Thread: Retired Vet needs help choosing Handgun

My dads trying to find a gun that he can carry but would also make a good home defense gun, more rounds the better, more knockdown the better, but recoil is an issue as he has bad hands so unless the 45 feels like a light 9 it probly won't work for him. He's probly going to be looking in the 5-6 hundred dollar range and won't easily be convinced to buy something other than a beretta which he's in my opinion over sold on. Thanks

Also i just picked up an XDM 3.8 compact in 9mm so im going to try to get him to shoot that soon to see what he thinks.

How old is he, what is his physical condition, and how much experience does he have with firearms? When my parents, 69 and 71 at the time, told me they had purchased a KelTec .380 semiauto, I thought that to be a reasonable purchase. When I visited them a few months ago, imagine my surprise when I found out that neither had ever shot it, and they couldn't even rack the slide without considerable effort. I immediately convinced my Mom to ditch the gun and purchase a revolver. She chose a 5-shot .38 and her and Dad have been practicing with it fairly consistently since.

I guess what I am saying is: alot of folks are going to recommend alot of guns, but his selection must be tempered by taking his physical strength and skill level into consideration.

Keith

If your Dad has a Military ID he can buy a Glock at Keith's Gun Store for under $400. Pretty hard to beat at that price. Use the money that he saves and take the Glock coarse at Oregon Firearms Academy and he'll come out really liking it. I shot the Beretta M9 for years but now that I am used to the Glock it is hard to go back to the DA/SA of the Beretta. That's my thoughts and I wish both of you good luck on choosing a handgun.
Mike

Might get some flames, but I just read that Taurus has a full size .380.
Taurus 638 Pro Compact Review | GunGunsGuns.net

Well, the Beretta's are definitely soft shooters, if your hands are big enough. But at $500 to $600 you are looking at used I believe. If that's the case you might be able to find a used Sig in that range. I believe you can get the military appreciation prices on Springfield XD's as well as the Glocks.

My wife has hand/wrist strength limitations, CTS. Her weapon of choice is a Ruger GP100 in 3".
The weight is higher but it sucks up recoil such that she can shoot it repeatedly and COMFORTABLY. Don't fall into the smaller is better hole, several 380/9's that I asked her to try over the years were "one shot and done" experiences. A trip to a range with several weapons is a good first step in finding something that works for him.

And if he likes it, don't talk him out of it. No matter what 'it' might be, if he will carry/use it then 'it' is better than the Kimber in the closet.

Within reason of course, a cap and ball revolver just ain't going to cut the mustard.

Smith&Wesson M&P compact.
You can get it in 9mm or .40 or .45 if you like.
Lighter and thinner than the XD and XDM, better ergos than a Glock.
Great Novak sights, good trigger that can be made great, changeable backstraps to fit your grip, well supported by the aftermarket accessory market and usually can be had new for right at $500.

you might try a pistol with a fluted barrell, it lightens the recoil to a manageable level. it may make the .45 an option and they come on Glock and other reasonably priced pistols.

If your dad likes Beretta, but has some physical limitations, check out the Cheetah in .380. I agree with trainsktg, though. A revolver may be the way to go.

There's a new alternative to the Cheetah, made in Turkey by American Tactical Imports:
American Tactical Imports MS380 pistol review
It's an exact clone, even using the same mags as the Cheetah, except that it has a locked breech and no "mag safety," meaning that it can fire without the mag in the gun.

Unless keiths will take a va card or something he probly won't get a discount as im sure he does't have id from 40 years ago. Also he's got plenty of knowledge and hands on experience with guns although he's sort of been out the loop the last decade or so, which means he isn't real familiar with polimer pistols in general. He won't own a 380 i've already been down that rode, which is fine i personally wouldn't go smaller than 9mm. He's also got fairly small hands like myself so something with a large/thick grip probly won't work. He's got the strength to rack most slides im sure, his hands are in bad shape but he also won't be out laying down hundreds of rounds on the weekends, he'll most likely shoot a hundred rounds through it and just carry it for the most part. Sandman1212 did you mean ported barrels?

Why steer him away from the 92? Has he shot it? and liked it?

I would guess ,with bad hands,he needs to be sure he can operate any semi auto before he buys one.Unless he wants one of those tiny berettas with the pop up barrel (in 22lr or 25!)

Otherwise a nice revolver is a great option.
But how many rounds does he want ?

Any caliber will work if he can hit the target.Bigger being better IMO. But if he is afraid to shoot it because it hurts his hands ,then even a 9mm will be too big.

Sounds like a good long father /son day at the rental gun shop/range is in order to me.

Sig P232. It is a good sized gun but still easily carried. It is a .380 which will get the job done but will not destroy older hands. Otherwise the Beretta 92 or PX4 are both good choices.

Glock 19 ~ 16 rds of +P 9MM will do the trick and the recoil is very low

You could always wait a couple weeks and take him to the gun show. Perfect place with a huge selection for him to try out what feels good and what doesn't. Once he finds what he likes he can rent them at a range to see how they shoot.

The members suggestion in this thread are good and all but that is their choice and suggestions. Your father is going to have to find what fits his hands, fits his price, and what works for him.

Agreed. I had a neighbor with the same request - wanting to know what "the best" gun would be for home protection. I showed him a couple of mine and he wasn't physically strong enough to rack the slide on any of them - not even my Taurus PT92 (same diff. IMO as the Beretta your dad appears to be leaning towards). We went to the local shops and 1 guns show. He quickly came to the realization that he would have to go with a revolver.

Originally Posted by 22many

You could always wait a couple weeks and take him to the gun show. Perfect place with a huge selection for him to try out what feels good and what doesn't. Once he finds what he likes he can rent them at a range to see how they shoot.

The members suggestion in this thread are good and all but that is their choice and suggestions. Your father is going to have to find what fits his hands, fits his price, and what works for him.

I doubt they can accept a VA Card for military discounts, but if he is retired he should qualify for a Military ID card. I would think there would be N.G. post near Portland large enough to have an ID Card facility. If not, they might accept his DD-214.

Originally Posted by mortre

I doubt they can accept a VA Card for military discounts, but if he is retired he should qualify for a Military ID card. I would think there would be N.G. post near Portland large enough to have an ID Card facility. If not, they might accept his DD-214.

There is one down on swan island. Just got my new military ID there about a month and a half ago.

HI All, great answers, just a foot note, for retire ID cards, the one at the Air base(PANG) is by appoinments, and I belive the one at Swan Island is also. But the one in Vancouver is walk in(s) and appoinments on Fridays(Thier great out there/just got the wife updated today). Has far as weapon for your dad. I think the best would be a revolver; with any auto's you have to be concern with having to charge the weapon, magazine (ensuring that it is seatted) safty mechanism(depending on weapon). 357Revolver would be a good choice, you can have him fire .38SP, .38SP+ or 357 Mag loads. Just my 2cents.

MSgt USAF, Retired