I had a very pleasant 70-year-old patient in today. He is disabled from multiple sclerosis and bound to a motorized wheelchair. I was evaluating him for hand weakness. He mentioned that his weakness was leading to malfunctions when shooting his Glock 19. I mentioned limp wristing, and he picked up that I was also a shooter. That led to a very pleasant discussion . . .
He mentioned that he does not carry a pistol anymore due to his weakness and is considering a Taser. He wears a fanny pack with various essentials front and center and I think it would be a perfect place to conceal a pistol. No one is more vulnerable than the elderly, the disabled, and those among us who are both. Unfortunately, most pistols are made for the healthy.
What self defense handgun would you recommend for someone in this man’s position? I personally recommended that he look in some of the .22 WMR or .32 DA revolvers on the market, and consider a .38 if he can stand it. For a recoil sensitive person, I can’t imagine a better (or noisier) round than .22 WMR.
Do you guys agree, disagree have other recommendations?
Beretta Tomcat .32 ACP, loaded with Cor-Bon hp’s.
.38 spl revolver with at least a 3″ barrel, in a steel chassis. Bersa or Sig P238 in .380. I would think around 20-25 ozs would be good–heavy enough to absorb recoil but light enough for weaker hands, in .38 caliber or smaller. There are any number of .22 and .22 wmr derringers about too that would fit the bill. Although there are many who say that anything under .380 is too small, the fact is this gentleman, should he be attacked, will be firing at point blank range, such that almost anything will acheive sufficient penetration.
1903 colt pocket hammerless.
Beretta M84. Tip-up bbl, so hand strength to operate the slide is not a factor, dbl-stack mag in .380 = light recoil.
I recall an article in “American Handgunner” by Mark Moritz entitled, “Christina” which addressed this very subject. I don’t recall the month but the year, I think, was 1988 or ’89. The solution was a tip up barreled Baretta in .380.
Ruger LCR, due to the smooth easy trigger pull. The .22 version has minimal recoil, even with weak hands a person should be able to fire it.
Check out the Walther PK380.
Full sized (Almost), ambi controls, mild recoil, very light weight spring making it easy to rack the slide…
Three Opinions:
1. The FN FiveSeven handgun. It’s double stack, VERY low recoil, and more deadly than any .22 Magnum or .22LR loading available. You’ve got 20 rounds in a standard magazine, and due to the shape of the cartridge (being necked down as it is), it is MUCH more reliable when it comes to feeding. It may be a little large for a fanny pack, but it would be the best semi-auto option available with a decent trigger.
2. The Ruger LCR in .357 or .22LR. The trigger is very smooth and light for a DA snub. If the .357 was used, I would stick with .38 Special loads. The recoil in the heavier .357 model is MUCH milder, especially with the Hogue Recoil Tamer grip and the grip running slightly higher on the gun. Felt recoil is slightly less in the wrist than a J-Frame S&W due to the slightly higher grip and grip design. The “recoil axis”, so to speak, is thus higher on the gun.
3. As much as I hate to admit it, the Taurus line of revolvers in .22 Magnum might be a good idea. I’m not a fan of the quality control at Taurus, but it’s hard to beat the price. Not too many folks make a .22 Mag snub, but it would work. A light trigger job might help your shooter.
S&W 351PD .22WMR revolver.
That pic for the post is AWESOME! Thanks for sharing that, it made my day brighter.
Update:
Thanks for all the suggestions. My patient decided on a FN FiveSeven for his carry weapon. He shoots it well and really appreciates all the great suggestions in the comments here.