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Thread: Guns for the elderly/arthritic/etc.

  1. #21
    Member JonInWA's Avatar
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    Guns for the elderly/arthritic/etc.

    The HK VP9, especially with it's slide charging handles make racking the slide quite a bit easier than is normally the case for a semi-automatic pistol. Another potential consideration would be a Walther P5; although they're out of production, and expensive (and they never were inexpensive), they are still available from Earl's (see www.carlwalther.com); their dual receiver-mounted recoil springs make for a lighter slide reciprocation, and the ergos and sights are decent. Definitely an elder hipster gun, though.

    Best, Jon
    Last edited by Tom_Jones; 02-11-2016 at 08:18 AM. Reason: Fixed link
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  2. #22

    Guns for the elderly/arthritic/etc.

    Quote Originally Posted by JonInWA View Post
    The HK VP9, especially with it's slide charging handles make racking the slide quite a bit easier than is normally the case for a semi-automatic pistol. Another potential consideration would be a Walther P5; although they're out of production, and expensive (and they never were inexpensive), they are still available from Earl's (see www.carlwalther.com); their dual receiver-mounted recoil springs make for a lighter slide reciprocation, and the ergos and sights are decent. Definitely an elder hipster gun, though.

    Best, Jon
    Good points, and I have recommended the VP9 for this reason, but most people balk at the price. $300-$400 before tax is the sweet spot for most pistol buyers I see. The Canik TP9SA is a pretty good option for some folks. It's easy to rack the slide, and the trigger is great. It's just a bit large for a few people's needs.
    Last edited by Tom_Jones; 02-11-2016 at 08:21 AM. Reason: Fixed link

  3. #23
    Can anyone recommend a 380 semi platform for him?
    Ruger LC-380, Tam's suggestion of the PTwoFiddy, or the Taurus TCP*. The Sig P238 was also very popular because it was easy to rack and metal, which sucked up some of the recoil compared to polymer pocket .380s. I've also heard good anecdotes about the Walther CCP being easy to rack because of it's gas-delayed action, but I haven't really checked it out that much.

    * Note: I am acknowledging the TCP's existence, not making a recommendation.

  4. #24
    I have to admit that Tamara really got me thinking about the Grandma Gun concept.

    Even though the .38spl and 9mm are the optimal caliber choices, the guns that they are chambered in are either too harsh in recoil, or their trigger pull is too strong. After fiddling around with a number of different makes and calibers really the .380acp is the upper limit of the caliber selection. Even a Ruger LCP in .380acp is a handful, and really you need a compact sized pistol in order to tame the .380 recoil enough. I got to shoot a Glock G25 .380 at a LE convention in the late 1990s, and that pistol was a really nice shooter with mild recoil. At the time I considered it a toy given my feelings on the .380acp and ammo development at the time(If you shot anything less than a .40S&W, you were a dead man). Now days, I can see that pistol being the perfect gun to fill this niche.

  5. #25
    Site Supporter CCT125US's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Exurbankevin View Post
    * Note: I am acknowledging the TCP's existence, not making a recommendation.
    Ah yes, the only gun that has spontaneously disassembled in a students hand. So much suck and fail engineered into a tiny package.
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  6. #26
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    I've had an injured right hand and arm since birth, and the semi-auto recoil spring issue (as well as grip) has always been an issue for me. I'm 40 now, and I imagine these factors will become more of an issue as I get older-- that's fine, beats the alternative.
    I can work the slides on my Glock 19 and M&P compact okay, (grip tape on both) but I don't like to. I actually developed some shoulder and bicep issues in 2014 that I'm pretty sure were caused, in part, by working slides too much. I've since tried to mitigate the amount I'm working slides, including switching hands to load a round, and loading guns from slide lock at the range.
    The progressive springs in the smaller guns are really difficult. I include the Glock 42 in this group, for me. I'll pick up a Shield at the shop, work the slide, and put it down. (I lift weights and do other exercises, but if you don't have grip strength, and can't gain it, you don't have it.)
    I did pick up a Sig 290 RS 380 last fall as a test gun for me and potentially for my mom. The recoil spring feels like a .22 in that gun, but it does seem to be ammo sensitive, with failures to feed, and I can't recommend it. The DAO trigger is not good either. My concern with a .22 auto for defense is that they can be kind of jammy. 22 revolvers seem to have really bad trigger pulls.
    The only thing I think this all proves is that somebody with a grip issue really needs to try stuff out if possible. Sometimes the TDA guns can actually be easier to rack. One of the reasons a P-series Ruger was my first handgun (2001?) was that I could easily rack the slide on it.

