What handgun for an elderly woman?

[athyen]

I have a landlord who had a “homemade pharmaceutical enthusiast” make a visit to her front porch the other day. Her husband wasn’t home at the time and her helplessness during the event has her pretty shook up. She came to me to tell me that she is going to get a gun, she just needs to know which one.

At first I thought this would be easy. Glock 19/CZ P10/M&P or one of the many guns along those lines. So, I took several guns to her to see what she would like. That’s where I’ve run into problems.

She is 78, uses a walker full time and honestly, is much weaker than I anticipated. She could not rack my Glock 19 slide and struggled very much on my Glock 43 and M&P 9.

She is dead set on getting a gun. I want to make sure I consider everything and find the best fit for her. I am considering looking at the Shield EZ, but have never handled one. Or maybe a 9mm or .38 special revolver? Trigger pull and hammer manipulation might be difficult with a revolver though. What recommendations does INGO have? Has anyone else been in a similar situation?


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[IndianaSoloMcfly]

No recommendation really, just an observation.

the EZ shield has been the topic of conversation here a lot for the elderly.
seems like they nailed it with that one.

hard for me to see a downside with that platform, IF you cant manipulate another standard auto loader.

 

[DoggyDaddy]

Lots of good suggestions in this thread on the same subject: https://www.indianagunowners.com/fo...t-home-defense-gun-my-82-year-old-father.html

 

[KellyinAvon]

"Uses a walker full time" must be taken into consideration also/in-home carry is now a must.

 

[WanderingSol07]

I suggest avoidance for her, how about an intercomm system so she does not have to open the door?

 

[Thor]

Strap a coach gun to the top rail of her walker?

Seriously though, is she even going to be able to defend herself? Maybe starting a course of exercise and rehabilitation would do her more good; I know, it's work and not a magic pill but it sounds like she's going to be helpless without some form of physical proficiency.

 

[mark40sw]

Revolver may be best for someone with limited hand/arm strength. Also the Ruger cylinder latch with its large push in lever manipulation may be easier for her also.

 

[Tactical Flannel]

Having had a similar journey with my wife, she decided on a S&W 38. Due to her health she no longer is able to manipulate the slide on the automatics without significant difficulty.
But she can operate the revolver proficiently. The biggest thing is she feels confident in operating the revolver.
Obviously there's trade offs with whatever weapon is decided on. In my case, the revolver checked the most boxes for her.
Good luck.

 

[gglass]

I highly recommend that Shield EZ for obvious reasons. As someone said above, S&W nailed it with the EZ.

I highly DO NOT recommend a J-frame style revolver. Most of the pocket sized revolvers have triggers in the 12 to 17 pound range for double action,which completely negates the advantage of not having to rack a strong slide. If I were to recommend a small revolver, it might have to be the Ruger LCR, but even those have a DA pull of around 8 pounds.

 

[NHT3]

Generally people can run a slide on most of the 9s if taught the correct procedure. The EZ guns are "easy" but the EZ 9 has a pretty snappy recoil.. I've had several students that had problems with the a$$ backwards grip safety. IMHO it would be a much improved design if the grip safety emulated a 1911 or it didn't have one at all. If possible take her to the range and let her get her hands on several different pistols before buying and suggest training to her.

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

“Ego is the reason many men do not shoot competition. They don't want to suck in public” ….Coach

 

[athyen]

Lots of good suggestions in this thread on the same subject: https://www.indianagunowners.com/fo...t-home-defense-gun-my-82-year-old-father.html

Thank you very much. That was a great thread. I did not find it while searching, however that is my fault. I focused my search around elderly women and did not get results for that thread.

I suggest avoidance for her, how about an intercomm system so she does not have to open the door?

Strap a coach gun to the top rail of her walker?

Seriously though, is she even going to be able to defend herself? Maybe starting a course of exercise and rehabilitation would do her more good; I know, it's work and not a magic pill but it sounds like she's going to be helpless without some form of physical proficiency.

