Senior Lady Needs Some Advice


A .410 shotgun much like the .380 acp is a POOR choice for self defense. Not knowing your particulars such as arm reach, hand size, arm and hand strength can make recommending specific firearms more difficult. As can the price point you have available for each firearm.

If you're of average female stature You may want to look at the .22's and shotguns that are offered in adult and youth dimensions, Such as the Ruger 10/22 and the Remington 11/87. Most youth model shotguns are 20ga and semi-auto's will recoil softer than pumps but cost more. Use bird shot for practice and buck shot for self defense.

Double action revolvers are simpler than semi-autos but have a long heavy trigger that those with marginal hand strength may find difficult to utilize. Stick to trying out service & compact size handguns as subcompacts are harder to shoot well, 9mm or .38spl should be your minimum caliber. Stick to Quality ammunition that passes the FBI protocol (Link Removed)

And don't be rushed into making decisions based on the advice of a gun store salesman ............ research and verify. Best of luck.
 

Glock would be out of the question for a little old lady, even the macho kind.

Why exactly would a Glock be out of the question for a little old lady, simple to use, dead nuts reliable, light recoil with the correct size and caliber gun, and with a little for thought, as safe as anything out there?????????
 
Why exactly would a Glock be out of the question for a little old lady, simple to use, dead nuts reliable, light recoil with the correct size and caliber gun, and with a little for thought, as safe as anything out there?????????

And cheap cheap cheap cheap.

Did I mention they are cheap?

However my concern is that it takes wrist and hand strength to rack a slide ... things that a little old lady even a macho one might not have.

That's why I would recommend the 410 shotgun for older folks who are starting to get really old.
 
Couldn't find a holster for the .410... so I've been carrying a .357m for a long time. I'm 66. :)

Revolvers are a better idea than semi's for anyone of older age, this is true.

They are also much easier to understand and operate, and you are less likely to shoot yourself in the foot as well.

Good choice.

At some point when the parkinsons get shakey enough you will want to switch over to a 410 as well and leave the hardware at home.
 
Revolvers are a better idea than semi's for anyone of older age, this is true.

They are also much easier to understand and operate, and you are less likely to shoot yourself in the foot as well.

Good choice.

At some point when the parkinsons get shakey enough you will want to switch over to a 410 as well and leave the hardware at home.

You know, I usually don't engage people on this forum, because most of them are pretty opinionated and what I have to say doesn't matter much to them anyway. However....

You're kinda full of crap.

There's no reason whatsoever that a healthy woman in her 60s can't handle a Glock or a large caliber handgun. The poster made it clear that she's no weakling. She also made it clear she wants three types of firearms: a target or small caliber rifle, a shotgun for home defense, and a handgun for personal carry.

Please don't sell her short and assume she's too old or too simple to operate a modern semi-automatic firearm. And, as Rocketgeezer said, a Glock might be just the thing for someone who doesn't want the complexity of other handguns. It doesn't take that much hand strength to rack a round.

It's ridiculous for you to make to assumption that all older folks will succumb to Parkinson's disease when in fact it strikes about 1 percent of the senior population. It's also ridiculous for you to suggest that this lady pack a .410 around for personal defense. A. 410 has two places: the field and the home, and both require situation-specific ammunition to be effective.

I don't know if you're hanging around this forum to participate in discussion and learn something, or you're just here to be obnoxious, but it's really looking like the latter.
 
Revolvers are a better idea than semi's for anyone of older age, this is true.

They are also much easier to understand and operate, and you are less likely to shoot yourself in the foot as well.

Good choice.

At some point when the parkinsons get shakey enough you will want to switch over to a 410 as well and leave the hardware at home.

I disagree, the shot column from a .410 is very narrow, effectively making it a rifle at indoor ranges, where an average shot will be less than 50', more often less than 25'.
Semi-auto's commonly have SA/DA trigger weights are similar to SA/DA revolvers. Semi-auto's like the glock, are point and shoot, just like revolvers, but you have 17 round magazines rather than 6 rounds for the revolver. Since there are many examples of home invasion and Breaking and Entering being done by a pack of rats, rather than a single rat, more rounds are better.
 
I was sort of joking, but serious too. I've been a certified firearms and self defense instructor for many years. I carry a gun all the time, everywhere. Trying to rely on my .410 for self defense would be a sick joke - even if I never left the house. BUT, if that were the only gun I could get my hands on, I would use it. I one time I had to shoot a man to save my life. The .410 was all I had. It did the job. Here's the story if anyone is interested: Link Removed

I also carried an XD .45 compact for many years. After some tactical training, I realized that I could not CONTROL that gun with just one hand, and didn't really do all that well with two hands because it was just a tad too big. That became an important enough consideration to make me go back to the SP101 .357m that I'd carried for years before I got the .45. I loved the gun and liked having the extra rounds, but CONTROL was much more important. With the revolver I can hit my target consistently using both hands or either hand alone. Might never matter a bit, but it could be very important someday. Who can know? Best to be prepared.

