Question about gun for self defense

[CMike11]

Hi everyone,

I have a 12 gauge shotgun and a .22 revolver.

My mother wants a gun for self defense in case of a home invasion. She is almost 74 years old.

She asked me for a suggestion.

On one hand a shotgun has tremendous stopping power and it's a lot easier to hit the target than with a handgun. However, can my "older" mother in law handle a shotgun?

On the other hand, a handgun is easier to handle, but it's harder to hit the target, and doesn't have as much stopping power.

What would you suggest for my mother in law? And also what specific type of gun would you recommend?

Thank you.

[Mortis]

Why not get her a 20 guage or even a 410?

As long as she's willing to pull the trigger, bird shot'll still stop a thug.

[BillBrown]

Hi everyone,

I have a 12 gauge shotgun and a .22 revolver.

My mother wants a gun for self defense in case of a home invasion. She is almost 74 years old.

She asked me for a suggestion.

On one hand a shotgun has tremendous stopping power and it's a lot easier to hit the target than with a handgun. However, can my "older" mother in law handle a shotgun?

On the other hand, a handgun is easier to handle, but it's harder to hit the target, and doesn't have as much stopping power.

What would you suggest for my mother in law? And also what specific type of gun would you recommend?

Thank you.

The .22 is out of the question.
She's better off with nothing.
If she shoots an intruder with it, it won't stop him and may spur him to shoot her, if he is armed.

I would recommend a handgun. A shotgun is good, but unwieldy for a lady that age.

I would recommend a .357 revolver.
She can practice with .38 rounds. They won't hurt her or jar her.
Keep it loaded with .357. She'll only have to shoot it once with .357 rounds- that would be at the intruder.
The adrenalin will mask any effects of the recoil.

[Ex_Spy_Guy]

The .22 is out of the question.
She's better off with nothing.
If she shoots an intruder with it, it won't stop him and may spur him to shoot her, if he is armed.

I would recommend a handgun. A shotgun is good, but unwieldy for a lady that age.

I would recommend a .357 revolver.
She can practice with .38 rounds. They won't hurt her or jar her.
Keep it loaded with .357. She'll only have to shoot it once with .357 rounds- that would be at the intruder.
The adrenalin will mask any effects of the recoil.


a dot two two can be effective.....ifn you weild two.

[CaptPops]

Get her a .38 revolver. My wife is the same age as your mother, weighs 120 and uses a .38.

[BillBrown]

Here is a table that shows the effectiveness of the various calibers.
Under the % column, is shown the percentage of one shot stops. This means one shot to the torso that disabled the attacker.
The top handgun round is the .357 with a % of 96%.
The best .22 load has a one stop rating of 38%

http://www.handloads.com/misc/stoppingpower.asp?Caliber=0&Weight=All

[Samm]

I vote for a 20-gauge pump with pistol grips (on the slide too.) At 74 she may lack the hand strength easily to operate a pistol.

[sgtmac_46]

Hi everyone,

I have a 12 gauge shotgun and a .22 revolver.

My mother wants a gun for self defense in case of a home invasion. She is almost 74 years old.

She asked me for a suggestion.

On one hand a shotgun has tremendous stopping power and it's a lot easier to hit the target than with a handgun. However, can my "older" mother in law handle a shotgun?

On the other hand, a handgun is easier to handle, but it's harder to hit the target, and doesn't have as much stopping power.

What would you suggest for my mother in law? And also what specific type of gun would you recommend?

Thank you. Mossberg 500/590 or Remington 870.

12 gauge, reduced recoil tactical load 00 Buck. http://www.ultramaxammunition.com/law/shotshell.php

Put a Surefire weapon light on it. http://www.surefire.com/ShotgunWeaponLights

Put a Knoxx stock recoil buffer system on it......reduce the recoil by 90% (in addition to the reduced recoil rounds). http://www.knoxx.com/technology/SpecOps/SpecOps_FAQs.php


And you're done.

[troy]

Beretta makes a very nice .32 caliber model 3032. No matter what you get her, be sure you actually sit down with your mom and instruct her on the guns workings and then take her out and have her shoot it. She will be more comfortable and confident should she ever need to use it.

