when smaller is better.

[Asc.rudeboy]

my ol man had a stroke a few years back and dosnt have as much balance or strenth in hands as he use to..right now one of my mossbergs (a 500) is hiding out in his closet for selfdefence,,(its just him and my mom now and they dont feel as safe as the did when me and my brother were coming and going all hours of the day and night) but i know that short barreled 12g is to much for my mom and i have a feeling the recoil will be a problem if he has to pop off more then a round or 2.

ive been thinking about getting them either a 410 or 20g pump, mossberg makes a 500 in both. either that or find a youth version to have a smaller profile and easier to move in the house.

thoughts??suggestions???

 

[owen502]

I think a .38 Revolver would be best solution.

 

[CajunTim]

reduced recoil ammo

 

[Manimal]

I would go for a full sized 9mm, like a Glock 17...lower recoil, high cap, if his hands can handle it.

I have carpel tunnels and minor arthritis in my hands. Right now I can handle everything pretty well, this week my hands are in bad shape...weeks like this make shoulder mounted weapons much more comfortable.

Ruger 10/22 + 50rd drum. .22lr may not seem that bad but you put a couple rounds in a person and they know they've been shot. If not that then I'd go for a small carbine with a handgun round.

I think someone here was selling a carbine that shot .44mags, check the firearm classifieds.

I'd go for an auto-loader instead of a pump for an older person(s) with hand issues.

 

[nola_]

I'd stick with the 500 JIC in the smaller caliber like you were thinking

http://www.dpmsguns.com/catalog.php?prod=G50450

 

[topgunz1]

smallest shotty I'd go is 20g and be picky about ammo. Any ballistics I've seen on .410 show it is far from adequate against people.

 

[Asc.rudeboy]

yea i was thinking more of a 20g,he could still handle the 12g but when we talked about it both feel he could handle a 20g better...just looked at a remington 20g with extended tube at heberts guns,,for 387 and it comes with a pistol grip if you wanted to change the but stock,,but that would defeat what he wants,,he already has a pistol (s&w 9mm glock knock off)

 

[Manimal]

20ga with buck would do fine.

 

[acme_labs]

An M1 Carbine with hollow points is quite formidable...put a folder on it, a 30 rounder, that will handle most trouble. And it won't blow holes through 2 or 3 houses.

 

[LACamper]

+1 on the M1 carbine, except for the price. A 10/22 crossed my mind when I read the first post except for the lack of stopping power. The .22 is a killer but not a stopper...

How about a 9mm or .40 carbine? Marlin Camp9's are semi-reasonable (450) or a Keltec Sub 2000 ($350). Hi-points are functional but I'm not sure about durability ($200). Energy is on par with a .357 defense load with the longer barrel.
How about a .410 pump? Energy is waaay over a .357 and recoil is much more reasonable.

 

[Asc.rudeboy]

he wants a shotgun he thinks if hes having the shakes his pistol will be a little wobbly on hitting his target,,something with little more weighthe can use his body to stable it,,410 or 20g is the answer,,he feels partial to a 20g soo im not gonna argue,,now we need to find a tactical version...or just go with a youth to shorten the total gun for ease around corners,,,if that make sence

 

[Quickdraw22]

he wants a shotgun he thinks if hes having the shakes his pistol will be a little wobbly on hitting his target,,something with little more weighthe can use his body to stable it,,410 or 20g is the answer,,he feels partial to a 20g soo im not gonna argue,,now we need to find a tactical version...or just go with a youth to shorten the total gun for ease around corners,,,if that make sence

A buddy's dad is a complete gun nut. Although I'm not a big fan of Mossberg, he's got a SICK Youth Mossberg 500 in 20ga with a side saddle and 18 1/2" barrel. It is the tightest, lightest package you could ever ask for. Look for something like that.

DAVE

 

[Asc.rudeboy]

yea i have a 500 and a 590 in 12g,,,i didnt know if they did a 590 in 20g but i did see a couple nice 500s online,,i think that is our best bet..

just for shits and giggles what do you have against mossberg?

 

[SpeedRacer]

Saiga 20

 

[LACamper]

Personally, I don't like the top safety. Actually, I'm not a big safety fan on shotguns. I always felt like an empty chamber is the best safety... pump then shoot. If the likelyhood of needing to shoot is that strong then you should be chambered and safety off anyway.

 

[Asc.rudeboy]

self defence wise i agree,the sound of a racking a slide is huge deterant and that alone can chase somebody off,,also how manytimes at the range have you taken aim squeezed the trigger and nothing happend because you forgot to take off the safety,,now if that can happen at the range imagine in a super stressful situation,,,so i i can agree no need for a safety if noting is in the pipe,just pump and go,

but with kids in the house or in their case grandkids a safety and a empty pipe are just a added layer to safety or when i hunted back in the day i would chamber a round then cclick on the safety before i went into the wods because the last thing you wanted to do was rack that slide and chase off what ever it was you were about to shoot.or have a branch catch that trigger and blast off a round...safetys do have their place at least mossberg places them right on top in your line of sight and easy to reach with out taking the gun off your shoulder or taking your eyes off the target..

 

[jimdana1942]

As a home defense gun where close range is involved a .38 revolver is excellent. When I was a police officer I carried a S&W model 10 heavy barrel 4 inch. I loaded it with HP ammo. I was never in doubt as being able to stop anyone with it if needed. I know in this day and age there are alot of opinions out there but believe me when I say a .38 is very adequate and capable. Of course, I was a good shot having scorede perfect in every qualification. At 25 yards I could keep all shots in the head on a silohuette target.

With any gun, shot placement will be the biggest determining factor, except maybe with a shotgun, in which case most any wound will be a stopper.

 

[dawg23]

he wants a shotgun he thinks if hes having the shakes his pistol will be a little wobbly on hitting his target,,something with little more weighthe can use his body to stable it,,410 or 20g is the answer,,he feels partial to a 20g soo im not gonna argue,,now we need to find a tactical version...or just go with a youth to shorten the total gun for ease around corners,,,if that make sence

1. 20 gauge w/ #3 buckshot (20 pellets @ ~.25" O.D.) is pretty potent.

2. If he is a bit "wobbly" as you say, he might want to think about an open (cylinder) choke. LSP can say if this is a good or bad concept. (I just know that my 20 gauge 391 has a 2.5" pattern at 30 feet with #3 buckshot - so I is still gots to aim).

3. Here's a link to the "Box of Truth" test of 20 gauge penetration.
http://www.theboxotruth.com/docs/bot22.htm
RD Version: Birdshot = bad; Buckshot = good.