Revolver Recommendation for a WW2 Vet

[Bapak2ja]

My father is 86 years of age. He lives in a retirement community that is located in a section of town that is becoming increasingly dangerous. Last weekend there were four shootings in the neighborhood, including a 17-year-old who was chased down a street by two men, caught, shot, and DOA at the hospital. My father asked me today if I would return his old revolver he purchased back in 1951. He is concerned that, sooner or later, one of those bad boys will walk into the senior citizens home to rob and abuse the defenseless. The revolver is no longer safe to shoot, so I told him I would take him to the range to test fire a few weapons and find one he can handle.

I am thinking about what type of weapon he can handle. He never carried a handgun in the military, and only owned this old .32 no-name revolver. He does not have any experience with semi-autos, so I do not like the idea of introducing him to one now. It would be difficult for him to load the mags with aged hands, too. I am thinking about a good revolver for him. I know Taurus makes some great revolvers, but I am not familiar with them. I think a .38 or possibly 9mm is the most he can handle. I know he can't handle a .357 magnum. His hands are not strong now, so a light trigger pull is essential. He needs to be able to conceal it, so I am thinking maximum of 3" barrel.

What do you recommend for an old codger who really is to old to fight, to stove up to run but is still a sheepdog at heart?

 

[DFM914]

Ruger LCR 38. Easy to handle, smooth as silk trigger, reliable and made in the USA.

 

[buford t justice]

model 10,19, 686 smith

 

[BehindBlueI's]

Tough to beat a 4" revolver. Taurus isn't great, but it's deep into "good enough" territory.

Hand strength can be an issue. I would suggest the heaviest revolver he can comfortably grip and hold steady. The heavier the gun, the less the felt recoil, and I would figure he's likely battling arthritis so anything you can do to put less strain on his joints would likely be appreciated.

Taurus, Ruger, S&W, all make models that will likely fit the bill.

Ammo selection is equally important. Standard .38s will be soft shooting in a full sized revolver, but there are some "light recoil +P" choices out there that will offer better performance. That's probably overthinking it though. I'd load him up with some standard pressure .38s and see how he handles it.

 

[Kirk Freeman]

4" K Frame.

Smith M10 or M64.

Taurus makes the Model 82 (which we sold at Galyan's for $189 long ago) if you must have a Taurus.

Red nail polish or model paint on the front ramp. Sharpie on the rear.

My mother uses a Smith M10 with Tyler T grip adapter. My father uses a Ruger Police Service Six.

For hand exercises, I bought snap caps and sand bags for a backstop and I showed her some hand and forearm exercises to do.

 

[seldon14]

Ruger sp101 in 327 mag. Small, but hefty for it's size. Can fire 32 short, 32 long, 32 mag, or 327. So you can find the right balance between recoil and power.

 

[in625shooter]

I would go with a K fram S&W with a 3-4 inch barrel and 158 gr LHP (the old FBI load) Old scholl, easy to shoot but still works

 

[6mm Shoot]

I think the 327 round is a great idea. You have several rounds that it will fire. If he can't handle the 327 mag you can go to the 32 mag then if he can't handle that you can go to the the 32 long then the 23 short. If he can't handle that you need to go to a 22mag. S&W makes a great one. Good luck with what ever you decide.

 

[Kirk Freeman]

The latch on the Ruger can be problematic for seniors with stiff thumbs.

 

[Bapak2ja]

Thanks to everyone for your suggestions. I now have several good ideas and places to start looking.

It really is sad that he is worried about the bad guys when he walks on the community grounds and hallways. Our mayor has said that all the violence recently has been from domestic violence or drug gang situations, so he thinks the rest of us are safe. Just proves he is out of touch. This senior community is very concerned about life in the southeast quadrant of the Fort. Residents are moving out of this community to the newer facility on the north side of town and new residents are not interested in this fine facility because of the location—SE Fort Wayne.

But, it is what it is. Thanks, again, for you help. Stay safe y'all.

 

[Bapak2ja]

The latch on the Ruger can be problematic for seniors with stiff thumbs.

Good to know!

 

[Kirk Freeman]

My father has no problems with it but others may not.

 

[dhw9am]

Ruge LCR 22 Magnum

Ruger now makes the LCR in the 22 magnum caliber. It is from what I have read, reliable with a great trigger. It holds six rounds.
Hornady makes a new 22 magnum bullet, which is designed for snub nose revolvers.
It would give him very decent fire power, low recoil and easy trigger.
Just my thought.

 

[karl77]

perhaps a single action revolver in 38spl......

 

[ultra...good]

Good recomendqtions so far, the only thing i would add, is what i always stste: get the man out to a range that rents guns and let him decide what works best for him. I wish i were closer, i would bring everything i have and see if there is anything that works for him.

