Pistol Caliber carbine for an elderly lady

B

banditgriot

New member
My mom has a revolver she uses for self defense and is considering a long-arm to add to her home defense options. She is a seasoned shooter growing up in rural Oklahoma and is still a pretty decent shot. She will be 77 years old this year and I think her revolver needs an action job to allow her to shoot it well in double action mode (arthritis). What pistol caliber carbine would you recommend for a 5' 2" woman in her late seventies?
 
Something lightweight, no real kick to it, and reliable. First thing that comes to my mind is a KelTec SUB2000 in 9MM. I have the Glock mag version and you can go anywhere from a 10 round to a 33 round mag. These are very light weight and really not much if any kick to them when you fire. My SUB2000 has been flawless!

Henry AR-7 survival rifle may be good too but I think you are limited to I think 8 shots in 22LR. Very lightweight and no kick at all.

Other options out there too I'm sure others will chime in.

SDF880
 
I'd have to second the KelTec suggestion, or perhaps an (GASP) AK. Very simple to operate but heavier than a pistol carbine.
 
A good levergun would not be a horrible place to start, owing to the ammo commonality with her wheel gun, but it wouldn't be my very first choice. My first choice would be one of two: A Ruger PC40 would be superb. A very close second would be an M1 carbine loaded with good (read hollow point) ammo.
 
For reliable, why not a Glock with one of those carbine conversions. Or perhaps a pistol caliber AR build with as many lightweight polimer parts as possible to keep weight down (lower, upper, pencil barrel) The Bushmaster Carbon 15 seems good.
 
Beretta c4x storm maybe?

You'd have to load the mags for her or get a mag loader most likely.

On the plus side a nice sight like an Aimpoint could be mounted to make your elderly mom an even more wicked shot.
 
30 carbine. Hits hard with HP or SP ammo, kicks soft, and only weighs in around 5 lbs. Make sure it has the M2 mag catch and it will reliably use the 30 round mags. A stock weapon also has a size and length of pull that is tailor made for short folks; as I stand at 5'4" I have room to speak on this particular subject.

The 9mm, 40 S&W, & 45 ACP carbines tend to be blow back and that makes cocking the action harder. The heavier the caliber, the harder the cocking action required. If she can't cock the action , it is not going to do her much good. As she get older and the arthritis gets worse, this will exacerbate the effect of hard cocking.

Just my 2 quarters worth....inflation and fees added to the cost.
 
Great suggestions all. I was thinking on the same lines, though I hadn't really taken into account the spring rates on blow-back actions. I am surprised no one has mentioned a rifle in .22 WMR like CZ's semi auto. What say you, is .22 WMR too light for home defense for a little old lady? I should mention, while I was growing up she kept her Mossy 500 loaded with No. 4 shot and had no problem using it to ring in the new year.
 
For her, I'd suggest checking out the M1 Carbine as well. Especially if you can get good 100-110 grain JHP ammo. It's a light carbine (weighs less than an AR) and hits harder than a .357 Magnum at indoor ranges. Plus it's a self-loader so rapid fire is possible. It's good to at least 100 yards if it comes down to it. That's all she's likely to need. The best M1 Carbines are mil-surplus and you'll pay quite a bit for them. Most of the civilian made models aren't reliable in my experience (universal, auto-ordnance, etc).

For pistol caliber carbines, the caliber is least important. I've found that all of them will be softer shooting than their handgun counterparts, from 9mm to .45 ACP to .44 Magnum. Select a carbine that she feels comfortable with. For ammo compatibility reasons, if you want to use a .38/.357 cartridge, you'll be limited to a lever action rifle (Marlin 1894). Most are 18" barrels. Even a .38 Special +P will gain significant velocity out of a short rifle.

If nothing suits her, don't overlook the Ruger 10/22 compact (10-22CRR) with the 16" barrel. If you live in a free state that doesn't limit you to 10 round magazines, such a rifle with a 20-30 round magazine can be fired rapidly and will penetrate deep. Load with a 40gr Winchester solid or the 40 gr CCI Velociter plated HP.
 
I also suggest the M1 Carbine. It's light, easy to operate the controls, and is hi capacity. The storms have terrible triggers and will likely be tighter than any surplus well broken in cycles like butter M1 Carbine!
 
Hi-point makes ugly Planet Of The Apes rifles, but they are reliable, accurate and the ergo's are not that bad either. I have shot the 9mm, .40 and .45 and they all have zero recoil. Pop a Primary Arms or Bushnell TRS-25 red dot on top and you would have a very nice low recoil HD carbine.
 
I am usually a huge fan of lever actions, but I'm going against them this time. As her arthritis gets worse working the action would have to be painfull. In your situation I would pick one of the 9 mm carbines.

There are alot of good suggestions on the pistol caliber carbines, and the M-1 carbine sounds like an interesting option. All I will add is that if you go with a .22 pick a model that allows for a higher capacity to make up for the smaller caliber.
 
Get her an HK USC in .45ACP. She'd look really good throwing 230 grain FMJ's down range.
 
Last edited:
I'd also have to say 30 carbine. Very enjoyable to shoot, and easy to operate. The Sub2000 has a recoil spring that even I have trouble dealing with, for an old lady with arthritis, it would be near impossible.
 
Hi-point makes ugly Planet Of The Apes rifles, but they are reliable, accurate and the ergo's are not that bad either. I have shot the 9mm, .40 and .45 and they all have zero recoil. Pop a Primary Arms or Bushnell TRS-25 red dot on top and you would have a very nice low recoil HD carbine.
Click to expand...

I have to agree with wnycollector. These weapons are affordable accurate for hd, lightweight, simple to operate and the large lug makes racking easy. I own one in 9mm and though they are not pretty it feeds and fires anything I put in it every time. Hi-point from what I hear has amazing customer service though my carbine has functioned flawlessly so I have no personal experience in that department. I't doesn't hurt that they are 100% American made either.
 
3rded on the Hi-Point with optional red dot if her eyes are going. Light, short, handy and cheep are the main upsides, ugly, 10 round capacity, and fun enough that you might have to get your own are the main downsides.
 
I would go with a M1 carbine also,, except for the fact that the price for a nice one has gone out the roof. Great little gun, easy to load and has close to the energy of a 357 mag and almost no recoil.
The other would be a Beretta Storm carbine in 9mm. It’s my favorite range plinking gun.
 
If she can handle a lever action I would let her try and see how she likes a Rossi M92 or a Marlin 1894 carbine chambered with 38 spcl. My grandma was hell on two wheels shooting a Win 94 in 30-30 and the only way she could make 5' tall is to get on a brick and stand on her tiptoes. You can get the Rossi with a 16" barrel or the Marlin with a 20" barrel, both nice and light and short enough to be handy in the house. Loaded with .357 they would make a somewhat bigger impact on a boogerman but with either load they wouldn't be happy getting shot at in-house distances.
 
I would advise AGAINST a Kel-Tec. The recoil spring is far too heavy. For an elderly person it will cause problems if there is a misfire.

I would agree with the M1 carbine. Hi-Point and Ruger PC series are other options.

If they weren't vaporware I'd bring up the option of the Rossi revolving carbines, one in 44 Mag, loaded with 44 Special, though the DA trigger pull might be a problem.
 
How "fragile" is your mom. I'm 75 and my "bedside gun a Win Trapper, 30-30, two rounds in the mag, 8 on the butt-cuff.

Mighty handy:)
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top