Best Guns For Seniors?

[drjoker]

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?

[Rifleman55]

see if you can find a Ruger lcr, 22mag is better than nothing.

[drjoker]

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.

[Keith B]

A good revolver with a smooth trigger pull would probably be better than anything.

[drjoker]

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.

[Oldgringo]

A good revolver with a smooth trigger pull would probably be better than anything.

Absent that, a cozy little derringer, eh? After all, she ain't going into an extended shootout.

[carlson1]

Is there a problem with getting her a semi-auto and rack the slide for her and leave a round in the chamber. A quality semi-auto with quality ammo and God shinning on her she should be able to empty a fifteen magazine without it failing to feed or extract.

Note: just because she can't work the slide doesn't mean she can't shoot it.

[surprise_i'm_armed]

IIRC 2 semi-automatics with low trigger pull weights come
To mind:

1. Various Walther models are offered. They list
The low trigger pulls on their website.

2. Smith and Wesson M & P performance models
Are about 4.5 pounds.

SIA

[rbwhatever1]

A hammerless double barrel 410 shotgun may be in order here for front door range. A "pig tail" lever should be easy for her to operate in an emergency if she had to reload as long as the action is smooth. You can also trim the barrel down to "coach size" to make it easier for her to maneuver.

If she "accidentally shoots" a thug trying to gain entry through her front door she can blame it on Joe Biden...

[drjoker]

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.

[Texsquatch]

Why not a youth model 20ga or.410? I'm thinking in an emergency she'll be able to handle the recoil or at least won't notice or care.

Next lesson will be for her not to shoot you the next time you go over after she heard a noise.

[gfmun]

Maybe a Snake Charmer .410. ? Might be worth a look.

Also a .22 mag is a nasty little revolver. Lots of game killed with the rifles in .22 mag.


Thanks,
George

[MechAg94]

I am glad the thread title said "Best Guns" and not "Best Calibers" or it would have sparked an entirely different discussion that we really don't need.

[txtaxman]

Is there a problem with getting her a semi-auto and rack the slide for her and leave a round in the chamber. A quality semi-auto with quality ammo and God shinning on her she should be able to empty a fifteen magazine without it failing to feed or extract.

Note: just because she can't work the slide doesn't mean she can't shoot it.

I agree.

My wife's arthritis has advanced to the point she can no longer pull the trigger on her S&W Model 442. Although she has difficulty racking the slide on any semi auto, she can shoot and hit with a Glock 9mm.

We keep it loaded with one in the chamber, and the Glock will shoot even she does not have a proper grip.