Best home defense gun for my 82 year old father?

[Katana1]

Don't overlook a revolver. You can't limp wrist them, no slide to rack, and bigger ammo for old fingers to manage. A .38 with whatever load he can handle is worth consideration. Size and weight should not be much of a concern if he isn't going to carry it. Even low-power wadcutters are wicked evil. More important than the gun he chooses would be to make sure he is safe with it.

Luckygunner did several articles on the .38 for defense. It's worth a look.

Oh, you might even consider taking him to a range, rent a gun or three, and let him shoot them first. Try before you buy. Hard to think of a down side to this and may prevent problems in the future. Old fingers (I got some) lose flexibility and strength with aging. If your father is still with us 10+ years from today, can he still use whatever solution you come up with. You might even find a used one at a reasonable price.

 

[Frank_N_Stein]

Don't overlook a revolver. You can't limp wrist them, no slide to rack, and bigger ammo for old fingers to manage. A .38 with whatever load he can handle is worth consideration. Size and weight should not be much of a concern if he isn't going to carry it. Even low-power wadcutters are wicked evil. More important than the gun he chooses would be to make sure he is safe with it.

Luckygunner did several articles on the .38 for defense. It's worth a look.

Oh, you might even consider taking him to a range, rent a gun or three, and let him shoot them first. Try before you buy. Hard to think of a down side to this and may prevent problems in the future. Old fingers (I got some) lose flexibility and strength with aging. If your father is still with us 10+ years from today, can he still use whatever solution you come up with. You might even find a used one at a reasonable price.

Thanks. Did you read my other posts?

 

[KG1]

Thanks. Did you read my other posts?

What posts?

 

[indyjohn]

Thanks. Did you read my other posts?

What posts?

Wonder what he's got to sell...

 

[Frank_N_Stein]

What posts?

I don't know, I can't see them because I have myself on my ignore list.

 

[KG1]

I don't know, I can't see them because I have myself on my ignore list.

I hate it when I ignore myself. Anyway, glad to see everything worked out for you and your Pop.

 

[Frank_N_Stein]

I hate it when I ignore myself. Anyway, glad to see everything worked out for you and your Pop.

Thanks

 

[Ziggidy]

I am not 80 but had trouble with racking. Picked up the 9mm EZ and love it. It is very easy to operate; however, for total simplicity, a revolver would be my first choice.
LCR357 and shoot 38's out of it. Nice. Easy. Manageable. The EZ take down/reassemble "can be" difficult if you do not follow directions.

My recommendation = revolver.

 

[Ziggidy]

I should have read through.....good to see he got something.

 

[sonny]

cant go wrong with a revolver in this case I would say

 

[WebSnyper]

cant go wrong with a revolver in this case I would say

Didn't bother to read through did you?

 

[Trigger Time]

Update - Took my mom and dad to Hillside Shooting Sports in Roanoke on 07/03. He shot my G19, my Taurus .357 j-frame (loaded with .38 ammo), and we rented a Shield 9mm. The shop had a .380 EZ available for rent but we procrastinated and weren't able to shoot it. My dad wasn't a fan of my G19 or the Taurus, but he liked the Shield. The only issue he had with the Shield was racking the slide. He called Hillside today to see if they still had the gun to rent but they sold it. He found a .380 EZ in stock at Wrigley's in Ft Wayne and ended up buying it after handling it. He doesn't plan on carrying it out in public, but I'm still going to recommend to him to take a class or get private lessons from one of the ranges in his area.

Just saw this thread thanks to indyjohn.
Congrats on your dad taking a huge step! And good on you for helping to support him !

My father also elderly and a vet with lots of firearms experience, has trouble now due to health weakness, racking a slide.
I got him a piece that replaces the backplate on his glock and allows him to grip it and rack the slide.
Heres a couple I looked up for the shield (an awesome and reliable gun by the way). Maybe it would help your dad out. Just wanted to pass the info along just in case.

Many new shooters (not saying your dad) overlook the importance of being able to work the slide. They believe that once theres one in the chamber it will always run. But time and time again we see actual self defense encounters caught on tape (including ones with police officers on duty) where a malfunction occurs and forces a rapid slide manipulation to get the gun back in the fight. So this is a serious life and death issue imo. This is what I stressed to my own father to get him to agree to adding one to his glock.

https://www.amazon.com/TacRack-SHIELD-Racking-Made-Easer/dp/B00ZGT1TX2

https://www.clipdraw.com/product/charging-handle-shield-9mm-40-cal/