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Old 08-07-2014, 12:57 PM
 
Location: Northern panhandle WV
3,007 posts, read 3,112,428 times
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I currently have no shooting experience, I have been reading all I can on guns for personal protection and home defense, and I like the S&W Bodyguard, and also the Taurus Judge and the S&W Govenor.

I do own a Remington Nylon 66 the black and crome one that is a 22L rifle. and we plan to get a shotgun.

What I am wondering with the revolvers for myself, while the Bodyguard is lighter and I could conceal carry with it, I wonder if the fact that it is lighter would be a problem with recoil over a heavier gun. I have arthritis in almost all my body including hands and wrists. So I am concerned with recoil and with trigger pull, I understand the bodyguard is a heavy pull.

I also want your opinions on whether I would be more of a target to bad guys if I open carry or concealed carry?

I imagine some of you will tell me just to forget the whole thing but I am moving to an area with lots of drug problems and poverty.
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Old 08-07-2014, 01:13 PM
 
Location: Richmond
1,645 posts, read 1,204,482 times
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First and foremost any gun that fits your hand, and fits your needs that you can operate properly. Simple physics less weight in a weapon equals more felt recoil. If you find a weapon that you can manipulate properly and are able to handle the recoil but the trigger is hard to pull, that part can always be corrected by a good gunsmith.

Try going to a range, rent some guns, see what you like, what you can handle, and make your choices from that. What works for me might not work for you, sorry if a generic answer, but it really comes down to what you can handle and what you can work with. Good Luck in you search
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Old 08-07-2014, 03:19 PM
 
19,942 posts, read 17,096,720 times
Reputation: 2014
Quote:
Originally Posted by arwenmark View Post
I currently have no shooting experience, I have been reading all I can on guns for personal protection and home defense, and I like the S&W Bodyguard, and also the Taurus Judge and the S&W Govenor.

I do own a Remington Nylon 66 the black and crome one that is a 22L rifle. and we plan to get a shotgun.

What I am wondering with the revolvers for myself, while the Bodyguard is lighter and I could conceal carry with it, I wonder if the fact that it is lighter would be a problem with recoil over a heavier gun. I have arthritis in almost all my body including hands and wrists. So I am concerned with recoil and with trigger pull, I understand the bodyguard is a heavy pull.

I also want your opinions on whether I would be more of a target to bad guys if I open carry or concealed carry?

I imagine some of you will tell me just to forget the whole thing but I am moving to an area with lots of drug problems and poverty.
Do you think you'd be willing to pull the trigger if you really needed to? If not, re-think it. Perhaps you might get a less-than-lethal alternative, such as mace or pepper spray.

If you honestly think you need it, and would be able to use it, I echo the above poster -- try out a few and make sure it's one you can handle.
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Old 08-07-2014, 04:02 PM
 
1,588 posts, read 2,304,118 times
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What is best for self defence for arthritic grandmother?

Man did I misread this title.

I was going to suggest giving her a good kick to the knee if she was coming at you!
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Old 08-07-2014, 05:38 PM
 
Location: Cody, WY
10,420 posts, read 14,529,944 times
Reputation: 22016
Quote:
Originally Posted by arwenmark View Post
I currently have no shooting experience, I have been reading all I can on guns for personal protection and home defense, and I like the S&W Bodyguard, and also the Taurus Judge and the S&W Govenor.

I do own a Remington Nylon 66 the black and crome one that is a 22L rifle. and we plan to get a shotgun.

What I am wondering with the revolvers for myself, while the Bodyguard is lighter and I could conceal carry with it, I wonder if the fact that it is lighter would be a problem with recoil over a heavier gun. I have arthritis in almost all my body including hands and wrists. So I am concerned with recoil and with trigger pull, I understand the bodyguard is a heavy pull.

I also want your opinions on whether I would be more of a target to bad guys if I open carry or concealed carry?

I imagine some of you will tell me just to forget the whole thing but I am moving to an area with lots of drug problems and poverty.
The best solution would be to choose a different neighborhood, but I'll assume that's not possible.

I have arthritis with a fair amount of muscle loss in my right (shooting) hand, but it doesn't affect my shooting ability. Heavier recoil doesn't make any difference either. Your problem, however, may not be the same.

Here's a quick and dirty formula for recoil: weight of the ejecta (bullet + powder) X bullet velocity divided by the weight of the gun. Therefore, for any given load a heavier gun has less recoil and a lighter gun has more. Additionally, using lighter bullets results in lower recoil for the same amount of kinetic energy because ke = ½mv² .

The heaviest Taurus Judge has heavy recoil. It's still worse with the lighter models and the Governor.

I don't care for the new Bodyguard. However I do like the older guns that were originally called Bodyguards when they were introduced sixty years ago. The Model 638 is a light aluminum frame gun with stainless steel cylinder and barrel chambered for .38 special. The current Model 649 is made of all stainless steel and chambered for .357 magnum; .38 special may be used in it as well. Take a look at those two models on their website.

Unless you live in Arizona where it's a tradition, open carry is a bad idea in any urban area. Not only is it conspicuous but it's an invitation to sneak up from behind, club you over the head, and take your gun. Cops have been relieved of their guns, and sometimes lives, this way.

Try to go to a large gun show. See if any sellers, particularly private sellers, have either of these or older iterations of same. Try some other revolvers as well. Just be sure you only buy a revolver; arthritis and autos don't mix. Ask the seller, "Are these private sale or on paper?'' If the seller has a table full of new guns in their boxes you may assume they're on paper. Always bring cash to a gun show.

