Self defense piece for Mom

[Spindrift]

Greetings everyone and happy Independence Day!
I have been exploring some possibilities for a carry gun for my mother.
She is 67 with a slight build, and her hands have lost quite a bit of strength over the last several years making a semi-auto virtually impossible for her to manipulate and fire safely.
A few years back I procured a S&W Scandium 340PD for her to carry, thinking that the light weight and ease of operation would encourage daily carry, and she did fine with it for the last several years.
The problem is now, she's having a difficult time with recoil when using .357's and in my humble opinion, the .38 is just simply an underperforming round. I realize that the +P's are a little better but I am now trying to find something that can combine the best stopping power with the ease of operation and keeping in mind the weight so that she'll actually carry the darn thing.
Any suggestions for me?

 

[MedWheeler]

Get over the idea that caliber is so much more important that shooter-control over the gun, and let her use what she can shoot. The .38 Special has been a formidable self-defense option for longer than you, or her, have even been around.

I'd rather have my loved one rock a .22 than be unable to score effective hits, especially any necessary subsequent hits, with the .45.

 

[Kleanbore]

.38 wadcutters.

 

[Driswalds]

Beretta Tomcat with the tip up barrel in 32acp works great for a lot of older folks.

 

[easyg]

A few years back I procured a S&W Scandium 340PD for her to carry, thinking that the light weight and ease of operation would encourage daily carry, and she did fine with it for the last several years.
The problem is now, she's having a difficult time with recoil when using .357's and in my humble opinion, the .38 is just simply an underperforming round. I realize that the +P's are a little better but I am now trying to find something that can combine the best stopping power with the ease of operation and keeping in mind the weight so that she'll actually carry the darn thing.
Any suggestions for me?

Well, there's no such thing as a "free lunch"....

Any light weight handgun, in a powerful caliber, is going to have considerable felt recoil.
If you want to have a more powerful caliber (.357 magnum, .45APC, 357 Sig, .40S&W, 10mm Auto, etc...), and you want to avoid unpleasant felt recoil, there's not much choice but to go up in size and weight of the handgun.

Luckily, most women are use to carrying more weight then most men.
Some women carry purses that weigh around ten pounds or more.
So a full sized handgun is not as much of a burden to a woman as one might think.

I recommend the Ruger GP100 4" .357 magnum.

 

[tomrkba]

Look at something in 327 Federal Magnum. Perhaps a Ruger SP101 or an S&W Model 632? Ruger offers the GP100 in 327 Federal Magnum, but the gun may be too heavy for her.

Other than that, 38 Special is a fine round. You'll have much more variety. Perhaps a J-Frame with either a three or five inch barrel will do the trick. I think the S&W Model 60 with 3" barrel would be a good choice. I would choose Speer Gold Dot Short Barrel 38 Special +P or one of the newer loadings from quality manufacturers.

Some of the larger frame revolvers are very light despite their size. Is 36 ounces too heavy? She could use 38 Special and get eight rounds in the cylinder along with the accuracy bonus that comes with a five inch barrel. S&W has one Model 327 with a 2" barrel that weighs 21 ounces.

Ruger also offers the LCR in 22 Magnum.

Another option would be either a Ruger 22/45 or Mark III. This is a semi-automatic pistol chambered in 22 Long Rifle and the slide is very easy to manipulate. This would get her 10+1 rounds onboard with a thumb safety.

My guess is that a steel framed S&W J-Frame in 38 Special +P is the best compromise.

 

[Deltaboy1984]

Old Charter Bulldog in 44 special.

 

[Water-Man]

Like has been recommended a gazillion times before, a S&W Model 10 4".

 

[Goblin]

.22 mag revolver.

 

[Tomac]

All handguns are relatively poor "stoppers" regardless of caliber or bullet used.
Shot placement and sufficient penetration are paramount, all else is secondary.
Whatever she's comfortable & confident with shooting, that's what she should have (even if it's a .32 w/FMJ).
Tomac

 

[22-rimfire]

I would just load with 38spls and she should be good to go. Under performing? How would you like to get shot with a lowly under performing 38spl? Better than a 22 or 22 Mag. But I personally would be comfortable with either.

