Input Requested: The Old Man Gun

I would think single action could be just as challenging as double action.
They both require two hands to load when standing.
At a table both could be loaded one handed but the DA would require more dexterity to open.
Unloading a DA would be easier than a SA or at least quicker.
A DA could be loaded with a spring actuated speedloader, like a Speed Beez speedloader.
Speed Beez loader video:


I guess it would depend on the type of issue one might have and their dexterity.
I could see work-arounds a for each type of revolver.

As far as revolvers go I think that trigger time experience is half of the battle.

As I read the OP the single action revolver was the first thing that came to mind. Probably because that is what would work best for ME because I have spent much more time with it than a DA revolver. Whereas I can see the reverse being true for one with more DA experience.

This is THE mission that the M&P EZ models were developed for.

Last year's student was an older (~70) lady with arthritic hands. The M&P 380 EZ is where we settled for ease of use; it's wonderful for low hand strength shooters. She was shooting weekly on her own until the Commie Flu shut things down.

I've since handled the M&P 9 EZ. It's almost as easy to rack, and will fit larger hands more easily.

Maybe a Single Seven in .327?

I've been thinking of it myself as my shooting hand is developing painful arthritis or carpal tunnel or something. I'm only 55, but I am thinking of the future.

What I know is, the double action revolver seems great except for its long heavy DA trigger pull. That leads one to a single action revolver that has to be cocked for each shot, but one can do that with a DA revolver as well.

Half a year ago, I bought a used Beretta 81BB in .32 ACP thinking that could be my "old man" house gun. The idea of a low recoiling DA/SA left in "cocked and locked" condition is good, but the slide has very small gripping surfaces and the recoil spring is surprisingly stiff.

From my experience with autoloaders with heavier slides (which seem to use lighter recoil springs) and lots of grip area on that slide, I'm leaning towards a 1911 in 9mm in the future. Maybe even that downscaled Browning 1911 in .380 ACP.

I'm going with s ruger 50/50.
A heavy , big gun loaded with .45acp moon clips.
Or mild shooting. 45colt cowboy loads.

For revolvers, I feel...
LCRx in 327. Can be shot SA/DA which ever is easier for the user. This is what my mid 70s little mom uses. She doesn't like semi autos for no particular tangible reason. She shoots the 32 HR mag or 32 longs... I'm pretty sure it's the 32HR mags.


However... I think edwardwares post is valid and worth considering.

edwardware said:

This is THE mission that the M&P EZ models were developed for.

Last year's student was an older (~70) lady with arthritic hands. The M&P 380 EZ is where we settled for ease of use; it's wonderful for low hand strength shooters. She was shooting weekly on her own until the Commie Flu shut things down.

I've since handled the M&P 9 EZ. It's almost as easy to rack, and will fit larger hands more easily.

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A G19 or the EZ with 12-15 rounds and a 5.5lb trigger seems like it could be a better choice than 5-6 rounds with an 11lb+ DA trigger.

I don't own either but may someday.



If the user has hand strength or dexterity issues, why does everyone jump to recommending guns needing the most hand strength and dexterity?


.

I bought my old man guns years ago and I was thinking about it when I did both in 357 I reload so I'm just running 38 loads in 357 brass
first up is my S&W 686-3 2nd is my 3" Ruger sp101 I feel that I will be able to shoot both of them well into my ginger years

stanley_white said:

I have recently been pontificating about a project I am calling The Old Man Gun.

In short, what handgun requires the least amount of hand strength and dexterity to operate and is something I could literally grow old with?

As I have witnessed friends and relatives aging, the natural debilitation of the human body does indeed become an issue.

As such, I would welcome any thoughts you would be interested in providing.

Thus far my thoughts revolve around a single action revolver chambered in .357 Magnum so I can run the gamut of light .38 Special to 180 Grain Buffalo Bore loads. I think single action due to lighter trigger pull, being able to cock the hammer with the heel of the hand if necessary (a gross motor movement etc) and the loading possibly requiring less dexterity / thumb strength than a cylinder latch on a double action revolver.

