CCW for the disabled?

[Fire-Medic]

So I am hoping for some feedback from those more experienced than I here. I have a friend who has become temporarily disabled due to neurological issues. His brain is 100% GTG but he has generalized weakness the worst being on hands/arms and legs/feet. He has to use a walker right now but should be with a cane of some sort soon. He cannot easily rack the slide of his autoloader right now and sometimes not at all. What would you recommend to him for ccw until he gets back to 100%?

I was thinking along the lines of an SP 101 with 38 special +p SD ammo.

Thanks
FM

[Al T.]

I've worked with several disabled folks and the (IMHO) first thing to do is assess their strength level. Can your friend pull a DA trigger? That's where I would start.

[Chuck Haggard]

There are a couple of threads over on the TPI site reference the "Little Old Man Gun" concept that Claude Werner came up with for his dad, and the follow-up "Little Old Woman Gun" that another member there did for his mom. IN both cases hand and arm strength were real issues.

In Claude's case the LOMG was a Beretta 21 that he did some mods to to make it a better defense piece.

We may have some discussion on these here but I haven't searched.

[camsdaddy]

I have a friend who I recently took shooting for the first time since he became trapped in a wheel chair. The guy went from being an avid k frame shooter and manual farm labor to what sounds like a similar to the op's friend.

We found the weight of the gun and the weight of the trigger pull to be too much for him when shooting revolvers.

We found that with a Glock 17 he could hold it steady and pull the trigger and make hits. With some work he found he could work the slide but would not be able to do a speed reload by any means. We sat down and talked and he said if got off 17 rounds and needed to reload he had made it farther than any man in his shape should and he might just get up and run away .

What he enjoyed shooting the most was actually my S&W 22a.

The good news is being in a wheel chair concealment is of little thought. As he said he could hide a tank simply by throwing a towel over his lap.

I think as with my friend it will come down to just shooting several choices and see what works.

[Glenn E. Meyer]

It's really an empirical question for the individual and one might want to consider a usable firearm OVER a simple stopping power discussion.

If the data is true about the strong deterrent value of a firearm, then having one is about 90% of the successful DGU variance. Of the remaining shooting incidents, the issue is whether the shot hitting the BG adds significantly to stopping the crime - as compared to disabling the person. So recommending +P whatever is secondary if the person can't shoot it and make a decent shot and follow up. Putting a round in the person maybe more important than evaluating jello cavities for most DGU utility. Do you sacrifice something if it is the giant, zombie, meth head biker - perhaps - but you need to consider the odds.

I've seen suggestions for folks to use something like a 22 LR Bearcat as that is what they can handle and manipulate. A 38 with wad cutters and two easy shots might be better than a ++P+++ super neutronium round.

[Totem Polar]

One of the classic go to guns for these scenarios back in the day was the Beretta 86--the .380 with the tip up barrel. A tomcat might work, assuming reliability. In other news, I was one of the first adopters of the G42 from that original MLK day shipping run; some folks love to dog on that gun for being a .380, but I will say that the slide is very easy to rack, and the recoil is about as good as it gets without going to a .22. I had "old man gun" in mind when I snagged it, and noted as much online at the time. Trigger might still be too much, but it's worth a look, IMHO. Speaking of which, the SP101 trigger can be a bit stout for people with less than average hand strength. Again, JMO.

[TR675]

Like Chuck mentioned, Claude's thread on TPI had really had some interesting thoughts about workable guns for older folks often have decreased physical abilities and thus a hard time managing recoil, operating the slides on service autos, or pulling the trigger on DA revolvers, whether due to decreased hand strength, arthritis, what have you. Claude's solution is the "old man gun", a .22 or other small caliber auto that is easier to shoot, easier to rack the slide on, etc. He likes the Beretta 21 for a few reasons, including the tip-up barrel and availability of a CT Lasergrip.

To this I would add smaller persons with delicate bone structure - like my wife and a few other ladies I know - have a hard time with those same issues regardless of age. My wife really likes shooting .22's and can shoot them well, but due to painful recoil even 9mm is a non-starter in an auto and forget about learning how to shoot a DA trigger on a revolver. She wants her "own gun" and has requested it be a .22 - which I am ok with as that is the only thing she is going to practice with and learn how to use, and to my mind getting 100% familiar with a small caliber firearm is better than being 0% familiar with an "acceptable" gun.

For my spouse, based on good reviews and the rail for attaching a light/laser/bayonet, I think I'll be getting her an M&P .22c.

[iWander]

My wife has very limited hand strength, and the perfect gun for her for a long time was a Walther p22. Her other favorite due the concealability and a little more kick was a Kel Tec P 32. She prefer the Kel Tec for overall carry due to its size, but she preferred the p22 with its better sights.
In the end I didn't care what she carried just so she had something!
I have another friend who is wheelchair bound. The best gun for him was a Bersa 380, and we rigged a holster on the inside of the right hand rail. It was the perfect size, cost, weight, and controllability for him.

[David Armstrong]

I've sold so many Beretta 21s to disabled shooters that Beretta should give me an award. I liked the 86 also but it was a bit pricey. The tip-up barrel and the light recoil are so well suited to those with disabilites effecting their strength one might imagine the designers had that in mind when they put the piece together.

[Glenn E. Meyer]

Do the 21's in general run? I shot a friend's and was a jammer - similar to the Taurus PT-22s. Would a 25 ACP be a better solution?