Recommend me a good revolver for..my mom

[bsa1917hunter]

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

Good points. This whole time, I've been thinking something like the old Taurus model 82 or similar platform (S&W if you will or have something against Taurus). Excellent pistols from what I remember about the one my mom had when I was a kid. Kind of similar to my 29-2, but with a smaller frame. Find a good laser grip like crimson trace: That will help with target acquisition. Like others have said, I'd also suggest training, not with just use of the pistol, but also keeping the right mindset and make sure she knows that using that pistol is the LAST course of action!! Even yelling through the door, saying I have a pistol, I SUGGEST you Get the hell out of here!!!!!!

 

[Sgt Nambu]

A steel revolver = less recoil!

If she's not packin' it heavy is better!

 

[CoastRange57]

I SUGGEST you Get the hell out of here!!!!!!

I have taught some older adults some shooting and mindset skills in the past. They have to learn to speak criminal and tweaker to get the point across best. " Get the f*** out of here before I blow your mfing head off " " You come through that door and I will blow your fing azz away" The crazier and more unpredictable you sound, the better they understand that. I call it the crazy old man offense. It has worked for me a couple times.

Of course some tweaked out scum bags act pretty weird too, but at least they would get the point.

 

[jbett98]

My favorite is the classic S&W model 36 Chief's Special.
I like the J frames size and weight and coupled with some Pachmayr Presentation grips along with Hornady's .38 Spl. Critical Defense loads.
It was my wife's go to house gun until she stole my Glock 17 away from me.
Pic is off the web, but you get the idea.

 

[F2CMaDMaXX]

As it's not being carried, i would certainly be careful and considerate in what is being looked at.

A short config HD shotgun wouldn't be bad.

If it needs to be a revolver, i would stick to .38sp and a steel frame, you can get a S&W for cheap when you're at .38sp.

Don't do any airweights, or other lightweight stuff.

 

[Fast Eddie]

Everyone likes shooting my S&W 686 plus. It looks big and scary, but it absorbs recoil from .357 magnum rounds very nicely. The hogue grip helps manage it even further.

If she is going to carry, I would say a model 60 with a 3" barrel or a 649 snubbing, both also absorb recoil a lot better than any of the light weight snubbies because they are heavier stainless steel guns. They are also able to shoot in single action which she is going to like better than a DAO.

 

[MrElectric03]

I would say a 3" or 4" gp100 maybe with the compact grips installed and loaded with .38 spl. That what I bought for my wife. The trigger however may be difficult for your mom as any DA revolver would be. I would also suggest a shotgun. Simple double barrel. If a pistol would work better I'd look at a Kahr CW9. It's a light DA trigger so hard to accidentally shoot but not a hard pull either, they aren't expensive but have been very reliable for me and easy to rack.

 

[2Wheels4Ever]

Sw500. I love my mom so much and I only feel safe when she packs the best!!

 

[Andy54Hawken]

Get her one of these:
A Colt's Dragoon.
40 grains of 3F and a ,454 round ball ought to do the trick!
If not , the revolver weighs in at 4 LBS that should do for a good wack!
Andy

 

[mjbskwim]

Get her one of these:
A Colt's Dragoon.
40 grains of 3F and a ,454 round ball ought to do the trick!
If not , the revolver weighs in at 4 LBS that should do for a good wack!
Andy
View attachment 335738

Well ifin a gal pulled that on me I'd be pretty sure she was off her rocker and GTFO of there

 

[Andy54Hawken]

"You gonna pull them pistols of whistle Dixie?!"
Home defense from Josey Wales.
Andy

 

[PiratePast40]

"You gonna pull them pistols of whistle Dixie?!"
Home defense from Josey Wales.
Andy

I know where you're coming from, but I think that only applies to Johnny Reb:

When it comes to home defense, I think it's about getting plumb mad dog mean :

 

[Andy54Hawken]

Great movie clips from a great movie.
Another great line , this one from The Good , The Bad and The Ugly:
"When you have to shoot , shoot , don't talk!" - Tuco
Andy

 

[Medic!]

And if she doesn't see well?

She can allways shoot in braille.