Of course all of the above could be me overthinking things, as I am prone to do, but would still welcome your input.

Thank you in advance.

-Stan

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I think I am qualified to address your question as I am a fairly 'young' 73 [ in Sept ].

I too have pondered this question.

At present I am still toting a Glock 19 with spare magazine.

But there might [ will ? ] come a day when that is too heavy or large or whatever ,to hump & shoot.

At present my preference is going to be a S&W 'J' frame in .357/.38 special.

I own a few and with the lighter loads,they are very nice to shoot and practice with.

I do often wear a glove if I am going to shoot till my hand might get sore,But I check to be sure that the loads are not unbearable for at least 18 rounds.

Love to hear what you finally decide on,good luck.

I’m thing a 3” bird head Ruger 357/38 with a 9mm cyl also. I want one anyway and a 380ez as well. I’m only 40 and am blessed with being healthy and whole. But I will buy the vaquero described and a good holster and train and carry it along with auto loaders. If it gets down to my final form then I will have time in the saddle.

edwardware said:

This is THE mission that the M&P EZ models were developed for.

Last year's student was an older (~70) lady with arthritic hands. The M&P 380 EZ is where we settled for ease of use; it's wonderful for low hand strength shooters. She was shooting weekly on her own until the Commie Flu shut things down.

I've since handled the M&P 9 EZ. It's almost as easy to rack, and will fit larger hands more easily.

Click to expand...

Interesting take. I just put a 70 year old female with limited upper body strength thru a cursory firearm instruction to determine what would be the ideal weapon for her to conceal carry. She indicated that she would probably IWB carry on her waist. She tried a Kimber Micro 380, a M&P Bodyguard 380, a Sig P365XL, a Ruger LCR357 (shooting .38 Spcl), a Ruger LCR22WMR and a Ruger 2-1/4" SP101 DAO.

She could not rack the slide of the M&P Bodyguard no matter how many different techniques we tried. She had similar difficulty with the Kimber. She was able to work the slide on the P365 because of its larger girth but still had difficulty. She felt that the Sig in 9mm had less recoil than either .380. She didn't care for the snap of the LCR357 while shooting Winchester 130 grain FMJ's. She shot the LCR22WMR surprisingly well and really enjoyed the fit and feel of it in her hand. The heavy trigger didn't affect her and she was surprisingly accurate with it compared to the the semi-autos she tried. She really liked the SP101 but felt it was a little to heavy to suit her.

Her final decision was to procure a LCR22WMR for her conceal carry needs. My wife shoots that same gun extremely well but chose the Kimber Micro for her carry gun because it fits her purse better. She shoots the .380 pretty well and is committed to improving her skill with it. I think half the battle is helping someone find a firearm that fills their specific needs and comfort, because then they'll shoot it more because it's tailored to them.

Pudge said:

Maybe a Single Seven in .327?

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I certainly like the short barreled birdshead version. Too bad I don't own it.
https://www.ruger.com/products/newModelSingleSixSingleSeven/specSheets/8163.html

Seems fine motor control would be an issue for many older folks. That makes me wonder if something like a Bond Arms roughneck would be worthy of consideration. That’s a simple motion to open it, similar cocking and firing considerations as the single action revolver mentioned above, and available in calibers from bear-stomp to mousefart

1--- .357 revolver makes sense---a variety of loads and no magazine to load.
2--- Double action revolver can be cocked the same as a single action when you couldn't just squeeze the trigger.
3--- Double action easier and faster to reload than single action with the use of speed loaders.
4--- Cylinder latch can be replaced (on S&W -maybe others) with a competition latch which gives you more leverage and is easier to use.
5---Grips on DA revolver can be fit to your hand for most comfort.

After 35 years of .44Mag abuse and nerve and tendon damage my choice for MY old man gun is a S&W Model 28- 4in .357 Mag.

