A gun for the new or elderly shooter
By MARJ LAW
“Can you help me?” quavers the voice of an older woman. “My husband passed away over a year ago. He kept a gun in a drawer beside the bed. I’ve never shot a gun, but maybe I should have one. It’s a… Let me see…It’s a…”
“Yes, I’d be glad to help you,” I answer, trying to keep my voice calm and soothing. I’m very afraid she might hurt herself. “And would you please put the gun back in its box, just the way it is. Don’t do a thing with it. I’ll be happy to come out to your house today, and we can decide together what to do with it.”
She immediately agrees, relieved.
When I arrive that day, we first take the gun in its box outside to her patio table. Pointing the gun in a safe direction, I pick it up.
“Harry had that gun for 42 years,” she informs me. “I never did see him take it out of its box, and I think it’s loaded.”
This handgun has a magazine heel lock. I push this lever back to allow the magazine to come out, then try to pull out the magazine. No dice. I pull harder. Nope. Can’t move it. Drat.
“May I take this gun home with me for a day?” I ask her. “It needs some work, and I don’t have the tools here.”
“Of course.” She’s happy to have this problem solved.
I bring the gun home, and wrestle with that darn magazine. Nope. Won’t come out. It’ll need more strength than I have.
“Joe!” I call. “Can you get the magazine out of this gun?”
He takes the gun, and tries to push back the lever and yanks at the magazine. Well, he would have yanked, but it doesn’t do any good. That magazine is stuck fast.
“This is really jammed,” he mutters. Finally, he pushes very hard. Now able to release the magazine, he unloads the gun.
“The lubricant here has jelled. It froze the heel lock in place.” He cleans out the remains of the lubricant. “Even with the jell gone, this is a difficult magazine to get out of the gun. Many older guns are not so well new-shooter-oriented. They were engineered to function, but not to be easy to use for a new shooter.”
Well, I’m secretly glad he had troubles taking out the magazine, too, but fortunately he’s a whole lot stronger than I am.
Even when it is unstuck, I find it very difficult to operate the magazine lock. If I find it hard, imagine how an elderly woman will manage?
Pulling back the slide, I find it is also very tight and hard to manage. The gun is small, and it is a .40-caliber handgun. It will have a lot of recoil. This is not the gun for an elderly lady. Many of the older handguns had heavy trigger pulls and rudimentary sights too.
Unloaded, cleaned and newly lubricated, I return the gun to the lady.
“Should I keep this gun?” she asks. “I’ve been thinking that maybe I need to learn to use this gun for my own safety.”
“You could certainly learn to shoot. There are classes nearby with qualified teachers. Or, you may know someone who is very knowledgeable. But I wouldn’t keep this particular gun. It’s difficult to manipulate. Newer handguns will have features that make them much easier to use.”
“So, if I do take a handgun course, I’ll want to purchase a new gun. How do I know I won’t get ripped off, or if someone will sell me a gun that is too difficult for me to use?”
“That’s a great question,” I reply. “First, buy locally. This is important, because when you need accessories or anything else gun-related, these people will want your continued business. Even more important, my experience here has shown that our local gun shop owners will hear what you say you need, and they will sell you an appropriate gun.”
“My girlfriend has a gun she likes to shoot, but she says she can’t take it apart to clean. Don’t you have to clean out shooting residue in a gun? What if I find a gun I like, but it’s too difficult to take it apart?”
“It sure is better to find a gun that you can manage yourself, but if you do get your hands on a gun that is easy to shoot, has good sights, low recoil and a good grip but is difficult to take apart… If you really want that gun, the local shop owners will point you to someone who can clean your gun on a regular basis.”
“Isn’t that going to be expensive?”
“It’s not very expensive. And, if this gun might be in the position to save your life, you’ll think it is well worth a few dollars to keep it clean!”
“Since we’ve been talking, I’m learning about other things I’ll need to shoot at a range. For example, you said something about an UpLula. What’s that and do I need one?”
“An UpLula is an accessory which can make loading your magazine easy. Depending on the gun you choose, you may want an UpLula.”
“I’ll need to buy hearing and sight protection,” she adds. “And a bag to carry my stuff in. And targets.”
“Yes. You do need all those.”
“Where do I go to shoot? I hear there are shooting ranges nearby, but they cost money. My friend said I can shoot in a range in the national forest for free. Is that a good idea?”
“No!” It’s frightening to think of a newbie or anyone else shooting at the forest range. Joe and I went a couple times. Shooters there don’t necessarily follow range rules. Some shooters are well-informed and follow guidelines you’d expect at a range, but some do not.
“I don’t want to take a chance. Where do you go that’s safe?” she wonders.
“Joe and I go to the Wakulla County Sheriff’s Office range. There is always a deputy at the front desk. If you’re new to the range, he’ll go over basic range rules with you and make sure you understand them. It’s reassuring to know there is always a deputy at this range. The cost is reasonable: $75 a year. You can go out often except for Sundays and Mondays. And a few days are set aside for training purposes and holidays. It’s a very good deal.”
“So, you really think I should buy locally and shoot locally?”
“Yes, I do. You’ll get a fair deal and you’ll be safe.”
Marj Law is the former director of Keep Wakulla County Beautiful who has become an avid shooter in retirement.