Best home defense gun for my 82 year old father?

[Joniki]

To the OP. I live just north of the Fort. If I can help in any way, let me know. There is a range on the northwest side of town, Freedom Firearms I believe. I do not know if they rent firearms.

Whatever you decide, be sure to install an alarm system as well...

 

[firefighterjohn]

To the OP. I live just north of the Fort. If I can help in any way, let me know. There is a range on the northwest side of town, Freedom Firearms I believe. I do not know if they rent firearms.

Whatever you decide, be sure to install an alarm system as well...

View attachment 88084

Oh boy, nothing beats those live 4-legged German Shepard alarms...Dad has two of them as well. We do too...two pitch black one like yours. They look ready to serve and protect! Nice looking protectors!

 

[Joniki]

Oh boy, nothing beats those live 4-legged German Shepard alarms...Dad has two of them as well. We do too...two pitch black one like yours. They look ready to serve and protect! Nice looking protectors!

Thank you!

 

[Route 45]

Sounds like he will rarely shoot whatever he winds up with, and is not a "gun guy" in general. I would avoid a semiauto of any type, no matter how easy the slide is to rack. Lack of practice will equal being out of the fight if a stovepipe or FTF is experienced.

The best option in my opinion is the same thing I recommended to my 82 year old dad...a sturdy .357 magnum revolver with high visibility sights. My preference is the Ruger GP100, but nothing wrong with a S&W 686 or similar. I'd kinda like to have one of the 7 shot 686 Smiths one of these days, but not being a revolver guy myself, my gun $$ always go for something a little more high speed. Load a good .357 with whatever power level he can handle, and he will have a good defensive weapon. Even a slightly warm .38 wadcutter out of the 4" - 6" barrel of a revolver is plenty enough. Maybe even a little nostalgia for him, since he carried a wheelgun while serving our country.

If he's concerned about zombies, a Ruger PC carbine with 33 round Glock mags is a good option. Easy to handle as a 10/22, low recoil and can be outfitted with a nice red dot and light for easy target acquisition. Being a carbine, it's more likely to be reliable than a semiauto pistol, which may lose reliability depending on grip strength. In fact, I can't think of a better combo than a GP100 in the nightstand and a PC Carbine in the closet for a senior citizen concerned with personal safety.

 

[bwframe]

For those recommending revolvers for old people, how well do old folks shoot a revolver with a 9# double action trigger?

 

[Clay Pigeon]

For those recommending revolvers for old people, how well do old folks shoot a revolver with a 9# double action trigger?

With my 80+ year old father, it was much easier than racking a 9mm slide, he tried pulling it back, push pulling and using a door frame. It didnt happen...

 

[Chance]

If you consider a revolver, the Inceptor ammo with the lighter weight bullets but faster velocity is a big reduction in recoil.

 

[bwframe]

Understood that reloading is easier, but are older folks that cannot rack a slide able to pull the heavy double action revolver trigger to make accurate shots?

 

[Route 45]

For those recommending revolvers for old people, how well do old folks shoot a revolver with a 9# double action trigger?

(1) Police say a 90-year-old Honesdale man shot an intruder after the suspect said he was going to enter the man’s home in the middle of the night. (Revolver used)

(2) Barb Moles, an 80-year-old with eight grandchildren and three great-grandkids, shot and killed a home intruder who stabbed her husband last week in Washington. Barb ran to her bedroom to retrieve an item John gave her for Christmas a few years ago — a .38 caliber. (Revolver)

(3) SAPD spokesperson Douglas Greene said the elderly man (70's) pleaded with the attempted intruder to stop his efforts to get into the couple's home, but the man continued to force his way into the home, eventually breaking the door handle. That's when Greene said the homeowner fired his revolver at the door, striking the man, who is in his 40s, in the chest.

(4) The Armens are both in their seventies. Alfred reportedly engaged in a physical struggle with the assailant before fatally shooting him with a revolver.

(5) An 81-year-old Sultan-area woman broke no laws when she shot and killed a home intruder in April, officials have determined. Moles went to a back bedroom and pulled a .38 caliber revolver from the closet. Sheppard was advancing on Moles when she opened fire, according to Matheson’s letter. He was struck multiple times and collapsed.

(6) Tom Greer, an 80-year-old Long Beach resident who fatally shot an intruder in his Bixby Knolls home last year, will not face criminal charges, according to the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office (LADA). Greer told police that he shot the two suspects, 28-year-old Miller and 26-year-old Gus Adams, with his .22-caliber Smith and Wesson revolver after the suspects attacked him, jumped on him then fled with $5,000 cash from Greer’s safe.

https://riverreporter.com/stories/honesdale-man-90-shoots-intruder,16514

https://www.nydailynews.com/news/crime/80-year-old-woman-shoots-kills-intruder-attacked-husband-article-1.2628602

https://www.mysanantonio.com/news/l...omeowner-foils-attempted-break-in-8401422.php

https://news.yahoo.com/alleged-penn-intruder-dead-attacking-elderly-woman-club-004819256.html

https://www.heraldnet.com/news/prosecutor-woman-81-was-justified-in-shooting-killing-intruder/

https://lbpost.com/news/elderly-bix...me-intruder-will-not-face-criminal-charges-2/

 

[Ggreen]

Honestly, what about a taurus tx22 or a glock 44 with some CCI stingers?

