Recommend me a good revolver for..my mom

[clearconscience]

I agree with making a security plan and it would be a good idea to put a secure door on her bedroom with a lock of some sort.
That way she can lock herself in there and call the police.
Even if it buys you a few mins it may be all you need.

Most criminals are cowards. In the face of a gun or alarm they will run. But also most will do the worst if in fear of being caught. So you need to be ready.

i would also look at an alarm if possible. Check out simplisafe.
SimpliSafe: Home Security Systems

They have great alarms you can just buy what you need and only $14.99 a month.

There have been several people killed with a .22, one recently within the last couple years. A home shot and killed a burglar with a .22.

I always suggest starting with it because it's effective, most if not all people can shoot it with high efficiency, and it's cheap to practice with.
Can/will she out grow it? Sure. But when she gets older and weaker it will be good to go back to.

The only other option I would suggest is a .357, shooting .38s. Easier recoil, only problem is it's a heavier pistol.
I would go with a steel frame, in 4".
Snubbies are too hard to handle/shoot accurately and the recoil is usually not the easiest to manage. Especially learning.

It's better to start small, learn fundamentals, gain comfort and accuracy then step up.

I wouldn't start my kids on anything other than a .22, why should anyone else be different.

I suggest this for adult men as well. It's the same if people want to start hunting and have no experience shooting a rifle or using a scope.
You don't try to learn on a 300mag.

 

[HuckleberryFun]

If she is set on a revolver its hard to beat a older pre lock S&W model 10 or 15.
Ruger's Security Six is a excellent choice as well.

As said above get her out to a gun store and see what she likes.
Then have fun while you two practice together.
Andy

Good choice: light recoil, smooth action, accurate, and purdy!
On my wishlist: a Smith model 15 snubbie for concealed carry
to match the near identical (other than barrel length and sights) model 14 target model I practice with.

 

[bbbass]

Ditto on learning with a .22lr or mag. But, there is the problem of failures with .22lr ammo, so might not be the long term solution unless she can be trained to pull the trigger again.

My wife, over 70yrs old, has arthritis and cannot rack the slide on small semi-autos no matter what technique she tries. And semi-autos seem to be confusing to operate for some. IMO a revolver is the best for these people.

Important to remember that trigger pull on a DA revolver can be 12lbs or so. I had to put a 6lb spring kit in for my wife, then found out it made light strikes due to the hammer transfer bar and wound up compromising with a 9lb spring.

The nice thing about my wife's revolver in .357 is the heavy frame and the ported barrel. It is not really hard to hold the heavy frame two handed and it helps tame recoil. Some of those light revolvers have brutal recoil, especially with small grips. She normally shoots .38 for practice and keeps it loaded with .357 +P for SD. Shoots it just fine and she is 75yrs old now. But for some reason ported revolvers are hard to find.

 

[clearconscience]

Unless you get the S&W perf center revolvers which I do want!

 

[Certaindeaf]

.She normally shoots .38 for practice and keeps it loaded with .357 +P for SD..

That was a problem back in the day.. about 100% of all law enforcement "practiced" with .38 target loads and carried magnums on duty.
and of course you meant .38 +P

 

[bbbass]

Unless you get the S&W perf center revolvers which I do want!

$$$$$$$$$. I tend to be more in the Taurus or Ruger aisle.

 

[clearconscience]

I tend to stay on the glock aisle.
But a boy can dream.

 

[bbbass]

That was a problem back in the day.. about 100% of all law enforcement "practiced" with .38 target loads and carried magnums on duty.
and of course you meant .38 +P

Hmmm, I miss my mind.

She says she doesn't notice a difference between .38, .38+P, and .357.

 

[bbbass]

I tend to stay on the glock aisle.
But a boy can dream.

What revolver is Glock making?

I own several Glock, but not for wifey.

 

[HuckleberryFun]

$$$$$$$$$. I tend to be more in the Taurus or Ruger aisle.

Revolver shopping I stay in
Aisle 1: Smith
Aisle 2: Wesson
It's just my thing. You take your cart wherever you like.

 

[bbbass]

Oh I love Smith, and, Wesson. Just can't afford them. An $800 revolver is not in the cards for us. Tho I had a .41Mag 4" S&W I bought used. It had a SF police dept logo on it. Good shooter back when I could handle it.

I love Colt Python too.

 

[nammac]

Don't know where in WA you are, but in Camas there is a new, indoor range. (SafeFire)
They also rent a huge assortment of the current handguns.

Go and try some out.
That is the best way.

This is the best advice... First figure out if it's a revolver or one of the smaller semi-autos out there...

Once you have a couple or three choices, get to a range that rents those particular firearms... Rent them and have mom actually fire them... This will be far cheaper than buying something she won't use...

Trust me, been there, done that, got the smack upside the head for it too...

 

[Certaindeaf]

Hmmm, I miss my mind.

She says she doesn't notice a difference between .38, .38+P, and .357.

I hear you. I was saying that there's no thing as .357 +P per se, .. at least that I know of.

 

[bbbass]

I hear you. I was saying that there's no thing as .357 +P per se, .. at least that I know of.

And I still miss my mind.

 

[Stomper]

I hear you. I was saying that there's no thing as .357 +P per se, .. at least that I know of.

Someone referred to .38spl as a "bunny fart"... anyone find any +p bunny farts?

 

[CoastRange57]

For somebody who only will use it for last ditch self defense, and will not likely shoot it a lot one of the featherweight .38 revolvers should work fine. People will have trouble understanding how a semi automatic operates let alone be good a racking at slide, dropping the mags and all that. Revolver takes care of all that. The training curve will be less, and there is a lot less tactical movements and implications to deal with.

As important has to what kind of gun she should get is her getting the training to understand use of lethal force and not just start blasting some drunk on her front porch through the front door.

Simpli Safe alarm system with at least 2 of the panic alarm buttons too.

https://www.smith-wesson.com/sites/...earms/images/163810_01_lg_0.jpg?itok=_pEWgsGu

 

[nammac]

Someone referred to .38spl as a "bunny fart"... anyone find any +p bunny farts?

I think that's what those dimples in the snow are, +P Snow Bunny farts

 

[DirectDrive]

I would not want to get shot by a 38 Bunny Fart.
They can get the job done.

Here's a great ballistic gel test summary of some popular cartridges.
No 38 SPL, but it's better than 380 ACP....
(I'm runnin' HST in my 9)
http://www.luckygunner.com/labs/self-defense-ammo-ballistic-tests/

 

[MikeE]

I am a revolver lover, but I have never helped a new shooter who took to revolvers. Try a Glock 17, or better, a full sized M&P 9 with interchangeable backstraps. If it's a home gun, she will likely not need to reload. Put an RMR on an M&P Core. Good for old eyes, and makes slide wracking easy.

 

[Larrabee]

IMO these small lightweight revolvers are hard to shoot and the recoil can be a major turn-off. Nobody will practice with a gun that hurts, especially the elderly. A small revolver that is built like a tank, say a DAO SP-101, could be a better choice. Easy to operate, no slide to rack, and best of all minimal recoil add up to something that might actually get used now and again (meaning practice).

That being said, what do I carry most? A S&W 642.