Mom wants a handgun.

[LeftHand-Fu]

Really good advice here. Just want to add that the .38 cal LCR's recoil is pretty darn stout, the trigger pull may feel heavy, tiring, and even painful to her, and learning to control a double-action with a short sight radius is usually very frustrating for a new shooter.

Moving up to the heavier .357 model and shooting 38s out of it reduces the recoil, but the other issues are still there. Moving down to the .22 model means dealing with an even heavier trigger pull, maybe twice as heavy.

I love my LCRs for what they are, but a lightweight snubbie is never a good idea for a new shooter, and may be an especially poor choice in your mom's situation.

[movie zombie]

Waffle, any update?

[thomashoward]

search in this forum and you will find any and all answers but the end result is your mother has to be active in the buy meaning you can't choose for her.

she needs to go to a range and shoot as many pistols as she possibly can.
only then will she understand her limitations and find THE pistol that fits HER hand.

a small light weight pistol IS NOT the way to go for a newbie.

tryout revolvers.
try her with .22lr.

not large enough caliber?!
the only caliber that is going to be big enough is the one she practices with.
same re the pistol.

again, there is a lot on this topic already in this forum.
and repeating myself once again: she must be involved in this process!
otherwise, you're merely buying yourself another pistol and you might as well buy what you want.

and while I like the idea of a .410 don't just buy one unless she has fired such a weapon herself and says I WANT THIS!

All this.^^^^
Try before you buy

[Citizen_B]

I've had to address similar situations. It's a tough solution and very individual dependent. Some good suggestions already made in this thread. My 2 cents:

- First make sure a firearm is something she wants to try. No point in suggesting something she has no interest in.
- Assuming she's open to try a firearm and understands the responsibilities with it, she really needs to handle a few different types both unloaded at home for practical functionality and at the range for recoil handling.
- Some handgun starting suggestions:
- A small/mid/large-sized revolver in .22LR or .38 SPC. If a small frame, then a .22LR is the better choice, like an LCR 22. The advantage here is everything is very simple and recoil with .22LR is lightest you'll find. The major disadvantage is the trigger pull can be long and hard (unless hammer cocked), and capacity comparatively limited.
- A larger sized .380 (if you can find one), or full-size 9mm semi-auto like a G17 etc. Advantage is trigger pull is light and higher comparative capacity. Disadvantage is pulling the slide back can be a very difficult feat, complexity is a little higher (functionality, malfunction), loading can be difficult, and 9mm recoil can surprise some people.

I had someone who just couldn't load rounds in a Glock magazine nor pull the slide back on a G42. Just didn't have the finger dexterity / grip strength. Could pull the trigger ok on a revolver though. Someone else had the opposite issue.

I'd stay away from a small-framed 9mm like a P938. The recoil can be too stout for some and not a lot of area available to hold on to, especially with weak grips. The P238 might be worth a try. Their mental capacity also plays a role in the action type regarding how much complexity they can handle under stress.

Good luck.

[CSACANNONEER]

Before buying anything she should take a couple of classes from a real instructor. She will learn a lot about firearms safety, proper use and get a better idea of what will be best for her. Oh yea, look for local Women On Target classes and get her to one if you can.

[Charlie50]

No shotgun for Mom IMO

I have made this recommendation before.

Most people hate it.

Get here a .410 pump from a reputable manufacturer and teach her to use it.

My dad has an LCR, he's very familiar with firearms and it's difficult for him to shoot well, and he practices every couple weeks. Plus with the grip issues, I think a handgun is difficult to master and she likely won't want to practice.

Not a fan of long guns for home defence. Too easy to rip out from mom's hands in close quarters. A quality .38 revolver is easy to shot, simple under stress and have over a century of proven ability to stop bad guys.
A pistol can be held in close retention (near body) and when bad guy is upon her pull trigger until thread stops. Wielding a long gun in a home sucks.

[Charlie50]

No shotgun for Mom IMO

I have made this recommendation before.

Most people hate it.

Get here a .410 pump from a reputable manufacturer and teach her to use it.

My dad has an LCR, he's very familiar with firearms and it's difficult for him to shoot well, and he practices every couple weeks. Plus with the grip issues, I think a handgun is difficult to master and she likely won't want to practice.

Not a fan of long guns for home defence. Too easy to rip out from mom's hands in close quarters. A quality .38 revolver is easy to shot, simple under stress and have over a century of proven ability to stop bad guys.
A pistol can be held in close retention (near body) and when bad guy is upon her pull trigger until thread stops. Wielding a long gun in a home sucks.

[jeremiah12]

I had never taken a formal HG training course before except for that required for CCW. I took my first one last Thursday offered through my LGR. Of course I had to start with the Level 1 basic.