The tx22 has capacity, an easy trigger, and easy racking slide. Put an olight mini on it, maybe a brake to make it even more easily controlled. 17 rounds, reliable, easy to shoot.

 

[Joniki]

One more plus for a revolver. They require very little maintenance and still go pew, pew, pew and pew...

 

[Ricnzak]

Honestly, what about a taurus tx22 or a glock 44 with some CCI stingers?

The tx22 has capacity, an easy trigger, and easy racking slide. Put an olight mini on it, maybe a brake to make it even more easily controlled. 17 rounds, reliable, easy to shoot.

I was thinking along the same lines but in 22mag. Maybe this: https://www.keltecweapons.com/firearms/pistols/pmr30/

Im not sure how loud they would be inside.

 

[Route 45]

Stick to centerfire for a home defense weapon. Absolutely zero reason to go with a .22 or .22 magnum.

 

[spec4]

My wife can't rack a slide so I got her a Beretta Tomcat. Hey, better than nothing.

 

[spec4]

My wife can't rack a slide so I got her a Beretta Tomcat.  Hey, better than nothing.

 

[Ggreen]

Stick to centerfire for a home defense weapon. Absolutely zero reason to go with a .22 or .22 magnum.

Not true, at all. No way my grandma in her early 70s could shoot a centerfire with any ability to score hits. Muscle loss, bone density issues. 82 is a lot of wear and tear. 22 may be far superior than a wiley little double action depending on the shooters ability to wield it properly.

22 Kills people every year. It only took 1 round of 22lr for a close family to kill himself, in a less than ideal shot placement. In appropriate hands it can be an acceptable last resort.

 

[JettaKnight]

For the Ft Wayne area people, what is the best gun store/range to take him to try out different handguns to see what he feels most comfortable with?

Freedom Firearms is the only one with a range. ZX Guns is just about a mile down the road from them.

Other than that, Tomlinson's up in 'Busco.

 

[CallSign Snafu]

I saw some people mention it half way through the thread and it was my first thought when I read the first post, get him a good protection dog.

 

[Leadeye]

I'm agreeing with the revolver group and a good Colt 38 special like an old Officers Model has an easy DA pull. Very accurate as well. The Army Special and Police Positive come in 38 special and are relatively inexpensive on GB.

 

[mmpsteve]

Sounds like he will rarely shoot whatever he winds up with, and is not a "gun guy" in general. I would avoid a semiauto of any type, no matter how easy the slide is to rack. Lack of practice will equal being out of the fight if a stovepipe or FTF is experienced.

The best option in my opinion is the same thing I recommended to my 82 year old dad...a sturdy .357 magnum revolver with high visibility sights. My preference is the Ruger GP100, but nothing wrong with a S&W 686 or similar. I'd kinda like to have one of the 7 shot 686 Smiths one of these days, but not being a revolver guy myself, my gun $$ always go for something a little more high speed. Load a good .357 with whatever power level he can handle, and he will have a good defensive weapon. Even a slightly warm .38 wadcutter out of the 4" - 6" barrel of a revolver is plenty enough. Maybe even a little nostalgia for him, since he carried a wheelgun while serving our country.

If he's concerned about zombies, a Ruger PC carbine with 33 round Glock mags is a good option. Easy to handle as a 10/22, low recoil and can be outfitted with a nice red dot and light for easy target acquisition. Being a carbine, it's more likely to be reliable than a semiauto pistol, which may lose reliability depending on grip strength. In fact, I can't think of a better combo than a GP100 in the nightstand and a PC Carbine in the closet for a senior citizen concerned with personal safety.

If you go with a revolver, The Ruger GP100, as well as the SP101, come in .327 magnum, and you get an extra round in either format. In .327, you can get an 85 grain low-recoil round, or can run 32 H&R for even less recoil. An SP101, in particular, might make a manageable solution with 6 rounds of low-recoil .327, or the 32 H&R ammo, in a lighter weight package than the GP100. With the Hogue rubber grips, it's a dandy little revolver, without the blast and recoil of the 357. Look for the 4.2" barrel version to get the most out of whatever round you choose.

One other note. I like the Ruger PC carbine, but it's a heavy little sucker, for what it is. If the weight is not an issue, it would serve well also.

.