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Home defense... with a twist
- Thread starter Candy Corn Rocks
- Start date
I'm gonna go out a bit on a limb here. Normally I'd say "revolver" but depending on how strong her hands are at that age I'm gonna toss a PCC onto the woodpile. M1 Carbine is a great choice but slightly on the harder side to find ammo for and the guns themselves, for a decent quality one, tend to be expensive.
Instead consider a hipoint carbine in 40 or 45. They are cheap, fairly accurate, pretty easy to handle and finding ammo in 40 or 45 will be easier. Yeah, everybody sort of bags on the brand but I think this particular circumstance is one where it might be a darn good fit.
Instead consider a hipoint carbine in 40 or 45. They are cheap, fairly accurate, pretty easy to handle and finding ammo in 40 or 45 will be easier. Yeah, everybody sort of bags on the brand but I think this particular circumstance is one where it might be a darn good fit.
kel-tec sub 2000 weighs HALF of what a hi-point carbine does....much easier for granny to handle if she goes the pcc route.
Ahhhhh, good call. I've never hefted the Kel-Tec. Weight may indeed be a factor here.
Pretty hefty bolt pull on my KelTec carbine. If you lock and load it for her she should be good.
I thought m1 carbine made a great suggestion so that's the one I'm going with. Wonder if you could lighten the trigger pull for her?
I thought m1 carbine made a great suggestion so that's the one I'm going with. Wonder if you could lighten the trigger pull for her?
The suggestions of the M1 Carbine are good ones. As was mentioned before, the only drawback is the price. Of all the firearms I’ve gotten rid of over the years, my Rock-Ola M1 is the one I regret the most. Bought it for $175, sold it a while later for $350.........sigh........
A 20ga semi-auto, or even a lightweight semi-auto 12ga with reduced recoil ammo, is a good option. I say semi-auto over pump because the most common malfunctions I see in my shotgun courses for semi-autos are ammo and maintenance related. Use ammo that will reliably cycle the action, keep it lubed, and she’ll run. Something like a Remington 1100 would do nicely without being overly expensive. The most common malfunctions that I see for pump shotguns are shooter-induced, so I’d have her stay away from that unless she’s going to practice with it diligently. Short-stroking is what I see the most, so being able to vigorously and strongly cycle the pump is best.
A 20ga semi-auto, or even a lightweight semi-auto 12ga with reduced recoil ammo, is a good option. I say semi-auto over pump because the most common malfunctions I see in my shotgun courses for semi-autos are ammo and maintenance related. Use ammo that will reliably cycle the action, keep it lubed, and she’ll run. Something like a Remington 1100 would do nicely without being overly expensive. The most common malfunctions that I see for pump shotguns are shooter-induced, so I’d have her stay away from that unless she’s going to practice with it diligently. Short-stroking is what I see the most, so being able to vigorously and strongly cycle the pump is best.
If she bought it herself, then I'd upgrade the bat recommendation to a 38spl revolver.
I wouldn't want to be the one who armed someone who had no desire to own a firearm their entire adult life.
I wouldn't want to be the one who armed someone who had no desire to own a firearm their entire adult life.
It’s kinda tough, with the info provided. When helping old ladies choose a gun, I had them try several in their hands. If it fit, they would feel better. Try taking her to a range that rents guns, so she can try them for fit and rent the one’s she thinks she likes. Then she’ll know before you or she plunks down a few hundred bucks for something she won’t practice with.
Without that, assuming she’s the same little old lady who only drove my truck back and forth to church... The S&W 380 EZ was popular with older ladies. If that’s too much for her, look at the various choices in 22LR. The rounds are easy to come by too. I know... keyboard Rambo’s will tisk tisk the 22LR, but if that’s what she will practice with, then that’s what will work. I guarantee that if I put ten rounds of 22 LR in your face, you will change your behavior.
If we’re talking home defense only, has she thought about a bantam weight 410 pump? My wife actually chose a 410 Shockwave and it puts a nice size group together at 10 ft with self defense rounds. It’s also fun to shoot and she can use it for snakes too.
Without that, assuming she’s the same little old lady who only drove my truck back and forth to church... The S&W 380 EZ was popular with older ladies. If that’s too much for her, look at the various choices in 22LR. The rounds are easy to come by too. I know... keyboard Rambo’s will tisk tisk the 22LR, but if that’s what she will practice with, then that’s what will work. I guarantee that if I put ten rounds of 22 LR in your face, you will change your behavior.
If we’re talking home defense only, has she thought about a bantam weight 410 pump? My wife actually chose a 410 Shockwave and it puts a nice size group together at 10 ft with self defense rounds. It’s also fun to shoot and she can use it for snakes too.
Sometime back I saw a gunshot equip a elderly lady with a 15-22 with a red dot sight and then take her down to their range. Never having shot she had it mastered in a few minutes and was eating up her target. Spoke with him about it and had to agree with his reasoning, 25 rounds, no recoil, light enough for her to handle and all she had to do was place a dot on her target. Some years back I read that many ladies 70 and over could barely handle 10 pounds of weight, you have to keep this in mind.
A 70 y/o new gun owner is going to have a tough time chambering a round on a Sub2k. That recoil spring is stout.
Hipoint carbine or Marlin Model 60 are my long gun recommendations. Maybe the Ruger PCC, but I haven’t handled one of those.
Hipoint carbine or Marlin Model 60 are my long gun recommendations. Maybe the Ruger PCC, but I haven’t handled one of those.
Granny could do well with a 10/22, the stock is short, easy to operate and she could go John Wayne with it and still get hits. JMO.