  7. #27
    Site Supporter Tamara's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Hauptmann View Post
    I have to admit that Tamara really got me thinking about the Grandma Gun concept.

    Even though the .38spl and 9mm are the optimal caliber choices, the guns that they are chambered in are either too harsh in recoil, or their trigger pull is too strong. After fiddling around with a number of different makes and calibers really the .380acp is the upper limit of the caliber selection. Even a Ruger LCP in .380acp is a handful, and really you need a compact sized pistol in order to tame the .380 recoil enough. I got to shoot a Glock G25 .380 at a LE convention in the late 1990s, and that pistol was a really nice shooter with mild recoil. At the time I considered it a toy given my feelings on the .380acp and ammo development at the time(If you shot anything less than a .40S&W, you were a dead man). Now days, I can see that pistol being the perfect gun to fill this niche.
    Seriously, I wish the P250C .380 weren't such a unicorn at the distributor level, because I could have sold a bunch of those things just from letting folks handle my T&E gun. (Which has also, I'll note, eaten more than a case of ammo thus far with no cleaning or lubing and no problems other than one failure to go completely into battery that was remedied with just the "Tap" portion of "Tap Rack Bang".)
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  8. #28
    Hillbilly Elitist Malamute's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by idahojess View Post
    ...My concern with a .22 auto for defense is that they can be kind of jammy...

    The Ruger standard type 22 auto pistols have always been pretty good about function. They make slide rackers for them also. I think if I wasn't able to handle or operate larger caliber guns, and the size wasn't a problem, that's the direction I'd lean.

  9. #29
    Quote Originally Posted by Malamute View Post
    The Ruger standard type 22 auto pistols have always been pretty good about function. They make slide rackers for them also. I think if I wasn't able to handle or operate larger caliber guns, and the size wasn't a problem, that's the direction I'd lean.
    If the last few steel matches I shot is any reflection of the larger world, the number of .22 pistols that actually work is probably fewer in number than Chinese Pandas. Whether it's the gun or the crappy .22 ammo available I can't say. But I can say it's common to see just about every one misbehaving at some point in the day. It's noticeable enough that I actively squad late so I can pick the one with the fewest rimfire guns.

    Quote Originally Posted by Tamara
    Seriously, I wish the P250C .380 weren't such a unicorn at the distributor level, because I could have sold a bunch of those things just from letting folks handle my T&E gun. (Which has also, I'll note, eaten more than a case of ammo thus far with no cleaning or lubing and no problems other than one failure to go completely into battery that was remedied with just the "Tap" portion of "Tap Rack Bang".)
    My 250 had the best "non gun person" trigger imaginable. It was light, smooth and long enough to obviate problems light and smooth would otherwise have. I can only imagine how much it doesn't recoil in .380.

    As is, I love my G42 with the Ghost connector. With mild ball ammo it feels like a .22. It has some pep when shooting Gold Dots, but still manageable.

  10. #30
    Hillbilly Elitist Malamute's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by jh9 View Post
    If the last few steel matches I shot is any reflection of the larger world, the number of .22 pistols that actually work is probably fewer in number than Chinese Pandas. Whether it's the gun or the crappy .22 ammo available I can't say...
    Could be ammo, but I don't know, or have recent experience with the guns. I had several of the Ruger autos in the 70s and 80s, the ones I had ran quite well.
    Last edited by Malamute; 02-09-2016 at 05:25 PM.

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