We got to talking about what gun would she want for home protection when she's on her own. She's not going to carry concealed, it would be at home "in a box and doesn't require a lot of paperwork to own."

The "not a lot of paperwork" comment was funny. She's fired my Colt 614 in 9mm and has a lot of fun with that and knows it takes a lot of paperwork and is actually a bit of a hassle to own.

Anyway, here are some constraints to consider.

She's 23yrs old, 5' tall, light weight, and on top of all that has arthritis all over and it's expected to get worse over time. Her vision may get worse over time as well, but right now is fine. She'll have to figure out what to do when that time comes.

Would a S&W 43C be a good choice? I know it's only a .22lr but she's probably not going to be able to handle a lot of 9mm recoil. I don't expect her to practice a lot, it's just not something she would do as often as an enthusiast. Whatever I buy her needs to be ultra reliable and easy for her to shoot.

I guess I could take her to a local range and try out several rentals to see what works for her.

Thanks

I would get her a 20 gauge shotgun. From our forum brother—
Consider the 20-gauge shotgun - Backwoods Home Magazine

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.38 revolver, 4” stainless steel, crimson trace laser grips. That’s my wife’s house gun. Keep a couple of Safariland speedloaders next to it. Or even a .357 loaded with .38. Heavier gun equals less recoil. .38’s in my 681 or Ruger GP100 feel like nothing.

The answer to this question is customarily a Model 10 .38 special with 148 g. full wadcutters. Easy to point and shoot, low recoil, lethal. No racking required. That said, you would be smart to have her try a few different guns and see what she likes. Smaller .22's tend to have a heavy trigger and hard to hold on target

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There's your answer.👍

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I own several S&W revolvers in .32 S&W Long. I have never felt under gunned with six rounds of Buffalo Bore .32 New Police cartridges in the cylinder.

Whatever she can handle and feels comfortable with. For my Granddaughter it is a 4 inch .32 H&R Magnum. She handles it well and shoots it well. Gave me another caliber to reload for............

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Ruger SP101 with 38 special.

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You and we can recommend guns but you GOTTA let her try a few.

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"He was kinda funny lookin'"

I have a cousin that is getting along in years and is having health issues. He needed an "easy to use" handgun. I looked and looked until I found a Colt 1911 22 LR made by Walther. It's so easy to rack, super accurate and in your daughters case just might be the perfect handgun.

I believe I would launch a search for a Beretta Model 87. Mine is not for sale, as it is my geezer gun for when I reach geezer status. I am only a semi-geezer right now.

Easy to rack, absolutely reliable, and looks good.

Failing that, look for a Beretta Model 82. Not as easy to rack, though.

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She's a small gal with athritis, so her hands will not have much finger strength to pull the trigger, and any kind of recoil will become more and more problematic if/as her athritis worsens.
So I'd reccomend providing her with the weapon that was specifically designed for ease of use - the Smith EZ .380. Very easy to rack, neglible recoil, accurate, 9 effective rounds at close range, fast reloads.
Personal fan of Federal HST and Fiocchi Extrema.

Yep, I'll second that choice.

Where does she live? Apartment, Townhouse, single family home? Neighbors nearby? One can have too much gun. Many things goes into answering the question. It requires more thought then, which could I buy her.

I'm in the "let her try different guns" camp.

Having arthritis is probably going to be the biggest factor. Revolvers may be difficult with their DA triggers. A Ruger LCR may work, since they tend to have fairly light triggers. One in .357 Magnum, loaded with .38 Special 148gr WC, may be manageable with the right grips, and no concern for racking a slide.

LCC mentioned the S&W EZ pistols, so that might be worth checking out.

A long gun may be a good option, though I think a PCC might be a better choice for her than a shotgun. I'm not too familiar with them, so I can't give a recommendation, only to make sure it'd be something she can handle. I know she doesn't want to deal with the hassle, but it may be something to consider.

A .22 rifle might be worth checking out, too. Low recoil, and from a longer barrel the .22 may be adequate for home defense purposes.

I was thinking a Beretta 86 in .380ACP with a tip-up barrel might be a good option, but I don't know what the current availability would be, nor how the recoil is, though racking the slide wouldn't really be an issue.

Just my opinion. Best of luck to her on her search.

