What gun for disabled wife - she has MS

Valkman

Valkman

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MS has weakened her hands and arms to the point that she can't rack most autos and can't do the DA pull on a revolver. We went and looked at a S&W M&P EZ today in 9mm and she could rack it but said it was too heavy. The sales guy suggested the Ruger Security 380 but they didn't have one so we'll find one and try it out.

Anyone here in this situation? I'd like to at least have it in 9mm but will go down to .380 or even .22 if we have too. TIA.
 
I have the S&W 380EZ, Ruger Security 380 Lite Rack, Walther CCP M2 380 and also the Ruger LCP II Lite Rack 22lr. Here are the raw facts you need.

slide-effort.png

The pistols are S&W Shield 2.0 9mm, S&W 380EZ. Walther CCP M2 380, Ruger Security 380 and Ruger LCP II Lite Rack 22lr.

Experiences:

The 380EZ has that grip safety that has to be held in.The magazines have little stubs on the follower like many 22 magazines.

The Walther CCP is the most difficult to reassemble and you need to pull the trigger with an empty magazine to field strip but it was the most accurate of all since it is a fixed barrel. It uses a piston to delay the slide so it is soft shooting like the others. If you try to stage the trigger it is perhaps the worst trigger in the group but if you simply pull smoothly straight through it might be the best.

The Ruger Security 380 is a staggered stack magazine and so the grip is slightly wider which might make it the most comfortable. It also comes with a green fiber optic front sight that's very easy too pick up. Add in 10 and 15 round mags and it certainly should be considered.

The little Ruger LCP II 22lr might be the ideal though. Once broken in it is very ammo forgiving even shoots bulk stuff relatively reliably. It still won't fire total dud rounds but with the really light rack that's less of an issue than in the past. It comes with an aid for loading magazines that's really easy to use. Also it has the lowest felt recoil of all but surprisingly, not by much. The three .380s are really really soft and gentle shooting.

All the measurements are the average of five pulls using my Lyman Digital Scale.

I also have the Beretta and Taurus tip up barrel models but can't recommend them. The issue is failure drills. If you get a light strike or dud you need to remove the carcass manually. That means tipping the barrel up and if the dud doesn't fly out digging it out with your fingers. Neither of them have an extractor and the slide is tiny and springs very heavy.
 
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jar said:
I have the S&W 380EZ, Ruger Security 380 Lite Rack, Walther CCP M2 380 and also the Ruger LCP II Lite Rack 22lr. Here are the raw facts you need.

View attachment 1141731

The pistols are S&W Shield 2.0 9mm, S&W 380EZ. Walther CCP M2 380, Ruger Security 380 and Ruger LCP II Lite Rack 22lr.

Experiences:

The 380EZ has that grip safety that has to be held in.The magazines have little stubs on the follower like many 22 magazines.

The Walther CCP is the most difficult to reassemble and you need to pull the trigger with an empty magazine to field strip but it was the most accurate of all since it is a fixed barrel. It uses a piston to delay the slide so it is soft shooting like the others. If you try to stage the trigger it is perhaps the worst trigger in the group but if you simply pull smoothly straight through it might be the best.

The Ruger Security 380 is a staggered stack magazine and so the grip is slightly wider which might make it the most comfortable. It also comes with a green fiber optic front sight that's very easy too pick up. Add in 10 and 15 round mags and it certainly should be considered.

The little Ruger LCP II 22lr might be the ideal though. Once broken in it is very ammo forgiving even shoots bulk stuff relatively reliably. It still won't fire total dud rounds but with the really light rack that's less of an issue than in the past. It comes with an aid for loading magazines that's really easy to use. Also it has the lowest felt recoil of all but surprisingly, not by much. The three .380s are really really soft and gentle shooting.

All the measurements are the average of five pulls using my Lyman Digital Scale.

I also have the Beretta and Taurus tip up barrel models but can't recommend them. The issue is failure drills. If you get a light strike or dud you need to remove the carcass manually. That means tipping the barrel up and if the dud doesn't fly out digging it out with your fingers. Neither of them have an extractor and the slide is tiny and springs very heavy.
Click to expand...

TY so much! Excellent info, sounds like the Ruger Security 380 will be a great candidate and we'll look at it next. Then that LCP II in 22lr sounds great too, maybe get both.
 
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Valkman said:
TY! I had no idea these were available! A revolver in SA is also an option. Wow, the things I'm learning here. :)
Click to expand...
Most single action revolvers load the cylinder only one round at a time. That may or may not be an issue. Many modern SA revolvers can also be carried safely with a round under the hammer but it is something that needs to be checked. Short barreled (snub nose) revolver though can be a great option.

BUT, and it's a big but, small revolvers are harder to shoot accurately than larger ones and recoil can become a BIG issue.

AbE:

I'm a big fan of snub nosed (and actually almost all) revolvers and in fact the last couple times I had to shoot a qualifier I chose my Colt Detective Special.

Seemore & Willy-small.png
 
jar said:
Most single action revolvers load the cylinder only one round at a time. That may or may not be an issue. Many modern SA revolvers can also be carried safely with a round under the hammer but it is something that needs to be checked. Short barreled (snub nose) revolver though can be a great option.

