I need help. Mom wants a gun...

[CAS700850]

I highly recommend a good quality revolver for your mother, in .38/.357 caliber. Between Smith, Ruger, and Taurus, you should be able to find something in her budget. I'd stick with a 4" barrel, as concealment isn't a concern in the home defense scenario, and it will dampen recoil and be easier for Mom to shoot than a shorter barrel. Have her try the feel of different grips, if possible, to find what feels good. Hogue works especially well, as the open backstrap design will not lengthen the distance to the trigger, making it harder to shoot.

I also concur with the suggestion that you start with .22 for the basics. Ideally, you'd have access to similar guns in both calibers. Then the difference between the guns would be irrelevent to training.

And, assuming you are going to be around for a while, why not try and teach her the basics yourself, to keep costs down? She clealry trusts you, and your judgment, so she'll likely feel comfortable with you providing instruction as well.

 

[brighamr]

A lot of good advice in this thread. The only thing I would add is to have Mom watch the pro-tips from "sighting in with shooting usa". They have Julie Golosky due a bunch of tips specifically for women, some of whom just started shooting. i believe you can watch these from the website, my wife enjoys them and takes Julie's words to heart.

one other thing, if Mom is truly worried about a home invasion, it may be worth it to do a few things around the house to help prevent the invasion in the first place (ie. good door locks, window locks, alarm system, etc. etc. ) There's a lot of good advice in strategies and tactics for securing a home, and while it may not completely stop an invasion, it would help buy mom some time and help her feel a little more secure when she's home alone.

Good luck!

 

[HunterGirl]

Thoughts from a female shooter....

Starting with a .22 is good.

I think the best route to go for her getting into this, having smaller hands and all that is to get to a range where they let you rent guns. She can try several different frame sizes and calibers. She has to feel comfortable with the gun or she'll never use it - thus increasing the chances it'll could get used against her.

She has to try them out and decide what feels best for her....

 

[hso]

Some good advice so far.

First off, let her know about Kathy Jackson's cornered cat website (http://corneredcat.com/).

Assist her in finding out what fits her as an individual. What fits one person may not fit her.
Assist her in finding out a caliber that she's comfortable with. What one person is comfortable with may be different than what she's comfortable with (I've had students that preferred a .45 from a 1911 over a 9mm from a BHP).
Assist her in finding a good instructor for defensive shooting skills (not the same as target/range shooting skills).
Buy lots of practice ammo for her.

 

[Taurus44]

I was in the same boat with my wife a month ago. After trying a bunch of different guns on for size, I ended-up buying her this:

It's a Taurus 731 six shot, .32H&R Magnum, titanium with a 3" ported barrel.

The .38SPL +P stuff was a little too much for the wife in a compact revolver. But the .32H&R is perfect, especially with the ported barrel. A lot of people blow-off the little round, but some of the hotter .32 loads creep right up into .38 territory, without the recoil. I'd much rather have her under-gunned than unarmed, but I don't really think the .32H&R is under-gunned.

After a little smoothing of the trigger group and some new springs, I'm almost thinking about getting another for myself!

 

[Claude Clay]

Taurus44

S&W 332 in 32 H&R MAG is same size & weight of a 642 and has 1 more round: 6 vrs 5. my daughter & wife both like it (& daughter carries ). however, unless you reload, it is a rather expensive cartridge to practice with. it specs very close to the 38 spc and handles nicely, if you can afford to feed it. da kid also does cowboy with a pair of stainless single-six's: wife's favorite ( this goes under the heading of--go figure ) is a 4" nef with which she is spot on deadly. all in 32 H&R mag.

.......still i am looking for a cowboy rifle in this caliber so i can get my 357 back from da kid...anyone, help please?

 

[Taurus44]

my daughter & wife both like (& daughter carries) the S&W 332. however, unless you reload, it is a rather expensive cartridge to practice with. it specs very close to the 38 spc and handles nicely, if you can afford to feed it.

I just got her 500 rounds of practice ammo (90gr LFP) for $113 and a few boxes of defensive ammo (85gr JHP) for $10/box. That's not too bad, and it's definitely better than her not shooting/carrying at all... For that, I'd pay twice as much!

I will reload it eventually. At least this way I get plenty of brass to start with.