Also, if she does need to use it, tell her to fire more than once. If it comes to that point, leave no witnesses.

[gdoane]

I'd say the best option in handguns would be the .357 Magnum. The gun is easy to practice with using .38 Special loads which don't have half the recoil of a .357 Magnum round, and the .357 Magnum is a very effective round which will kill anything capable of getting through a door.

That said, I don't recommend a gun at all for somebody who can't get out and practice using it at least a few times a year, preferably monthly. The reason why is simply that bullets don't work when they miss.

My home alarm system is my first line of defense against home invasion. If I hit two buttons at the same time on my remote control, an 80dB alarm pierces the neighborhood and a phone call is made to the service who will be calling the police.

I'd go for that before I go for a gun in a home invasion because getting the cavalry on the way before getting into a fight with stagecoach robbers is a very good idea.

The alarm system with monitoring costs about $500 per year and can't be turned against you should a home invader wrest the control of it away from you.

For a 74-year-old who probably can't practice much, I'd get a Taser X26c stun gun and a home alarm system. Call the cops, shoot the bad guy and let them haul out the trash.

[sgtmac_46]

I'd say the best option in handguns would be the .357 Magnum. The gun is easy to practice with using .38 Special loads which don't have half the recoil of a .357 Magnum round, and the .357 Magnum is a very effective round which will kill anything capable of getting through a door.

That said, I don't recommend a gun at all for somebody who can't get out and practice using it at least a few times a year, preferably monthly. The reason why is simply that bullets don't work when they miss.

My home alarm system is my first line of defense against home invasion. If I hit two buttons at the same time on my remote control, an 80dB alarm pierces the neighborhood and a phone call is made to the service who will be calling the police.

I'd go for that before I go for a gun in a home invasion because getting the cavalry on the way before getting into a fight with stagecoach robbers is a very good idea.

The alarm system with monitoring costs about $500 per year and can't be turned against you should a home invader wrest the control of it away from you.

For a 74-year-old who probably can't practice much, I'd get a Taser X26c stun gun and a home alarm system. Call the cops, shoot the bad guy and let them haul out the trash.

Generally sound advice.........regardless of what personal defense tool one chooses, either firearm, or as you rightly point out, something like the Taser X26c/C2, the proper response should be to

1) Hit the alarm to get the cavalry coming.

2) Have a cordless/cell phone strategically placed to call 911 for redundancy/coordination with LEO's purposes.

3) Retreat to the bedroom (or pre-established safe room) with sturdy door lock.

4) Barricade there until Law Enforcement arrives to secure the premises.

5) The weapon should be used only to repel boarders if someone attempts to penetrate in to the safe room.



My ideal scenario would be a combination of tools........a shotgun that sits in the bedroom, ready to go if the need arises. A Taser, perhaps kept next to the chair or on the coffee table, in case she's accosted while watching TV, and to take along to take out the trash, and whatever else.

http://www.taser.com/products/consumers/Pages/C2.aspx

Another viable option is the Tigerlight......http://www.tigerlight.net/On_Campus.html

If someone decides to buy a Tigerlight, make sure to get the Sabre Red cone spray version.

[CMike11]

One other issue...

I just thought of it.

My mother in law is 74 years old, and her memory is kind of going.

She does play golf so she can probably handle it.

Do you think that she can handle the responsiblity of having a gun?

[Claymore]

A .38 Double Action revolver is a good choise for your mother.

[sgtmac_46]

One other issue...

I just thought of it.

My mother in law is 74 years old, and her memory is kind of going.

She does play golf so she can probably handle it.

Do you think that she can handle the responsiblity of having a gun?
If possible dementia is an issue, you should stick to less lethal options and a good alarm system.

Pepperspray or a Taser can't cause the kind of harm a shotgun could if something unfortunate happens.

I'd seriously look in to the Taser C2.

[markdido]

Generally sound advice.........regardless of what personal defense tool one chooses, either firearm, or as you rightly point out, something like the Taser X26c/C2, the proper response should be to

1) Hit the alarm to get the cavalry coming.

2) Have a cordless/cell phone strategically placed to call 911 for redundancy/coordination with LEO's purposes.

3) Retreat to the bedroom (or pre-established safe room) with sturdy door lock.

