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Need help picking out a firearm for a family member

S

southern boy

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Aug 27, 2009
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Pasco Co., Florida, USA
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my mother and step father recently moved up to NC, sadly her new place is near the Barrio and shes already had a few problems.

my step father carries (CZ-52) and has had to draw down once already.

his shift has changed so he wont be around at night leaving my mother home alone most of the time.

she does not carry so concealability is not an issue.

she is small build, 4'11 85 pounds with smallish hands so she will need something small frame and light weight.

she is in the process of receiving a foster child, she already has her license so she will need something with an internal lock.

im currently looking at a Bersa Thunder Plus in .380 uses 15 round magazines which are legal in her state.

does anyone else have a suggestion on small frame auto or revolvers for home defense?
 
HankT

HankT

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southern boy wrote:
my mother and step father recently moved up to NC, sadly her new place is near the Barrio and shes already had a few problems.

my step father carries (CZ-52) and has had to draw down once already.

his shift has changed so he wont be around at night leaving my mother home alone most of the time.

she does not carry so concealability is not an issue.

she is small build, 4'11 85 pounds with smallish hands so she will need something small frame and light weight.

she is in the process of receiving a foster child, she already has her license so she will need something with an internal lock.

im currently looking at a Bersa Thunder Plus in .380 uses 15 round magazines which are legal in her state.

does anyone else have a suggestion on small frame auto or revolvers for home defense?
Click to expand...
Try a S&W J-frame. This is a small frame, 5-shot revo. .38 special ought to be fine. Like a model 60 or a 637 (there are several models).

She can also try a medium size K-frame revo. Say a model 10 or 64.


Does the step-father know about your plan to arm mom? You should talk to him ASAP, of course. He would probably have some input.
 
S

southern boy

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spoke with him while on vacation 2 weeks ago about it, problem with NC is they require permits from county sherrifs office for handgun purchases and he doesn't like the idea of having his name on one more piece of paper than required by fed law.

because of the foster care the gun has to be lockable and we all hate trigger locks, i have a "Club" lock for mine but rarely use it.

384.gif


it needs some form of internal lock and all I've ever seen about S&Ws lockwork is bad.

locking by itself, locking and cant be unlocked without disassembly, etc...
 
45acpForMe

45acpForMe

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REX681959 wrote:
For home defense..... Shotgun hands down BEST.
Click to expand...
Yes a 20gauge shotgun would be great for home defense. A remmington 870 usually runs between $250 and $400 depending whatoptions you choose. My first home defense gun was a 870 in 12 gauge.The sound if it chambering a cartridge is a universal (oh sh1t)!

She can have more than one gun sofor portability a pistol is nice to have also. There are so many options that getting her to go to the range and try a few would be the best idea. Talk to your dad about taking her and make sure she practices whatever she gets.

For the pistol you can get into endless discussions about what is the best self defense round. (9mm, 40, 45, etc) Something she can control is the first choice so a .38 or .380may be good but she should "try" others to see if she can control the recoil. I recommend people buy the largest caliber they can control and shoot accurately.
 
45acpForMe

45acpForMe

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southern boy wrote:
spoke with him while on vacation 2 weeks ago about it, problem with NC is they require permits from county sherrifs office for handgun purchases and he doesn't like the idea of having his name on one more piece of paper than required by fed law.

because of the foster care the gun has to be lockable and we all hate trigger locks, i have a "Club" lock for mine but rarely use it.

it needs some form of internal lock and all I've ever seen about S&Ws lockwork is bad.

locking by itself, locking and cant be unlocked without disassembly, etc...
Click to expand...

You can get gun safes for a pistol for $100 that have key or keypad for quick access. If you go up to $200-$300 you can get finger print scanners on it.

For the shotgun I got a gun locker from walmart for $99. It holds up to 8 rifles/shotguns (and pistols).


Taurus has a lock built into the gun (Taurus Security System) that uses a key/allen-type-wrench to enable/disable the gun. Something like that might be good enough. Check out the PT111 9mm. It has a thumb safety and is inexpensive. Also check out the PT738 in .380. http://www.taurususa.com/product-details.cfm?id=683&category=Pistol&toggle=tp&breadcrumbseries=738or http://www.taurususa.com/product-details.cfm?id=34&category=Pistol&toggle=tp&breadcrumbseries=CC1

I don't think NC requires permits for shotguns though.


