Self Defense Pistol for females with no hand strength and/or severe arthritis

TXCOONDOG

TXCOONDOG

Well-known member
I have a friend that's in her 70's, she likes to travel (85% alone) and she lives alone. Anyway, she asked me to teach her to shoot a pistol. I let her shoot my 9mm S&W and she is not recoil sensitive, however, she cannot manipulate the slide because of arthritis. Even my Ruger 22/45 can be difficult for her to pull the bolt back to load.

The only revolvers I have are too heavy and powerful, so I need to consider other options.

Any suggestions?
 
The Shield EZ would be a first consideration in a semi-auto. That can also be had in .380 to mitigate recoil a bit. Beretta has a tip up barrel Model 86 Cheetah in .380. The tip-up barrel Beretta doesn't require any slide manipulation. The Beretta Tom Cat is another one to consider with a tip-up barrel. A good condition S&W Model 10 revolver in .38 Special would be worth a thought. I gave my mom a S&W Model 64 3" round butt revolver for her house gun. It is stoked with Underwood 150 gr—hard cast full flat faced wadcutters running about 850 fps from the little sixgun. Recoil is mild, and the wadcutter hits harder than one might imagine and penetrates deep with a good wound channel.
 
GC said:
The Shield EZ would be a first consideration in a semi-auto. That can also be had in .380 to mitigate recoil a bit. Beretta has a tip up barrel Model 86 Cheetah in .380. The tip-up barrel Beretta doesn't require any slide manipulation. The Beretta Tom Cat is another one to consider with a tip-up barrel. A good condition S&W Model 10 revolver in .38 Special would be worth a thought. I gave my mom a S&W Model 64 3" round butt revolver for her house gun. It is stoked with Underwood 150 gr—hard cast full flat faced wadcutters running about 850 fps from the little sixgun. Recoil is mild, and the wadcutter hits harder than one might imagine and penetrates deep with a good wound channel.
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I'll look into the Beretta's. I just talked to a local indoor gun range which rents pistols. They carrier both the 9mm & .380 Shield EZ. and they also have various revolvers in 9mm, .380 & 38 Special.
 
another thing to think about is a malfunction.

if a semi auto malfunctions she will have to do the tap-rack thing or even possibly remove the magazine, clear the jam, re-insert the magazine

or...with a revolver, just pull the trigger again
 
I don't own one, but the Kimber has a really nice slide that manipulates easily. It would be worth a trip to the local gun shop and let her try a couple different pistols for fit and feel.
 
bohunr said:
another thing to think about is a malfunction.

if a semi auto malfunctions she will have to do the tap-rack thing or even possibly remove the magazine, clear the jam, re-insert the magazine

or...with a revolver, just pull the trigger again
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My wife has arthritis but manages a Smith J model fairly well.

Just thinking out loud, but a reflex sight such as the Burris Fastfire III would make a great "handle" for someone w/arthritis.
 
A member of my household has RA pretty bad, resulting in limited hand strength. The old tried and true Walther PPK/S was just too much. After much shopping around, we decided on the Sig P238 in .380. It's very easy to manipulate and fire.
 
bohunr said:
another thing to think about is a malfunction.

if a semi auto malfunctions she will have to do the tap-rack thing or even possibly remove the magazine, clear the jam, re-insert the magazine

or...with a revolver, just pull the trigger again
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Problems just racking slide ? .. Also if she has little hand strength. With about any Semi pistol. If 'Limp Wristing ' when shooting causes a lot of Mal. jam problems.
I say just keep it simple . Get a 5-Round Snub nose .38 . Then pop in a Wilson spring kit to lower/smooth the trigger pull and better reset.
,
 
WyoBull said:
38 special with the 2 inch barrel.
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GC said:
The Shield EZ would be a first consideration in a semi-auto.
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Both great recommendations. Another commonly overlooked and often regulated as not enough stopping power is the old 32 ACP semi's.

The revolvers in 38 spl do work better as most in the latter years simply won't practice on a schedule. For multiple reasons, some cite cost of ammo, others time. etc etc.

Another overlooked idea is the ar-15 Pistol in 9mm, ample magazine cap can easily be setup with a reddot type optic. However can even though most of us think it's easy to use. Could be challenging to the end user if they are not familiar with the platform. Although if the person has no to zero experience with that platform I probably would not recommend it. Although I have and use pretty much all of the above listed for home defense and lean toward the AR-15 in a SBR / pistol configuration. Mine is suppressed for use in the house so I don't "blow" out my hearing with the 1.5" barrel length.

My BLUF is the revolver in 38 caliber for just the typical elder, that usually doesn't have much experience with firearms or has hand strength issues. Couple that with a speedloader, any argument of needing more ammo is kind of negated.
Mine is a model 12 S&W, aluminum frame K frame in 38 Spl. 2" barrel. Light, easy to use the RB is nice for even smaller hands. Don't discount the J-frame usually can be found.
 
longrange454 said:
I've always felt that with a woman who doesn't shoot much and gets into tense situation. The best gun for her is a revolver.
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100% agree!

Really, for anyone female or male that maybe isn't overly proficient with a hand gun or isn't particularly versed on the workings of one but still want something for a self defense weapon any of these smaller hammerless DAO revolvers is the way for them to go. When you are put to it in a stressful fight or flight situation and flight isn't an option the last thing you want is a handgun you have to think about as to how or what you need to do too use it. A hammerless DAO revolver is literally point and pull the trigger. There's no thinking about ok now do I have to cock the hammer or rack the slide or take the safety off and with a DAO the trigger pull is heavy enough that in the event you do have to point it at an intruder and your hands are shaking due to the situation it is MUCH less likely it goes bang unintended.
 
B23 said:
100% agree!

Really, for anyone female or male that maybe isn't overly proficient with a hand gun or isn't particularly versed on the workings of one but still want something for a self defense weapon any of these smaller hammerless DAO revolvers is the way for them to go. When you are put to it in a stressful fight or flight situation and flight isn't an option the last thing you want is a handgun you have to think about as to how or what you need to do too use it. A hammerless DAO revolver is literally point and pull the trigger. There's no thinking about ok now do I have to cock the hammer or rack the slide or take the safety off and with a DAO the trigger pull is heavy enough that in the event you do have to point it at an intruder and your hands are shaking due to the situation it is MUCH less likely it goes bang unintended.
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All the same reasons i like glocks and similar safe action pistols for those who can manipulate slides for reloads and malfunction clearing.
 
Several of us agree on a revolver as a good choice for this usage. Some are recommending a lightweight snubby. That's good if this person plans to actually carry the gun. Many people never actually pack the gun on their person. If the gun will only be on the nightstand or in the center console of her vehicle, I think a medium frame steel revolver with a 3"-4" barrel is a better choice. A K-frame S&W, D-frame Colt, or maybe the Ruger SP-101 with a 3"-4" barrel points better than a lightweight snubby; there is more weight, and a longer grip to mitigate recoil. The larger guns likely have more round capacity than the small J-frames. Not knowing if this piece will be carried on the person or not, this is just a thought to ruminate over.
 
Weight can be an asset for nightstand use as it helps dampen recoil for recoil sensitive shooter. The K frames offer better grip but j frames can benefit from aftermarket grips which also help dampen recoil.
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