Best gun for my Mother In Law

[d30carls]

I would not rule out the walther pk 380 my mother in law was in the market for one a short while back also pushing 70 and she found it very easy to pull back not much recoil and it has a nice small grip for a very reasonable price as much as i would have liked to get her the revolver in the pics did not think it would go well with the wife

 

[Mgderf]

Another vote for the Bersa Thunder .380, or even a Thunder .32acp if you can find one.
Bersa's asre fine firearms, easy to use, and accurate enough for their intended use.

 

[45fan]

I would not rule out the walther pk 380 my mother in law was in the market for one a short while back also pushing 70 and she found it very easy to pull back not much recoil and it has a nice small grip for a very reasonable price as much as i would have liked to get her the revolver in the pics did not think it would go well with the wife

The PK380 is a great option. It isnt a tiny gun, but the grip is small enough that most people can get a comfortable grip on it. It is a poly frame, so it isnt all that heavy, making it easy to shoot, and the locking breach design with the .380 caliber makes recoil very manageable. Racking the slide is probably almost as easy as a .22 of similar size, and the slide is big enough that getting a confident purchase on it is not difficult.

As far as the comment about the LCR being a bad choice due to trigger pull, I wouldnt give that comment much weight. When my wife was in the market for a compact 38, she went with the LCR because it had the smoothest, lightest trigger pull of all the guns she tried. This is even after shooting my S&W 442 with trigger job and lightened springs. Any DA revolver trigger is going to be heavier than a SA race gun, but there are quite a few out there that are not too bad, considering the mechanics behind that trigger pull.

 

[looney2ns]

Ruger just released the solution to your question. The LCR in 9mm. Bet this would be a great shooter with some Hornady 147grn XTP rounds.

 

[prescut]

I have worked with many female seniors in their 70's and 80's, and recoil was always a killer.

Semi-autos should all be ruled out. Not one out of five seniors can rack the slide. If you can't do the manual of arms, it's the wrong gun.
anyone can load and pull a single action trigger. interesting that one post said it was too heavy a pull for double action revolver shooting and then ignored the obvious; shoot single action on that revolver. the choice for many is the 22mag shooting single action. a second option is to shoot cowboy load 38 spl with almost no recoil in single action. lots of inexpensive used J frames out there for small hands.
try it once with her and she will decide for you.

Lost

 

[Gluemanz28]

I have worked with many female seniors in their 70's and 80's, and recoil was always a killer.

Semi-autos should all be ruled out. Not one out of five seniors can rack the slide. If you can't do the manual of arms, it's the wrong gun.
anyone can load and pull a single action trigger. interesting that one post said it was too heavy a pull for double action revolver shooting and then ignored the obvious; shoot single action on that revolver. the choice for many is the 22mag shooting single action. a second option is to shoot cowboy load 38 spl with almost no recoil in single action. lots of inexpensive used J frames out there for small hands.
try it once with her and she will decide for you.

Lost

I agree Prescut. I have been saying this all along. Rep coming your way.

 

[looney2ns]

If they can't rack the slide, so what? The gun should be ready for them to use. I don't know many seniors that will be doing reloads during a fire fight.

 

[prescut]

If they can't rack the slide, so what? The gun should be ready for them to use. I don't know many seniors that will be doing reloads during a fire fight.

I hate to disagree with anybody that quotes the Duke, but...
I only seek knowledge. How did that gun get ready for them? I can see this if you take a senior (let's say advanced senior, since I'm a senior) to the range and hold their hand while you do everything for them. I try instead to prepare them for when I'm not there and they are alone. I do not train for fire fights. The only defensive tactical I teach is called, barricade the bedroom door and be prepared to threaten and then fire if that doorknob moves. No house clearing for advanced seniors.
Several of the ladies practice on their ranches and must therefore do reloads and safety checks and cleaning. In many states you can not transport a weapon loaded. This requires advanced seniors to load when they get home. I just don't see a situation where the independent shooter can get away from knowing and executing the manual of arms for a weapon. It means they are not safe using weapons. For me, there are three keys to teaching shooting; safety, safety, safety.
I do not wish to bash semi-autos, I only wish to point out the weakness issues with advanced seniors.
Like the Duke, seniors need revolvers.

Lost

 

[Birds Away]

What's her trade value? Got any pics?

 

[phisch]

My mother-in-law ended up with an SR22 for her first. She promptly killed a rabbit trying to pilfer her garden. I'm proud.

 

[prescut]

that Ruger is a great choice for her in semi auto. That slide pulls back easier than almost any other out there. It also shoots a wider variety of ammo than anything I can remember without jamming. Low weight and low recoil, what's not to like? sounds like a great fit.
Lost

 

[TacticAll]

Thanks for all the input. It seams the overwhelming choice for a MiL gun is the old suicide revolver but I can't seem to find one for sale so I'm going to go to BGF Range and let her try the Ruger 22 Mag revolver (the one with the forward facing barrel)

 

[Snapdragon]

I went with a Smith M10. No limp wristing with a revolver and no mags to load (finger strength).

