Aged Parental home defense handgun?

[rat-man]

Looking for any practical, experienced suggestions for a home defense weapon for my aging parents. Both in their 60s, dad is disabled and mom is a frail and slight woman.

Odd behavior by a guy driving a lawn care truck stopped out on the street in front of their house today, and all I could practically suggest to my mother was a .22LR pistol that my wife had at the house. She's not strong enough to rack the slide of my PPQ 40.

I'm obviously leaning towards revolver, something that has enough stopping power and isn't going to leap out of my mother's hands. I've only ever fired single-action 45 colt revolvers, I have no concept of how much a .38 kicks, though I guess it would depend on the wheel gun.

Thanks in advance for any suggestions.

 

[Justin Case]

I suggest a revolver like a S&W .38 special. It's simple to use, very reliable, needs little maintenance and doesn't kick too much.

 

[Rayne]

Until you said your Mom was frail and you didn't want somethimg that would leap out of her hand, I was going to suggest a Taurus Judge. The Judge definately has a kick, but it's not any worse than our Ruger LCR .38.
If you go with a .38, don't get a lightweight/airweight version. They have more muzzle flip than the regular revolvers.

Have you considered a home defense shotgun instead of a handgun?

 

[rat-man]

I don't want it to be too heavy, but I also don't think a snub nose is necessary.

Ruger LCR is a possibility, but it's so lightweight I wonder how it would kick compared to say a SP101.

 

[Suprtek]

I agree with the revolver concept. You just can't beat the simplicity. Only thing I might suggest is possibly a Judge or comparable gun. Its not too much bigger than a regular revolver and it gives you the option of loading .410 shells as well as .45LC. Anything to make aiming less critical can help.

 

[Suprtek]

Rayne beat me to it!

 

[mrjarrell]

The Judge might be a decent choice. But, I'd also second the .38 idea, too. It's a versatile round. You could even get a smaller .357 and load it out with the .38's. Not bad on recoil at all. It's hard to go wrong with a revolver, especially when someone get's up in years. Adding a 20 gauge to the equation might help, too. Expand their options.

 

[Rayne]

I agree with the revolver concept. You just can't beat the simplicity. Only thing I might suggest is possibly a Judge or comparable gun. Its not too much bigger than a regular revolver and it gives you the option of loading .410 shells as well as .45LC. Anything to make aiming less critical can help.

We put a bigger grip on our Judge to make it easier to hang on to.

The LCR has a lot of muzzle flip. I was surprised. Our .357 is easier to shoot than it.

 

[Light]

My 70 year old grandma has a 357 snub nose loaded with 38 special and can shoot it fine. Maybe borrow a few guns and go to a range to see?

 

[the1kidd03]

I see far too many women (especially beginning shooters and older) go to the range and have incredibly hard times trying to pull the heavy triggers on the majority of .38s for me to suggest that for your purposes in any sense. At least stay away from DAO, and lightweight frames.

I would HIGHLY recommend looking elsewhere...

 

[Rayne]

Would your folks be willing to travel a bit to try out a few?

 

[SEIndSAM]

20ga pump shotgun.

 

[volsfandan]

does it have to be a handgun? a 410 pump might be a good choice

 

[warren5421]

Look at a .32 mag or .327 mag. The recoil is low and you can get it in a double action from several companies. Recoil is easy enough that I can shoot it left handed with bad arthritis in the hand without it hurting.

 

[LP1]

If they are new to guns, please make sure that they know the situations in which they can shoot, and when they can't. Could prevent a neighborhood tragedy. Also, make sure that you keep track of their mental abilities as they age. Been there, and it can sneak up fast.

 

[Sniper 79]

Ruger MKIII loaded with CCI.

 

[jylederman]

I wouldn't count out a 22lr. For a small round it's not going to have any "nock down power". But a bunch of them in center mass will sure drain the fluids quickly.

 

[Jarhead77]

FWIW. Neither my daughter in law, who has fired my .45 and my wife's .32 nor my wife can pull the trigger on my sons Judge. May just be his is tight but I would stay away from it as a primary defense weapon for an older lady.

 

[DeadeyeChrista'sdad]

Whoa.... I used to be one of those "lawn guys". Odds are very good the guy was just checking and organizing his route. Doing paperwork and talking to his home base. Don't hit the panic button just yet. That said, I'm a fan of 3 and 4 inch .357s with a light .38 load. Hey man, at close range a hole's a hole.

 

[walleyepw]

A 4 inch 38 spcl. fitted with some good grips that fit her hand. I hear that the Chiapa Rhino is easy on recoil (feels very different).