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Wife has a LARGE family who are all either ambivalent to guns or anti gun. Her Dad had asked about one a few times years ago but his Wife was dead set against having one. Now that she is gone he asked again and even started looking on his own. Told Wife he was looking at one of the sub compact Glocks. She told him wait till you can try at least so we took him out today. He is well past 90 and I had doubts about the sub compacts. First let him shoot a SR .22. For someone who had not handled a gun since his days in the Military in the 50's it was impressive. Without his glasses he was keeping it on paper. Handed him one of our LCPII's in .22, he kept that on paper. So handed him a full size 9, Ruger American, holds 18 so it is heavy. Same thing, no problem staying on paper but recoil was too much for his wrists. After only a handful of rounds he stopped. At this point I showed him a sub compact 9 I had with me but warned him it was VERY much harder on recoil so he elected to not even try. So let him try a KT .32. That he went through a mag on but even that was hurting his wrists. So back to the SR and the LCPII .22's and he was getting better with each mag. Scoring center ring hits. Wife handed him her old MKII 22/45 BB 5inch. That he was making center ring hits with, iron sights and no glasses on. So he settled on the SR.22 compact. Is going with Wife to a shop next week to pick out one he had looked at. I am sure that if it gets out to some of Wife's siblings they are going to be over the top angry at us but they can pound sand as far as I care. Guy is still living on his own and I will feel a lot better knowing he is armed now and the damn guy can still shoot after all those decades of not even picking up a gun. Tried to loan him one of our LCPII's to keep for now as that was why I bought it originally. He said he would wait till he got his own. As we were driving home through the poor part of Tacoma he was joking he could probably just buy a gun down here and no wait. :D
 
Awesome.


A man who perceives the reality of it all.
The old guy is amazingly still all there. He spent the last 5 or so years being almost full time care giver to his Wife. Her mind started to go many years ago and she had to be watched all the time. He is physically slowed down of course but still sharp as a tack mentally. Really amazing. When we were on the way home he asked Wife if she remembered the house they used to live in down that way. He directed her to drive past it. Described the families who lives in the houses around there. Wife at first could not remember the place but she did recognize the names of other families. Then she realized she was looking at a home she had only lived in for a couple years and they have moved when she was not even in school at that time, so this would have been late 50's to early 60's. Her Dad still could point the place out and the places around it people they knew lived, color the homes were back then. Hell I'm 30 years younger than him and I doubt if I went to places I lived even 30 years ago I would not be able to find the places if they were still there. He was married to the same woman for 70 years. I've only been married to one of his daughters for 27 years and it seems like a lifetime. :s0140:
 
This is great news. Never too old if you can hit the target and run the gun safely.

Not knocking 22LR - I shoot a lot of it. But for self-defense - I'd go 380 over 22 if he can run the gun.

You may have thought of this option, and maybe not, but a S&W M&P Shield EZ in 380 ACP could be an option that might work for your father-in-law IF his main interest is in self-defense.

Recoil is really soft, even for a 380. Easy to rack, easy to load mags. Larger size is easy to manage, but not heavy.

Don't know if you're familiar with the pistol or can get one to try out. I owned one for a year just to try it out. It was all of the above.

And right now you can find them for around $380 online AND there is a S&W $50 rebate going on through the end of December.

That being said, any caliber for self-defense is better than NO caliber (i.e., no defensive gun at all). As you've demonstrated with your outing with him shooting different firearms, if he's comfortable and proficient with the SR, that's what's most important.

Good luck and cheers.
 
This is great news. Never too old if you can hit the target and run the gun safely.

Not knocking 22LR - I shoot a lot of it. But for self-defense - I'd go 380 over 22 if he can run the gun.

You may have thought of this option, and maybe not, but a S&W M&P Shield EZ in 380 ACP could be an option that might work for your father-in-law IF his main interest is in self-defense.

Recoil is really soft, even for a 380. Easy to rack, easy to load mags. Larger size is easy to manage, but not heavy.

Don't know if you're familiar with the pistol or can get one to try out. I owned one for a year just to try it out. It was all of the above.

And right now you can find them for around $380 online AND there is a S&W $50 rebate going on through the end of December.

That being said, any caliber for self-defense is better than NO caliber (i.e., no defensive gun at all). As you've demonstrated with your outing with him shooting different firearms, if he's comfortable and proficient with the SR, that's what's most important.