She has smaller versions of ATM hands (long but narrow, like a gibbon) and I had to use a Tyler T as a spacer.

I used bright orange fishing jig paint on the front sight.

Second the model 10 or some other K-frame with hogue tamers.

 

[Snapdragon]

The PK380 is a great option. It isnt a tiny gun, but the grip is small enough that most people can get a comfortable grip on it. It is a poly frame, so it isnt all that heavy, making it easy to shoot, and the locking breach design with the .380 caliber makes recoil very manageable. Racking the slide is probably almost as easy as a .22 of similar size, and the slide is big enough that getting a confident purchase on it is not difficult.

As far as the comment about the LCR being a bad choice due to trigger pull, I wouldnt give that comment much weight. When my wife was in the market for a compact 38, she went with the LCR because it had the smoothest, lightest trigger pull of all the guns she tried. This is even after shooting my S&W 442 with trigger job and lightened springs. Any DA revolver trigger is going to be heavier than a SA race gun, but there are quite a few out there that are not too bad, considering the mechanics behind that trigger pull.

Agreed. I have an LCR in .357, and both trigger and recoil are better on it than any Smith airweight I've ever shot.

 

[bradmedic04]

If they can't rack the slide, so what? The gun should be ready for them to use. I don't know many seniors that will be doing reloads during a fire fight.

How about clearing a faulty round? Or, ya know, actually shooting it once or twice before actually needing it?

Hopefully this is a joke, because if it's not it's probably the worst advice I've ever heard.

 

[matodd]

My father is 90 years old and has arthritis in both of his hands. I bought a Sig 938-22 and found that he can rack the slide and handle the trigger pull. The trigger is stiff but as we break it in I think it will loosen up some. At this time it only has 30 rounds through it we plan on putting a couple of hundred through it tomorrow. .

 

[looney2ns]

How about clearing a faulty round? Or, ya know, actually shooting it once or twice before actually needing it?

Hopefully this is a joke, because if it's not it's probably the worst advice I've ever heard.

Not a joke. It's based on my observations at the range and at multiple IDPA matches over the years. The average Joe or Josephine does not practice enough with a gun to know how to clear a jam or even realize what has happened. They never practice mag changes, they think shooting 50 rounds of ammo a year is lots of shooting. Heck, most can't figure out what happened when they forget to take off the safety. Most average folks buy the gun, take it home and throw in the drawer and call it good. Yes it even happens to INGO'ers based on comments posted here.

 

[Snapdragon]

Not a joke. It's based on my observations at the range and at multiple IDPA matches over the years. The average Joe or Josephine does not practice enough with a gun to know how to clear a jam or even realize what has happened. They never practice mag changes, they think shooting 50 rounds of ammo a year is lots of shooting. Heck, most can't figure out what happened when they forget to take off the safety. Most average folks buy the gun, take it home and throw in the drawer and call it good. Yes it even happens to INGO'ers based on comments posted here.

Sounds like a really good argument for a revolver.

 

[45fan]

Sounds like a really good argument for a revolver.

Heck, I DO practice clearing stoppages, and mag changes on the move, and more times than not, I still carry a revolver. I normally dont feel inadequately armed with a J frame and a few speed loaders, and the little Jframe is so much lighter to carry than the 1911 or Hi-Power.

I still pack the larger gun if I am going to be in a questionable area, but around the homestead, and where I have been working lately, the odds are pretty low that I would need anything, much less a full size service pistol to get home safely.

 

[hd96heritage]

My mother-in-law ended up with an SR22 for her first. She promptly killed a rabbit trying to pilfer her garden. I'm proud.

the SR22 was probably a great choice in pistol. any pistol she is able to operate AND is willing to train with/use is the correct choice no matter of caliber or action etc. and she seems to already be doing that! awesome.

for the future readers of the same question, the glock 42 is really nice. (.380) my fiance is very "particular" about what she chooses to carry and what she enjoys to shoot. she loves her glock 19 to shoot at the range but doesn't like to carry it because it's too bulky for her and she likes to wear tighter clothing. She was carrying the ruger LCP for a while beacuse it's so small and easy to conceal but hated to practice with it as it would hurt her hands and she felt like it would jump out of her hands or blow apart. i don't care to shoot it much either. she wasn't confident in that pistol and she wasn't accurate with it either. I got her a glock 42 as an early bday present and she absolutely loves it. it is the perfect balance of conceal-ability and hassle free shooting. smooth trigger, very little/manageable recoil, prominent and visible sights, much more accurate than the LCP. she is now shooting at the same distance with the g42 as she does with the g19 (about 21-25 ft) whereas she was practicing with the LCP at only 15 ft and not doing so well even there. which is why, obviously, i had to get her something else.

Good for your MIL. Im proud of her too