Considering a revolver for my mother (and dad)

[adam_mac84]

Parents had an 'almost' break-in (cops got him at the window... had been chasing him).

Dad was 1000 miles away when it happened, and mom was home alone. Dad was rattled enough he asked me to teach them to shoot and he wants to get a pistol for the house (long gun is not preferable at this time).

I have all semi-auto pistols. Will be working with mom on the .22 to start off.

My brain was thinking a hammerless revolver may be a good option for them. I do not see them ever being recreational or high volume shooters. If they want, they may always shoot my stuff if they start going that direction.

My rationale for revolver was less moving parts. Mom is not an invalid, but does not have strong hands (arthritis). I am concerned about her manipulating slides/failures etc if necessary, which is where the revolver came into my mind. Dad had an idea about leaving mag out in storage for safety on an semi-auto (grandkids). I squashed that and said, you will get a biometric safe to keep it in. Quick access and safe storage.

For load, i was thinking something like the Hornady Lite in 38 caliber. Any experiences with these?

Am I way off in my rationale on a gun for less experienced operators, and one with less than avg hand strength?

Obviously it'd be great if they were more into shooting and got extremely proficient, but I do not see that. I may encourage them on a defense length shotgun in 16/20ga, but i think that'd be a tough sell.

They do have a backstop I have put up at their house, so they can do occasional practice. I have recommended they do at least some every month to keep familiar.

[modified5]

A revolver is a great choice. When I am speaking with someone who is an inexperienced shooter, I always ask first how much practice will they really put in.
If it is very little, I always recommend a revolver. As long as the cylinder doesn't lock up, if there is a misfire, they just have to pull the trigger again.
No racking the slide, dropping a mag, or having to worry about jam clearing.

I dont have personal experience with the load you mentioned but suspect it would be more than sufficient.

[adam_mac84]

for reference...

http://www.hornady.com/store/38-Spec...-Defense-lite/

[GhostHawk]

I agree that .22 is a good place to start. For your mom it may be a good enough place to quit. I personally lean towards the Rugers, have a pair of Mk III's 22/45's, his and hers. 10 in mag plus one in the chamber and aim for eyeballs. It may not be perfect but it can be a very good deterrent, and a bit of practice gives you a mag change and 10 more for backup.

For dad yes, hammerless 38/.357 would be a good choice IMO.
But I know I would never get my wife to shoot one. She's 61, and does great with the .22lr, but recoil and muzzle blast would discombumalate her, screw with her head and throw off her aim.

Just my opinion, but I would rather have them able to put 10 into a pop bottle cap cap at 7 yards consistently than have a gun with more stopping power that they are afraid of and won't shoot, practice with.

Of course for me, pistol is just to get me to the shotgun or rifle.
Useful, but only one step on the path.

PS Momma says "no big booms" find a .22 that suits your mom and get her to put 50 rounds a week through it.

[psweigle]

No, in my opinion, you are spot on in your thinking. But I would consider a center fire cartridge for reliability.

[rancher1913]

my MIL was in the same boat, they had a guy just walk in their house and it scared her so she got a 12 gauge double barrel coach gun. she did not want any ammo, just the gun because she was afraid that her husband with dementia might do something stupid with it, so she just has the gun, but no thief will know its not loaded and staring down a double barrel tends to make people go away.

[adam_mac84]

my mil was in the same boat, they had a guy just walk in their house and it scared her so she got a 12 gauge double barrel coach gun. She did not want any ammo, just the gun because she was afraid that her husband with dementia might do something stupid with it, so she just has the gun, but no thief will know its not loaded and staring down a double barrel tends to make people go away.

. I like her style!!!!

[Three-Fifty-Seven]

r ...

[adam_mac84]

Thank you Three-Fifty-Seven.

My idea for hammerless was minimal moving parts. Your opinions are very helpful. I am a total noob in the revolver world

[bluelund79]

I second 357's sentiments. Snubbys aren't that much fun to shoot, and a good 357 loaded with good 38 specials will be better suited for lesser recoil and better accuracy. 4" barrels are pretty easy to find. I taught my Mom on my Model 10 Smith. My Dad has tried to get her to shoot one for 40 years, she retired first and asked me to teach her. It was a lot of fun being able to give back, and it was a great excuse for Dad to get a new gun, mold and reloading components for her.

[Walkingwolf]

I also believe that a 22 is a good starting point for someone with hand issues. A cocking adapter can be added for the Ruger Mark series pistol. Should also consider a Ruger 10/22. Pointing a rifle is probably going to result in more rounds in the bad guy, plus the report is much lower than a handgun.

[Three-Fifty-Seven]

s ...