Those both revolve around the first conversation I had with her. My first approach was to politely discuss with her whether or not she was physically capable of having a gun and if it would be a help or a hindrance if she ever did need it. She is very headstrong and informed that she was not looking for a discussion on whether or not she should have one, she was looking for advice on what to get...

She already has a Ring doorbell and when the meth head was on her porch, he was just looking in windows, he did not come to the door. She did retreat to the rear of the house and called her husband.

Additionally, she is in physical therapy multiple times a week to maintain or build strength.

I highly recommend that Shield EZ for obvious reasons. As someone said above, S&W nailed it with the EZ.

I highly DO NOT recommend a J-frame style revolver. Most of the pocket sized revolvers have triggers in the 12 to 17 pound range for double action,which completely negates the advantage of not having to rack a strong slide. If I were to recommend a small revolver, it might have to be the Ruger LCR, but even those have a DA pull of around 8 pounds.

This has been my concern with a revolver. While simple to use and requiring little strength to load/unload, the trigger pulls is DA are outrageous. What would you think of a DA/SA where she could cock the hammer. Something like a ruger SP101 9mm? That would get her through the first shot at least.



I’m going to go to the gun store and take a good look at the Shield EZ since it is highly recommended by many. That may be a good option for her. We would just need to decide .380 vs 9mm.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[Ziggidy]

If I were to recommend a small revolver, it might have to be the Ruger LCR, but even those have a DA pull of around 8 pounds.

My wife has arthritis in her hands very bad. She cannot rack anything. She likes the LCR357 and can pull the trigger without difficulty. I put Hornady 90gr FTX in there to help matters. Something is better than nothing.

The EZ seems like it would be good, but 78y/o who uses a walker? I think of safety here.

 

[Ziggidy]

Maybe get her out of the house and rent a few? Let her decide?

 

[Leadeye]

Old Colt Police Positive or Army Special. They have good triggers, and easy DA pull in my experience.

 

[blue2golf]

EZ .380. Less recoil than the 9.

 

[KG1]

Generally people can run a slide on most of the 9s if taught the correct procedure. The EZ guns are "easy" but the EZ 9 has a pretty snappy recoil.. I've had several students that had problems with the a$$ backwards grip safety. IMHO it would be a much improved design if the grip safety emulated a 1911 or it didn't have one at all. If possible take her to the range and let her get her hands on several different pistols before buying and suggest training to her.

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

“Ego is the reason many men do not shoot competition. They don't want to suck in public” ….Coach

I agree about the grip safety on the EZ. If you don't get a solid grip on it then the safety won't engage and you're left wondering why it did'nt go bang when you pulled the trigger. Everything else about the EZ I liked. Not crazy about the grip safety.

 

[63PGP]

My mom is 93 and is using a walker only the last two years. It took a while but she's been trained now to not answer the door unless my dad is home, 99% of the time lets my dad answer.

Even if you did find something she could handle it would have to be holstered and carried on the walker. If she answered a door and then realized there was problem, she would either be mowed over by the intruder or get off one badly placed shot. Then the pistol would be taken from her and she might not see 79.

 

[hoosierfishing]

Beretta M9 22LR! Filll it with mini mags and she should be good to go.

 

[warren5421]

Get a door bell camera and check before going to door. Place a holster on the walker and when out and about cover the gun with a shaw incase she gets cold. Been there done that
I am 75 and carry a .32 ACP as my hands can't take .45 ACP or 9mm. The .32 is a good round for old hands. Recoil is lighter than .380 ACP and it does more damage for size than any of the larger bores. I have several different Rugers clambered in .32 H&R but they all seem to weigh a lot to carry but almost no recoil. I like the way a 1903 Colt fells, the Beretta 1935 seems smaller but shoots the same. I also have several small frame Smiths and Colts in .32 S&W Longs carried by police that are soft shooting and light. Most have a butter smooth action both single and double action. Reach is short enough that a small hand should be able to shoot easy. Stay away from the .32 Colt round as it uses a hell bullet. If you reload you can increase the rounds power and reload better bullets. Soft cast bullets work very well and what I have seen on coyotes they speak as good as the .45 ACP.

 

[DIRTROAD]

Might look at that ruger lcp22