for my Mom?

Smith and Wesson model 59 . look for an older one , they are well built and feed and function great . My Dad has been packing one since the 70's and I don't ever recall it not working .

 

[will36]

Re: Home defense pistol for my Mom?

I got my mom a H&R 410 cut the barrel down to 18" put a short buttstock and aimpoint on it. I also looked at a mossberg 410 pump.
I know you said pistol , but the shoty is more controlable.

 

[sf1911a1]

Re: Home defense pistol for my Mom?

The Ruger p95 has a really easy slide to operate. It's ugly as hell but I think she will like it's ease of use. Also, I have come to the conclusion that weaker individuals do better with wheel guns. A ruger GP100 or Smith 686 with a 4" barrel would be perfect. Heavy but simple, and loaded with .38's it would be very low recoil. Lastly, think about the Taurus Judge, I don't think I need to elaborate on how sweet that one is. And as AK Fan said, nothing beats a Shotty for home defense. Even a 20 gauge loaded with #3 buck is very deadly. Good luck.

Matthew

 

[rijndael]

Re: Home defense pistol for my Mom?

Be sure to buy her lots of training time.

The last thing she needs is a new gun, only to have the attacker take it and use it on her.

 

[Travis S]

Re: Home defense pistol for my Mom?

Well said. Get her an NRA membership as well!

 

[tedbiv]

Re: Home defense pistol for my Mom?

have you looked at the taurus judge? a revolver that shoots .45 LC and .410 shotshells.

the 4in model looks like a nice CQB pistol loaded with 00 Buckshot.

tedbiv

oops, I see someone already mentioned it.

 

[xarmor]

Re: Home defense pistol for my Mom?

I think a big ass German Sheperd would be the way to go. If that is not possible the a .38 special with +P rounds or a 20 ga pump shotgun (the racking noise is a strong dererent).

 

[Crazy Dog ll]

Re: Home defense pistol for my Mom?

I'd say in this order; a big bad ass German Sheperd,a shot gun with lots of training, aslide gun and lastly a wheel gun.The wheel gun goes down,it gonna take a little time,like throw it in the trash can and run,to fix it. The slide gun is pretty much fool proof,either rack and slide or drop the clip. The shot gun is a good second choice because it'll be more arcurate for her and easily to shoot,a big black shotgun in the hands of an older woman is alone a dererent.

 

[marduk185]

Re: Home defense pistol for my Mom?

getter a double shotgun side by side and some buck shot. dont get any easier.

 

[Crazy Dog ll]

Re: Home defense pistol for my Mom?

Now,that a do the talking!!!!

 

[Smokin]

Re: Home defense pistol for my Mom?

Id prefer the semi auto over a wheel gun or shot gun. So far she actually enjoys shooting and I'd hate to discourage her by handing her a shotgun. I wonder if she would dislike the doulbe action from a revolver. Any other suggestions on weapons with slides that are easy to rack?

 

[Crazy Dog ll]

Re: Home defense pistol for my Mom?

Get her a titiumn sub-nose wheel gun,brand-new with lot of ,I think she'll be fine with .38's ammo. My Smith and Wesson wheel gun if all six chambres are loaded,all you do is pull the trigger! But there again ,training and lots of it is a must,ones mindset must understand and have control the sitution and have intant reflex respond.

 

[kirbstyle]

Re: Home defense pistol for my Mom?

Ruger will be delivering the new LCR .38 Special sometime soon. According to the reviews, it's supposed to have an even trigger pull from start to finish. This is the gun I'm waiting to get my mother due to her lack of strength in her hands and arms.
There's something to be said for the reliability of a wheel gun. How many times have you had a "stove-pipe" or "light strike" from a semi auto pistol? I say the less moving parts the better...
Just my 2 cents.

 

[Queequeg]

Re: Home defense pistol for my Mom?

Smokin,

Perhaps this doesn't completely answer your question, but a happy medium exists for those who prefer a pistol but have a little trouble with grip strength: The Beretta tip barrel models in .22, .25, .32,. The latter would be closer to the ballbark of a .38 sp. The nice thing is if she wants to load or unload it with out pulling back the slide, it can also be done with the flip of a switch.

Bought one for my wife about ten years ago, in .25 ACP. Not a boomer, but she carried it for years. Better than just a knife alone! And she always had it with her. Larger caliber sidearms are preferable of course, but they tend to demur the heft of larger weapons that we wouldn't think twice about.

Now she carries a 636 S&W Airweight with a CTG laser grip and speed loader with 5 more +Ps. She loves that more!

 

[9H_Cracka]

Re: Home defense pistol for my Mom?

Get her something small and powerful with a heavy slide spring. That seems to be the common logic amongst the Internet brain trust.

 

[Crazy Dog ll]

Re: Home defense pistol for my Mom?

Would a police- like pistol taser work? The legal implications would not be as great,but then again old granny,sorry,shooting an in=house intruder would problary slid. The new Tasers appear to be pretty effective,maybe a wheel gun in one hand and a Taser gun in the other,kitchen knive cleched between her teeth? War paint?

 

[Bonk1999]

Re: Home defense pistol for my Mom?

My parents and my wife's friend are going through the same thing as your Mom, wanting something for personal protection.

We got my wife's friend a Ruger .357. She has used firearms in the past and is comfortable with the round. It can also can use a 38 round. I suggested the same for my folks. The last thing someone that is not familiar with a firearm is fiddle with a slide, safety, magazine, try to hold up a shotgun or rifle at a time when their life is in danger. The easiest and most reliable weapon is a light weight, short barrel revolver. Like one of those titanium Smiths. Something you can quickly grab and easliy point and pull the trigger.

I'm LE and I let my folks handle and try all of my handguns. They are just to big and complicated for a novice. Sigs, Colts and Beretta's are great duty firearms, but one needs to train often to get the hang of an auto.

Just my opinion. Good luck and spend a lot of range time with her!

 

[sub2.908cm/100m]

Re: Home defense pistol for my Mom?

Home defense for a 60ish female with arm strength issues was the original question right?

WADR...Light weight and short barrel = harder to shoot well (more felt recoil and shorter sight radius) for no good reason when used in the "home defense" role. Carry and concealment are not the issue, simplicity of use and recoil management are. Avoid the small lightweight "cute" guns.

Find a medium (K) frame, 4" barrel, 6 shot, fixed sight, ex-police service revolver, such as the S&W M10HB or S&W M65. Most are used but not abused and have been shot enough to smooth the action. I'd much rather have a smooth trigger than a light one. There are plenty of grip options available to fit her hand and/or mitigate recoil.

Paint the front sight a bright color such as orange or yellow so it stands out in reduced light and serves as a reminder to focus on the front sight for the normally short range home defense distances a 60ish female might be forced to use the revolver for.

Learn to shoot with mild mannered mid-range .38Spl. 148HBWC (some folks even use'em for SD on the assumption that "good hits first" is best and that the WC does at least cut a full caliber hole...that bleeds). She won't get beat-up during practice, making it more likely she'll enjoy shooting, and that will make it more likely she will continue to practice...the most important element to becoming effective with any weapon.

Load it with any of the better SD HP loads...When she's ready.

Periodic practice with the HBWCs, finishing with a cylinder of the SD load, aught to make/keep her comfortable enough to keep at it.

Again, WADR...A round gun makes much more sense than a square gun for this ladies particular application with her arm strength issues that impact her ability to run the gun. A lack of arm strength is also frequently indicative of future limp wristing. Square guns require a firmness of grip/hold for the slide to work against to avoid malfunctions.

Just my .02 added to the kitty...

BTW NH...