Thank you, Johnnyq60. I have actually been a USCCA member since 2016, but never knew what I was missing until today when I signed up for the Community.
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Hey all,
Looking for a few suggestions for my 70 year old Mom for a carry piece. The neighborhood where she lives and the one she works in is going down hill.
Things to keep in mind she is tiny just under 5ā and has small weak hands.
She can fire my Rossi .38+p fine but has trouble using it in double action (hard trigger pull). No way could she pull the slide back on the wifeās SW Sheild.
Iād be taking her to the range to rent/test fire anything under consideration.
Any suggestions?
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Concealed carry vests such as a fishing vest are called shoot me first vests. Everyone knows you are heeled.
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Glock in .380 loaded by you with one in the chamber. No need for mom to ever rack the slide. Just point and shoot (or, spray and pray).
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Thanks, but she needs to be able to cycle whatever we get (zombies) Iāll check the Glock out (my first instinct was a sig lol)
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Why does your mom need to cycle (rack the slide)? Is your mom going to go to the range by herself?
The Sig is an excellent choice.
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Yes she will go to the range by herself sheās super independent, (Cycle=Rack slide and/or reload, or open and reload a revolver). I am not there to do it for her all the time.
If she could CCW a shotgun Iād get her one lol.
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Have you considered the S&W Shield EZ? They are available in both .380 and 9mm and are built for exactly that use case.
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There are negative reviews on the EZ saying it is not easy.
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A $10 bill in pocket for an aggressive pan handler and a $10 roll of Quarters in fist just in case he becomes belligerent. 
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Really? I havenāt handled one personally, but every guntuber review iāve seen notes how EZ (see what I did there!) the slide is to manipulate.
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Thanks, Iāll get my hands on one and check it out.
As far as a $10 and a roll of quarters sheād be out $35 and would hit them about as hard as a wet noodle 
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Ok first of all on these sprays aka OC or Mace,they are not a be all do all.In my profession I have dealt with offenders who were in no way affected by spray. So once this is deployed it will affect you. If you are close enough to use spray you will be indirectly affected by it. I have dealt with offenders in which tasers and pressure points do not work. Trust me if you have to use the previous āless lethal ā defenses and they donāt work,you are about to have a bad day.As for an EDC on my on time I carry the Glock 17 Gen 4 the basic right out of the box. The reason I carry the Glock 17 it is what my department requires I carry on duty.So I felt I needed something I am familiar with at all times. I carry at three magazines for it.
I also carry a Glock 19 Gen 3 with three magazines. I carry a S&W Bodyguard in .38 special .A leatherman multi tool and a Kershaw OFT are my bladed backup weapons.A fully charged cellphone and two mini flashlights round out my EDC. The best EDC is an alert constant state of Situational Awareness. Because as you all know no where is safe anymore.
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Nothing is the be all do all.
But pepper spray is a worthwhile took to consider.
There are offenders not affected by all kinds of things, including many peopleās punches or shoves. And even bullets to center mass.
For specific pepper spray Iād recommend Sabre Red. Possibly POM. Off side. Non lethal use. Aim for the eyes. Stream or Gel (Sabre has a red gel). Sabre ācrossfireā is a good choice too.
Expect to get some exposure yourself of course.
Go for the eyes
And remember the purpose of pepper spray is not to incapacitate an attacker on its own (though it might), the purpose is to put you in a better position than you had been to escape or successfully defend yourself due to the impairment imparted by the OC
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If Iām not too late to the party, Iād also like to through my recommendation behind the Shield EZ. My wife had problems racking the slide on the Glock and Sig that we tested at the range but when the instructor suggested the EZ, She had no problem what-so-ever. It was in .380 but she fond that she could control it better, and was more comfortable with it, than the 9s so thatās what we got her.
If you havenāt already, Iād suggest going to a range that has one to rent and giving it a try.
In fact, Iāve been looking into getting the 9m EZ as well. Just so when/if sheās feels comfortable moving up in caliber, sheās got a firearm that sheās relatively familiar with and is just as EZ (hehe, sorry, couldnāt help it) to rack as her .380.
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When my daughter finally decided she was comfortable to carry a firearm. I got her a S&W MP .380 EZ. Itās very reliable and easy to use. My next door neighbors are an older couple and he could not manipulate my Glock at all I let him try try my daughters firearm while I had it to do maintenance on it and he loved it. Was fun watching his confidence grow as he was able to manipulate the firearm on his own.
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I had gotten one for my wife as a nightstand gun. She found after a while that the grip was a little too big for her tiny hand, so we moved to something else for her. I adopted the EZ and started playing with it at the range. I came to love itās trigger and shoot-ability. Itās also very slim and easy to conceal. Itās turned into my primary EDC because I like shooting it so much, itās light and thin, and extremely reliable. I carry it with Hydrashok deep ammo, which tested well in the long-ish barrel (for a 380).
For anyone not familiar, itās an SAO hammer fired pistol, not the typical striker of the normal M&P line.
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