Revolver for arthritic hands

imaoldcowhand · Aug 27, 2018

Looking for suggestions on a revolver for arthritic hands.

I’m going to sell my Colt 1991A1 and get a revolver.
Not looking for a mouse gun, unless that’s what I will have to do.

Would a S&W 686+ with 4” barrel be too much.
I like the fact that I could if I wanted to shoot 357,
but would in reality only shoot 38 all and 38+.

Thanks for your input.

MaxVO2 · Aug 27, 2018

imaoldcowhand said:
Looking for suggestions on a revolver for arthritic hands.

I’m going to sell my Colt 1991A1 and get a revolver.
Not looking for a mouse gun, unless that’s what I will have to do.

Would a S&W 686+ with 4” barrel be too much.
I like the fact that I could if I wanted to shoot 357,
but would in reality only shoot 38 all Nd 38+.

Thanks for your input.

*****S&W 686+ would be a fine choice. The 6" barrel would definitely mute the recoil a bit better though. You can get some nice padded grips for that gun and there are many options out there to increase surface area to spread the load out over a greater portion of your hands to make it easier to control. That particular pistol, when well maintained, will last you a lifetime. I have both the 586 and 686 in 4 and 6 inch barrels.

TheOriginalMexicanBob · Aug 27, 2018

The new Colt Cobra has an exceedingly nice trigger pull. It only comes in a 2" barrel for now...maybe other barrel lengths in the future but that's hopeful speculation. The S&W action is nice and can be made nicer with little work. I would look for an older generation S&W as I refuse to own one with a Hillary Hole.

gwchem · Aug 27, 2018

imaoldcowhand said:
Looking for suggestions on a revolver for arthritic hands.

I’m going to sell my Colt 1991A1 and get a revolver.
Not looking for a mouse gun, unless that’s what I will have to do.

Would a S&W 686+ with 4” barrel be too much.
I like the fact that I could if I wanted to shoot 357,
but would in reality only shoot 38 all and 38+.

Thanks for your input.

The 686 is a great choice. The ruger gp100 is similar for slightly less money. Both are heavy steel guns with half decent SA trigger pulls. You might not love double action, coming from a good 1911 trigger. Both DA pulls are nearly 10 pounds.

Biggfoot44 · Aug 27, 2018

This is actually a complex question , there is a lot more than recoil per se to potentially consider .

How bad IS the arthritis ? Where (plural) ? What other hand/ wrist/ shoulder issues ?

While weight per se decreases recoil in line with the laws of physics , for people with certain level of creakiness , both the overall weight , and basic handling movements become major factors .

dist1646 · Aug 27, 2018

I would look for an older K frame S&W. My wife has trouble with arthritis in her hands and the old K frame guns work for her. Amazingly, she can pull the slide back on my Glock 17 but, she can't even begin to work the slide on any of my other guns, especially the 1911's

Uncle Duke · Aug 27, 2018

OP, if ever there was a good reason to stop at a range that rents revolvers, yours would be one. You'll find heavy and light frame .357 examples. Same with 38 Special.

Maybe it's the dexterity in your hands that's the problem. Maybe it's recoil that's more the issue. Maybe it's both. Maybe you can't handle double action, but could handle single action just fine. Maybe 38 pushes the envelope, but 22WMR might fit the bill of what you're looking for. Point being, we can guess, but you're going to know for sure, by getting revolver examples in your hands. Or hell, maybe you find that 9 mil in a 1911, or a DA/SA 9mm pistol is more manageable and more comfortable?

Good Luck finding the handgun that works best for you!

fidelity · Aug 27, 2018

Uncle Duke said:
OP, if ever there was a good reason to stop at a range that rents revolvers, yours would be one. You'll find heavy and light frame .357 examples. Same with 38 Special.
...

This is good advice (as is the norm from Uncle Duke).

OP, if you're near Frederick, you can try some of my 357 Mag revolvers during an outing. I'd bring a 3-inch Ruger SP101, 3-inch S&W 686, 6.5-inch Ruger Blackhawk, a 3.5-inch S&W Pre-27 and probably some others. All are my "favorites", but the N-frame Pre-27 is a relatively soft shooter.

