Rossi Coach Gun in 12 or 20ga, easy to cock hammers, short enough to handle in a hallway.
Beware of Granny with a Shotgun!
Yeah. She’ll break her osteoporotic shoulder. LOL.
Rossi Coach Gun in 12 or 20ga, easy to cock hammers, short enough to handle in a hallway.
Beware of Granny with a Shotgun!
Keeping my above post in mind , across several of parameters , a physically lightweight , low to minimal recoil shoulder arm is a tool , with bonus for not having excessively harsh muzzle blast .
Will these be Ultimate Combat Weapons , probably not . Will they also have shortcomings , or at least less than ideal factors ? Probably .
Accept that life isn't always ideal , and make reasonably plausible choices from the available options .
For reasonably healthy non gun people , for whom I would have one , maybe two coaching sessions , and that's it , I used to like Marlin Camp Carbines . Not tacticool , but conventional stocks are more intuitive for non shooters . Camp Carbines are now collectables , but potentially substitute other conventional stocked PCC .
If they are somewhat gun knowledgeable , And still have dexterity , but need to avoid harsh recoil , a lever action , with .38 Spl , or .44 Spl actually loaded . Yes , SASS style .44 Spl in a .44 Mag levergun has mouse fart recoil .
Still lower recoil or physical weight in rifle ? The dreaded Rimfire . Yeah, yeah , particularly in current times .22lr ammo isn't perfect . If a .22lr rifle is otherwise a good solution , use CCI Mini Mag , or expensive target ammo , and realize that 99% ammo reliability is still better than stern looks and harsh language .
With body strength and arthritis issues , the Weight of the gun is as important , or more important than recoil . While reduced recoil 12ga loads can match the recoil of a 20ga , the 20ga Gun is usually lighter .
Still lighter and less recoil in a shotgun ? The dreaded .410 . The Mossberg Bantum is really , really light . Modern state of the art .410 00B and 000B loads don't suck , inside of 20 or 25 yds , when all 3 to 5 pellets maintain chest sized or smaller patterns from a real Shotgun .
Handguns ? Y'all are already discussing them to death . All I'll add here is that Single Action Revolvers have ergonomic advantages with weak fingers . Low capacity , and slow to reload ? 5 or 6 accurate rounds are better than stern looks and harsh words .
My late FIL in his final years had severe COPD , and his hands shook . He could walk 3 or 4 steps , then have to rest for 5 minutes before another 3 steps .
But he could head shoot a Weasel across a half acre back yard with his revolver .
But he was lifelong shooter , hunter , gunfight veteran with USMC MP's , Bullseye competitor , handloader , and bullet caster , not a rookie .
What we need to consider is frail older folks as first time gun buyers. There are a lot of factors. I’m not saying OPs folks are frail, but I think it’s an interesting intellectual exercise.
One may think about failing vison. Is this for carry or bedside? One may think more of a shotgun although recoil would be a concern.
Yeah. She’ll break her osteoporotic shoulder. LOL.
I'll be the *******...
Why a gun? Have you upgraded their doors/ locks/ alarms/ lighting? Do they have a good landline to call for help? Do they live in high crime areas? How do they feel about large dogs? What has changed now to make people around 80 decide that they need a gun for the first time?
We're gun folks. We can argue for days about the perfect gun and the perfect ammo. Sufficient penetration vs over penetration, recoil vs energy, ease of use... Thats our shtick but this is real deal, lives that perceive they're in danger. What has been done to harden the target?
I'll be the *******...
Why a gun? Have you upgraded their doors/ locks/ alarms/ lighting? Do they have a good landline to call for help? Do they live in high crime areas? How do they feel about large dogs? What has changed now to make people around 80 decide that they need a gun for the first time?
We're gun folks. We can argue for days about the perfect gun and the perfect ammo. Sufficient penetration vs over penetration, recoil vs energy, ease of use... Thats our shtick but this is real deal, lives that perceive they're in danger. What has been done to harden the target?
I'll be the *******...
Why a gun? Have you upgraded their doors/ locks/ alarms/ lighting? Do they have a good landline to call for help? Do they live in high crime areas? How do they feel about large dogs? What has changed now to make people around 80 decide that they need a gun for the first time?
We're gun folks. We can argue for days about the perfect gun and the perfect ammo. Sufficient penetration vs over penetration, recoil vs energy, ease of use... Thats our shtick but this is real deal, lives that perceive they're in danger. What has been done to harden the target?
I'm still intrigued by the idea of ergonomics that may make firearm ownership more accessible to folks with age related or other limitations. It may be a rabbit hole I go down.