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A pistol for Mom?


howie

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Need some advice...

 

My mother is now living alone for the first time in 46 years, and will be moving back to the family farm soon. For the first time ever, she has a FOID card, and wants a gun for protection. She has virtually no experience with firearms whatsoever. I took her out shooting a couple weeks ago. She shot a Bersa Thunder .380 ( a little snappy for her), a Glock 30SF (too much), and a Rock Island 1911 (also too much). I will be taking her out again with a Glock 9mm (not sure which, it's borrowed), a Smith 5906, and a 4" .38. I'm looking for something that will do the job without scaring the crap out of her every time she shoots, as she won't want to practice and become proficient. She's about 5' 5", 125lbs, late 60's. Any thoughts?

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Need some advice...

 

My mother is now living alone for the first time in 46 years, and will be moving back to the family farm soon. For the first time ever, she has a FOID card, and wants a gun for protection. She has virtually no experience with firearms whatsoever. I took her out shooting a couple weeks ago. She shot a Bersa Thunder .380 ( a little snappy for her), a Glock 30SF (too much), and a Rock Island 1911 (also too much). I will be taking her out again with a Glock 9mm (not sure which, it's borrowed), a Smith 5906, and a 4" .38. I'm looking for something that will do the job without scaring the crap out of her every time she shoots, as she won't want to practice and become proficient. She's about 5' 5", 125lbs, late 60's. Any thoughts?

 

A Glock 19 gen 4 is a soft shooting pistol. My 68 year old Mom shoots (and likes) mine. However, keep one thing in mind, racking the slide. My mom loves semi autos, but she can't manipulate the slide on anything over a .22 (she is not small lady either) the dexterity in her hands is not what it used to be therefore, a revolver is the best option for her.

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25, 32, 22lr or 22mag

 

If she is reluctant or scared to use it causing her not to shoot or miss the larger calibers offers no advantage over a well place small caliber shot...

 

And I agree that a wheel gun is likely better suited to many elderly people, who might have issues with slides...

 

My dad just picked up a Taurus 991, it's pretty intimidating looking for a smaller caliber pistol...

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If you can find one at a decent price a S&W model 63 with a 4 inch barrel.

 

Really easy to shoot and 6 rds of .22 should be enough to hold of the BGs until the cops arrive.

Having something she can practice with is a big plus and practice is really important for proficiency.

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Try her on a 40s&w pistol and a 357 magnum with 6 inch barrel made of stainless steel with a mixture of 357 mag 38 special +p and 38special. The size of the barrel and weight of the gun will help absorb the recoil and the stainless steel will resist rust. You can buy conversion barrel that allows you to fire 9mm rounds from a 40s&w glock.
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Revolver. In the largest caliber she can comfortably manage -- which will likely be a .22mag or a .38 with 158 gr. loads..... Although don't overlook the .327 mag...

 

I would not recommend a semi-auto for someone with little firearms experience and/or advancing age...

 

That's the carry piece....

 

For the house gun an 870 pump or a Mossberg pump. 20 or 28 ga....

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Ahhh... She's still a kid! Maybe something metal in 9mm? Something heavier with a single action trigger. I like the way a HiPower feels in my hands better than a Bersa Mini Pro. Neither have tremendous recoil. A lightweight carry pistol such as the KelTec P-11 would seem out of the running.

 

Single action. Full size that fits her hands. Metal. Maybe the SW59 if it feels good for her.

 

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As she ages she will probably continue to lose some strength and dexterity in her hands. I suggest revolver instead of semi-auto for this reason and also because they're easier to clean and maintain. I'd have her try out S&W Bodyguard .38 (which has a built in laser), Taurus Ultra-Lite .32 Magnum, Ruger LCR-22.
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Given her lack of experience (and potentially, comfort), I would suggest revolver also. No mag, no slide, no safety to fumble with. Just point and shoot.

 

Then, once she has more trigger time under her belt, maybe move up to a semi-auto.

 

I also agree with having a shotty for HD. Even a .410 would work if that's all she can handle.

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Another thought is a Glock 17L - it really isn't that heavy and it's pretty soft shooting because of the mass out over the trigger.

 

Long sight radius makes it easy to shoot accurately.

Good call. If I'm not mistaken, the G17L is also ported, which also helps with recoil/muzzle flip. At least, the one I shot was.

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I recommend 410 shotgun over a 20 gauge since in my experience it is easier to find suitable defense loads. There are some semi auto 12 gauge shotgun with very little recoil but I can not remember which brand has the least. A 410 with a 3 inch chamber will allow her to fire 3 inch rifled slugs for hunting. A raging judge magnum can fire any 410 including 3 inch shotshells as well as 45 colt and possibly depending on model 454 casull which can be handy for taking down bear with the right bear killing ammo. A six inch barrel in any revolver with a reasonable hunting caliber will enable her to do handgun hunting where legal.
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http://www.brownells.com/handgun-parts/slide-firing-parts/slide-hardware/slide-rackers/slide-racker-for-glock--prod42165.aspx

The link above is for a glock mod called a slide racker which functions similar to a ar-15 bolt. I havr seen others in the past but this is the one that I was able to find today. This racker can make it easier for her to rack a slide.

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I have to agree with others and say keep it simple with a revolver for now.

 

I just went through this with my 78 year old mom. Dad recently passed away and mom, who has never shot a gun before, despite growing up as a country girl in Kentucky, wanted me to bring her something for home protection. She was open minded but very intimidated by guns. I ran her through a mini basic pistol class and we spent some time in the backyard with a a Smith model 617 in .22 LR.

 

She shot quite a few rounds out of the .22 and I left her a .38 revolver. I didn't have her shoot the .38 because I knew she would be intimidated by it. I showed her that everything functions the same and explained that the .38 is a little louder and had more recoil. I'm going back down to Kentucky in a couple of weeks and we will work with the .22 some more and get her shooting the .38 this trip before I go home.

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