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imaoldcowhand · Aug 27, 2018

Biggfoot44 said:
This is actually a complex question , there is a lot more than recoil per se to potentially consider .

How bad IS the arthritis ? Where (plural) ? What other hand/ wrist/ shoulder issues ?

While weight per se decreases recoil in line with the laws of physics , for people with certain level of creakiness , both the overall weight , and basic handling movements become major factors .

My arthritis is from my neck down to my feet, in every joint. Six weeks ago I had my left thumb joint operated on. I was in a temporary cast for 2 weeks, then a hard cast for 4 weeks, now another soft cast with physical therapy for at least 8 weeks. No working the slide on my Colt for awhile.
My right thumb joint will be done next year.
And my finger joints ache most of the time.
My doctor has suggested options, but opioids are not in my future.

dist1646 said:
I would look for an older K frame S&W. My wife has trouble with arthritis in her hands and the old K frame guns work for her. Amazingly, she can pull the slide back on my Glock 17 but, she can't even begin to work the slide on any of my other guns, especially the 1911's

Yes, my 1991A1 is a compact and it is sometimes pretty heavy to pull back. Even with the Commdander slide it can be hard to pull.

Uncle Duke said:
OP, if ever there was a good reason to stop at a range that rents revolvers, yours would be one. You'll find heavy and light frame .357 examples. Same with 38 Special.

Maybe it's the dexterity in your hands that's the problem. Maybe it's recoil that's more the issue. Maybe it's both. Maybe you can't handle double action, but could handle single action just fine. Maybe 38 pushes the envelope, but 22WMR might fit the bill of what you're looking for. Point being, we can guess, but you're going to know for sure, by getting revolver examples in your hands. Or hell, maybe you find that 9 mil in a 1911, or a DA/SA 9mm pistol is more manageable and more comfortable?

Good Luck finding the handgun that works best for you!

Is a HQL required to rent a gun?

fidelity said:
This is good advice (as is the norm from Uncle Duke).

OP, if you're near Frederick, you can try some of my 357 Mag revolvers during an outing. I'd bring a 3-inch Ruger SP101, 3-inch S&W 686, 6.5-inch Ruger Blackhawk, a 3.5-inch S&W Pre-27 and probably some others. All are my "favorites", but the N-frame Pre-27 is a relatively soft shooter.

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Thanks for the offer. Much appreciated and neighborly of you. But I’m 50 miles from Fredrick.

iH8DemLibz · Aug 27, 2018

Buy a Ruger SP101 in .357 magnum/.38 special and never look back.

Uncle Duke · Aug 27, 2018

OP, no HQL required to rent a handgun that doesn't leave the range where rented.

Glaron · Aug 27, 2018

Depends on your specific concerns.

I know someone that had a gunsmith reduce trigger pull to make it easier...

Bob A · Aug 27, 2018

The Beretta Cheetah 86 is a 380acp pistol that does not require the slide to be racked. It has a tip-up barrel in which a round can be chambered manually. Once action is closed, a full magazine can be inserted, and the pistol is ready to be fired.

While this is not the most potent cartridge available, the pistol does have advantages for those who are otherwise unable to operate a semi-automatic weapon.

Sadly, these pistols are hard to come by, as they are no longer being made, and they seem to run around $800 when they can be found.

The CZ 38 is also chambered in 380acp, and has a tip-up barrel. A C&R firearm, it has been out of production since the end of WWII. I do not know if it can be loaded in similar fashion to the Beretta. CZ38s are generally available from C&R sources.

John from MD · Aug 27, 2018

imaoldcowhand said:
Looking for suggestions on a revolver for arthritic hands.

I’m going to sell my Colt 1991A1 and get a revolver.
Not looking for a mouse gun, unless that’s what I will have to do.

Would a S&W 686+ with 4” barrel be too much.
I like the fact that I could if I wanted to shoot 357,
but would in reality only shoot 38 all and 38+.

Thanks for your input.

