CCW suggestions for a disabled woman?

[Lawrence Keeney]

How about one of those single stack 380 berettas that have tip up barrels and can be fired condition one? They don't make them anymore, I dont believe, but that might be the way to go for her.

To load it, all she needs to do is flip the switch on the side and the bbl pops up. She can carry it cocked and locked and practice her presentations. I remember reading sometime back that Massad Ayoob was able to arm a fellow with severe arthritis with one of these and it worked out well for him.

A check at the local gunstores or gunbroker might be able to turn a used one up.

[DefensiveCarry.com]

[pogo2]

I would second or third the previous suggestions for a Beretta with tilt up barrel, which can be loaded without racking the slide. Additionally, the single action trigger pull on such a gun is only about 5 pounds, assuming that the hammer can be cocked first by the shooter. This is about half the trigger pull on a revolver fired double action. Some Beretta Cheetahs have the tilt up feature, in a .380 caliber gun.

[Roadrunner]

Scratch my suggestion, I second Lawrence's. I've handled those little Cheetahs and they would be ideal for this application.

[wareagleky]

I carry a tomcat. Love it. If yo ucan get her to handle one I think it is a good option. Especially if she can cock it with one in the chamber. My girlfriend cannot rack the slide on this littel gun but luckily with the tilt barrel everything works out well for here. We are working on hand strenght now.

Also there are devices out there to get hand strength better if that is part of the issue. I work with many people who suffer with arthritis and know what a dibilitating force it can be. If I had a little more info on whether it is just lenght of hand that is causing the problem or if it is strength vs pain?

[ze12okule]

How about one of those single stack 380 berettas that have tip up barrels and can be fired condition one? They don't make them anymore, I dont believe, but that might be the way to go for her.

I have one a Beretta Cheetah 86 FS and it is awesome. It is bigger than one might imagine though. With short fingers it could still pose a problem. If she is really looking for one my local gun shop had three in there a week ago.

Hope she is able to find something.

[Bark'n]

I would second or third the previous suggestions for a Beretta with tilt up barrel, which can be loaded without racking the slide. Additionally, the single action trigger pull on such a gun is only about 5 pounds, assuming that the hammer can be cocked first by the shooter. This is about half the trigger pull on a revolver fired double action. Some Beretta Cheetahs have the tilt up feature, in a .380 caliber gun.

+1 for the above...

Others to consider would be single stack 1911 style in 9mm or even 38 super. If she could get her hands on a Browning Hi-Power she might have some luck there with the 9mm.

If not, the Baretta's with Tip Up barrels seem to be ideal.

[Protect]

The Kel Tec P3AT has a very short length of pull and the trigger is very light.

I could not disagree with this more. While it may be relatively light, the P3AT has a very long trigger pull.

[SIXTO]

I could not disagree with this more. While it may be relatively light, the P3AT has a very long trigger pull.

....and its tough to grasp the smallish size with buggered up hands. Same with the Cheetah and other small auto suggestions. Sure you can load and fire with out racking the slide, but what about a malfunction?

[ArtificialGrape]

This thread interests me as well because my wife has weakened strength from a form of muscular dystrophy.

How might the P232 fit the bill??

Thanks.

[Mojoski]

I'd second the suggestion to look at the NAA minis. A black widow with .22 Magnum loads actually delivers quite a bit more FPE than you'd imagine and sounds like just the thing for someone with such issues with their hands.

Two rounds of Magnum Snake Shot (aka Face Shot) followed up by 3 rounds of Magnum hollow points will back most any bad guy up in a hurry. I've seen nice little pocket holsters that will hold an extra loaded cylinder as well for a quicker reload.

Would be worth looking into, in my opinion.

North American Arms - Black Widow Magnum

A small gun with this load that is easier for her to shoot will beat the hell out of another more powerful gun that she can't shoot and will only be taken away from her and used against her, IMHO.

The "CAISSON" holster on this page is the type of holster I'm referring to. I believe it would work for the Black Widow Magnum model, and provide for a quick reload, even with the issues you've described with her hands. The also have a basic cylinder holder, that can be placed in the weak hand pocket instead, so you're not having to trade hands while getting the extra cylinder out of your pocket..

Thoughts?

[Roadrunner]

I could not disagree with this more. While it may be relatively light, the P3AT has a very long trigger pull.

I didn't say the trigger pull was short, I said the length of pull was short. The distance between the back of the grip and the trigger is short, and therefore easy for someone with short fingers to reach. If you'll read the first post again you'll see that the woman in question had difficulty reaching the trigger on a J-Frame with her short fingers. In this case a little gun is actually a really good thing because this lady has really small hands and fingers. While the Kel-Tec may not be the best choice, it's certainly worthy of consideration.

[gddyup]

I would bet that a gunsmith very well versed in custom wheelies could certainly come up with something based off that J frame. Grip customization I would think could make a huge difference for her. Trigger work would also be a no brainer here to make it easier for her to use.

It certainly wouldn't be the cheapest way out of it, but to get the gun she needs in order to defend herself, how much is too much?

[SIXTO]

Other plus for the j frames is you dont have to worry about limp wristing... if her grip isnt all that great this is going to be an issue too.

[SubMOA]

Thanks for all of the great ideas!!!!

I'm going to take my tape measure and trigger pull scale to the gun shop and see what I come up with based on these suggestions. I'm also going to try to rig up a device to see how much strength she has in her one hand/finger, using the trigger scale, to see just how much she can pull back with one hand.

I really appreciate everyone sharing their opinions and experiences. I'll keep everyone posted on what we decide.

[flmitchell]

J-frame with a trigger job... They can be brought down alot more than 9#

Any good gunsmith should be able to do the work.