Agree, whichever DA revolver you like best. A S&W with target hammer so you could resort to single action shooting if necessary would be good. I might just pick up my Python.
There is little point to the SAA as a general purpose handgun unless you have a lot of experience with one.

I am only 75 but have resorted to the push-push slide rack of an automatic as commonly recommended to Ladies.

My favorite DA/SA revolver would be my 3" LCRx357. I like the heft, the balance and the adjustable rear sight that allows me to dial it in for whatever ammo I'm shooting out of it.

I recently had exactly this discussion with an older gentleman at the range. I commented on his gorgeous SAA and it came out that it was one of a matched pair, as well as just about the only handgun he could handle any more. His arthritis had gotten to the point that he no longer could comfortably operate his beloved 1911s, so had stopped carrying them. He also could not manage a double action revolver trigger. His slicked-up single actions from his Cowboy Action days were still perfect for him, though, so that his what he depended on. He let me try one and I was astonished at how light the hammer was. He assured me they still were completely reliable with any primer.

He admitted, though, that reloading in a hurry was completely out of the question, and showed me the rubber-tipped wooden dowel he used to open the loading gates...

chicharrones said:

I've been thinking of it myself as my shooting hand is developing painful arthritis or carpal tunnel or something. I'm only 55, but I am thinking of the future.

What I know is, the double action revolver seems great except for its long heavy DA trigger pull. That leads one to a single action revolver that has to be cocked for each shot, but one can do that with a DA revolver as well.

Half a year ago, I bought a used Beretta 81BB in .32 ACP thinking that could be my "old man" house gun. The idea of a low recoiling DA/SA left in "cocked and locked" condition is good, but the slide has very small gripping surfaces and the recoil spring is surprisingly stiff.

From my experience with autoloaders with heavier slides (which seem to use lighter recoil springs) and lots of grip area on that slide, I'm leaning towards a 1911 in 9mm in the future. Maybe even that downscaled Browning 1911 in .380 ACP.

Click to expand...

They are a little scarce these days, but a SIG P250 .380 might be what your looking for. They were were offered in a full-size, 15+1, DAO, locked breech configuration- with an actual hammer!

Wide gripframe to spread the shock, lots of gripping surface, modest return spring, and a long but light trigger pull.

I hate plastic pistols, but I gotta say I was impressed with that package. Too bad SIG killed them off so quickly.

LUCKYDAWG13 said:

I bought my old man guns years ago and I was thinking about it when I did both in 357 I reload so I'm just running 38 loads in 357 brass
first up is my S&W 686-3 2nd is my 3" Ruger sp101 I feel that I will be able to shoot both of them well into my ginger years

Click to expand...

Ginger years? Is your hair slowly turning........red?

They will have to pry my 686 from my cold, dead, gnarled, arthritic hands someday!

I personally think that, for older people, a single action revolver would be desirable, over a DA, for one simple reason: The plow handle grip shape. The fact that it rolls in your hand under recoil, and it doesn't batter your joints. I don't know of any DA revolvers with an SAA grip.

So if it was me, all other issues aside, I would start there, but that would eliminate nearly all firearms discussed after the first 3 or 4 posts

For ease of unloading and reloading a top break??

NIGHTLORD40K said:

They will have to pry my 686 from my cold, dead, gnarled, arthritic hands someday!

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I think that's what they did to Chuck Heston.

stanley_white said:

I have recently been pontificating about a project I am calling The Old Man Gun....

-Stan

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What is the purpose the old man has for his gun?

Some people answerered assuming the old man will carry the gun for personal protection, while others appear to have gathered that he wants to shoot it at the range recreationally.

I agree that the S&W EZ is a notable consideration for carry, it would be about as fun at the range as racing my mobility scooter. I would greatly prefer the single action revolver. The New Vaquero might get too heavy at some point, but Uberti or Standard Mfg. in 45 Colt are better. I would also consider the Single Seven, especially with the numerous compatible loads at a lower pressure than 327 Mag. I'm not a rimfire fan, but the Single Six and even the Bearcat could be the ticket for my very feeblest days, if I can see anything at that point.