Good luck and cheers.
He had access to pistols in.32, 380, and 9mm. Running from full size heavy to ultra compact. I could see right off the bat that if he had bought the Glock some sales guy was pushing he would have not been able to practice with it. He did not know the model but from description it was "pocket size". The full size 18 round 9mm pistol my Wife keeps by the bed was causing him pain. Even the little KT .32 that to me is VERY mild was more than he wanted although he did run a mag through that. He also wants something he can drop in his pocket and keep with him at home and when he goes out. I would LOVE to see him and his Daughter carry something larger but, they both love .22's so the old better than nothing. :s0092:
When we were at the range I added him to my family yearly plan so you never know, he may actually come back. Now that he has no one to care for he finds himself looking for things to do so hoping here he may make more trips to the range. If he does he may find with more range time he will want something larger. Money is no object to him, he paid cash for his home so he can afford anything he wants which is nice. If he will later move up I will be all over that. At least for now if someone gets into his home he has a gun and the old guy was amazingly good for someone who had not held a gun for almost as many years as I have been alive. Wife has a steel frame double stack .380 she keeps at work. If we can get him to keep going to the range will take that along let him try that. Again though at least he finally has something other than waiting for the boys in blue to show up. :D
 
good job,

the best way to get many of those anti-gun or who are apathetic towards firearms to feel more comfortable around them, is to expose them to firearms being handled in a safe manor

I've been working on some of my in-laws as well
from my father in law (of 12 years) who had rarely been around firearms and saw no real need for them, now owning a glock pistol for home defense as well as a .22 rifle for plinking. to my two brother in laws (both were fairly ani-gun) now both interested in home defense pistols / shotguns as well as shooter education (one of them has recently picked up a pistol and a shotgun)

I've found that just inviting them out shooting, and showing them how I handle my firearms has made a big difference in how they are perceived by those with little to no experience
 
Revisiting the .380 idea, mayhaps give a look at other models?

No idea on which ones might have less recoil, but perhaps there are some?

That Ruger max version comes to mind. No idea on if that's the version you all were trying, but just seems that it "might" offer less recoil is all. And still be pocket-able.
 
Revisiting the .380 idea, mayhaps give a look at other models?

No idea on which ones might have less recoil, but perhaps there are some?

That Ruger max version comes to mind. No idea on if that's the version you all were trying, but just seems that it "might" offer less recoil is all. And still be pocket-able.
With the .380 its the same as any of them. More weight = less felt recoil. It also helps to get one that is locked breech instead of blow back. Since he found the little KT P32 a bit much I am doubtful of much else unless maybe he takes an interest in shooting and goes more. This was why I put him on our family plan at the range hoping maybe he would go with either me or the Wife now and then. One of those old Colt .32's would probably be nice for him but been a LONG time since I have seen one of them for a price I would want to pay just to let him try. Those things feel about like shooting a .22.
At least for now he finally has or well have a gun at home. He lives in a very nice area but the scum long ago started coming to that area since that's were the money is of course. Someone has tried to get into his home there several times in the last several years. Most of them were Sunday mornings when his Wife and he were at church. The alarm system always scared them off but every damn time it happened I kept thinking one of these times some scum will break in when they are home. So now he will have something and damned if the old guy can not shoot very well. Especially for his age.
 
Revisiting the .380 idea, mayhaps give a look at other models?

No idea on which ones might have less recoil, but perhaps there are some?

That Ruger max version comes to mind. No idea on if that's the version you all were trying, but just seems that it "might" offer less recoil is all. And still be pocket-able.
The issue with .380 is most guns chambered for it are designed for concealed carry, so they weigh very little. A gun's mass is one of the main factors in perceived recoil - greater mass requires more energy to move, so lighter guns will have more perceived recoil than heavier guns of similar or even greater size. Consequently an ultralight subcompact .380 translates to felt recoil that (depending on the shooter) may seem significantly snappier than that of a full-sized 9mm.

IMO the OP did a great job helping them find a gun that worked for their needs. As long as they're running high quality .22LR and keeping the gun clean they should be fine. If it's a choice between a .22 I can shoot and manipulate adequately or a .380 that I can't, I'll take the .22 every day of the week. Just be sure they practice malfunction clearing a lot and carry a spare mag.

Personally I would lean toward a revolver if carrying rimfire for defensive purposes and would lean toward one in .22WMR so that if there is a failure to fire they can just squeeze the trigger again and keep on blastin'. That being said a lot of carry revolvers are DAO, and those triggers tend to be difficult to pull. Depending on the person's physical limitations that would be another factor to consider.

Ran into a similar situation to the OP with my parents in having to find a "compromise" gun. They were vehemently anti-gun when we were growing up, but have gradually warmed up to it. They picked up a Colt Pony in .380 two decades ago for protection because my mother is tiny, has arthritis, and was worried about rising criminal and drug activity in the area. Unfortunately the recoil was too much for her, so she just kept it in the safe. Finally a couple years ago they got more serious about it and asked me for help getting them each pistols that were more appropriate for their needs.