She needs to test fire a number of guns.
The Arthritis situation adds an extra complication.
She needs to be able to operate the gun, be it auto or revolver.
A good sized auto that’s not too hard to operate might be the best for her.
Trying and shooting is really the only way to know for sure.

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Shield EZ .380 would be something to try. Works as advertised mags could be pre loaded and shoots accurately.

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Is that a gun No a lifesaver

Yes! I have a handgun on my person or within arms reach virtually 24/7, but I’d do everything I could to get my hands on our Mossberg 590 if our home faced a threat.

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"I also cook."

Thanks for all the great ideas! A lot of these could work well for her. She does have small hands so trigger reach is a big factor. The EZ .380 may work well for her.

She lives at home at the moment, so I've got her back, and will be here until at least fall. If grad school opens up to in-person teaching then she'll be in California for one more school year. After graduation she would probably be somewhere in the DC area, or possibly California. So there goes the "not a lot of paperwork" requirement! I assume she'll be in an apartment, possibly with a roommate.

We have a bit of time to try out several and figure out a good overall solution for her.

Thanks again

My 4" model 28 handles 148 gr 38's like I'm shooting a 22 LR. The gun is big, looks scary to whomever it's pointed at, but really handles 38's like they're, well, she needs to choose what she can shoot well. Everyone has their own thoughts when it comes to guns that fit their hands, ease of the trigger pull, weight and even point ability for them.

The 380 EZ is an easy to load, rack & shoot gun. My boss bought one for his wife and she loves it. It's the exact same size as my Shield 45, but much easier to operate..

I wish you both the best,, and pray she never needs to use it (whatever it turns out to be).

My wife has a 1970's S&W 31-1, 32cal revolver. Perfect for her, and not much recoil. And no worrying about racking a slide. We tried a number of calibers, and this is what she decided on. I'd recommend for anyone who doesn't shoot a lot, or for someone like your daughter, who struggles with arthritis.

I, too, recommend a light-weight 20 guage pump shotgun. Given her eyesight issues, shotguns seem the most efficient. And, if she's going to be in Ca., you should also consider their state laws... shotguns would probably win on that issue as well. When one is living alone and awakened in the middle of the night, and is sweating profusely, can't see and is shaking; you still have half a chance to hit something in the bedroom in that dark with a shotgun....

IMHO,
J

If you're thinking about a shotgun, Mossberg makes the HS410 (HS for Home Security) and the Shockwave in .410 bore. Both are .410 bore pump shotguns.
I got an HS410 for my older sister who lives alone. She's under 5' tall and the length of pull was too long for her. I called Mossberg and ended up ordering a stock for the Mossberg 500 Bantam (youth gun) that fixed the length of pull issue.
Also, there are several self defense .410 cartridges to choose from. They were developed for use in the Taurus Judge and S&W Governor handguns.

George

I keep a Mossberg 510 mini 20 gage at the cabin ..... light (5lb), handy (18.5" barrel/35" OAL),EZ-reach forend, stock spacers, well placed safety...........................
Down side is it's only 3+1 but a shellholder on the butt puts 5 (or is it 6?) extra rounds close at hand.

Mine is set up with two #4 buck and a slug. mix on the buttstock and stored with a 20 rd bandolero.

Anyone in the family can use it.................................

Inside the house ... 20 gauge pump w/ 18" bbl
#4 or 00 Buck , easy to operate and devestating !
You don't have to actually hit the bad guy either ...if you've ever been on the wrong side of a shotgun blast ... a miss scares the begeezus out of you and makes you reconsider staying where you are ... Fast !

My daughter learned how to hit things with one very quickly ... she finds shooting and hitting things fun and it builds confidence .
Gary

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I am 79 yo I just purchased a S&W 9mm Shield EZ..The EZ is on it for several reasons... EZ to rack, shoot and load magazines.

I agree with letting her try as many guns as possible and let her make the choice.
My late wife had arthritis in her hands and was recoil sensitive. Her solution was a S&W Model 30 in .32 Long. She could shoot it very well and the recoil didn't bother her at all.
If she prefers a semi-auto, there are a number of good .32acp pistols that are easy to rack and shoot.

If recoil is, or becomes, a big issue you might want to consider a .22LR carbine - something about the size and weight of a Ruger 10/22. It would be far easier to hit with than any handgun, and have virtually no recoil - not the case with even the smallest shotgun.

