Walt

Due to a degenerative disease, my father is rapidly losing strength in his left hand to the point where he is no longer able to manipulate the slide on his G17. As such, I'm thinking of picking up a revolver to replace his Glock, though I know fuck-all about revolvers.

At the moment, I'm leaning towards the unported S&W 686 with a 4" barrel. Any comments or suggestions?

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Calmer than you are...

Plan9

Why not a 6" barrel, Walt? I find it balances better than the 4" model.

I've used a S&W 686 for over a decade now. It's a good piece. I'm not a fan of the Hogue "alien sex toy" grips on them and wouldn't recommend them to someone with larger hands. I like Craig Spiegel "boot" grips myself; they're beefy and don't attempt to massage your prostate.

This nice part about revolvers (double or even single action) in your father's case is that you do most of the manipulations with the strong hand. Shooting and loading/unloading are both done with the dominant hand. The nondominant hand cradles the cylinder through the frame to prevent the cylinder yoke from swinging and to keep the chambers fixed while inserting rounds. I usually stuff two rounds, rotate the next two chambers up with my thumb, etc. Speedloaders are better.

Probably unnecessary, but here's an example of how to properly load a revolver: = LINK =

Making sure the ammunition he uses for self-defense purposes (and thus low light shooting) is of a low flash formula is critical as revolvers can be real flamethrowers with some loads. You'll light up the whole room and blind yourself if you use that kind of ammo.

__________________
Whatever you can carry.

"You should not drink... and bake."

Martian

I know fuck all about guns, but if your father's losing strength/dexterity in his hands, should he really have one?

I know you said it's only the left, but my silent spectating of this forum has impressed on me that two hands are required to shoot effectively.

It's noteworthy that I'm not saying you're wrong, or that Guns Are Bad. Just asking the first question that popped into my head.

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I wake up in the morning more tired than before I slept
I get through cryin' and I'm sadder than before I wept
I get through thinkin' now, and the thoughts have left my head
I get through speakin' and I can't remember, not a word that I said

- Ben Harper, Show Me A Little Shame

Plan9

But guns ARE bad. Look at them being bad. They're so bad. Naughty little guns.

Two hands is obviously the preferred method. One can shoot almost as well with one hand at close ranges using a slight inward tilt on the weapon, focusing on pressing out, and making sure they keep the trigger squeeze even. I'd imagine Walt's father can at least put his left hand around his other hand and support the weapon. The nondominant hand is merely there to squeeze the main hand and provide even grip pressure.

__________________
Whatever you can carry.

"You should not drink... and bake."

raptor9k

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Plan9

The S&W 500 series is also an excellent nightstand revolver. The 4" model is compact, has a low recoil impulse, and produces negligible muzzle flash.

First gun I ever shot was a GP-100. They're not really wood, are they? I thought it was rubber with wood panel-lookin' plastic inserts. Garish, really.

__________________
Whatever you can carry.

"You should not drink... and bake."

The_Dunedan

Dude, y'all c'mon by the shop.

Jinn

Olympic shooters (and many competitive shooters) practice two handed and one-handed. Bracing an arm against the torso while standing goes a long way, but shooting one handed accurately is definitely quite feasible, and in some cases desirable.

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"I'm typing on a computer of science, which is being sent by science wires to a little science server where you can access it. I'm not typing on a computer of philosophy or religion or whatever other thing you think can be used to understand the universe because they're a poor substitute in the role of understanding the universe which exists independent from ourselves." - Willravel

raptor9k

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