 

[Craig_AR]

+1 fo http://corneredcat.com/
+1 for .22 to learn and practice, then select a HD or SD gun.
As far as gun selection - I agree with Cornered Cat - let her try many and choose her own. When my in-laws were shooting regularly, my mother in law preferred a Colt M1911A1 .45 ACP. I think she liked the fit of the single-stack grip in her hand.A few months ago, my wife had a chance to try a S&W .44 magnum revolver on a range visit - she REALLY liked the feel in her hand as as she fot it.
Also, help Mom think in terms of home defense vs CC self defense. All CC guns have trade offs to accommodate the CC. For home, longer barrel on heavier frame is better - more energy in the shot, better accuracy, and the weight reduces recoil.

craig

 

[k-frame]

FWIW, my wife found this DVD helpful and not condescending (well, not much anyway) YMMV

http://www.bersapistols.com/item/42952_Magills_Videos_and_Books_WOMEN''S_GUIDE_TO_FIREARM.aspx

 

[Robert Hairless]

Springmom's advice is good, especially about your mom using someone else's .22 for the introduction--if an introduction is even necessary.

Speaking only from my own experience again, I would not lead her to a .22 as a first gun. With semi-automatics the manual of arms is sure to be different from whatever she uses for self defense, so it introduces the real possibility for confusion just a bit later. It also ignores the tendency of people to rely on what they know instead of going on to something new and more appropriate for the real world. And it complicates a situation that's already complex. "Now that you've become minimally competent with this .22, you need to start learning how to handle something different that will have different characteristics, have more recoil, make louder noise, and needs different handling before you can actually do what you wanted to do in the first place, which is to defend your life." A .22 isn't a bad idea for someone who already knows what to do and just wants inexpensive practice.

Small and light guns--a .38 S&W Airweight for example--are harder to control and hurt more than bigger guns. I'd avoid them for a beginner, especially one with small hands and womanly configuration. Women are built different from men. Point your mom to a .38 revolver or a 9mm semi-auto--both reasonably effective self defense calibers, neither of which are overwhelming to most shooters--and away from anything overly complex, then urge her to get something of good quality that fits her hand and eye. Don't let her get junk or anything that doesn't feel right to her or anything that will overwhelm her or discourage her from developing a good relationship with it.

I'd take with large grains of salt any advice about guns that Gargantua gives Bambi. Bambi and Gargantua are different, and it's shortsighted to overlook the advantages that Bambi has over Gargantua. One Bambi is usually a better advisor for another Bambi than any Gargantua can be. And gun enthusiasts tend to overwhelm Bambi.

 

[Tribal]

There's a ton of good advice here. My personal pick for someone like your mom would be a non-lightened K-frame of some kind in .38. That way it's got a decent amount of power, but is also hefty and solid enough to inspire confidence in her. I'm still not completely sold on Taurus yet, but I do like the feel of their thin, "raindrop" grips.

 

[george29]

My mom is in her mid 70's and lives in Pinko Dalyville. Before I left, I hardened her condo. She is on a high first floor and faces the main street so I was not to worried about the windows, just the two outside doors and as a last resort her bedroom door. It would take a raving looney to take the time and effort to break into her place, not to mention the noise. Under this worst case scenerio, she could still barricade herself in her bedroom.
Now mom is no Annie Oaklie and finds shooting any double action revolver as challenging, she does not have the power anymore. In her bedroom is a cell phonne that backs up her landline phone, and a Taurus PT 25.
Now I know guns, and know a flyswatter might do the job better. But anyone who understands how the criminal mind works (not talking about true looney tunes) knows that criminals hate working hard and they fear getting hurt as much as anyone.
Mom knows that all she needs to do in this worst case scenerio is shoot through the bedroom door, once or twice is all it should take.
I doubt anyone will try to break through after that and I have no fear that CPD will arrest an old lady with no criminal record, in fact, read this http://www.claytoncramer.com/gundefenseblog/blogger.html and you will come to the same conclusion. Mom does not CCW nor would I want her to, she just stays as out of trouble. Hopefully she will move next to me next year so I can take care of her, but this is the best I can do for now.

 

[LegalAlien]

Suggestion

I was watching the Outdoor Channel the other night and they showed a very nice concept being promoted by the NRA called Women on Target.

It is a starting point for women wanting to learn about firearm ownership and the shooting sport and it is being presented by women for women.

I would suggest you search the NRA website for more information about this program and if it is being offered in your area.

BUT . . . kudos to your mom for wanting to get a handgun for home protection. Right mindset and ready to take care of herself. . .GO MOM!!!!!

