Revolver recommendations for Mom

[petey1]

I am looking into buying a revolver for my mother for her birthday. She is 63 and has some arthritis in her hands. I want a gun that she can shoot comfortably (smaller size, caliber, and lower recoil) and conceal in a jacket/holster. The gun is for personal defense. I've looked at 2 Smith & Wesson revolvers, the ladysmith model 36 ($489.99) and the model 637 .38 ($379.99). Both of these were priced at Gander Mtn. I'd appreciate any input, personal experience, or other suggestions. Thanks.

-Pete

[Son of Norway]

The lighter you go, the more recoil you feel. If weight is not a big concern then the Ruger SP101 in .38 Special would be good. It has enough weight so recoil is pretty mild.

http://www.ruger-firearms.com/Firear...&type=Revolver

[chupacabrachus]

Yeah, if recoil is a problem because of arthritis I'd recommend something hefty. A "fat" 38 special shoots so sweetly. My 7-shot 357 2" Taurus is like shooting a rubber band gun with 38sp due to it's heft and ported bbl. If it's going to be something she practices with a lot I'd say get something hefty with lighter recoil. If she's going to practice maybe once a month or less maybe something light weight would suffice since she won't have to endure the recoil very often. All depends on the sitch.

[BBunin]

Since you're going for concealed and are recoil sensitive on this, you might want to consider going with .38 instead of .357. I know you can shoot .38's out of the .357, but if you're never going to....

[chupacabrachus]

yeah, I wasn't recommending a 357... just sayin.

[Euclidean]

I had this problem last year after my father passed unexpectedly. My mother is also arthritic and is 49. Her shooting experience is very basic. She's shot .22 rifles, small bore shotguns, and the odd handgun here and there.

She outright refused to even consider .357 Magnum or anything starting with a "4". I agree with her decision in her case, not that it matters if I agree or not it's her gun.

First she tried to just use dad's old Ruger P85. That did not work out well. She could not even rack the slide, even when I showed her all the tricks. A healthy adult woman can rack the side of a semiautomatic pistol, but alas she's not healthy since she's arthritic. She couldn't even manipulate the safety, and it was just too complicated for her. Now she's smart enough to understand how it works, but remembering how to work it like it's second nature takes some dedication she's not willing to pursue. And finally, it was just too big and heavy.

She still wanted to try a self loader. I was tempted to just tell her no to be honest.

I let her try one of my XDs, figuring the ergonomics are much better. It was a little better, but the main problem was she still couldn't rack the slide. Almost, but not quite.

After that she came to the conclusion a self loader wasn't going to wash. I did explain some things we could do to a gun to make racking the slide easier, but she wasn't interested. She did like the trigger on the single action self loaders however.

So we went to revolvers. I got a whole bunch together and let her try all of them. I took her to stores and had her try different things.

I tried to steer her to the biggest, heaviest gun possible because recoil is definitely a concern.

When it was all said and done, she took my Colt Agent. Here's why:

- She could manage the trigger in double action.
- She could cock the exposed hammer for a little bit more leverage.
- She found that the Colt style cylinder release was easier to manipulate than the S&W or Ruger style release.
- She could hold the gun for five minutes straight in one hand.

The first one and the last one were big deals. To be honest I am not crazy about a 2" barrel .38 Special being her best and only gun, but it fits her, and it's her choice, and if she ever takes a shot that counts it will be a 3 yard shot to the center of mass in her bathroom after retreating with the gun in one hand and a cell phone in the other.

[Kauzi XD45]

Originally Posted by chupacabrachus

Yeah, if recoil is a problem because of arthritis I'd recommend something hefty. A "fat" 38 special shoots so sweetly. My 7-shot 357 2" Taurus is like shooting a rubber band gun with 38sp due to it's heft and ported bbl. If it's going to be something she practices with a lot I'd say get something hefty with lighter recoil. If she's going to practice maybe once a month or less maybe something light weight would suffice since she won't have to endure the recoil very often. All depends on the sitch.

My wife has a Taurus Tracker .357 4" she conceals in a concealed carry purse. With .357s the recoil still isnt bad, but with .38 sp +p its not even noticeable. Still has plenty of personal protection power.

[Dhunter55]

Take a look at the Taurus line.

[petey1]

Thanks for all the replies! I'm going to check out a bunch. My Mom had a similar difficulty racking the slide on my Sig, and she also has trouble with the procedure of an auto (load mag, insert into gun, chamber round, etc.).....so I think a revolver is right up her alley. I might have to look around a bit though, because Gander Mtn. doesn't have alot of
.38 revolvers in a smaller grip/frame other than the 2 S&W that I mentioned.

[SargeRN]

Charter Arms with a 3" barrel. Small grip frame, reliable at least the one my Dad has is for the last 10+ years. Just plain under-rated and a dang good revolver.
Sarge