There was once a grip called the Bianchi Lightning which was made for both autos and revolvers. The revolver style extended around the hammer turning any J-frame Smith into a Bodyguard. Should you see a J-frame Smith (small frame) in .22 magnum that could be a really good solution for good power and very low recoil. The Bianchi Lightning Grips appear on gunbroker.com regularly. Just be sure to buy the J-frame size.

Take care of that Nylon 66; it's a real classic.

Product: Model 638

Product: Model 649

Last edited by Happy in Wyoming; 08-07-2014 at 06:18 PM..
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Old 08-08-2014, 02:30 AM
 
Location: Ohio
13,933 posts, read 12,846,487 times
Reputation: 7399
Quote:
Originally Posted by arwenmark View Post
I currently have no shooting experience, I have been
reading all I can on guns for personal protection and home defense, and I like
the S&W Bodyguard, and also the Taurus Judge and the S&W Govenor.
Don't buy the Taurus Judge or the governor.... They are a novelty, and unless you plan on shooting snakes { the kind that slither on the ground } they probably won't be much use to you. The .45 round has a powerful recoil and with your condition, may not be suitable...

Quote:
What I am wondering with the revolvers for myself, while the Bodyguard is
lighter and I could conceal carry with it, I wonder if the fact that it is
lighter would be a problem with recoil over a heavier gun. I have arthritis in
almost all my body including hands and wrists. So I am concerned with recoil and
with trigger pull, I understand the bodyguard is a heavy pull.
There is definitely going to be considerable recoil with a lighter gun. However, only you know your exact capabilities. I don't know how much recoil you can handle. As others have suggested, your best course of action is to go to gun range and try different firearms and different calibers out to see what is comfortable for you. Consider taking a basic pistol course. That will help you make a more informed decision.
Quote:
I also want your opinions on whether I would be more of a target to bad guys if
I open carry or concealed carry?
lol, hold on while I go microwave a bag of popcorn.....

This has been debated forever and everyone has their own opinion. A lot of people will tell you that open carrying will make the bad guy take you out first, despite the fact that I do not know of one documented case of that actually happening and no one can seem to provide one when prompted. The other school of thought is that wearing a gun openly where a bad guy can see it will cause them to move on and choose an easier target.

I subscribe to the latter ideology, rather than the former. Criminals tend to be cowards looking for an easy way out, which is why they've chosen that lifestyle to begin with. Never-the-less, I will say that wearing a gun openly may attract unwanted attention all the same from law enforcement officers who don't know the law that they employed to enforce, and / or overly paranoid soccer moms and busy bodies

{ speaking of the law, you may want to check your local statutes and regulations when it comes to where and how you can carry a firearm }
Quote:
I imagine some of you will tell me just to forget the whole thing
Anyone who tells you that should be flatly ignored. No one who is worth taking seriously would ever discourage you from exercising your right to own a firearm.

Last edited by WhipperSnapper 88; 08-08-2014 at 02:42 AM..
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Old 08-08-2014, 02:12 PM
 
329 posts, read 385,551 times
Reputation: 487
First, talk to your doctor about what you can do about hand strength and dexterity.
Then find a double action weapon with the best trigger you can. Or one that is so widely known that a good gunsmith can reasonably smooth up the trigger for you.
Then practice practice practice.
This after you have made the decision that you CAN kill in the blink of an eye to defend self and home.
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Old 08-08-2014, 02:34 PM
 
Location: Cody, WY
10,420 posts, read 14,529,944 times
Reputation: 22016
Quote:
Originally Posted by crue cab View Post
First, talk to your doctor about what you can do about hand strength and dexterity.
Then find a double action weapon with the best trigger you can. Or one that is so widely known that a good gunsmith can reasonably smooth up the trigger for you.
Then practice practice practice.
This after you have made the decision that you CAN kill in the blink of an eye to defend self and home.
Unless you know your doctor personally and you know that he's progun never discuss guns with him or with any other medical people. They will likely enter the information into your medical records which, don't be surprised, go to the government.

If you're ever interrogated about guns in your home or whether you carry you should refuse to answer. This applies to people of all ages and levels of health. There are plenty of antigun activists who would like to make potential "senility'' as they define it a reason to make older people a class prohibited from gun ownership.

Rational people defend themselves. The movie scenario of the criminal simply taking a gun from a weak and cowardly woman is an insult to every good woman.
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Old 08-08-2014, 02:53 PM
 
329 posts, read 385,551 times
Reputation: 487
Quote:
Originally Posted by Happy in Wyoming View Post
Unless you know your doctor personally and you know that he's progun never discuss guns with him or with any other medical people. They will likely enter the information into your medical records which, don't be surprised, go to the government.

If you're ever interrogated about guns in your home or whether you carry you should refuse to answer. This applies to people of all ages and levels of health. There are plenty of antigun activists who would like to make potential "senility'' as they define it a reason to make older people a class prohibited from gun ownership.

Rational people defend themselves. The movie scenario of the criminal simply taking a gun from a weak and cowardly woman is an insult to every good woman.
That was shot down in Florida. And you don't have to tell him or her its for shooting. Tell him its for racquet ball or something.
And there is nothing about "rational" in a kill or die situation. If you don't have the will to kill. You should not buy a gun for defense. Any instructor will tell you that.
The first moment of hesitation, may be your last moment period.
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Old 08-08-2014, 05:05 PM
 
Location: Ohio
13,933 posts, read 12,846,487 times
Reputation: 7399
Quote:
Originally Posted by crue cab View Post
That was shot down in Florida. And you don't have to tell him or her its for shooting. Tell him its for racquet ball or something.
And there is nothing about "rational" in a kill or die situation. If you don't have the will to kill. You should not buy a gun for defense. Any instructor will tell you that.
The first moment of hesitation, may be your last moment period.
What was shot down? The law prohibiting doctors from asking about firearms in the home was upheld....
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