BUT, and it's a big but, small revolvers are harder to shoot accurately than larger ones and recoil can become a BIG issue.
Click to expand...

I mis-worded that, I meant a modern revolver that has DA or SA. I have a S&W .357 but it's hammerless and the trigger pull is too heavy for her.
 
Valkman said:
I mis-worded that, I meant a modern revolver that has DA or SA. I have a S&W .357 but it's hammerless and the trigger pull is too heavy for her.
Click to expand...
Yes, a snub nosed revolver in single mode has a really light trigger pull, but recoil management is still an issue. The difference between my Detective Special and my S&W "J" frame Chiefs Special is significant. In snub nosed revolvers I really suggest shooting an example first.

If you do consider a wheel gun, check out the 32 caliber. It can be loaded as lightly as the S&W 32 or step up through the S&W 32 Long and into the various magnum loading.
 
Valkman said:
TY! I had no idea these were available! A revolver in SA is also an option. Wow, the things I'm learning here. :)

I ordered a Handi-Racker, it'll be here later today.
Click to expand...
By the way. I also have both sizes of the Handi-Racker and they do work as advertised. The down side is still failure drills and making sure it goes with the gun when you carry.
 
Slicked up model 10 or taurus 856.

Load with Hornady critical defense lite or standard, or even wadcutters. No recoil. Easy to load.

Slicked up double action or easily cocked single action.

I have avascular necrosis and was down to only my left hand for 6 months. This was the best route for me.

38 special, especially from a 4 inch or 3 inch barrel is excellent for personal defense.
 
If she has a hard time racking a semi-auto but can't pull the trigger on a DA revolver, just load the semi-auto for her and leave it loaded and holstered. You were planning on leaving the DA revolver loaded and ready to go, right? It's a least worst alternative. If you were not planning on leaving the gun loaded, disregard this comment.

Now, I know that some will say that this is not good if there is a malfunction and she cannot clear the malfunction by racking the gun. The reality is that most people that don't shoot a lot are going be hosed if their gun malfunctions during an extremely rapid emergency situation.

I would throw out the Sig P365-380 for consideration in addition to jar's great list. It's very easy to shoot and you can get it with or without the manual safety. The magazines are hard to load but it shouldn't matter because nobody is going to be loading magazines in a gunfight. You can get 12 round magazines with a grip extender.

I would stay away from the S&W EZ in either 9mm or .380 for that application because loosening the grip either initially or during recoil will result in the gun not firing without first releasing the trigger and resetting it.

If you buy a semi-auto, you are going to have to shoot the gun a lot to break it in and be sure it can be limp wristed and still fire with the ammo being carried.

Good luck in your search!
 
I definitely would be looking at hammer fired guns. Especially exposed hammer guns which can be shot single or double action. The main force of working a slide is overcoming the cocking force which has very little mechanical advantage when cocking by slide. Cocking manually you get much higher mechanical advantage and with guns like the beretta 92 you can cock the hammer and then work the slide with ease. A decocker is really nice for this setup because you can get the gun completely ready and then decock it for storage. My personal suggestion is a Taurus pt92 or one of the .380 guns which are beretta Cheetah type guns. I can’t recommend the real deal beretta because they are so stinkin expensive compared to their competition.
 
Find a well stocked gun store, even if you have to travel a few miles.
Take your wife there and have her handle as many types and brands they have.

She'll know what's right for her.
I always shook my head at men coming in the store to buy a gun for the wife........they'd never tolerate someone choosing a gun for them.
 
A hammer fired pistol with exposed hammer is real easy to rack if you cock the hammer first. I find that the Sig P238 380 and similar are easy to rack and also not bad on recoil.

I have arthritis bad in my wrists along with fibromyalgia and when I have a bad day but still want to shoot handguns, I take out my hammer fired pistols and DA/SA revolvers. My wife with her MS still prefers her Taurus 85 and is proficient with it. I also bought a Taurus 942 in 22lr for her to practice with when she wants to.

And by all means, take your wife to a few gun shops and let her handle as many handguns as she can until she finds one that fits her the best and she is comfortable with. Shops with rental ranges is even better since she can try shooting different models.
 
I just switches from a Ruger Security 9 Compact too. Security 380 because the arthritis in my hands made racking the 9mm too hard to do. My left hand is the worst. I shoot right handed. Racking the 380 is so easy that I am amazed. It is also a reliable gun. With over 200 rounds through it I have not has a single issue.

I recommend it for the following reasons.
1. It is easy to rack even with a highly impaired lefty hand.
2. It takes a 15 round magazine so it is highly unlikely that it will have to be reloaded in an incident. I keep an additional 15 round magazine handy. The extra length of the 15 round mag makes for a full hand grip.
3. I load magazines with a speed loader. Most of the work is done with the right hand.
4. The slide locks back on the last round fired. It is an EZ rack gun so it is easy to slingshot close the slide.
5. Racking the slide can be done with just the thumb and forefinger of the left hand by using the groove Ollie’s into the fro good the slide.
6. It has a half-cocked hammer so the trigger is easy to pull.
7. The recoils is not much more than a 22LR.
8. None of the above requires the dexterity that a revolver requires
9. I like the pistol, and I have a thread in the forum explaining why.
 
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