I would not normally recommend a .22LR, but in your daughter's case it might be, or might become, the only viable option.

Note: High quality ammo is even more important in a .22LR than other calibers. Some of the cheap bulk ammo can be less than 100% reliable - sometimes far less.

Take your daughter and several different guns to the range and let her decide.



Here's my youngest daughter shooting my 640-1 loaded with
.357 Magnums.

It wasn't her favorite gun to shoot that night.

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Endeavor to persevere.

Shotguns/rifles are clumsy for the untrained inside a house, would be especially so for a gal 5' tall, a handgun is far more manuverable within tight quarters. If she can comfortably grip the EZ, be hard to do better.
The best caliber is the one trained and accurate with.

What is experience level? That coupled with her physical limitations would would lead me to recommend a double action revolver or a shotgun. For a novice a semi-auto pistol can be a large problem. If the gun malfunctions the novice usually ends up looking at it trying to figure out what is wrong! By that time whoever is trying to do them harm has done it. With a revolver, it is the original "Point and Click". If for some reason the round fails to fire, just pull the trigger or cock the hammer and a fresh round comes up.

As far as a shotgun goes a .410 is good as is the 20 ga. I, myself would go with a 20 ga. if just starting out. A pump would be better than an auto. Just need to teach the new shooter to fully rack the action and not half-stroke it.

Failure to fire drills are a good thing to train the novice into sorting out the problem.

I was certified by the USMC as a Combat Shotgun and Combat Handgun Instructor. Also by the FBI as a Firearms Instructor. But that was in another life............

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True, but I think of long guns as more of a "hunker down in the safe room" tool. For static defense, a long gun would be a better choice, albeit less versatile, than a handgun.

And all of this talk of home defense guns should include other aspects of home security, such as secure doors and windows, lighting, etc. This has been discussed many times here, so a thread search for home security will probably yield some good advice, even for apartment dwellers.

For years Ive suggested a quality (and well cleaned) tube feed .22 LR rifle loaded with hi vel ammo like Stingers is good for the recoil sensitive, petite, arthritis or nerve damage etc. A Marlin 60, Remington 550 etc with 15 to 20 .22s at your disposal is better than a bigger gun that they will be intimidated by or cant shoot as well. I am by no means saying that this is all a female can shoot! I have petite female friends and a nephews ex girlfriend that out shot me with my own .45 1911, Glock .40 etc. How ever if there is a person..male or female...younger or older that cant or will not handle a larger more powerful round I believe the tube feed .22 is a great alternative.

I would suggest a good old Model 10 with 4" heavy barrel and a box of
wadcutters to keep the recoil tolerable.

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22lr might be forgiving as far as recoil goes but unless it's a very well placed shot might do nothing more than aggravate the assailant. Due to small hands a steel 2-3" barrel 38 round butt S&W Chiefs Special or Colt Detective Special might be more appropriate, as crazyphil suggested 38 wadcutters will keep recoil to a minimum and have a reasonably effective caliber. She might only need an old Pachmayer grip adapter or if not too large for her hand Uncle Mikes rubber boot grips to top it off. Don't have to be no safe queen just mechanically sound/reliable/simple to operate.

Lot of opinions on this. My experience is: bought a 9mm Shield with intention of training wife on semi-auto/making it her "go to". My wife weighs 120ish and works out but she could not cycle the slide on the Shield. Yipes ! Relegated the 9 to the safe as I carry a 40. Went to an "firearms fair" that was held at central Virginia`s largest firearms dealer. Strolling the aisles and ran into the Sig rep...he put a P365 in her hands and she could cycle the slide. She liked it and it`s now her "go to" even though she does not carry. Its a great little pistol with enhanced capacity, great trigger...speaking of that the trigger pull is bound to be easier/shorter than a revolver. We shoot regularly and she has become a fair( if not great) pistol shot. It has never malfunctioned.

Maybe move to better location.

Prob go with 410 auto, 18".

This could end up being a big factor.

I went through this with my father. His vision became so bad that he could not reliably hit anything with a pistol beyond point blank range. He was, however, able to hit with a long gun - although it was mainly point shooting.

A shotgun would have been perfect, but shoulder issues made the recoil intolerable for him.

I tried a bunch of long guns with him and eventually settled on a modified Mini-14. Mainly because he was able to point shoot it acceptably, he lived in a rural area, and I was able to get the recoil to a tolerable level for him.