Side note, what a sad state we are in as a country when a man that started his adult life by going to a foreign land, putting his life on the line for the greater good of our nation, and when this same man is in his retirement years, we as a society do so little to ses that his safety is guaranteed. An 86 year old should not have to worry about their safety, but then again, neither should 6 year old school kids. Where did we go wrong?

 

[BE Mike]

My father spent decades involved with pistol shooting as a hobby. When he reached the mid- 80's he didn't have the strength to pull a double-action trigger even after lighter springs were put in to replace the factory ones. He also has lost his ability to hold steady. Based on my experience, I would consider him getting a two-barreled shotgun, either over and under or side-by-side. The lighter the better for oldsters.

 

[jurassicnarc]

Unfortunately, I'm getting to the place where I can personally identify with the problem. First, how is his vision (I had cataracts done this week). Second, In your seventies muscle mass starts to go. Arthritis will interfere with pulling back a slide, before a S&W cylinder latch becomes difficult. Note that the trend toward airweights increases perceived recoil. All steel, but compact, will help here. I went thru this with my dad. What finally worked best for him was a S&W Chief Special (with a hammer that could be easily cocked), big cushy Pachmeyer 'Compac" grips that his arthritic hands could hold, and loaded with .38 Spl wad cutters.

When a couple of drunken wouldbe burglars did break into his WV home, he fired one time and missed. They nearly killed themselves trying to get out the door at the same time. When they got tangled up in the green beans and tomatoes in his garden, he got carried away and fired twice more in their general direction. Police stopped a drunk whose trousers were hanging low and walking bowlegged, but couldn't prove a conection. Dad couldn't make a visual ID... too dark. And well, a little spackle fixed the hole in the kitchen wall. I can't tell you how proud Dad was to have "run them off", but we were pretty lucky on several counts.

 

[Bapak2ja]

Good recomendqtions so far, the only thing i would add, is what i always stste: get the man out to a range that rents guns and let him decide what works best for him. I wish i were closer, i would bring everything i have and see if there is anything that works for him.

Side note, what a sad state we are in as a country when a man that started his adult life by going to a foreign land, putting his life on the line for the greater good of our nation, and when this same man is in his retirement years, we as a society do so little to ses that his safety is guaranteed. An 86 year old should not have to worry about their safety, but then again, neither should 6 year old school kids. Where did we go wrong?

Thanks for your advice. Getting him out to the range is the best idea. I think an old-fashioned .38SPL will work for him. Just have to figure out the legalities of the senior community first.

Where did we go wrong? We went wrong when we abandoned the Christian values on which this nation was established and replaced them with the values of secular-humanism. There are many slogans that could be used to summarize the issue but it really comes down to having a commitment to to some core standards. Secular-humanism adopts situational ethics and rejects any set of permanent standards of right/wrong. In the absence of such a standard there is no driving force for morality. There is no reason to do "right." Each does what is right in his/her own eyes and no one can judge their actions. Without an objective, unchanging moral standard, no society can survive.

Stand by. The worst is yet to come.

Again, thanks for your suggestions.

 

[Bapak2ja]

Unfortunately, I'm getting to the place where I can personally identify with the problem. First, how is his vision (I had cataracts done this week). Second, In your seventies muscle mass starts to go. Arthritis will interfere with pulling back a slide, before a S&W cylinder latch becomes difficult. Note that the trend toward airweights increases perceived recoil. All steel, but compact, will help here. I went thru this with my dad. What finally worked best for him was a S&W Chief Special (with a hammer that could be easily cocked), big cushy Pachmeyer 'Compac" grips that his arthritic hands could hold, and loaded with .38 Spl wad cutters.

When a couple of drunken wouldbe burglars did break into his WV home, he fired one time and missed. They nearly killed themselves trying to get out the door at the same time. When they got tangled up in the green beans and tomatoes in his garden, he got carried away and fired twice more in their general direction. Police stopped a drunk whose trousers were hanging low and walking bowlegged, but couldn't prove a conection. Dad couldn't make a visual ID... too dark. And well, a little spackle fixed the hole in the kitchen wall. I can't tell you how proud Dad was to have "run them off", but we were pretty lucky on several counts.

Glad it worked out for your father. Good to know that for once it is the young punk who needs to change his diaper!!

 

[Amishman44]

Ruger sp101 in 327 mag. Small, but hefty for it's size. Can fire 32 short, 32 long, 32 mag, or 327. So you can find the right balance between recoil and power.

I would concur with this suggestion...as the 3" SP101 will handle the recoil and there are a variety of different sized grips available to make this revolver fit just about anyone's hand size!

You know who has one...and it can probably be 'borrowed' for test shooting and to see if it's a compatible recoil for your father's hands!

PM me and we can set it up for him to test shoot it!