 

[Andy54Hawken]

I've got the starter kit version of that:
Andy

 

[Alexx1401]

Hey guys, recently my mother (who is in her late 60's and lives alone) had an encounter with what the police told her was probably a "confused drunk person" . This guy banged on her door at 3:30am for 10 minutes yelling "let me in right now", and ended up finally leaving before the police arrived, but it really frightened her and she was very upset. This happened a few months ago, but I only learned about it recently after she told me she wants to "learn to shoot a gun so I can feel safe alone." , because she knows I own guns. She is originally from England and is not exactly a gun person, and to be honest she is also probably the least mechanically inclined person I have ever known(sorry mom), so i figured starting her with a revolver would be the wisest choice, as there are no magazines etc to be aware of. Getting to my question, I mainly shoot rifles and 45/9mm semi pistols, and unfortunately my revolver knowledge is next to nothing. I am wondering what your advice on a good reliable "starter" revolver I should try to train her with, I figured maybe a .38 or even something smaller given her 105 pound frame and probably weak hand strength to pull a trigger reliably? She has never shot a gun before. Does anyone here have experience with such a thing with inexperienced older shooters? I would obviously train her on any revolver I purchase for her. Any advice is appreciated, thanks.

Find a range with rentals. Start with a .22 till she is comfortable shooting. Then find what she likes. Buying someone a gun who does not shoot is a hit and miss way to go about this. What anyone else likes may not be what she likes.

 

[Joe13]

THose Chiapa Rhinos have a good rep for very low recoil...

Little pricy but worth it I'd guess.

 

[DeanMk]

Hey guys, recently my mother (who is in her late 60's and lives alone) had an encounter with what the police told her was probably a "confused drunk person" . This guy banged on her door at 3:30am for 10 minutes yelling "let me in right now", and ended up finally leaving before the police arrived, but it really frightened her and she was very upset. This happened a few months ago, but I only learned about it recently after she told me she wants to "learn to shoot a gun so I can feel safe alone." , because she knows I own guns. She is originally from England and is not exactly a gun person, and to be honest she is also probably the least mechanically inclined person I have ever known(sorry mom), so i figured starting her with a revolver would be the wisest choice, as there are no magazines etc to be aware of. Getting to my question, I mainly shoot rifles and 45/9mm semi pistols, and unfortunately my revolver knowledge is next to nothing. I am wondering what your advice on a good reliable "starter" revolver I should try to train her with, I figured maybe a .38 or even something smaller given her 105 pound frame and probably weak hand strength to pull a trigger reliably? She has never shot a gun before. Does anyone here have experience with such a thing with inexperienced older shooters? I would obviously train her on any revolver I purchase for her. Any advice is appreciated, thanks.

I'm probably going to get maligned for this, but the most uncomplicated gun I can think of is a break action double barreled shotgun (well ok, a single barreled exposed hammer break action shotgun would be a bit simpler).
...like one of these.
The open chokes will allow shot to spread sufficiently in the short distances she'll encounter in her home and she doesn't have to be quite so precise with her aim (still pays to aim, though).

If you've already decided on a handgun, I would then suggest a .38 snubbie.

The reason for that is because I once got the chance to compare a Raven .25 and a Taurus Model 85.
I was AMAZED at how similar they were in size.
The Raven is the classic last ditch, hide-out gun.
The snubbie is the original compact/pocket arm.
I physically put those two guns together and there were only fractions of an inch difference in the height and length.
Yes, the cylinder did make the revolver wider, but not nearly as much as one might think.
The difference appeared to be about 1/2-3/4" (not enough to make a difference, if she decides to carry it in her handbag when she goes out).
Considering the difference in the power between the .38 special and the .25 acp, to me, choosing the revolver would be a no brainer.

Most importantly, all this firepower is no good if she doesn't learn how to shoot the thing competently.
Whatever she ends up getting, get her to the range and show her how to shoot it....and try to have her shoot the thing on a (semi?) regular basis.
It's one thing to learn to shoot, its another to stay that way.

Lastly, if this is at all possible to achieve, I think the best choice might be to just move your mom to a safer location.
Good luck.



Dean

 

[Switchblade666]

My mom's 4'11, 70 years old, and she still has the Ruger Security Six .357 in her night stand. Tried to get her to downsize but she refuses to give it up.

 

[Joe13]

The open chokes will allow shot to spread sufficiently in the short distances she'll encounter in her home and she doesn't have to be quite so precise with her aim (still pays to aim, though).

Not great advice...

Shot out of an open choke spreads approximately 1" per yard so your going to get a 3-4" spread at most probably....

You still have to aim a shotgun.


Unless you put a rifled barrel on it and then the bubblegum will go everywhere but where you aimed.