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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.
 
Ditch the handgun, they are harder to learn how to shoot well.

Get a decent pump shotgun in 20ga or even .410 if she can't handle a 20ga with factory reduced loaded ammo.

Also easier to reload.

Not much is easier to "work" then a pump shotgun.


If she is in the woods get her an AR15...

Basically any long gun will have less recoil on her wrists and be easier to train her on then any handgun as well as be more accurate.


Kids get trained to shoot rifles first for many of those reasons.

Just my 2¢ - I realize I deviated from your original question some.
 
Bring her to the store, ideally one that has a large used selection and see what fits her hand the best/which one she "likes" best while dry firing it double action (generally, a DA revolver should only be fired DA defensively so she should only shoot it/practice with it DA). And know that it can be made even better with after-market grips.. but first things first.
I'd suggest a 6-shot .38/357 (loaded with standard velocity .38 158gr semi-wadcutters.. they are effective without expanding).
I'd suggest a 2-4" barrel Smith & Wesson or Ruger brand.
Oh, and I've noticed that quite a few people think it's OK to shoot through doors at people pounding on them. Don't do that.. generally.
 
Watch these two videos, this will help you figure out a process to help your mom.



Ha. Awesome. She reminds me of my Mom.. same haircut, yada.
I've had the "talks" with my Ma but she's pretty much a pacifist and is resigned to die at the hands of another should they wish.. though if her grandchildren were threatened she'd probably go all terminator on the fools.
 
I would get her something without much recoil and that is easy to function.

With any new shooter I always suggest a .22 revolver.
Easy to operate. Cheap to practice. Low if not no recoil.
Remember a well placed shot beats high power any day.
Whats the use of a good defense round if you can't hit what is aggressively coming at you.

Learn to shoot and be comfortable with something small, perfecting the fundamentals then step up.
 
Up in Sequim we would have guys like you buy mom a little handgun and half the time they would come back looking for something else . Mom just didn't like the recoil.
Actually that worked with women of all ages. 'Get the little gun that fit her hand' but has too much kick.
I'm with Joe on the shot gun. And with clearconscience with the 22. Some time a long gun works better and if you get a nice 22 that she can hit center mass (we'll face shots) consistently then it can be a viable defense weapon.
I would go with a 22 mag though. Some will say a 22 isn't big enough. But if that's all her little hands can handle then it's better than nothing. I wouldn't feel bad if all I had was my MK III to shoot a bad guy. I can put most shots in his face and neck.
Main thing to do is take her to a indoor range and get her trying as many guns as possible.
Good luck
 
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
 
Yes, what SHE LIKES. This was the biggest pet peeve of the woman that owned Fred's . Men picking out guns for their wives.
She'd ask if they bought their wife's shoes for them
 
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.
 
I like the 38 idea.
Just don't get one that's too small and light.

My wife settled on a 4'' stainless all steel speed six in 38 only.
Recoil in my J-frames was too much. She could shoot them. But training was a chore.

Something like a Glock 19 may be an option.
If you train her to use an empty magazine in the gun to lock the slide back. Then drop it and load the loaded mag before dropping the slide.

This really makes loading easier. ;)

In a light rifle . Think mini 14 or better yet a lighter 30 carbine.
The op rod levers on this type of gun give good purchase and makes loading easy.
And 30 carbines don't have a lot of spring resistance. So they are easy to cycle.


Shotgun? Short double barrel.
Simple! :D
 
A semi auto can be fine like medic was saying,if you chamber the first round and she can reload the second mag,she shouldn't have to cycle the slide. Unless of course there is a jam.
She would need to learn to use a corner or such the cycle the slide.
 
A semi auto can be fine like medic was saying,if you chamber the first round and she can reload the second mag,she shouldn't have to cycle the slide. Unless of course there is a jam.
She would need to learn to use a corner or such the cycle the slide.
Good comments on the slide issue.
For some women, working the slide is a deal-breaker.
 
In addition to the gun, spend some time developing a security and deployment plan. You want the gun to be easily accessible to her, but not to the grandchildren or someone who might use it against her. Consider one of the small biometric safes. Buy the gun first to make sure you get a large enough safe.

Just having a gun means nothing when it comes to a self defense plan. Take the time to actually make a plan for what to do when she hears noises in the middle of the night. That plan will be more important than the type of gun.

As far as the actual gun, my wife settled on a 4" Ruger GP100 in stainless steel. She shoots .38's to practice, but could shoot .357 if she wanted. She has problems racking a slide so the revolver works well for her. The size makes it easy and pleasant to shoot. Tons of choices out there, but let her try them out.
 
Most weak people can still cycle a pistol.

Just hold the pistol in your right hand as normally done. [Observing good trigger control.]

Bring the gun to your upper belly so the barrel is pointed to your left.
Bring your left hand over to cup the top of slide. With thumb and pointer finger on the rear slide serrations. And remainder of fingers pinching the slide.

Now that you have a good grip on the slide. Shove the frame of the gun in your right hand, under the slide. Keep the left hand and slide stationary as this is done.

If you have an empty magazine in the gun. Do this until the slide locks.

Then remove empty mag. And insert loaded mag before dropping the slide.
 
For a new shooter in her late 60's - .22 magnum double action shrouded hammer - the Ruger LCR fits that bill nicely. It's small and light, she can slip it into a house coat pocket and not have to worry about running to some specific point to get her gun, should Bad Stuff Happen and some thug breaks into her home.

Operating the cylinder catch is easier than trying to cycle the slide on a small semi-auto. It's easier to operate the slide on a Glock 17 than it is on the 26 or 43.

Even bunny fart .38's can have a good bit of muzzle flip in a small gun, and getting setup for success from the start will ease the learning curve. Light recoil and easy to operate are the advantages of the compact double action .22. Once she gets proficient, you can expand her horizons to autoloaders and larger calibers to see if she can operate one more comfortably.
 

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