Handgun for Elderly woman

Dos centavos from a dinosaur

Neither, it is a 22 and even though it is a magnum it is still a 22 with a short barrel.

I would stay with the revolver but I would move up to 32 mag or 38 spcl with a 4" barrel. It will be easier to point than the snubby and a lot of range time with mild loads and shooting single action will get her used to it. There was a story not long ago about a lady in the same age range who chased an intruder off with a single shot. She had never fired a gun before and try as hard as she could she couldn't get a second shot off. It was a single action, she cocked it once but forgot to cock it again.

SA is easier to shoot and if she is used to shooting single action it will be automatic. Big thing is a gun with a grip that fits her and a trigger she can easily reach. This obviously rules out hammerless guns. Even a 3" barrel will be better, it is hard when you are not used to handguns to be aware of where the barrel is pointing. The more barrel she has the better for her and the worse it is for boogerman.
 
Agreed, she needs some training; preferably by an unrelated professional.
The PD here runs three levels of citizen handgun classes at low cost; I hope you can find her something similar there.

Agreed, she should be making the choice in what she can handle.

Now here is where I depart from the conventional wisdom that recommends a DA revolver for the non-enthusiast female. If she can't rack a slide against a 15 pound recoil spring with both hands once per magazine, how can we expect her to haul back a 10 lb DA trigger with one finger for every shot?
I know two women who found it difficult, so they went single action. When you check out the bump in the night with a 2 lb trigger pull, you are apt to get an AD, either when startled by the cat or when you have cleared the house and are trying to decock.

I suggest a look at a Glock, XD, or M&P. She doesn't have to rack the slide. You can leave it loaded for her. If she can't handle the problem in 17 shots, it is probably not solvable with a handgun at all. Naturally she will have to do enough shooting to demonstrate that she does not get limp-wrist malfunctions.
 
would a makarov, bersa, or PPK type/size gun suit? i'm still with the poster that suggested the tip up barrel guns. a 17 round glock IMO would be too heavy. it needs to be a small gripped, light recoil, medium capacity gun with a simple reliable action. S&W's have around a 12# trigger in DA. this is one quote about the LCR: " The fire control system has been designed with a friction reducing cam that allows a very smooth trigger pull." and another from gunblast: "The trigger pull on the LCR is very smooth, and very light for a pocket revolver. Many pocket revolvers have dreadful trigger pulls, and I get a lot of email from readers who buy a gun for defense, and have a very hard time pulling the trigger. If the production LCRs are like the one that I shot, the trigger pull problem is solved. That gun had what could be called a perfect trigger pull for a pocket revolver; a smooth and light double action." and this from ruger: " This results in more controllable shooting, even among those with smaller, weaker hands who find traditional DAO triggers difficult to operate." the standard model is about $525 and add a couple bills for the crimson trace model. who knows, she might feel alot better with a laser.
 
I have a mother and mother inlaw that are both 83 years old and have never fired any gun let alone a hand gun. I dont believe either one could really grasp what it would take to be completely responsable and comfortable with a handgun. Most of the time if the elderly body has depleted to the point that a sufficent caliber gun can be used they may be better off with one of the heavy duty bear sprays or one of Kimbers multi shot pepper spray guns.
I would never suggest some one going to a sub caliber gun for self defense for sure not a rimfire except for a back up gun. A good shot with bear spray with some follow up shots if needed
 
The Tomcat idea isn't a bad one, but still requires a specific "process" (beyond insert finger, pull trigger) that may result in fumbling under stress. I think the LCR idea is a good one, even better if Ruger does the right thing and chambers it in .327. Then for her, I'd load "warm" .32 H&Rs in it and you're set to go. Otherwise the S&W 431 (hammered) or 432 (hammerless) in .32 H&R is a featherweight (airweight) sweetheart--maybe too light for her?--with a trigger pull that's not bad (for her)...but the LCR may be easier as stated (re the pocket revolver comment).
 
My lady's mother has arthritis in her hands. She can't really operate any gun.

It depends in part on what the OP's mother's arthritis is like.

The suggestion to contact Pax is spot-on. She is an instructor at the Firearms Academy of Seattle, so if the OP is in western Washington, he's at most 3 hours drive from a great resource.

She's also a published expert on firearms for new shooters.
 
Let her work it before you buy it...

I've know of 3 elderly women and one middle aged woman who cannot pull the trigger (DA) on a J frame. They can't work most slides either.
 
How about a two handed firearm light enough for her to deploy and effective enough for self defense, something to hang on to, and heavy enough it to absorb recoil from a wide variety of ammunition with the simplicity of a revolver?

The Taurus/Rossi Circuit Judge

SCJ4510_1.jpg
 
If all she can use is a carbine or short shotgun, then so be it.

Otherwise, if she can use a handgun, bear in mind that a small handgun can be kept on her person. The long gun will probably be placed in some strategic spot. A young, healthy person might not have time to get to that spot, if elsewhere in the house when trouble strikes. How quickly can an 83yo with arthritis get to the long gun?

As opposed to the revolver or auto she can keep in a purse, pocket, or on the coffee or end table right next to her.

If money allows, and she can handle them, nothing wrong with a handgun AND a carbine or shotgun.
 
"old lady's" gun


Think about a 20ga semi-auto. Yes she can learn to work the gun and be effective. Light target loads, ported barrel, plastic rather than wood makes for a light weight alternative to a handgun.
I've taught many, many small-frame older women to enjoy the shooting sports using my wife's CD youth 20ga.
 
Good Gracious! Grannie With Guns!

i was thinking a shortbarreled .410 shotgun. Or even an AR-15 carbine with a 16" barrel. Either way the trigger on a long gun is much easier on weaker fingers and recoil is always much easier to manage with a long gun than a pistol.

But depending on her familiarity with guns, physical and mental condition, a gun might be totally useless or inappropriate or even dangerous to her (or others not breaking and entering her home) - something that should be considered regardless of age, in fact. Then again, she might delight in the prospect of arming herself with a badass Bushmaster. I've known 80 year olds who could still kick butt and we frequently hear stories of 80 and 90-year old Vets stopping burglars cold.

Kudos to you for wanting to protect her, and to her for being willing to defend herself. Just make sure you are both brutally honest in assessing her capability. In the elderly, an unfortunate reality is that conditions tend to deteriorate and you may feel the need to repossess her gun at some future point. Could be that a better combination might turn out to be an alarm system and a dog. In fact, both are a good idea no matter what you decide on the gun. The dog has the added benefit of improving her quality of life, as pets invariably do.
 
Dog, alarm, pepper spray (or hornet spray)

Do NOT pick out a gun for her. After BOTH of you have read Pax's Thecorneredcat.com website and she has taken a lesson/class, THEN SHE should decide what will work best for HER
 
I was wondering when we would suggest that a person with limited abiity to handle a handgun would get a recommendation for a big old shotgun.

Follow the Pax path, grasshopper and avoid buying some such honker.
 
oneounceload said:
After BOTH of you have read Pax's Thecorneredcat.com website and she has taken a lesson/class, THEN SHE should decide what will work best for HER
Click to expand...
Yeah... I'm not gonna go back and edit my first post on this, but it should have read:
Vanya said:
before or after the actual purchase of the gun.
Click to expand...
Before, before, before buying the gun...
 
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