A 686 is a good choice if you are going to use it as a home defense weapon. It is a little too big to carry around.

A better suggestion is the new S&W M&P 380EZ. It is made for people with arthritis or weak hand strength. I too have arthritis in my hands and have a hard time racking my M&P 40c carry gun these days so I decided to buy a 380 EZ.

I love it! Not only is it arthritis sufferer friendly, but it has a longer barrel which gives you better performance from the .380 ACP round. With the new ammunition made today, I don't feel under gunned carrying a .380.

CrazySanMan · Aug 27, 2018

iH8DemLibz said:
Buy a Ruger SP101 in .357 magnum/.38 special and never look back.

This. I sold my Springfield XDs .45 carry gun due to arthritis concerns and bought a Glock 26 (9mm) that I tricked out with a laser sight and ghost ring night sight and trigger job and some other stuff. Then I bought an SP101 with a 3" barrel and I haven't carried the Glock since. I love the SP101. It carries comfortably, has a decent trigger (more so when cocked first), and the recoil isn't that bad, especially with 38 spl ammo. I put a Tru Glo front sight and Hogue recoil taming grips on it. I love that gun.

Mr.Blue · Aug 28, 2018

Assuming you won’t be carrying it, the 686/686+ is a perfect choice. You can get Hogue grips. Some models may even come with them. Shooting .38 special out of this platform feels like shooting .22lr to me. The trigger may be too heavy, but you could probably manage. My late mother had bad arthritis and she could pull the trigger just fine.

imaoldcowhand · Aug 29, 2018

Been reading and looking around a lot.

Anyone have any experience with the Kimber K6?
https://www.google.com/search?q=kimber k6&ie=utf-8&oe=utf-8&client=firefox-b-1

Mr.Blue · Aug 29, 2018

imaoldcowhand said:
Been reading and looking around a lot.

Anyone have any experience with the Kimber K6?
https://www.google.com/search?q=kimber k6&ie=utf-8&oe=utf-8&client=firefox-b-1

I handled one and it felt and looked like a quality revolver. It was a pretty handgun. I can’t imagine .357 magnum loads would be pleasurable to shoot. 38+P would probably not help your arthritis. The smallest I would go is the Ruger SP101. Again, if you don’t plan to CCW, the 686 is hard to beat. It also makes a hell of a club if you run out of ammo. YMMV

fidelity · Aug 29, 2018

imaoldcowhand said:
Been reading and looking around a lot.

Anyone have any experience with the Kimber K6?
https://www.google.com/search?q=kimber k6&ie=utf-8&oe=utf-8&client=firefox-b-1

I have the 2- and 3-inch revolver from them. I actually shoot the 2-inch one better, but that's likely due to the different grips. I was carrying the 2-inch K6S (with hot 38 Special +P loads from Underwood) last week when in Virginia. 357 Mag is a bit more jumpy out of this gun, and the short barrel results in a lot of flash and probably minimal gains in velocity over hot 38 Special +P rounds. I love the compactness of this gun as a small 6-shooter, and the DA trigger pull is very smooth.

I also find both the new Colt Cobra (2017 release) and Ruger SP101 to be straightforward to shoot well (at 7 - 10 yard distances) with even double action trigger pulls. They both have exposed hammers so can be cocked to SA. I've carried both, and with the SP101 that has the 3-inch barrel, I'll have it loaded with 357 Mag. The SP101 absorbs the recoil well. It does have trade-offs in that it is a 5-shooter and is heavier, but it is a slim revolver that conceals easily. I think it's one of the better values for a quality, capable handgun in the current production, small revolver market.

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imaoldcowhand · Aug 29, 2018

Thanks for the reviews. I actually would be shooting more 38’s and +P’s and leave the 357’s for the occasional “thrill” .
I definitely want at least a 3” barrel.
Looking at and handling a few small revolvers I’ve come to realize that, spurless and DAO is the way to go for me with my arthritic thumb.
While the 686 is nice, wrapping my arthritic hand around the bigger frame would eventually become a little cumbersome, just my opinion on that.
It may come down to not being able to shoot at all in the future.

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