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by drjoker
Tue Nov 04, 2014 1:45 am
Forum: General Gun, Shooting & Equipment Discussion
Topic: Best Guns For Seniors?
Replies: 22
Views: 3967

Re: Best Guns For Seniors?

AndyC wrote:
stroo wrote:She needs to get what she can operate and shoot. If that is a SA 22 LR/mag, so be it. A gun she can't operate and shoot is just a club and probably not one she can even swing.
Yep, that's the reality of it.

I don't even like the idea of the SA .22 I recommended - but I can't think of anything else she'd be able to handle. While I like the idea of a shotgun, it's already been said that she can't shoulder a long-gun (perhaps mount a laser to it so she doesn't have to shoulder it?). She can't handle the recoil of any decent caliber, and she can't cock a slide or pull a DA trigger.
Thanks, guys. She ended up getting the SA .22 magnum/.22 lr. She could hit five 8 inch gongs (steel plates) in less than 10 seconds from 7 yards. She could even operate it one handed while holding a flashlight with the other hand.

I suggested that she try a shotgun, a Beretta tip barrel, or a double action revolver with a lighter trigger, but she wouldn't hear it. She really liked the single action Colt clone in .22 magnum / .22 lr. That's the gun she wants.

I don't know what's up with that gun. Every female that's ever shot it loved it. I have lots of other better guns, but I enjoy shooting that one the most for some odd reason even though it's the cheapest gun I own ($130 Academy's annual Black Friday sale). It's kinda crappy. It has crooked sights so you have to shoot a little high and to the right for you to hit a target. It is made of pot metal. As crappy as it is, I don't expect to like it, but I do and every female that's ever shot it loves it. Makes no sense at all....!

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by drjoker
Mon Nov 03, 2014 8:32 am
Forum: General Gun, Shooting & Equipment Discussion
Topic: Best Guns For Seniors?
Replies: 22
Views: 3967

Re: Best Guns For Seniors?

AndyC wrote:Ruger Single Six SA revolver - a 22LR cylinder for the range, 22 Mag for the house. Teach her to thumb-cock it with her off-hand; leave the cowboy-style strong-hand thumb-busters out of it.

The major issue doesn't seem to be that she can't afford something bigger/better - it's that she can't handle anything bigger, unless I'm misunderstanding.

Yes, that's correct. Yes, she did try shooting a single action revolver .22lr/.22wmr and she actually hit the target every time. Yes, she can afford a better gun, but she just cannot handle the recoil of a more powerful gun. She kept missing.

Normally, I would only recommend a single action revolver for self defense only if you cannot afford anything better. The Heritage single action .22lr / .22wmr is only $100 at Academy's annual black Friday sale plus the .22wmr cylinder is only $30 mail ordered from Heritage. It is only $130 total.

The Ruger single six would put her in the same boat as the Heritage SA revolver she shot. I was hoping that there's something with a more modern action that she can handle with her old, arthritic, weak hands.

Oldgringo, the derringers are incredibly hard to shoot, even for me. The grip is nonexistant so when you pull the trigger, the gun wants to jump out of your hands. In her weak hands, it probably will jump out of her hands.

carlson1, that might actually be a good idea. She can shoot the Glock, but she just couldn't rack the slide. However, she's planning on selling her big house and moving into a small condo in a retirement community soon. So, I can't be there to load her Glock in the future.

rbwhatever1, She can't even lift my AR15-22 to her shoulder to fire. That's plastic and probably much lighter than a shotgun, even a youth model.

surprisei'marmed, I don't think any non-gun enthusiast will even consider dropping over a thousand dollars on a S&W performance center R8. Yep, I'm quite aware of the R8's awesomeness. That's been on my wish list for Christmas a number of years already. Her budget is less than $1000.