There were not enough for a men's only class so we had a co-ed class. (This range does women only classes on Tuesdays). Over half the class were women and at least half of these women had never fired a gun before. Three of then had .38 snub nosed revolvers that were purchased for them by husbands or sold to them by LGS because that is the best gun for women because they cannot rack slides.

These were not young women, they were between 50 and 70. All three wanted to stop the shooting portion of the class after firing of the first 5 rounds. Between the heavy DA trigger pull, the harsh recoil, and the difficulty in placing a shot on a paper plate at 10 feet was very discouraging.

The instructor did have a few loaner guns. He prefers Glocks (25 years military and 15 years LE, now retired) so he loaned them each a G19. Within a couple of minutes they were all racking the slides with complete authority. It was technique. Yes it takes some strength but how you hold it in relation to your body can let the stronger muscles of your body get involved and give you a mechanical advantage. Then practice will build muscle strength.

Within 5 minutes they were landing all of their 5 shot groups onto the paper plates. They all signed up for the level two class next week when the class was over. I also gave them the name of a LGS that does not push snub nose .38 revolvers onto new women shooters and the owner will spend an hour or two assisting new shooters in selecting a gun and answer all of their questions.

I do remember a member posting that his mother uses a Rossi ranch hand for SD. Arthritis makes using others hard for her but the big loop lever action handle is easy to work. That would be another option to have your mother try.

[incredablehefey]

Im a bit behind in the conversation but if she does decide to get a pistol maby you can try and find a beretta 3032 because you dont need to rack the slide to load and unload the gun. That seems to be a hard part for most of the ladies i have shot with. Other than that revolvers are great.

[LowThudd]

Im a bit behind in the conversation but if she does decide to get a pistol maby you can try and find a beretta 3032 because you dont need to rack the slide to load and unload the gun. That seems to be a hard part for most of the ladies i have shot with. Other than that revolvers are great.

While a good suggestion, I think proficiency with racking the slide should still be accomplished. If there is a FTF and the gun needs to be cleared, tipping the barrel and finding another round would be a bad choice IMO. I also wonder if the small slide area would actually be grippable by a person with carpal tunnel.

[movie zombie]

ditto what was said above re snub nose revolvers!
while I went with one I wasn't a complete newbie either.....and my S&W model 60 was all steel and I could shoot .38's instead of .357's for practice.
it takes some time for the hand to adjust to .357 out of a snubby.
of course, the model 60 seemed like a dream at the time as I had shot a couple of those lightweight snubby smiths and I thought I wouldn't pick up another pistol!
it is all relative: relative to the individual shooter who has to get her hands on experience to find what works for her.

oh, and I like the idea of a large loop rifle.
looks a bit cowboy but I actually like the look!

again, what will work is what the woman in question finds she can handle and what she will practice with. and there is no law that says that there is the one and only gun for her. there are many choices.....and in many cases women find that what they start with is their "first" gun and they move onto another.

[BonnieB]

Just in passing, the point of a shotgun in home defense is to shoot BEFORE you are at close quarters. Hesitation can get you dead.

Grab the shotgun and your cell phone, hole up in the bathroom, call 911 and then WAIT for the BG to come through the door. Forget chasing him around the house, forget defending your turf, forget guarding your possessions (they're all insured, right?). Focus on protecting yourself and your family in a room with only one access point. And that access point is fully covered by the shotgun.

[movie zombie]

I would add to the above that protecting yourself and your loved ones is legal but that protecting your "things" is not..........

and as usual BonnieB gives excellent advice.

[Citadelgrad87]

Not a fan of long guns for home defence. Too easy to rip out from mom's hands in close quarters. A quality .38 revolver is easy to shot, simple under stress and have over a century of proven ability to stop bad guys.
A pistol can be held in close retention (near body) and when bad guy is upon her pull trigger until thread stops. Wielding a long gun in a home sucks.

To each, his own. IN addition to the shotgun, I would put mom through a course of training that instructs her to remain in place with a clear view of the door to her room, aim the shotgun at that door, and wait for the cops.

Handguns are very difficult to master, doubly so because of her grip issue.

She's not going to be clearing the house.

[Citadelgrad87]

Just in passing, the point of a shotgun in home defense is to shoot BEFORE you are at close quarters. Hesitation can get you dead.

Grab the shotgun and your cell phone, hole up in the bathroom, call 911 and then WAIT for the BG to come through the door. Forget chasing him around the house, forget defending your turf, forget guarding your possessions (they're all insured, right?). Focus on protecting yourself and your family in a room with only one access point. And that access point is fully covered by the shotgun.

That was my thinking exactly.