[Bzcraig]

I agree with your assessment of a revolver for both. It sounds like even the recoil of light 38 loads might be a bit much for your mom. If getting more than one gun isn't an option, I'd be leaning toward a 9 shot revolver in 22mag

[adam_mac84]

Awesome! Say a prayer for a nice 4" in the used case. Heading to the LGS tomorrow to shoot a few rentals.

[Three-Fifty-Seven]

...

[charlie b]

How old are they and what is their "mental state"?

It takes a certain mindset to accept the idea that you are going to kill someone. Some people can't do it and they are the ones who are sometimes killed with their own gun because they just can't pull the trigger on some young kid. The lady mentioned above who wanted an empty shotgun to intimidate is a good example. I'd also pull the firing pins so it could not be used against her.

If they can do this, and have the hand/arm strength and steadiness to do this, then go ahead. Some older folks develop 'shaky' hands and cannot hold a pistol on target very well. They would be candidates for a shotgun or carbine.

Practice with the weapons with them. Also discuss scenarios in their house. What will you do if.....back door, window, front door, etc. Integrate things like having cell phone always handy and calling police and include what to do when police show up. Retreat options, safe rooms, etc, etc, etc.

Be prepared for the TV thinking. A relative got his wife a pistol and she insists on doing the 'spray and pray' cause that is what is 'taught' on TV. A year later and she still can't keep all the shots on a paper plate at 5 yds.

[adam_mac84]

How old are they and what is their "mental state"?

It takes a certain mindset to accept the idea that you are going to kill someone. Some people can't do it and they are the ones who are sometimes killed with their own gun because they just can't pull the trigger on some young kid. The lady mentioned above who wanted an empty shotgun to intimidate is a good example. I'd also pull the firing pins so it could not be used against her.

If they can do this, and have the hand/arm strength and steadiness to do this, then go ahead. Some older folks develop 'shaky' hands and cannot hold a pistol on target very well. They would be candidates for a shotgun or carbine.

Practice with the weapons with them. Also discuss scenarios in their house. What will you do if.....back door, window, front door, etc. Integrate things like having cell phone always handy and calling police and include what to do when police show up. Retreat options, safe rooms, etc, etc, etc.

Be prepared for the TV thinking. A relative got his wife a pistol and she insists on doing the 'spray and pray' cause that is what is 'taught' on TV. A year later and she still can't keep all the shots on a paper plate at 5 yds.

. Early 60s. They have a walk-in closet that is large enough for 2-3 adult sized people to get inside of it. We have discussed a solid door with deadbolt on it as a safe room. She watches my sisters kids occasionally so all could fit inside if needed. Door opens away. they also have a ground level basement window with easy egress, that is also an option if they could get downstairs and out. Behind them is 100 acres of woods/field. Could get hidden pretty quick if fleeing. The mindset is going to be interesting. It was enlightening how my old man was so anti-gun until he was in a helpless situation 1000 miles away with a potential intruder to my mother who was home alone. I could hear it in his voice when he called that day. He asked me go to over and check the area for any bad-guy 'helpers'. We do have some work to do on security mindset. This is the type of town where everything stays unlocked... all the time. I even had to transition out of that mindset... only I did it about 10 years ago.

[PerpetualStudent]

Some older folks develop 'shaky' hands and cannot hold a pistol on target very well. They would be candidates for a shotgun or carbine.

Yeah I'd give a Pistol Caliber Carbine a good long look. I think experienced shooters tend to forget how steep the learning curve on handguns is, and how much work it takes to be consistently good. The other main downside to a revolver on Double Action is how hefty the pull gets. I've seen people who can keep it in 2 inches on single action miss entirely torso sized targets at the same range when switching to quick double action.

[GhostHawk]

I have 2 pistol caliber carbines, mine are both Hipoint, a 9mm and a .40sw.

Both would work very well for home defense close quarters.

My wife has no trouble cutting the center out of a 2" bullseye at 20 feet with either.
And in fact always has a big wide grin on her face after shooting either of them.
They are just plain fun.

I also agree with putting a Red Dot sight on them. Battery life on the newer models seems to be much better. I suspect you could leave on low intensity and just swap the battery out once a year. One less thing to worry about in a tense situation.

[charlie b]

Given that situation I'd definitely go to carbine or shotgun.

If your mom is like my wife she will hate a shotgun. Before we moved I was shopping for a pistol carbine for the house. Was leaning toward an M1 for a while just cause I like them Also had an AK for a while that would also work but wife hated it (she wants her guns to look nice ). I'd definitely look for a semi auto since levers and pumps have problems when short stroked.

Laser would be my choice for aiming, especially for night. Red dots are good on carbines too.