 

[The Deer Hunter]

Have you considered the Walther P99? I have shot a couple .22lr pistols, a Ruger target gun and a Walther. The Walther I shot wasn't the P99 but I have handled the P99. Even for me (I'm a guy btw) it felt really erganomic.

My Mum was with me when I looked at it, at a gun show. She was really impressed with the fit and feel and the weight of it. She liked the regular version, She found the target version a little heavy and unbalanced but then again its not for concealed carry.

My Mum has also looked a lot at the taurus .38 special guns. She liked the "detective" models, the ones with the really short barrel. She didn't really show a preference for the hammer or the hammerless one. She said it felt good in her hand but I don't know how well she would handle the recoil. My Mum doesn't do much shooting and to my knowledge hasn't shot a handgun in decades so I don't think such a powerful gun would be good for her, though.

 

[langenc]

Let HER pick out the gun. Have her go to a gunshop and handle as many as they will allow. Shoot the top 2 or 3 choices. That may be difficult. At a range or esp a club she may have the best chance of shooting several guns. At our clubs Tue nite shoots any visitor could shoot several guns-we even throw in a couple clips of ammo.

Have her shoot and get her permit..for sure.

 

[Dgreno]

Wow!

This is why this is the best forum on the net. So many people are willing to help out a complete stranger. I am truly amazed at the amount of assistance all of you are contributing to my Mother and I in getting her protected and I thank you all!
She is reading this thread herself so if anyone has direct advice for her, please share!!
Thanks again to all of you!
Dave

BTW, I have forwarded her corneredcat.com for her to read...

 

[Draven32]

Bersa Thunder .380. Small, accurate, low recoil. Roomate with OI uses one just fine.

 

[Robert Hairless]

Dgreno's Mom,

Hello. Your son is correct: this forum is one of the best on the Internet and there are a lot of people here who want to help.

You've made a good decision: to be able to defend yourself. What you might not realize yet is that you're also at the doorway to a truly enjoyable hobby that can be good, steady exercise for the rest of your life. You do it at your own pace, you compete with yourself only, and at some point you recognize that it's time you can lend a helping hand to other people just starting out. That's truly rewarding. All the time, of course, you're improving your own skill, competence, and confidence--which makes you a survivor. There's no way to beat that combination: you're doing well by doing good.

Don't ever get discouraged, don't ever get complacent, and don't ever stop. It is something you do for yourself and something only you can do. Fairly soon you'll get a flash of real enjoyment at recognizing you've begun to accomplish some things you might never have thought you could do.

 

[rwc]

I went through this exercise a couple years ago with my mother-in-law. Tried a wide assortment of rental guns at the indoor range and settled on a .38/.357 wheel gun. She ended up buying a short barrelled S&W Mtn. Gun. She had difficulty chambering rounds in a semi-auto but a revolver worked just fine.

Good luck!

 

[bogie]

Nobody's asked an obvious question...

Why does she want a handgun?

They are not necessarily more convenient, and just because they're smaller doesn't mean that they're not just as loud, and with just as much perceived recoil as a larger gun.

A short-barreled 20 gauge shotgun might be the ticket.

 

[JenW]

My opinons

Whatever you do in terms of helping your mom, it is best to always include her in as much of the purchasing and planning that you can. It's very difficult to buy a gun, holster, or anything else gun-related for your mom without her input and without her trying it out.

As far as home defense, it is my opinion that a shotgun is a good firearm to keep and know how to use. I don't know your mom's physical capabilities, but a 12 or 20 gauge would be a good gun to keep in the home for defense. Many people prefer 870's because of the shorter barrel.

I think it's great that your mom wants to get her conceal-carry permit/license and use a handgun. She will definitely have to try things out and see what's best for her. I bought a S&W M&P 9mm. I have somewhat small hands, and the M&P has interchangeable parts on the front and back of the hand grips. I put the smallest ones on the gun, and it fits perfectly for my hands. Also, the slide is somewhat easy to open compared to many other type of guns. The magazines can be difficult to load when they're almost full, but you can buy a tool to help with that.

If your mom wants some basic information for women on firearms, holsters, and carry, she can visit www.corneredcat.com. This website covers a lot of pertinent information for women.

 

[Stevie-Ray]

Another vote for the .22 to start. Let her build her confidence with that and then move on to a small but not light .38 revolver and a Glock 26 as you've already mentioned. Most women shooters I have met come to love the little Glock as much as I. Some don't want to mess around with the tearing down for cleaning, though, and prefer the ease of a revolver. Whatever she shoots well she will probably want. Maybe she'll want both.

BTW, good for her!