Gun for my aging father

green mile

Good evening all. I just got finished talking to my father(70yrs. old), and he is concerned that his age and health (not too good now) would affect his ability to shoot his handguns now. I would like to get him something like a .32 mag 5 shot revolver or Taurus has a 9mm 5 shot revolver. I am looking for something he can control and shoot well considering his health. Would a .22 mag be too light of a handgun round for last ditch efforts? My dad's .45ACP and .357 Magnum days are behind him now and he doesn't like the idea of not being able to shoot a gun if need be. I really need some help on this one, so all input is greatly appreciated.

big mango

sorry to hear that, be there as he needs you !

ATF

Sorry about your dad,when you get our age (I'm 72) we have our good and bad days.Ruger makes a nice .32 mag SP 101 in either a 3" or 4" barrel both have adjustable sights.

I almost bought one for myself but I have three .32 mags. already.

I'm not sure if S&W still makes the .32 mag. snub nose? It's a perfect cal.for either a woman or an elderly gent. Good Luck and tell you DAD I said keep shooting!! [8D]

1KYDSTR

Hi, and glad to see you watching out for the guy who watched out for you! You don't specifically mention your Dad's limitations, but I would assume weight and recoil to be a concern. Nice Decelerator grips (or any of the similar ones that strike your fancy) will help. A 22 Mag that is in your hand when you need it is a great gun. I would opt for more gun, but I don't mind the recoil. The 32 H&R Mag is a good in between round but for defense I would want more frontal mass. A five shot S&W in 38 special, 4 inch barrel and good, soft grips would be my advice. You will never struggle to find ammo, there is such a variety of types of ammo available and the 38 is fairly tame in a medium frame, 4 inch barreled gun. That gives your Dad a better chance of not having to use the whole ammo supply to take care of whomever may have offended him! The fewer shots the better! I would think that 158 grain wadcutters would be a nasty shock for "target" ammo?

Henry0Reilly

No one likes to be shot at with any caliber firearm. If 22 WMR is the hottest he can handle effectively don't worry about whether it's "too light"

taperloc

Hello green mile,
Sorry to hear about your Dad. I am 70 and I understand.

May I suggest a Smith or Colt revolver in .32 S&W Long.
First, recoil is mild.
Second, I have found them to be very accurate at 7 to 10 yards.
Third, Even in standard loads, they have a soft lead bullet.
Forth, No safety to contend with, just point and shoot.
Regards,
Taperloc

v35

I would expect trigger pull to be a co major issue with recoil.
A Glock 19-9mm has a fairly light trigger pull, big sights, not too heavy in weight or recoil and no levers or switches to mess with.
I'm not a fan of Spanish (including colonies) guns but I met a Police Lieutenant who showed me his Taurus hammerless 357 snubbie in stainless. It had one of the nicest ,smoothest triggers I've tried. He loved the gun and said it was accurate too. Look at it. Use it w/38specials.
I'd suggest going to a good gun store and handling everything that appeals to him. Explain the situation and let Dad try the triggers.
I suspect most new revolvers you try will have hard and rough DA trigger pulls. Older Smiths like the 32 & 38 Hand Ejector will be lightest.
The 22 Mag is really puny in small barrels.

tsr1965

That 22 Mag. is nothing to be sneezed at. It is more reliable than a 22LR. Also if the thug who will be on the recieving end of it, is wearing body armor, this is the one to have. The 22WMR will penetrate more layers of body armor than issue .357, 9MM, 40 S&W, or 45ACP out there. If you don't believe it ask any LE firearms instructor.

Hangfire

I set my Dad up with a model 10 Smith 4" loaded with .38 wadcutters. He had no problem shooting it, and he was very weak in his last years.

v35

The 22mag out of a rifle may be very effective but out of a short barrel it's a pipsqueek. It's not caliber alone that counts. Enough barrel length to develop the cartridge's potential is critical.
In 1987 I did velocity Vs barrel length tests on 22S,LR and 22Mag. Here are a few numbers: 22Mag 2 1/2" 1014fps, 3 1/4" 1179fps, 4" 1339fps. I doubt those velocities of a 22Mag bullet will do much to a
vest.

cattle buyer

I gave my 80 yr old dad a colt pocket .380 auto that was made the year he was born,flip the safety down and pull away,recoil is lite,great point and pull weapons.The hollow points will get their attention...They are getting harder to find but have turned into nice investments (that shoot)!

mogley98

Could I assume the reason teh 22 mag penetrats is due to its small size, not allowing the vest to distribute the force across the vest? Sort of like stabbing one?