What handgun do you suggest for a senior citizen lady?

[rcmodel]

The judge is a horrible 45… And worst shotgun

I misunderstood.

I thought the OP was talking about bad breath range SD.

Like I said, a .45 Colt is a .45 Colt at SD distance, regardless of what brand it says on the barrel.

I was not recommending a Judge to the OP.
I recommended either a Ruger LCR, well used and slick K-Frame S&W, or a Ruger Single-Six.

I was just saying that the Judge is not an anemic handgun that wouldn't fluff up the feathers on a hoddie down jacket clad BG.

Thats all I said.

rc

 

[Duane M]

Dnaltrop, thanks. Good reply.

 

[Duane M]

OK guys thanks for the info. All good stuff. I have to go but thanks. And I believe you. I was not talking from experience. Just from what I read. Good night all.

 

[40 rod]

I read something by Massad Ayoob about guns for elderly ,arthitic, and weak wristed folks. He recomended the tip up beretta auto. They still make the .32 Tomcat.

 

[Guillermo]

RC

U r a very smart guy and always fun to chat with.

I knew we were mis-communicating

 

[Shadow 7D]

I disagree with Mas on this
the tip up is nice an all, BUT unless you are getting into the 84 series (86 something I think)
a small blowback gun is not easy to hold, better a large 9 than a SMALL SNAPPY mousegun

Consider a Beretta/Stoeger Cougar 8000 (9mm) or 45, large, good trigger, easy to hold/shoot, and pretty lightly sprung.

 

[rswartsell]

In the end, I see NOTHING to indicate that the best possible choice for a senior woman wanting to be armed would NOT be a Smith Mod 10. There are WAY too many downsides for anything else mentioned for a senior lady.

Last call.... what have you got?

 

[snooperman]

I Do, but you have made up your mind and that is your problem . You can not see that there are really many options to be considered that would "FIT" her properly.I know several elderly women and some shoot here at my farm range with all kinds of problems. No one shoe fits all. My 2 cents. Snoop

 

[Guillermo]

A K frame has so many grip choices it is unlikely not to be a perfect fit for anyone

 

[40 rod]

Why will a S&W 10 be any better than a chief special ? I thought the issue is athritis .

If the 32 is to SNAPPY their is also a 25. At least the beretta tip ups do not requiere any grip strength to rack the slide.

 

[BYJO4]

There is an elderly woman who shoots at my range that has the same problem. Trying a semi didn't help as it took as much or more effort to rack the slide as it did to pull the trigger on her model 60. She took her revolver to an excellent gunsmith who smoothed and lightened the trigger pull without sacraficing reliability. She no longer has any problems and shoots very well at 15 feet.

 

[Guillermo]

The J Frame has several disadvantages

Grip size, trigger action, weight

Snubnose revolver's are among the most difficult to shoot well

 

[40 rod]

Why will a S&W 10 be any better than a chief special ? I thought the issue is athritis .

If the 32 is to SNAPPY their is also a 25. At least the beretta tip ups do not requiere any grip strengt to rack the slide.

 

[rcmodel]

Because a K-Frame Model 10 has a lief spring action, with more and better leverage in the trigger linkage.
And it can be tuned to even lighter trigger pull then is possible with a J-Frame.

A J-Frame Chiefs special has a coil mainspring that stacks, and less leverage to pull through it.
And there isn't too much you can do about it.

The larger heavier K-frame gun will also recoil less sharply, and be far easier on old sore hands, no matter how you stack it.

rc

 

[40 rod]

I see said the blind man as he picked up the hammer and saw.

 

[rswartsell]

Said the man with no cogent response or personal experience of his own.

 

[Shadow 7D]

Consider alternative methods of cocking a semi, such as 'pushing through' where the slide is either caught on the side of table/counter, or held in a hand resting/braced on a solid object. Then using MAJOR arm muscles/shoulder and whole body rotation, the gun is pushed down and through, racking the slide....

Cornered Cat has good tips on her site.
What a heavier .357 (L frame??) shooting powder puff .38's or something like a smith 1917 in .45 APC???

 

[snooperman]

I have found that there is no one perfect handgun for a lady. Especially one we have never met. Women , when given a choice can make there on decisions quite well without the dictates of men. To assume otherwise is to be foolish. The model 10 is not the perfect model gun for everyone and to think so is pure poppycock at best. There are many guns that this lady could choose from that would serve her well, and yes some calibers and semi autos too that a man would not consider. Come on guys, get "REAL", you are better then this. LOL... Snoop

 

[snooperman]

According to Gila Hayes, a woman gun shop owner and range master at her range for women, there are 2 guns that women pick over a revolver that does not fit. They are the SIG P238, and the Walther PK380.. both autos in 380 and the slides are the easiest to rack with little effort. Are they best for all women... Not at all, but are choices that can be considered.

 

[royal barnes]

It is true that the Beretta tip up .22, .25 and .32 do not require slide racking but the triggers on those little mouse guns are horrible. Some slicking is possible but still tough.

Sig P238 might be a good choice. The slide is easy to rack and the recoil is not extreme.

I would still vote for the Smith Model 10 or even a Model 12. Smooth action that can be made even smoother. Decent ballistics. Low recoil. What's not to like.

 

[TrakHack]

Not a senior, but a 36 year old woman checking in.

I'm a revolver person and thought I would really like the Beretta tip-up barrel. The gun (I had the .22 Bobcat) seemed to jam quite a but, but even if it hadn't it was really hard to shoot accurately. I traded it promptly.

I have two .38 Colt Cobras, both with 2'' barrels, a .22 Colt Cobra with a 3'' barrel, and a .22 LCR . By a factor of at least 10, the .22 Colt Cobra is my favorite to shoot. The LCR is okay, but the trigger pull is comparatively not very nice. My accuracy with the .38 is good, but I just don't enjoy shooting it much. I need something I enjoy so I'll practice.

Not sure if this gal likes animals, but I decided for home protection what I really need is a bigger dog instead of a bigger gun.

 

[tomrkba]

She should go to a store that rents guns and try several different models. She'll find one she likes. She may have difficulty with 38 Special or 9x19mm, so it's important to do some shooting.

 

[CPO15]

SIG 250, compact or sub-compact, 9mm: great DAO trigger, easy to rack slide, very accurate and good sights. Pretty light on recoil in the 9mm. Also, pretty attractive prices.

 

[Ehtereon11B]

If arthritis is her main worry, how about a handgun with a tiltup barrel such as the Beretta Tomcat in .32? It has the benefits of a semi-auto (higher capacity, faster reloads than revolver), low recoil compared to a .38, and no slide to worry about. Plus she will like the DA/SA trigger and get accustomed to it faster than switching to a SA.

 

[rswartsell]

snooperman, according to the OP's request we should suggest away. We have made our suggestions, you have made yours. The whole idea of causing affront to the fairer sex by assuming they cannot choose for themselves seems to be a product of your perception. Perhaps because of an adversarial bias?