Pistol-buying tips for seniors

[Kerry]

If you are a considering buying a pistol for self-defense/home protection, this senior recommends a revolver rather than a semi-automatic pistol.

The reason? Many seniors are prone to arthritis, some lose their grip-strength, others lose some finger dexterity and coordination. A semi-automatic pistol requires thumb and finger dexterity and strength to pull back the slide so as to chamber a round. Note: Some women have not developed their hand and upper arm strength. Also, inserting rounds into a semi-automatic pistol's magazine requires some finger strength, coordination, and dexterity such as pressing down against a spring and finessing the round into place.

A semi-automatic pistol may be easy to use today but ten years from now, in a stressful (possibly panicky-confusing) emergency situation, it might not be so easy.

For home protection/self defense I recommend a double-action, stainless steel, 4" barrel, .38 caliber revolver. .

• "Double action" means that when you pull the trigger the hammer cocks and the gun fires -- without having to manually pull back (cock) the hammer. Simply pull the trigger. For target practice, you can manually cock the hammer. A cocked hammer makes it a bit easier to pull the trigger.

• "Stainless steel" is less susceptible to rust, and requires less yearly oiling and cleaning.

• .38 caliber? Most agree that a .22 caliber round will not stop a determined (possibly drugged) attacker. Police considered .38 caliber rounds to have enough stopping power. Most Navy SEALs are comfortable with 9mm rounds. However, if you hit someone within ten feet with a larger .45 caliber round it will stop them even if they are rushing you. Not everyone has the courage to wait until the attacker gets within ten feet so they fire at greater distances and sometimes miss. This is why it's important to always practice with two successive rounds (referred to as double-tap).

Concerns about a revolver's 5-8 rounds? For self-defense, the interaction is usually over within seconds. Unlike the movies, there are no prolonged shoot-outs in-home interactions.

Examples of Revolvers

Tips:

1) Some recommend shooting to kill so that a wounded assailant can't later file suit against you, or worse, come back later and, out of revenge, ambush you because they lost the use of a leg or hand or whatever. However, you can't shoot them and then, while they are wounded on the floor, shoot them again to kill them; that would be murder.

2) Many knowledgeable shooters will advocate a double-tap. Shoot two rounds (the first might not hit or stop them).

3) Although it's not recommended, because of child safety reasons, if you live alone you can keep the revolver loaded so that you can just pick it up and fire it just by pulling the trigger, even one-handed. For long-term storage, a thin coat of preservative on the brass of each round before you insert them into the revolver's stainless-steel cylinder will minimize corrosion. Keep in mind that house guests (especially children) sometimes, out of curiosity, go through drawers. Store the pistol in a bedside table or the room you run to as your safe(est) room.

4) I recommend that you shop several stores to test for a comfortable pistol grip. It's important that the grip is comfortable for your hand, most are not; there is a pistol that will feel as though it was made for you. Once you find a used one that fits nicely you could then buy a new one online, however, used pistols are perfectly fine for self-defense.

5) Here's a video that shows the effects of various caliber bullets. < https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i42SCYyoeFE >.

Here's a nice tip for beginners: Weapons Training -- Starting from Mastery


Last edited 9/2/24