Injury has made my primary hand very weak

[44 AMP]

Maybe my mindset needs to modify more than my caliber.

Inside my head, I'm still 25 or so, but my body is collecting Social Security, and reminds me (frequently, and usually painfully ) I'm not 25 and able to do what I once did anymore.

IT is tough to change a lifetime of habit and experience, but sometimes, we just don't have any choice.

 

[Vicnchan]

I agree. This getting old crap ain't for the weak. Whoever called em the Golden years needs to be smacked for false advertising ??????

 

[jar]

As I have said before, even at 80 I can still do the SAS drop, fire from prone, roll, fire from prone, repeat.



But if you want me to get up you are going to have to be patient.


One other thing I do need to point out is that in my experience 22lr rounds from the major manufacturers including CCI, Aguila, Remington, Winchester and Federal have had a very, very much lower incidence of dud rounds than those from even just a decade ago. In a revolver or a light rack pistol that has an extractor I find the incidence of dud 22lr rounds a non-issue.

The tip up barrel 22lr format though is different. There I find the lack of an extractor to be a significant issue when considering a 22lr as an SD possibility.

 

[Shadow9mm]

380 ez was going to be my recommendation, sorry to see it didn't work for you.

Id shy away from rimfires in semi auto guns, reliability is just not there IMHO.

You might get away with a revolver in 22 mag, or 9mm, as the weight of the steel should soak up a fair bit of the recoil. but if you can tolerate your SP101 I would go with that and practice your reloads and target transitions. solid hits are what counts.

 

[Rangerrich99]

As far as the S&W EZ380 (or 9mm for that matter), my suggestion is to just tape the backstrap safety down; problem solved. You're a former instructor; you know as well as anyone just how worthless the thing is anyway, especially for someone as experience as yourself.

 

[jetinteriorguy]

You stated this is for carry, but haven’t stipulated for CC and I’m going to assume it’s open carry. I have an RIA 1911 that has a conversion for .22 TCM that would fit your needs. Now, this may not be a realistic recommendation given the ammo supply right now is kind of difficult, which is a shame. So on the more realistic side probably the 5.7 M&P would be a good idea other than the cost of the ammo.

 

[101combatvet]

I severely injured my right wrist in February '23 (I am right handed btw). I have had 2 surgeries since then, and I am about to have a third to fuse the wrist. I have also lost about half of the strength in that wrist.
I am a retired Deputy Sheriff and spent more than 2 decades of that as a firearms instructor. I always taught my guys/gals to be able to shoot, and operate/reload the weapon off hand. That being said, I am proficient with my left hand , BUT what if I lose use of my left in a fight? I need to be able to quickly go to my right and stay in the fight. With that being the case, I need to modify my carry for the weakest link... my wrist.

My thought process is to downgrade to the lowest recoiling, heaviest hitter I can find. A Doctor friend of mine and avid shooter knows the details of what happened and the extent of the injuries. He is suggesting staying away from my 45,40, 357 revolver, and compact 9mm. I tried working the action on my 380 lcp max, but can not.

My thought now is either a high capacity 22LR, a hcap 22Mag, or the new Smith&Wesson M&P 5.7x28. I prefer the idea of the 5.7 because it's center fire and the new smith is supposed to have reduced recoil due to the tempo barrel.

Any other suggestions or ideas? Any advice will be welcomed.

If I had injuries like you have, I would consider a revolver. Many options out there; even if it shoots .357, you can shoot .38 Special with good effect. I'm not a big fan of the air weights; I like a heavier pistol that sucks up the recoil. I'd practice with your uninjured hand as well.

 

[Forte S+W]

Other: Train to use your other hand. God gave you two hands and there's really no difference between the two is which one you've developed a habit of using dominantly, so with training and exercise you can become every bit as proficient with your other hand without having to downgrade to a less powerful cartridge.

As for your injured wrist, I'd recommend carrying a backup gun on your injured side chambered in a low-recoiling cartridge. As for what you ought to carry, I would recommend experimenting at the range with different firearms/cartridges until you find one that you can shoot painlessly/accurately with your injuries.

 

[TunnelRat]

Other: Train to use your other hand. God gave you two hands and there's really no difference between the two is which one you've developed a habit of using dominantly, so with training and exercise you can become every bit as proficient with your other hand without having to downgrade to a less powerful cartridge.

Unless I misread the OP, that’s what he’s doing. His concern is that if his newly dominant hand is incapacitated then his formerly dominant hand won’t be able to operate the firearm.

 

[TailGator]

The Beretta PX4 line has a rotating barrel that soften recoil quite noticeably. The 9 mm version that I have is a real *****cat. Keep in mind that the subcompact version does not have the rotating barrel, but the full size and the compact are very soft shooting.

 

[mog]

Shooting in the "Golden Years"

Vicnchan I agree. This getting old crap ain't for the weak. Whoever called em the Golden years needs to be smacked for false advertising.

If you should find the guy kindly smack him with a vintage 1,000 pg. New York City Phoe Book, soaked in a bucket for a few days- If you've ever visited a US Navy 'persuasion Room' you'll know what i'm talking about...
Regards-mog

PS: just turned 71, did a lot of manual labor thru my life, and i'm oiling a new Shield 9mm EASY. I dunno why everyone carries on bitchng and moaning about the backstrap safety. Three different guys said "i got pinched by the top of the safety and the frame..." Well, after many tries, this is pretty impossible- and if no one told you the backstrap was in fact a safety, they'd say "So What?" the safety is the most inconsequentially easy part to engage on the frame. But-what do i know? i've only been shooting ,RO'ing, and training new shooters for sixty-two years. Maybe it's a Gen X-Y-or Millenials only problem?