OK, so to recap, here are her options?
1. SA revolver in .22lr/.22 magnum
2. Beretta Tip barrel in .22lr (11 lbs DA trigger pull might be too heavy)
3. Maybe the Ruger LCRx if the trigger and hammer aren't too heavy (DA pull is 10.5 lbs which might be too heavy, SA pull is only 6 lbs, so the only question is, "How heavy is the hammer?). If she's gonna fire the LCRx SA only, then she might as well get the SA revolver from Heritage or Ruger Single Six.
by drjoker
Sun Nov 02, 2014 10:00 pm
Forum: General Gun, Shooting & Equipment Discussion
Topic: Best Guns For Seniors?
Replies: 22
Views: 3967

Re: Best Guns For Seniors?

Rifleman55 wrote:see if you can find a Ruger lcr, 22mag is better than nothing.
Hmmm... I read on another forum that the Ruger LCRx has a trigger pull that is lighter than advertised. A customer tested the pull at 8 lbs even though it was advertised at 10.5 lbs. Also, it has a hammer for crisp single action trigger pulls. I hope that the hammer isn't too heavy. we'll have to rent one to see if she can shoot it. As for the recoil, I could reload some less powerful loads for her. It could work....

Thanks.

P.S. Also, I read that a Beretta tip up barrel is an auto that shoots without having to rack the slide to chamber a round. We may also look into that.
by drjoker
Sun Nov 02, 2014 9:40 pm
Forum: General Gun, Shooting & Equipment Discussion
Topic: Best Guns For Seniors?
Replies: 22
Views: 3967

Re: Best Guns For Seniors?

Rifleman55 wrote:see if you can find a Ruger lcr, 22mag is better than nothing.
No, the Ruger LCR has a trigger weight of 10.5 lbs. She cannot pull the trigger. it is too heavy. Remember, I said in my post that she cannot pull the trigger on a S&W J frame due to the weight. She also cannot cock the hammer on a shrouded hammer J Frame due to the weight.

Which .22 wmr or .22 lr revolver has the lightest stock trigger pull ? & lightest stock hammer pull?

No, I don't want to do a trigger job on a gun. She doesn't want to spend the money on a trigger job. She wants to buy one totally stock. Quite frankly, I don't want to risk messing up a gun with some custom work because I don't know any competent gunsmiths. I know that if you mess up a revolver with a bad trigger job, the reliability will not be there anymore as the timing will be off.

Thanks.
by drjoker
Sun Nov 02, 2014 9:06 pm
Forum: General Gun, Shooting & Equipment Discussion
Topic: Best Guns For Seniors?
Replies: 22
Views: 3967

Best Guns For Seniors?

Recently, an elderly neighbor of mine called me saying that someone is kicking or banging her front door. She told the guy to go away but he kept on banging at the front door saying that she needed to open the door because it is an emergency but did not specify what emergency. I grab my gun and went next door. Luckily, by the time I got there the perp had already left. She told the perp that she had called the cops, called her armed neighbor, and let her dog inside the house (it was in the back yard) so it would bark and paw at the front door. The perp got spooked and left.

Anyways, I took her to my gun club and taught her how to shoot. The problem was that she couldn't shoot anything except for a .22lr /.22wmr single action revolver. She tried the following that she could not shoot;
1. Glock - I tried to teach her how to rack the slide. I even taught her the girly technique where you grab the slide with your weak hand and instead of using brute force to move the slide, you just hold the slide and use your strong hand to push the lower receiver forward instead of trying to move the slide back. She could not rack the slide.

2. S&W J frame .38 snub - she did not have enough strength to cock the hammer. She also did not have enough strength to pull the trigger double action style.

3. .380 Kel-Tec P3AT - recoil was too much on this lightweight gun was too much.

The Heritage single action .22lr / .22wmr revolver has no recoil, even with the stronger .22wmr ammo in the 2nd cylinder. The hammer pull is not heavy and the trigger is a light, crisp single action trigger. However, I hesitate to recommend a single action revolver for self defense if the buyer can afford something better. The Heritage single action rimfire revolver is great for self defense only if you cannot afford anything better. However, since she could afford something better, I would like to avoid recommending this gun if at all possible.

What revolver has zero recoil, a light trigger, and a light hammer but is double / single action?

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