(taurus security system)
 
S

southern boy

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she can barely shoulder my stepdads .410 much less take the recoil from firing it.

there are several shotguns in the house and he does have a safe (required to get the foster care license) but its slow to get into.

im looking more for something she can pocket and carry around, lockable so it can be kept kidsafe in condition 1 and can be taken to condition 0 in a short time without requiring her to remember the combination then muscle the safe door open to get to it.
 
45acpForMe

45acpForMe

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southern boy wrote:
she can barely shoulder my stepdads .410 much less take the recoil from firing it.
Click to expand...
:shock: I guess my 11 year old daughter is only 10 pounds lighter than your mother. So far my daughter only shoots a .22 walther P22.

My gun "locker" is simply steel. There is no insulation thickness etc. It opens with a key. It is meant to keep guns away from kids not expert thieves. It can be bolted to the wall or floor and has one shelf. (This one is $120 http://www.cheaperthandirt.com/ZAP305-1.html)
 
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southern boy

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99% of the time it would be in a drawer, but NC requires they be locked away safely. they consider a trigger lock or internal lock to meet the requirements so it has to have one of those two.
 
HankT

HankT

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REX681959 wrote:
For home defense..... Shotgun hands down BEST.
Click to expand...
For a little ole mom...

better withan effective security system that keeps people out.

Safer.
 
E

ecocks

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Go with the Bersa Plus, good self-defense rounds and consider the Crimson Trace option. The lock will meet spec, plenty of capacity and the construction is a bit more sturdy than most of the "little" guns. The CT helps the occasional shooter get a better grip on shot placement.

I wouldn't worry about lightweight, many of the lightweight, short barrel, low caliber guns have a fiercely-felt recoil and can hurt older folks already suffering with joint pain and unsteady hands.
 
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southern boy

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checked out the crimson trace but they are a no-go.

http://www.crimsontrace.com/Home/NewsEvents/LG442RecallNotice/tabid/459/Default.aspx

Crimson Trace has received a small number of reports from consumers regarding the LG-442 Lasergrips for Bersa Thunder & Firestorm semi-auto pistols. When operated under normal firing conditions, the trigger transfer bar spring may disengage from its slot on the trigger transfer bar. The Lasergrips panel allows the spring to completely detach from the trigger transfer bar, thus disarming the trigger and rendering the gun inoperable.

also, they aren't made for the doublestack thunder, only the single.
 
O

ocgso

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Greensboro, North Carolina, USA
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REX681959 wrote:
For home defense..... Shotgun hands down BEST.
Click to expand...
Ditto on that.

If you are dead set on a handgun look at small frame revolvers. They are simple to operate and jam free if she doesn't practice much. The reason I say this is that women who don't practice much have a tendancy to limp wrist and automatic (ala your Bersa 380). This will lead to a failure to feed or a jam EVERY TIME.

I cannot preach enough if a person who doesn't ever practice plans to purchase a gun and forget it in a nightstand, buy a revolver. Otherwise, they may be the cause of their own weapon jamming when they need it most.
 
O

ocgso

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southern boy wrote:
she can barely shoulder my stepdads .410 much less take the recoil from firing it.

there are several shotguns in the house and he does have a safe (required to get the foster care license) but its slow to get into.

im looking more for something she can pocket and carry around, lockable so it can be kept kidsafe in condition 1 and can be taken to condition 0 in a short time without requiring her to remember the combination then muscle the safe door open to get to it.
Click to expand...

If she might carry it, look into a S&W airweight or a Ruger LCR.

Lightweight, reliable, always works, safe. Everything you want.

Load it with 110 gr or 125 gr high quality defensive ammo and you are good to go.

I also highly recommend Hornady Critical Defense.
 
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remingtondude58

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What about a Walther PPS, I belevie they have a system where the gun locks when the back strap is removed. Or a Charter Patriot, I would say keep it loaded in a drawer with a cable through the barrel, if needed remove the cable and close the cylinder.
 
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rmansu2

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Baton Rouge, Louisiana, USA
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I don't know about ya'll, but when I was 85 lbs it was a little difficult to get a 20 gauge up and steady. Maybe something a little smaller?

4/10: Something she can aim and shoot is better than something that looks big and scary(in my opinion).

I do like a small handgun like the Bersa for someone who is not familiar with handguns. It will not fire without the magazine in which is another safety feature.

Maybe a Taurus revolver, simple well known, good design.
 
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