Need Ideas for Elderly Lady's House Revolver

[Jim Watson]

Before I get down into the weeds with this, how invested is said Lady in the selection, purchase, and use of a handgun?
My Mother was comforted by the mere presence of a loaded gun but she had no interest in training, practicing, shooting it. I still have her .22-32 Kit Gun.

[Redhat]

Having gone down this road with my Mom who's now in her 70's, The S&W 380 EZ was by far the best option and much easier for her to load, fire, and generally work with. She simply does not have the hand strength to effectively run a DA revolver.
The next step after the 380EZ would have been a Ruger 22/45 or similar .22 LR handgun. I didn't want to leave her with a .22 for obvious reasons, but I'd rather her have a weapon with which she is confident and capable than a weapon that intimidates her.

Thanks JRB, that is about where I'm at and the 380EZ is a consideration. My concern there is the trigger may be a little too light. I'm also considering the .38 spl LCRx 3" bbl but once again, the light weight may not work recoil wise.

[Redhat]

Depending on what is or is not strong within the hands, a revolver may or may not be the best solution. About 40% of the females I have introduced to pistol shooting had difficulty with triggers of 9 lb. or more, and that is without getting into weak hand issues. I second the recommendation for the S&W .380 EZ.



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Thanks,

I agree about the DA trigger and right now that's one of the "unknowns". I have heard the Ruger LCRx has a decent DA pull but I don't have any personal experience. I'm not tring to pick the "one", just get some info to identify some options.

[Redhat]

Before I get down into the weeds with this, how invested is said Lady in the selection, purchase, and use of a handgun?
My Mother was comforted by the mere presence of a loaded gun but she had no interest in training, practicing, shooting it. I still have her .22-32 Kit Gun.

She'll be very invested in selecting. Then probably shoot it a bit initially to see if she really likes it. Follow-on training / practice will be minimal after that...maybe a few times a year...of course I could be pleasantly surprised.

[mtnbkr]

I'm also considering the .38 spl LCRx 3" bbl but once again, the light weight may not work recoil wise.

The 357mag version uses steel instead of aluminum for the frame, adding a couple ounces. Obviously one can shoot 38s in the 357mag, so you can still select lower recoil ammo.

Chris

[Stephanie B]

.32 H&R or .327 revolver shooting .32 Long? Pair it with CT laser grips.

[Redhat]

One benefit of the revolver over the semi is simplified administrative handling.
Another is that it won't be ammo or grip dependent for functionality.
Downside is capacity.

I may be wrong, but I think a Ruger LCRx 3" in 357mag, loaded with 38 Wadcutters would be a good choice if the revolver is the ultimate choice. The 3" model has a larger grip and the 357mag version uses a steel frame, adding weight. I have found the 2" LCR38 to have less felt recoil than my S&W 37-2 even though the LCR38 is lighter. Adding more weight and larger/longer grips will further reduce felt recoil. Also, the LCR has one of the lightest triggers I've experienced in that class gun. It feels lighter than the modestly tuned triggers in my K-frames.

Chris

Thanks,

The .357 version is one I hadn't known about.

I will say, last week at the indoor range, I was shown a new model Colt Cobra...don't know much about that gun but that DA trigger was very nice.

[JonInWA]

Thanks,

The .357 version is one I hadn't known about.

I will say, last week at the indoor range, I was shown a new model Colt Cobra...don't know much about that gun but that DA trigger was very nice.

The 3" Colt Cobra feels and handles quite nicely, and has a vary manageable triggerpull. However, the jury is still very much out on durability and reliability. A Ruger LCR is a much more fielded and proven entity, as is a SP101.

Or, for that matter, one of the used Manhurin MR88s discussed in a separate concurrent thread: https://pistol-forum.com/showthread....e-Systems-449; that way she can havde what's reportedly an excellent, easy handling and recoil managing revolver-and be quite the community hipster. I'd get me one of them before the new Colt...

Best, Jon

[OlongJohnson]

There are ways of being helpful around here without the snark, imho.

No snark intended from my end. But when I'm participating by phone, I'm not going to go search for a thread just to post a link. Doing that on a phone is a PITA. The information I posted is enough for anyone to go search and find the referenced threads if they are even kinda motivated. I don't feel burdened to do that for them.

Maybe I'm just crochety as I age, but when I want to find general information, my first step is to search and exhaust all the findable threads. I do a lot of that. Someone telling me the information I'm seeking should be easily findable is in most cases more than enough help for me to go find it. I don't have a huge amount of patience for someone who needs an easy search result spoon fed to them in the year 2020, anno domini.

[blues]

No snark intended from my end. But when I'm participating by phone, I'm not going to go search for a thread just to post a link. Doing that on a phone is a PITA. The information I posted is enough for anyone to go search and find the referenced threads if they are even kinda motivated. I don't feel burdened to do that for them.

Maybe I'm just crochety as I age, but when I want to find general information, my first step is to search and exhaust all the findable threads. I do a lot of that. Someone telling me the information I'm seeking should be easily findable is in most cases more than enough help for me to go find it. I don't have a huge amount of patience for someone who needs an easy search result spoon fed to them in the year 2020, anno domini.

That's swell. You're a mensch.

(Feel free to ignore me, my posts and the occasional need for "fixing" any of my posts for me. That should solve our little issue with the do's and don'ts of online communication.)