Had his shoulders gotten worse, Plan B was a 10/22 with a large magazine - because he shot that as well as the Mini-14.

As long as your daughter's sight remains good, she has a lot of options. So, I hope her sight remains good.

A J frame's trigger geometry is likely to make that a poor platform for her. A 2" M15 has decent sights, a round butt, a decent trigger that can be made better, and would not be too bad to shoot with TARGET wadcutters.

She needs to try lots of stuff and see how it works for her.

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A steel K-frame .38 has an excellent trigger and low recoil, especially if you load wadcutters or lightweight hollow points like the 90gr Hornady FTX (in the pink box so you know it's for girls).

My other idea was a Ruger LCR in .327. It's a 6-shot revolver you can load with mild .32 longs, medium .32 H&R Magnums, or wild .327 Magnums. Start her with .32 longs and that's probably all she'll need.

a revolver would be most fool proof. if you're not on a tight budget, the Ruger SP101 in .327 Fed Magnum would be ideal. the ammo choices make it very versatile.

Life is all about choices. The correct answer is the one she shoots and says "dad, I like this one best".

That being said, I'd recommend providing a 3 gun tasting menu: .38 special K frame, Shield 380 EZ, and a .22 rifle. If her answer is that she likes "none of the above", then go back to the drawing board.

I think it unreal to expect a person that's new too firearms too pick out a gun that they like and stick with it. Whatever they like for the first gun will change as they learn more so be prepared too buy or trade for several guns. Larry

I don't think any of us can help much here, because we don't know accurately how her arthritis affects the mechanics of manipulating the firearm, but this is a good thing to think about for all of us, because we all know someone or will BE someone who needs to think this through. I can see five things initially:

1. Can she pull a trigger on a particular gun enough times to empty the gun? That might rule out DA revolvers and some autos. Note that practice can be spread out over time. You don't need to shoot 50 or more rounds at a time and a little dry-fire fairly often may better, but you still need to be able to pull the trigger several times while holding the gun steady.

2. If it's an auto, can she rack the slide? My Browning High Power is much harder to rack than my Glock 17L. A Taurus TX22 that I've handled (but not shot), racks much easier than both of them. A push-pull with both hands helps there.

3. Is the recoil hard on her hands? If it aggravates her arthritis, then maybe a .22 (or maybe .32 wadcutters, as noted above), is the answer. An elderly friend of mine can hold and DA-pull her Ruger SP101, but even .38s beat her hand badly.

4. Given that her eyesight may be changing, can she point-shoot the gun? For home-defense, this might be better anyway. Focusing on the target may be better for her.

5. Can she hold a heavy gun? Using weight to reduce recoil is a time-honored strategy, but it does no good if the gun is painful to hold up, especially if you're on the phone with your other hand. That TX22 really shines, in that department. Speaking of phones, I think one-hand guns are better here, unless something like a 10-22 is the ONLY thing she can shoot.

As others have noted, by far the best thing is to let her try several guns.
As I have gotten older and watched friends age, I've thought about this situation, especially hand strength and eyesight problems. Please let us know how it all turns out!

You are behind the times. chunix23. Today's home protection experts, would suggest that one simply turn in their firearms, and obtain their very own politician, that would unequivocally guarantee their safety. The one problem is, a proper, convenient, method of carry, for the politician.

Thinking a little out of the box here. Maybe a compromise between a rifle and a pistol. Maybe like a Ruger Charger pistol (a 10/22 pistol) with or without a brace. Install a simple red/green dot sight or red/green laser for aiming. They are not very heavy, no recoil, 10, 15 or 25 round mags filled with Stingers or Mini-mag

HP's.Ruger(R) 22 Charger™ Rimfire Pistol Models

More junk in the game...........How about something in .22 Magnum?

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Didn’t read all the replies, but wouldn’t change my answer. S&W 442/642 . . .

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I suffer from moderate arthritis in my hand, mostly because I am into my seventh decade. What I notice more than a loss of grip strength is how much more difficult it is to grasp and manipulate small things. For example the slide on my old Kel-Tec P3AT.

So she definitely needs to try out a few handguns and if her affliction is anything like mine not to small and fiddley.

Off the top of my head I would say a model 12 S&W or similar medium frame revolver.