Greetings All,
My mother recently expressed a desire to have a handgun around for protection, since she lives alone (well, with her Doberman) in a rather isolated area. I had her look at several of my guns, but none of the REAL small ones looked like they'd fit the bill - She has trouble working the actions of the semiautos, and did not like the single-action or the feel of the NAA mini. I concluded that her best bet would be a lightweight .38 snubby, so we got her an alloy Charter Arms Off-Duty for Christmas.
Mom is a very fit 80-something lady, but I don't want her to be overwhelmed by recoil or muzzle blast. I bought her a couple of boxes of 110 gr. Federal Premium Low-Recoil JHP ammo, but would appreciate any meaningful suggestions for other personal defense ammo that would be effective but not too 'stout' for a great-grandma with a .38. We haven't had the gun out to shoot it yet, so I don't know what her reaction will be to this ammo, or to any other .38's I might have her try (I have a good assortment in the ammo closet). She has fired a .38 snubby in the past with no problem, but that was a much heavier steel-framed gun. Anyone have any good experience arming Grandma? Thanks in advance for your suggestions.
Regards,
Jim
My mother recently expressed a desire to have a handgun around for protection, since she lives alone (well, with her Doberman) in a rather isolated area. I had her look at several of my guns, but none of the REAL small ones looked like they'd fit the bill - She has trouble working the actions of the semiautos, and did not like the single-action or the feel of the NAA mini. I concluded that her best bet would be a lightweight .38 snubby, so we got her an alloy Charter Arms Off-Duty for Christmas.
Mom is a very fit 80-something lady, but I don't want her to be overwhelmed by recoil or muzzle blast. I bought her a couple of boxes of 110 gr. Federal Premium Low-Recoil JHP ammo, but would appreciate any meaningful suggestions for other personal defense ammo that would be effective but not too 'stout' for a great-grandma with a .38. We haven't had the gun out to shoot it yet, so I don't know what her reaction will be to this ammo, or to any other .38's I might have her try (I have a good assortment in the ammo closet). She has fired a .38 snubby in the past with no problem, but that was a much heavier steel-framed gun. Anyone have any good experience arming Grandma? Thanks in advance for your suggestions.
Regards,
Jim