Home defense pistol for 70+ mom...

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  • CraigMac

    Plinker
    Rating - 0%
    0   0   0
    Dec 18, 2008
    93
    6
    Mooresville
    My mother is proficient in all guns and looking for a home defense gun on a budget. Slight arthritis in hands and looking for something light, easy and reliable. Any thoughts? Thinking bersa thunder 380, as she is familiar with walther ppk or wheel gun. Any thoughts? She has been shooting since 9, but no range time recently.
     

    Sterndern11

    Plinker
    Rating - 0%
    0   0   0
    Jun 5, 2018
    40
    6
    Zionsville
    Is she going to carry it or only a bedpost HD gun?

    For dedicated HD pistols are a terrible choice unless its a way to quickly get to your real HD gun (rifle/shotgun). They are hard to be accurate with, not nearly as intimidating, and weak terminal performance even on the most powerful handguns.

    If its dedicated HD, try an AR. Maybe pistol in 300 blackout, keeps the noise and flash down, lightweight, handy, and insane capacity, mild recoil. With new subsonic ammo actually being really terminally effective and you just about cant miss with a shouldered weapon and a red dot or laser at HD distances. She may look at you funny for suggesting something so "tactical" but if you really mean to keep her safe and not to just have a "peace of mind pistol" its much much more effective. My grandmother, mother, and girlfriend were all initially intimidated by my 300, but now after shooting it and seeing how pleasant it is, and watching the effect on a watermelon vs thier 9mms, they all agree its the first thing they'd reach for. Also don't get caught up in the "rifle over penetration" myth. Do your research, a 9mm will go through 15 sheets of drywall or 4 2x4s, same or than a 223/300 round. And the smaller rifle bullets lose their lethality faster after penetrating walls, 9mm are designed to still be lethal when subsonic, rifle rounds generally aren't. The only safe direction to be shooting is not at any one else, or a concrete wall.
    Or a 20 guage with low recoil HD rounds, simple, effective, cheap, might not leave you deaf. Pumps probably a little hard to operate depending on practice/strength, so double barrel is good option.
    Keltec CMR is pretty cool, super light, high capacity, super compact, but not sold on rimfire reliabilty/terminal effectiveness still.

    If carry is ever even a possibility or something about the living situation really doesn't work with a rifle then pistol it is;
    I never recommend a semi auto for someone who doesn't/hasn't trained a lot (at least once a month), as there are a lot more things to go wrong and generally triggers on small semi autos are crap. I am not a revolver guy myself, run a G19, CZ75 and some walthers. But I train weekly and am a firm believer in revolvers for beginners/low training people.

    Depending on her hand strength, you may consider something slightly larger/heaver like a 327 GP100 or sp101. Small lightweight 380s are tough to hold on to and even tougher to aim even at close range and can be extremely snappy regardless of strenght or experience. My grandmother has pretty poor hand and arm strength, being 86, but we found after having her shoot a bunch of our SD guns that the heaviest thing that she could easily hold up for a single string of fire was the best option. She was accurate, and in control, even with SD 327 loaded in it. The 357 in the same frame was a little too much for her, and the 44 mag was simply too heavy and impractical. For practice we load her up with 32 and its like shooting a 22. In contrast, my LCP 2 (380) and my sig 938 (9mm) were both far to snappy for her comfort or accuracy. She and all the women in the family really like the SW shield and the sig365 in 9mm, but again they are semi auto and after practicing reloading and failure drills she is just more comfortable with the simpler revolvers. She now owns and proudly carries her own Sp101 in 327 and the weight/size never bothers her for carry. Those old ladies also have the ability to hide anything, pretty sure she could sneak my AR into church and you'd never know.

    If she has good hand strength, another of my favorite options is the LCRx 38 special with the 3" barrel. Crazy light, great SA trigger, ok DA, and correct SD 38 special rounds will actually get more velocity out of the 3" barrel than 357 mag out of a 1.8" and it has a full size comfy grip.
     
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    VERT

    Grandmaster
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    23   0   0
    Jan 4, 2009
    9,801
    113
    Seymour
    S&W Shield EZ. I am an anti .380 guy but am really impressed with this gun. Bought one to evaluate. It made my recommended list.
     

    VERT

    Grandmaster
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    23   0   0
    Jan 4, 2009
    9,801
    113
    Seymour
    The slide on these guns is wildly easy to operate by hand. Was really impressed.


    I have only put about 200 rounds through the gun so far. Federal HST, Hornady CD, Perfecta fmj, Armscor FMJ, Magtech FMJ. Gun ran fine on all of them, no malfunctions. I even managed to put shots on an IPSC at 100 yards. Very light recoil. Trigger breaks about 4.5-5 lbs on my gauge
     

    Opie

    Sharpshooter
    Rating - 100%
    61   0   0
    Feb 2, 2013
    525
    12
    Evansville
    Double action ONLY Revolver.