4) Barricade there until Law Enforcement arrives to secure the premises.

5) The weapon should be used only to repel boarders if someone attempts to penetrate in to the safe room.



My ideal scenario would be a combination of tools........a shotgun that sits in the bedroom, ready to go if the need arises. A Taser, perhaps kept next to the chair or on the coffee table, in case she's accosted while watching TV, and to take along to take out the trash, and whatever else.

http://www.taser.com/products/consumers/Pages/C2.aspx

Another viable option is the Tigerlight......http://www.tigerlight.net/On_Campus.html

If someone decides to buy a Tigerlight, make sure to get the Sabre Red cone spray version.

Sound advice.

[James Juno]

I vote for a 20-gauge pump with pistol grips (on the slide too.) At 74 she may lack the hand strength easily to operate a pistol.

+1 Shotgun wins. My 86-year-old father has a Remington 870 handy, thanks to his son.

Whatever gun you choose, be sure to take her out shooting to get her very, very familiar with it.

[Samm]

A .38 Double Action revolver is a good choise for your mother.

Perhaps... if she does not have arthritis... I know people 20 years younger who do not have the hand strength to operate a double action revolver because of their arthritis. That is why I recommend the pump shotgun equipped with two pistol grips and fitted with the surefire light as the Sarge suggested.

Besides... nothing instills fear better than the sound of racking an 870... ;)

[EmmanuelGoldstein]

One other issue...

I just thought of it.

My mother in law is 74 years old, and her memory is kind of going.

She does play golf so she can probably handle it.

Do you think that she can handle the responsiblity of having a gun?

I think Gene's advice is the best.

[EmmanuelGoldstein]

Another viable option is the Tigerlight......http://www.tigerlight.net/On_Campus.html

If someone decides to buy a Tigerlight, make sure to get the Sabre Red cone spray version.

Back when my oldest was just a baby, I was being harassed and followed by some union thugs after my ex had taken a job at their plant while they were on strike. Dad gave me his prison-issued light. Big black flashlight with a spray nozzle next to the bulb. Just shine in the face to aim and press the button.

Never had to use it tho'.

They'd follow me after I dropped him off at work (at night), obviously trying to find out where we lived.

At the time, my parents lived on the Federal prison reservation. The entrance to the prison was next to a residential neighborhood, where the road simply was an L, and to avoid entering the prison property, you had to make that turn.

At my father's direction, I led a pickup full of back-wood redneck union thugs on chase through town. I acted like I was running from them and as we got to the entrance, instead of turning I led them straight onto federal prison property, where they were immediately surrounded by my 6'4, 250lb Dad and and a number of his equally large and scary officer buddies. Dad never did tell me exactly what they did or said to those idiots, but they never bothered me again :lol:

[SFC(R)L]

Hi everyone,

I have a 12 gauge shotgun and a .22 revolver.

My mother wants a gun for self defense in case of a home invasion. She is almost 74 years old.

She asked me for a suggestion.

On one hand a shotgun has tremendous stopping power and it's a lot easier to hit the target than with a handgun. However, can my "older" mother in law handle a shotgun?

On the other hand, a handgun is easier to handle, but it's harder to hit the target, and doesn't have as much stopping power.

What would you suggest for my mother in law? And also what specific type of gun would you recommend?

Thank you.


SW 990L in either 9mm or .40(?). I have the 9mm for my personal carry and it is small enough for her, yet packs the 9mm punch up close. 10 round mag.

Any similarly sized .380 auto.

These should be trained upon and kept loaded in your nightstand.

Mossberg makes a nice tactical 12 gauge shotgun with a 5 shot mag. Load with birdshot for a nice spread.

[neoINDIE]

Screw the gun.

She needs a trunk monkey.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l8oPVVGYQ40

[ivarr]

good compromise, large caliber 2" barrel revolver with shot shell cartridges

simple to shoot, and good stopping power

have a lighter spring put in by a good gunsmith if the trigger pull is difficult for her to handle

[Samm]

Screw the gun.

She needs a trunk monkey.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l8oPVVGYQ40

That'll only work if she parks her car in her living room. ;)

[CMike11]

I appreciate the input. Thanks all.