Please recommend a revolver or top-break semi- for my 80+ year old mother.

[Cyrano]

To lessen the DA pull on a S&W, get one of the reduced power rebound springs available from Woolf. One of them did wonders for my 638. A lighter mainspring (coil spring on the J frames) helps too. After modification, do some shooting to make sure the pistol is 100% reliable.

 

[quneur]

I keep think at 80, she will have a harder time handling an auto (with adrenaline) and thought maybe a revolver be better and simpler. Then I thought of this:

Chuck S4E22 - You were the mother I never had - YouTube

 

[rond]

Can she pull the trigger on the Bersa in the double action mode? If so she should be able to handle a double action revolver. .38 wadcutters are very low recoil and would work well for self defense at close range. Semi-autos can be difficult to shoot for someone who doesn't have the strength to hold the gun tightly. I've seen shooters "limp wrist" semi-autos causing them to jam, even with .22 LR.

 

[Dominus_Lex]

This is not what you asked for, but if this is a home defense firearm, why not a 20g SXS? Put some #8 target loads (even better steel shot) in and hunker down in place. Nothing more scary then a 80yr old woman with a scatter gun.

 

[Stu Honea]

I like the .327 magnum caliber for older women and those who recoil bothers. You can shoot .32 Longs in it for practice, which have almost no recoil and go with the .327 magnum for self defense, which is 80% as effective as a .357 magnum according to research.

Nothing wrong with .38spl, if it's in a 4 inch gun as well. JMO.

At your mother's age,this may be the way to go. The guns are modern and if it's a little too much for her in the recoil dept.,the 32 Longs are available in wadcutters that will at least cut a good hole.
I'd keep it as simple as possible.

 

[Bell Charter Oak Holsters]

A revolver. Chambered in .38 Special. Model 36 Chiefs Special is ideal. Load with 148gr. wadcutters. Grips suitable to her hand size and comfort level.

At age 80, it seems unlikely, although certainly possible, that your Mom is going to be spending considerable range time getting proficient with any weapon. This is a revolver that was designed for close encounters, is eminently reliable and difficult to "take away" or "snatch" when compared with the larger frame, longer barreled model revolvers. It is user friendly, far less complicated for the inexperienced shooter and therefore generally safer in their hands. For the amount of ammunition she might ever use, my guess would be that a couple of boxes of 50 rounds would be more than a sufficient supply, so the stockpile of .380ammo you have is of no issue. If it were my Mother, an auto loader would not be my choice, nor would anything larger or smaller than .38 Special. I'd take that Bersa and give it to someone I disliked.

Cheers;
Lefty

Edited to add:

Welcome to the Forum!

 

[TACC1]

Welcome aboard! I'd go with anything in a revolver. For
reliable use, you cannot find better. You pick it up, pull the
trigger, and it goes BANG Everytime. No tap, rack, etc.
I've spent a lot of time and money on the search for what will
work for me, and no auto's need apply. One limp-wrist shot
may require racking the slide, which is already a problem.
I believe that Taurus(?) has a .380ACP revolver that probably
shoots moon-clips. It would also probably benefit from a
trigger job. Their M94 with a trigger job is excellent in a .22.
If there's a better option than a Mod 36, I haven't found it yet.
Snap cap dry fires will train her hands for DA, in short order.
You came to the right place for real-world advice, these folks
know all there is to know. Nice user name, TACC1

 

[DeadAye]

1. Take her to a well stocked gun store.
2. (I'd) Steer her toward 38/357 revolvers and see what SHE LIKES.
3. IF she likes the autos - Make sure that she can do its manual of arms.
4. (back to the 38/357) Get a box of wad cutters and go to a range.
5. If she doesn't like the pistol after firing it then YOU have a new pistol and you and she can start the process again.

Oh - And before you go - Figure out where she would most likely be and where an attacker would be when breaking in. Measure and use that distance at the range.
Also instruct her FIRMLY that the ONLY warning an interloper should get is a series of muzzle flashes....

 

[USMCE4retired]

Re: thank you.

I want to thank everyone who responder so far. I'm also impressed with how many helpful suggestions were given in such a short time.
My apologies for not responding sooner but I have been working overtime six days a week. Not much time to truely research some of the possibilities suggested here, let alone post an interactive reply to you good people. Hopefully I can make it to a gun show with the wife this Sunday to see what's out there.

To TACC1: It takes another jarhead to appreciate my username. It is, of course, meant as a joke. Being in from 71 to 75 it seeemed sometimes like you could spend a carrer in and not be promoted much higher than E4 or E5. Just a bit of grunt humor. No harm intended folks.

Thanks again, every one.
Once I have the time to get my head and butt wired together on this endeavor I will be sure to post some resilts. Hopeefully favorable.

 

[A10]

Keep us posted on what you find! Best of luck and don't forget to post pics, hopefully of your mom sending some lead down range!

 

[peyton]

I second the idea of a .32 revolver. There are a lot of them on the market. My kids and daughter in law all have a model 631 or 431 as there house gun. My daughter in law has arthitis and the .32 long does not hurt her at all when shooting. You can look on our forum for a model 30, 31, 431, 432, any of these will be fine and not crazy expensive.

 

[7shooter]

It all depends on her hand size and strength. I would stick with double action revolvers and discourage thumb cocking the gun because if she doesn't have to fire she will be left with a very light trigger that she will need to know how to decock probably while under a great deal of stress. One that I would have her try would be the Ruger SP 101 in 38/357 loaded with Federal Nyclad 38 Special ( standard pressure and low recoil but has a good street track record ). The Ruger has enough heft to dampen recoil and has excellent stocks which also contribute to a pleasant shooting experience. The trigger on mine is smooth and light enough that most people can use it fairly easily. I use it when first teaching my young grandkids about double action shooting.