After a ton of trial, error, and deliberation we finally ended up landing on a Taurus knockoff of a Beretta Bobcat in .25acp for my mom. I wasn't thrilled with the idea of using .25acp as a defensive caliber, but given her physical limitations it was the best option we could find her. It has recoil she can manage, the reliability of a center-fire cartridge, the tip-up barrel makes it easy for her to load and fire without having to rack the slide, concealable, and comes with a 9 round mag. Good news is she loves it, and in spite of her physical limitations can actually run more than a box through it during a range session.

Fortunately Dad was much easier to work with - he's a big guy with no physical limitations. After trying a half-dozen full sized guns he settled on a CZ P07 in 9mm. Great pistol, and I have some added peace of mind knowing mom's little .25 isn't the only gun they're relying on.
 
You beat me to it, lol!
Sadly of course most people have for many years wanted the manufacturers to go smaller and lighter. Makes sense of course. Most who carry have long loved having something that is as small and light as possible in the given round. My Wife has always been very recoil sensitive too. The old P32 we still have was her carry gun for many years. Only thing she did not like was that long trigger pull. One day a sales guy hands her a Ruger LCPII in .380. She asked me, I told her don't do it you will not like it. A while later she comes home with it because she loved the trigger. <SIGH>
So I took it to the range and ran a pile of ammo through it to test it. My hand was bleeding in one spot by the time I got done but it was 100%
So she goes, can't even rack the slide. I showed her how she could load it by locking it back then drop it on a loaded mag. That worked until she fired it. ONE round was it for her. I rolled my eyes and said well this is what I expected. Damn gun is nice so I re homed my KT .380 and kept the Ruger. Later when I found out Ruger was offering it in .22 I told Wife who promptly came home with one. Damn thing works so well we have two of those now. She loves it for carry and to shoot. If they would offer this in 32 it would I am sure be perfect for her and a few others who are in the same boat. Sadly does not look like its going to happen though. Guessing the manufacturers do not feel it would sell well enough. :(
 
Have not fired a locked-breech .380, but suspect that it is more comfortable than the blowbacks. Back in the 80s, I shot a Sig P230 and it was downright uncomfortable - surprising for a moderately powered cartridge. As I see it, a D/A revolver is the go-to for those up in years or new to firearms. Everyone on earth knows their function. As popular as semis have been for 40 years or so, a good wheelgun will do everything it ever could - sometimes even more with bullet and propellant advancements.
 
Have not fired a locked-breech .380, but suspect that it is more comfortable than the blowbacks. Back in the 80s, I shot a Sig P230 and it was downright uncomfortable - surprising for a moderately powered cartridge. As I see it, a D/A revolver is the go-to for those up in years or new to firearms. Everyone on earth knows their function. As popular as semis have been for 40 years or so, a good wheelgun will do everything it ever could - sometimes even more with bullet and propellant advancements.
The Ruger pocket models of .380 are all locked breech. Suspect if they were not few would want one :D
The damn slide would have to be a bear to rack and recoil that is already stout would be really bad. Star used to import some that were also locked and functioned a lot like a 1911. They went to blow back on those to make them cheaper sadly. The original Ruger pocket model was a pretty close copy of the one KT came to market with. Made it possible to put the round in a package that was amazingly small and light. Been a long time since I have seen one but at one time I had a .32 Astra used to import that was the size of a "full size" .380. They were of course a dream to shoot due to the size for the small round. One of those may make a good choice for the recoil timid too but even if I found one I would be leery due to parts and mags. Really a shame there is not a market for a locked breech .32 of that size now. Would be a pussycat to shoot and be hands down better than a .22. Sadly don't see it happening.
 
Ah, the Astra "Constable" - even those are going up in proice. Both Star and Llama made all steel 1911 type locked breech .32s and 380s. Wonder where they all went - unless they are under pillows or in nightstands.
 
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Yeah, both Star and Llama made all steel 1911 type .32s and 380s. Wonder where they all went - unless they are under pillows or in nightstands.
Last time I saw one of the Llama's it was in BAD shape and priced higher than a nice NIB one. I am sure there has to be some floating around but they would scare me now for parts. If something broke it could be a chore to find what you needed after all this time. Some of the older guns are strange that way. Another is those little .22's IJ used to import. Pot metal, nothing special. They had the added benefit of the way take down worked. Often when firing the pistol the slide would fly off and follow the bullets. I had one that was a safe queen years after they stopped importing them and some guy just "had to have it" and paid me so much I felt guilty taking his money. I still see them mentioned now and them and they still always went for way too damn much for some reason. Last time I saw one they wanted as much as I paid for my Ruger LCPII's in 22 and I have to guess someone wants to buy them. Its like as soon as they stop making something a hell of a lot of people just have to have it even when its dubious at best. :confused:
 

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