handgun for 1 armed man

I’m sorry to hear about your accident.
May you heal quickly.

I can’t comment on the gun choice. I would think others can offer suggestions if you offer more info.
Is this for conceal carry? For home? In the car?

What kind of Beretta? A 92 would be very nice if that is what you have. If you use a table, loading mags may be tough but doable. And using the slide on the edge of the table (especially if it's a 92, you have some nice ledges near the muzzle for leverage and a protruding barrel) to rack it is possible. Or you can get one of those slide blocks i.e. "Handi-Racker". Plus, a steel Beretta will be mild to shoot since it is heavy but may take some endurance for volume.

A revolver will be nice to grab and go in a defensive situation, especially as you won't have to worry about "limp wristing" malfunctions, but a decent semi-auto can prevent that. But, reloading will be tough, especially if you have stuck cases in the cylinder.

Oh, and as an OT, do your therapy!!!!

Here's a pic of the Handi-Rack
https://gastatic.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2013/10/Racker-01.jpg

Hope that you heal quickly. My late father-in-law lost an arm in his early 20's and his handguns of choice until his passing at 70 years of age were K framed Smith's. I very grateful for the K22 Masterpiece he passed down to me.

shiftyer1 said:

Yes it's a 92

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Ahhhhh, Lignose made the "Einhand" for just such an occasion!

The brass trigger cocks it and the steel one fires.

But seriously, the Mod.92 with 15-17 rounds on tap should be more than enough for any home defense scenario short of TEOTWOKI without the need for reloading.

There is also the R51, of course. The rear sight is actually designed to be used as a cocking piece when placed against a table or other hard surface- but you only have 8-9 rounds per reload anyway, so......moot?

NIGHTLORD40K said:

There is also the R51, of course.

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Pretty tough to clear a malfunction with only one extremity....

JeeperCreeper said:

Pretty tough to clear a malfunction with only one extremity....

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Whaaaaaatttttt????? R51s jam?

Fortunately, M92s (unless they are worn out from years of abuse by GIs in the Sandbox and supplied with phosphate coated magazines), almost never do. My 92FS has never jammed. Not once.

Not that you could lay hands on one, but there is always the Polish Pm63 machine pistol. The long trough at the front is meant to be placed against the ground or a wall for charging the weapon.

A revolver. A BIG revolver, as in .45, ACP or Colt.

Could try a level 12 gauge and flip reload it like Arnie in the Terminator. Would also go well mounted on your Crutch... "Bad to the Bone"

1911's are the only one I know that can be worked properly with one hand, as long as it has no after market recoil rod. I think an old CZ 75 can too, but the newer ones have a longer frame, and don't allow for easy boot heel cycling. Highpower maybe, but I don't know. A few designs have no recoil rod, and the space under the barrel allows you to push the slide far enough back using a table, or shoe, or rock, or anything else hard.

(Edit: @mjsdwash beat me to it on the 1911 guide rod thing)

I believe the original 1911 design had a recoil spring guide rod assembly designed to compress as the slide ran backward (rather than sticking out the front with the barrel). This design allows the slide to be racked front the front by depressing the lower part of the slide (below the barrel), onto a table or other flat edged surface. So, it could be used right hand only. Left hand only? I don't think that'd work so well given where the slide stop is located, and other controls.

Having said that, a high cap semi auto would be better, with a slide stop to accommodate whichever hand was being used. And a square-fronted rear sight to hook on a belt, sole of a shoe, or whatever else. This would allow the gun to be racked and the slide locked back, and obviously easy slide release. For right-handed purposes, I know a Sig (with night sights) would work. I could probably even pull it off left-handed. I'm sure many other semi autos would work the same way.

He meant a lever action 12 ga.

Re your sig line; Something to think about; people are made of meat also.

shiftyer1 said:

Thanx for all the great ideas and input, you never really realize how much you rely on your extremities until your banging a pill bottle against the kitchen counter.

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Easy trick to help, take the "no stick" foam liner from your cabinets/drawers and lay it on the table. Or any kind of sticky-ish rubbery material will do. Medical companies call it "dycem".

Then you can set the pill bottle on it and twist the lid off with downward pressure.

entropy said:

He meant a lever action 12 ga.

Re your sig line; Something to think about; people are made of meat also.

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Yes, and they are delicious with a nice Chianti and some fava beans.......

shiftyer1 said:

Thanx for all the great ideas and input, you never really realize how much you rely on your extremities until your banging a pill bottle against the kitchen counter.

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Urg, I went over the handlebars once myself- no broken bones, but plenty of road rash- I feel yer pain.
Here's to a full and speedy recovery bro!

Another option is just to carry more guns.

One hand...out of all the guns I have and all the guns I have ever had...I’m liking the (hate to say it because I hate all abominations produced by) Glock 17. The big ugly plastic grip is easy to hook over the edge of a table and use your hand on the slide. It can be done with nearly any gun, and the Glock does it well. You can also use those hideous vertical serrations on the slide to catch a belt or boot to work the slide. Terrible ergonomics for me, and an atrocious aesthetics aside, the darned thing worked and was plenty “self defense” accurate.

One solution, at least while you are at home, is keep several guns handy. The proverbial New York reload. If you empty one, pick up another.

While it may not be practical to carry more than one on you, you could stash a few in various parts of the house you most frequent.

While I was in the service I had a motorcycle/car collision. Left lower arm and hand in a cast for two months. It brought home how much we sometimes take for granted. It was 28 years ago now, but I can remember how much a pain it was just to get a shower, get dressed etc.

Use a semi auto with good modern sights (i.e. Not the plastic stock Glock sights or small sights that are on old guns). Put in a mag, hook the front side of the rear sight on something sturdy, and push the grip of the gun downwards which will rack the slide. If a table is not available, you can use the edge of your holster or your belt/belt buckle.

Sorry to hear about the motorcycle wreck. Once you heal up, register for a good defensive gunfighting class (not just a basic CCW license class) that goes over one handed manipulations. You'll cover one handed malfunction clearances and reloads and will never have to worry about not having a second hand again.

shiftyer1 said:

I'm leaning towrd a springfield ro because I can stick it in the waistband of my shorts while moving around on my crutch.

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Please don't just stick a gun in your pants - use a good holster. I assume that if you don't know how to manipulate a gun one handed that you also don't know how to apply a tourniquet or pressure dressing one handed either. Trust me, that's more difficult one handed than just racking a gun.

Revolver

Any high capacity semi auto with tall suppressor sights to hook your belt or other ledge would work. Let someone else load the magazines though.