    Now, we all know that you "shouldn't" cock the hammer unless you are 100% going to fire, but people do it. I would guess she doesn't have the hand strength to safely lower the hammer on a revolver. Bobbing the hammer would probably be acceptable in this situation, as replacement hammers are avail for most revolvers.

    The Ruger as stated above is a great choice, as well as the model 10s.

    Remember, just because she is proficient with firearms doesn't mean that her body will keep up with those skills/strengths over the next 5-10 years. Get her something that she will be able to use for the long haul!
     

    Opie

    Sharpshooter
    Rating - 100%
    61   0   0
    Feb 2, 2013
    525
    12
    Evansville
    One thing we need to consider with home defense is reality. We have to balance what is likely, as compared to fantasy.

    1) Most of us are unlikely to ever defend our home.

    2) Consider the type of criminal we are likely to encounter if #1 happens.

    Most criminals are opportunists. Criminals in general are lazy, and don't put much effort or thought into crimes. Someone who is a petty thief will likely flee upon any human interaction, even unarmed. These are the criminals that most law abiding citizens are likely to run into.

    Then you have the next level, who may confront a person during the crime, but would flee if confronted with a weapon.

    Then you have true predators. People who have planned, and are willing and able to hurt/kill you. These are few and far between, and I have seen very few of these people over my years in law enforcement actually breaking into an occupied residence that did not contain drugs/money. They are surely out there, but generally I find them to commit crimes against other criminals.

    The location of your home, outdoor lighting, and local crime rate should all be considered. In most cases, a handgun with "no stopping power" is plenty to do the "stopping."

    More importantly than the type of weapon, make sure the bushes are trimmed away from windows and doors. Install motion lights all around the home. Use door stops and secure windows. Make the criminals want to go somewhere else!

    FWIW the elders in my family all have revolvers!
     

    NHT3

    Grandmaster
    Rating - 100%
    52   0   0
    What ever you decide get her to the range so she can get familiar with it. Your "no range time recently" comment tells me just loading something and handing it to her is not the best idea.


    [FONT=&amp]NRA Life Member / [/FONT]Basic Pistol instructor[FONT=&amp] / RSO[/FONT][FONT=&amp]

    [/FONT][FONT=&amp]"Under pressure, you don't rise to the occasion, you sink to the level of your training. That's why we train so hard" [/FONT][FONT=&amp]
    [/FONT][FONT=&amp]Unnamed Navy Seal[/FONT][FONT=&amp]

    [/FONT][FONT=&amp]“Ego is the reason many men do not shoot competition. They don't want to suck in public” [/FONT][FONT=&amp]
    [/FONT]
    [FONT=&amp]
    [/FONT][FONT=&amp]Aron Bright[/FONT]
     

    Amishman44

    Master
    Rating - 98%
    48   1   0
    Dec 30, 2009
    3,680
    113
    Woodburn
    I've recommended to older ladies, if they can manage the DAO trigger, to get a Ruger LCR in .22 WMR....
    It's concealable...
    It's consistent...
    It's reliable...
    And the round is manageable....
    Better-n-nuthin'...
     

    Mongo59

    Master
    Rating - 100%
    12   0   0
    Jul 30, 2018
    4,448
    113
    Purgatory
    Break the piggy bank and get a Desert Eagle .50AE and keep it locked and loaded.

    Tell her, "if you have to pull the trigger the battle is already won or lost, depending on your perspective..."
     

    Hohn

    Master
    Rating - 100%
    1   0   0
    Jul 5, 2012
    4,444
    63
    USA
    One thing we need to consider with home defense is reality. We have to balance what is likely, as compared to fantasy.

    1) Most of us are unlikely to ever defend our home.

    2) Consider the type of criminal we are likely to encounter if #1 happens.

    Most criminals are opportunists. Criminals in general are lazy, and don't put much effort or thought into crimes. Someone who is a petty thief will likely flee upon any human interaction, even unarmed. These are the criminals that most law abiding citizens are likely to run into.

    Then you have the next level, who may confront a person during the crime, but would flee if confronted with a weapon.

    Then you have true predators. People who have planned, and are willing and able to hurt/kill you. These are few and far between, and I have seen very few of these people over my years in law enforcement actually breaking into an occupied residence that did not contain drugs/money. They are surely out there, but generally I find them to commit crimes against other criminals.

    The location of your home, outdoor lighting, and local crime rate should all be considered. In most cases, a handgun with "no stopping power" is plenty to do the "stopping."

    More importantly than the type of weapon, make sure the bushes are trimmed away from windows and doors. Install motion lights all around the home. Use door stops and secure windows. Make the criminals want to go somewhere else!

    FWIW the elders in my family all have revolvers!

    Excellent post. I’d add that something with thorns or other offenses to the skin can be a good choice near windows.
     
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