Many of the people who take my classes are older folks and women. In fact, that's the bulk of the people I train. Most older folks have trouble at first, regardless of which gun they use, and it's as much a matter of working to strengthen muscles as it is to WANT to learn and grow in ability and confidence. Lack of confidence is usually the largest problem, and that's overcome by learning and DOING. The empowerment of seeing those big holes in the target can't be overemphasized.

So, start with, learn with, carry and practice with the largest caliber and whatever kind of gun you can consistently CONTROL and will consistently train with. That will change as you progress, most likely. The right gun, and the best fit is the one you will actually use. And you figure out what that is by shooting as many different ones as possible.

This BS of limiting women to miniature revolvers is just plain wrong, whatever her age. She's the only one who can decide that.
 
I was sort of joking, but serious too. I've been a certified firearms and self defense instructor for many years. I carry a gun all the time, everywhere. Trying to rely on my .410 for self defense would be a sick joke - even if I never left the house. BUT, if that were the only gun I could get my hands on, I would use it. I one time I had to shoot a man to save my life. The .410 was all I had. It did the job. Here's the story if anyone is interested: Link Removed

I also carried an XD .45 compact for many years. After some tactical training, I realized that I could not CONTROL that gun with just one hand, and didn't really do all that well with two hands because it was just a tad too big. That became an important enough consideration to make me go back to the SP101 .357m that I'd carried for years before I got the .45. I loved the gun and liked having the extra rounds, but CONTROL was much more important. With the revolver I can hit my target consistently using both hands or either hand alone. Might never matter a bit, but it could be very important someday. Who can know? Best to be prepared.

Many of the people who take my classes are older folks and women. In fact, that's the bulk of the people I train. Most older folks have trouble at first, regardless of which gun they use, and it's as much a matter of working to strengthen muscles as it is to WANT to learn and grow in ability and confidence. Lack of confidence is usually the largest problem, and that's overcome by learning and DOING. The empowerment of seeing those big holes in the target can't be overemphasized.

So, start with, learn with, carry and practice with the largest caliber and whatever kind of gun you can consistently CONTROL and will consistently train with. That will change as you progress, most likely. The right gun, and the best fit is the one you will actually use. And you figure out what that is by shooting as many different ones as possible.

This BS of limiting women to miniature revolvers is just plain wrong, whatever her age. She's the only one who can decide that.

Lots of sage advise here, ladies
 
I was sort of joking, but serious too. I've been a certified firearms and self defense instructor for many years. I carry a gun all the time, everywhere. Trying to rely on my .410 for self defense would be a sick joke - even if I never left the house. BUT, if that were the only gun I could get my hands on, I would use it. I one time I had to shoot a man to save my life. The .410 was all I had. It did the job. Here's the story if anyone is interested: Link Removed

I also carried an XD .45 compact for many years. After some tactical training, I realized that I could not CONTROL that gun with just one hand, and didn't really do all that well with two hands because it was just a tad too big. That became an important enough consideration to make me go back to the SP101 .357m that I'd carried for years before I got the .45. I loved the gun and liked having the extra rounds, but CONTROL was much more important. With the revolver I can hit my target consistently using both hands or either hand alone. Might never matter a bit, but it could be very important someday. Who can know? Best to be prepared.

Many of the people who take my classes are older folks and women. In fact, that's the bulk of the people I train. Most older folks have trouble at first, regardless of which gun they use, and it's as much a matter of working to strengthen muscles as it is to WANT to learn and grow in ability and confidence. Lack of confidence is usually the largest problem, and that's overcome by learning and DOING. The empowerment of seeing those big holes in the target can't be overemphasized.

So, start with, learn with, carry and practice with the largest caliber and whatever kind of gun you can consistently CONTROL and will consistently train with. That will change as you progress, most likely. The right gun, and the best fit is the one you will actually use. And you figure out what that is by shooting as many different ones as possible.

This BS of limiting women to miniature revolvers is just plain wrong, whatever her age. She's the only one who can decide that.

WELL SAID!! I know several very tiny petite ladies who will out shoot any man with a .45, and one in particular who likes to carry every day with a .44 magnum revolver. They are comfortable with them. I'm 215lb, 6'1" and quite frankly can't stand most .45's. I have a Glock G23 (.40 cal) as my every day carry.
 
Well if a 410 is so bad then why is it exactly what you used the one time you felt you had to gun somebody down? There is a fractured element in your logic here.

And if you have switched back to a revolver yourself doesnt that also prove it is your own best choice over a semi auto pistol which requires hand and wrist strength to rack and load?? More fractured logic.

What some of you others hate to admit is that old age actually does take its toll. And for an aging lady it takes more of a toll. Not a popular nor politically correct reality, but reality even so.

Jeeze people.
 