 

[JTQ]

A few years back I procured a S&W Scandium 340PD for her to carry, thinking that the light weight and ease of operation would encourage daily carry, and she did fine with it for the last several years.

A big thumbs up to her.

The problem is now, she's having a difficult time with recoil when using .357's...

Do you know anybody that likes shooting .357Mag out of a scandium snubbie? I don't.

Kleanbore wrote,
.38 wadcutters.

I think that's your answer.

 

[Spindrift]

Don't get me wrong guys, I am not anti-.38 cal. I just want Mom to have the best combination of stopping power and manageability.
Perhaps I am a cynic because I carry a 5 inch 1911 all day every day.
I like the idea of the .327 Federal but I still have to wonder about the recoil.
I think that the mistake I made was to think in terms of light weight when I got the S&W 340 PD.
Does anyone know the ballistic differences between the .357 and the .327 Fed?
And, is the .327 Fed really any more manageable for a small, older lady than the .357?
Bottom line is, I'd hand her the Glock 26 or the LCP but she doesn't have the hand strength to cycle the action.
What about an LCR? I don't have one so I have no idea if they are more recoil friendly. Probably not in the .357 I'd guess, though, they have to be heavier than the Smith, and thus, would absorb a bit more of the bang.
So far, based upon your responses, perhaps a J frame sized wheel gun would be the best option.
If I went with a J frame in .327 Fed, would I want to go with 3 inch?
Thanks for all of your input.

 

[Spindrift]

Sorry everyone, I wanted to use quotes of a few of you to respond in kind, but I can't figure out how to do it. I am a bit computer challenged.

 

[oneounceload]

What? No one has mentioned Kathy Jackson's TheCorneredCat.com yet?

OP - you AND your mom both need to read this site - written by a woman for women
Then go let your mom decide. You deserve a Major Fail for making your mom try to shoot a 357 from such a light gun. I am over 6'3 and I won't attempt that stupidity. 38s work just fine and have for 100 years - get over that. But more importantly, your mom needs to decide what is best for her - without your input, but with the input from a female trainer

 

[DNS]

The 22lr and 22 magnum LCRs are great but the trigger is roughly nine pounds of pull. Might be trouble for some elderly folks. The centerfire .38s are not that heavy.

 

[rcmodel]

You deserve a Major Fail for making your mom try to shoot a 357 from such a light gun.

+1

Scandium .357's hurt me when I was younger when they came out.

And they really hurt me now that I am older then she is!!

That was just plain wrong in the first place when you picked it out for her.

rc

 

[RJTravel]

Don't get me wrong guys, I am not anti-.38 cal. I just want Mom to have the best combination of stopping power and manageability.
Perhaps I am a cynic because I carry a 5 inch 1911 all day every day.
I like the idea of the .327 Federal but I still have to wonder about the recoil.
I think that the mistake I made was to think in terms of light weight when I got the S&W 340 PD.
Does anyone know the ballistic differences between the .357 and the .327 Fed?
And, is the .327 Fed really any more manageable for a small, older lady than the .357?
Bottom line is, I'd hand her the Glock 26 or the LCP but she doesn't have the hand strength to cycle the action.
What about an LCR? I don't have one so I have no idea if they are more recoil friendly. Probably not in the .357 I'd guess, though, they have to be heavier than the Smith, and thus, would absorb a bit more of the bang.
So far, based upon your responses, perhaps a J frame sized wheel gun would be the best option.
If I went with a J frame in .327 Fed, would I want to go with 3 inch?
Thanks for all of your input.

If indeed your weak, elderly mother was able to handle full .357s out of a 12 ounce snubby she doesn't need a handgun at all. She could rip apart the bad gun with her bare hands. It makes my blood run cold to even think of shooting a 12 ounce .357 - and I am far from a weakling. Perhaps one can handle the much lighter .45acp or 9mm class, but the snub .357 is way over the top. I suspect this is a joke, but if not there are a large number of options. Personally I think light .38 spcl is hard to beat, but my petite daughter chose a .32acp and my wife a .25acp. Their choice, and either will do the job up close. The tip-up barrel was a major factor. Easy to load, and simply pull the trigger. No safties. Simple and effective.

