Posted on 06/21/2019 5:39:21 AM PDT by w1n1
Some of us grew up in the era of cinematic cowboys and were toting that BB gun before the first whisker sprouted on the chin. Years goes by your guns become .22 to hunt and plink then up the notch to shotguns and carrying multiple pistols.
Defending ourselves can be tough as we age. Having an equalizer is a good solution in case of an attack. Unfortunately, with age physical problems may come up but this can be overcome. Here are some ideas to help older gunslinger deal with their issues.
Use Powerful Handguns – that you can shoot quickly and accurately. Its good to be able to gun sling a powerful handgun when you’re young. As you get older it may be harder to handle that .357 Magnum or a .45 ACP. So you might want to take a step down to a 9mm, .38 Special, .380 ACP or even a .22LR. Theres no disgrace in this solution. The point is you gotta have an equalizer of some sort. With a lower caliber shot placement will be an important thing to work on.
Carry Positions – Most people carry defensively on their strong-side hip, just behind the hip bone. In order to draw the pistol your shoulder has to move up and back and do it quickly. With age our joint loses mobility. So its best to choose a different carry position. Try the appendix carry or if your pistol is small enough, pocket it. CCBreakaway offers pocket carry with their jeans. Both carry methods allow for quick pistol presentation. Read the rest of armed and aging.
Looks like a Double Glock!
I would love to carry a larger piece but comfort and concealment are paramount to me for various reasons and my daily life. But the .380 ACP is my choice for EDC. Sometimes the LC-9 when do’able.
At 60, the other thing I have previously bashed as stupid, but now find immensely useful is a Laser sight.
I have a Viridian laser on my LCP, and the pocket holster has a magnet that deactivates the laser when holstered.
When you draw the pistol, the laser automatically comes on.
I can keep my focus (mentally, and in my bifocal age, optically) on the target without trying to tilt my head back to see the front sight.
Don't mess with granny.
Depends.
I see what you did there. :)
I learned nothing here. And I’m older than the guy in picture. “They” say, “An old guy can not fight you, so he will just _______ you.”
With me, it all depends on where I am going and what I am wearing (which is often dependent on the weather). As for where I carry on my person, most of the time it is an appendix carry. Thus, I am somewhat limited in what I carry in that position. Usually it is a snubbie .38 or a Glock 43, which is a 9 mm. In the winter, I can carry on my belt, so then it will be either a Glock 26 or a Glock 19.
I’m 68, so I am not going to carry anything more powerful or larger than that. Though, for home defense I keep a 6” .357 magnum handy; and I shoot that at the range on a regular basis.
That is really funny!
Thankfully, with age usually comes greater resources, so picking an appropriate “sidekick” for later years isn’t too prohibitively expensive.
Two handguns that have impressed me for older shooters are the FN FiveseveN, and the M&P 380 Shield EZ.
The FN is a full size, service quality handgun with a twenty shot magazine that is lighter when fully loaded than an empty Glock 17. It has almost no appreciable recoil, devastating bullet geometry, boringly consistent reliability, and a point blank range longer than any other handgun.
Despite complaints the 5.7x 28mm “armor piercing” ammunition it’s meant to fire is not available to the public (and thus negates any inherent advantage), law enforcement grade ammo sporting the same bullet geometry as the military round is easily available for use against un-armored opponents with the same devastating results as its military cousin.
New to market, but with an outstanding pedigree, is the M&P .380 EZ. This handgun was specifically designed for limited strength users with an eye toward overwhelming safety (i.e. serious female shooters and CCWs).The slide can be racked more easily than any other I’ve ever experienced. The four pound out-of-the-box trigger rivals, if not surpasses the Sig 320 recently adopted by US armed forces owing to its internal hammer rather than striker fired mechanics. It also has a grip safety as well as an optional frame mounted safety.
Were I choosing a handgun to teach serious shooting techniques to my wife or tween, this is the one I would pick.
My CC instructor said that because I was a female over 65, I could basically get away with shooting anyone who was male and younger and bigger. Haven’t had to.
Paul Harrell on youtube has a lot of videos demonstrating the effectiveness of most cartridges.
You don’t want to be shot with any of them. Even 22s are more effective than most people think.
In recent years I’ve gravitated toward shorter barreled long guns such as an M1 carbine over a Garand. For handguns it’s cross draw 4” revolvers (while I can still reach across my stomach) when open carrying. Otherwise I’m in T shirts and jeans so only a snubby in front pocket holster.
Where can I get that set-up package.
You’re a woman after my own heart. I can’t get my wife to shoot anything but a revolver.
My daughter, on the other hand, is going to get the auto loader course.
I get it. ha ho ho ho ho
Sounds like a nice rig. My .380 is a S&W Bodyguard Semi-auto and has a laser also. Nice design...has a button to activate laser on both sides right where your index finger rests while aiming...for lefty or righty.
Is that robot making the robot supremacist hand sign?
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