Well if a 410 is so bad then why is it exactly what you used the one time you felt you had to gun somebody down? There is a fractured element in your logic here.

I didn't say it was "bad" at all. I said it was inadequate for a lot of things, including a carry gun. It happened to be the only gun I owned when I was attacked. That doesn't say anything good or bad about the gun, but was certainly incentive to get a better one.

And if you have switched back to a revolver yourself doesnt that also prove it is your own best choice over a semi auto pistol which requires hand and wrist strength to rack and load?? More fractured logic.

Doesn't prove anything. I have no problems racking the slide, just can't reach the trigger comfortably (short fingers) and the double stack configuration makes it a little too large for ME. That says nothing about how anyone else would hold it or how well they could control it. I made a decision based on my needs, expectations, skills and hand size. The revolver is what I had, and so I went back to carrying it. I will soon get an XD 9mm, which I have practiced with already, and I will probably replace the revolver with that nice little tank. I CAN reach the trigger easily, and I can shoot it well with either hand alone. That is the criteria for me.

And it will take a little while to transfer back, of course.

What I want, need, or feel comfortable with isn't based just on my being a woman or being older. It's a personal decision based on a lot of things like hand size, strength, experience and so forth. I know men with much weaker and smaller hands... and I know some women who are a decade older than I am who can shoot rings around me with almost anything.

What some of you others hate to admit is that old age actually does take its toll. And for an aging lady it takes more of a toll.

Of course those things are relevant, but only in a personal context. They don't apply equally to people across the board by any means. Nobody can determine want, need or comfort level for someone else, especially a stranger on an internet forum. Your stereotypes are useless as advice.
 
I didn't say it was "bad" at all. I said it was inadequate for a lot of things, including a carry gun. It happened to be the only gun I owned when I was attacked. That doesn't say anything good or bad about the gun, but was certainly incentive to get a better one.



Doesn't prove anything. I have no problems racking the slide, just can't reach the trigger comfortably (short fingers) and the double stack configuration makes it a little too large for ME. That says nothing about how anyone else would hold it or how well they could control it. I made a decision based on my needs, expectations, skills and hand size. The revolver is what I had, and so I went back to carrying it. I will soon get an XD 9mm, which I have practiced with already, and I will probably replace the revolver with that nice little tank. I CAN reach the trigger easily, and I can shoot it well with either hand alone. That is the criteria for me.

And it will take a little while to transfer back, of course.

What I want, need, or feel comfortable with isn't based just on my being a woman or being older. It's a personal decision based on a lot of things like hand size, strength, experience and so forth. I know men with much weaker and smaller hands... and I know some women who are a decade older than I am who can shoot rings around me with almost anything.



Of course those things are relevant, but only in a personal context. They don't apply equally to people across the board by any means. Nobody can determine want, need or comfort level for someone else, especially a stranger on an internet forum. Your stereotypes are useless as advice.

Blah blah blah ... .

I have agreed with some of your other teaching posts, when you are actually teaching, rather than when you are trying to blow sunshine up some older babe's wahzoo.

All things considered, the older babe needs to try out a few and see what works for her.

And it all depends on her arthritis and her parkinsons.

At some point OC and CCW does you little or no good. Not a happy fact, but reality.

Ulitmately the old folks who are not in an old folks home with young folks to guard them will need a 410 of their own.

Just like you did.

:D
 
Why must almost all these threads turn into a pissing match, this lady asked for advice on a gun purchase, and as usual she gets bombarded by mostly BS, and given the discription of herself, the outdoorsy type, she could most likely handle any reasonable carry gun revolver or auto, she needs to go ta a range/gun store, that also may do training classes, rent as many guns as she can and pick one she likes, can handle and operate well, and buy one...................
 
Why must almost all these threads turn into a pissing match, ..........

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Parents leaving their computers logged on where 8 year old's can get to them maybe.
 
I'm referring this to MamaLiberty's post on 6/12 as she was answering a post by an "a senior lady needs some advice" on purchasing 3 different guns for protection. My wife and I are in the senior citizen rolls now and even though we both own and practice shooting with the revolvers, we wanted to expand into the realm of semi autos. After much research I purchased a 96A1 - SW 40 and love it but for my wife too much recoil and weight. After she spent time looking for something that felt comfortable all around she purchased a Tomcat .32ACP, a sweet piece but she had difficulty racking the slide. I thought it was because of the size of the gun, I even had difficulty getting a grip to rack it. I also purchased a Nano for a CCW since the 96A1 being full size and harder to conceal, I thought this gun would be easier to rack the slide since it is a bit larger frame than the Tomcat but turned out that she fights to get a full rack on it too. Not being a gunsmith or an expert at all brands and calibers, is there any models easier to rack than others or is my wife limited to using her revolver? We know that her grip and strength are compromised by arthritis in her hands... But still has enough strength to handle shooting 9mm and 40 caliber guns except racking the slides.
 

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