 

[firesky101]

Good sweet lord, I know it has already been said but if your mom put a cylinder of .357 through a 340pd and was willing to pick the gun up again kudos to her. Yes the KLCR is far more recoil friendly, but I don't think she will be undergunned with that 340pd full of .38sp or +p. Another big thing to think about is she already feels comfortable with the operation and carry of that gun, why change it?

 

[murf]

a model 10 smith and wesson and wadcutters. the heavier gun and fairly light weight bullet will help with recoil as will the lighter load.

the important thing is: can she can shoot her carry gun accurately? lighter, slower bullets require better accuracy and better placement. if she can't handle the model 10, you may have to go to a rimfire cartridge.

luck,

murf

 

[Eb1]

My mother gets my Rossi M720 .44 Special with plain old Remington 246 grain soft lead. The trigger in double action is like glass. And the recoil is nothing in that steel gun.

It works very well for her.

 

[ArchAngelCD]

Current SD ammo in .38 Special is very good at what it was made to do.

Load a good SD .38 Special in that revolver or maybe your mom would like a S&W M640 instead. (23oz instead of 12oz)

 

[Spindrift]

Oneounce said:
"Then go let your mom decide. You deserve a Major Fail for making your mom try to shoot a 357 from such a light gun. I am over 6'3 and I won't attempt that stupidity."

You are 6'3" and you can't shoot a scandium .357? Maybe you need a little hand workout yourself.


As for your comment, perhaps I should be more clear. I didn't just hand her a PD and say "here ya go, good luck." I bought it along with a couple of others and she got quite interested in that particular one. I did let her decide from multiple pieces in various formats. She could handle the gun when SHE originally chose it from more than a dozen in my collection. It was, at the time, the most recent addition. She shot good groups and enjoyed it quite a bit.
She is having problems now so I am making an attempt to once again, help her find something she likes.
Personally I don't give a damn if she carries a .22, I just thought I would reach out to some fellow gunners and see what you all thought.
And no, its not a joke, and yes, my mother at one time could damn well shoot the PD.
Why is it so hard to believe that women don't suck at everything?

Apparently, some of you think that I like to force old ladies to shoot cannons for a kick.

 

[Eb1]

Doesn't Taurus make a nice 9 or 12 shot stub nose .22 LR. 9 or 12 CCI Stingers or Velocitors seems like a dandy carry piece for an elderly lady.
Another thought is a gun I own. I own a 6 shot stub nose Taurus 731 UL. It is a 32 H&R Magnum cylinder, and they can sting a bit, but when you load them with MagTech S&W Long 98 grain semi-jacket Hollow Points it is a baby to shoot. It seems that it shoots the 98 grain S&W Longs Semi-Jacketed HP better than the 100 grain H&R Magnums as far as accuracy goes. It is a good revolver. A little stiff on the trigger pull, but that can be remedied.

Good luck

 

[Spindrift]

Good sweet lord, I know it has already been said but if your mom put a cylinder of .357 through a 340pd and was willing to pick the gun up again kudos to her. Yes the KLCR is far more recoil friendly, but I don't think she will be undergunned with that 340pd full of .38sp or +p. Another big thing to think about is she already feels comfortable with the operation and carry of that gun, why change it?

I like the idea of her staying with what she is familiar with too, and right now she has +P's in it. I think its just the ultra light weight that is becoming a problem.
I'm not talking about a feeble little old lady with a walker and no teeth.
She has had surgery on her hands and has lost some hand strength over the last few years, so she talked to me about it and I thought I would ask around.
Maybe even a .38 in a slightly heavier frame. Maybe something else. I had thought about a Ladysmith or an Airweight but don't know anyone who has one she could try out to see if a difference of 5 ounces more weight would help. I tend to agree with a couple of you who suggest staying with the J frame as a good option.

This whole thread seems to have gone so far sideways into a bizarre area.
I never realized that it was so unheard of for women to shoot snubby .357 mags. I'll be sure to tell her that she is an anomaly. She'll get a kick out of that.

All I was trying to find out is what some other ladies like and enjoy. Doesn't much look like that is gonna happen this time.


And, to all of you whom I offended by not giving her a cap gun or a sharp stick, well, I'm sure that you guys meant well and you try to take good care of your moms too.
I didn't realize I was poking a hornets nest by not preferring the .38 or the puny little rimfires.
Thanks though, to those of you who tried to add something useful.