I created a monster

Good for you. We certainly need to create more female shooters (I try to do my part with my spouse, daughters and their friends). The Ruger pistols and the 10-22 are ideal for introductory shooting; I also offer up S&W revolvers (the Model 63 4" is good) in .22 and .38, a soft-shooting 9mm such as the SIG P226 or Beretta 92FS have achieved good results and a lot of smiles too.

jak67429 said:

He pulls out a sw 4" revolver 357 mag, with mag loads and tries to make her shoot it. after 1 shot she is done.

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Knuckleheads like this having been turning women and children off from shooting for a long time. I used to ignore these clowns, now that I'm old and don't care what anyone thinks anymore, I try to step in when I see this stuff going on and offer up something fun to shoot.

Great story! Good on you.

My 70 year old wife is 5' nothing and likes shooting my 10mm pistols. Her favorite is the 2011 in 10mm with the compensated barrel installed. You should see the looks on the guys faces at the range when my wife starts shooting that thing. Especially the 'old guys' shooting 9mm.

And while she's not the fastest shooter, she hits everything she aims at.

Good for the OP and for the wife of the bonehead husband!

I have always started out each new shooter with a .22; rifle or handgun (revolver or semi-auto), their choice. Once they have got the fundamentals down and are progressing nicely, I then offer them the chance to shoot a centerfire handgun. Usually it's a full size revolver, like a S&W Model 10 or a Model 686 loaded with .38 Special wadcutter target loads to let them get accustomed to how they operate. Likewise I have a number of full size 9mm. pistols to choose from, all loaded with light target loads as well. Some people like to stay with the .22s, as that is their comfort level while others start with .22s and finish the session with a mag or two of .45 ACP!

The guy may have done that on purpose. Now he has to spend thousands of dollars on guns he doesn't need AND his wife always wants to come along when he's going shootin' with the boys. Not everyone likes their wives and girlfriends to be around for all of their hobbies. In my case the last thing I would want is a girlfriend that plays golf.

Best kind of "monster" to make.

Old Dog said:

Knuckleheads like this having been turning women and children off from shooting for a long time.
I used to ignore these clowns, now that I'm old and don't care what anyone thinks anymore....

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Same for motorcycles. Mr. Macho takes wife or girlfriend out for a ride and scares the living crap out of her and wonders why she'll never get on a bike again.

Yeah, not caring what people think anymore is one of the only benefits of getting old. lol

Old Dog said:

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My knucklehead buddy talked his daughter into turkey hunting with him. They went out and bought camo and boots for her, then hit the range. Now this gal was in her late 30's and had not spent much time shooting. So what does dummy daddy do? Sticks a 3" turkey load in his 12ga and had her shoot it. She never went hunting and wouldn't shoot another gun for years. I don't understand why he didn't use light field loads.

Sounds like she was a grown woman and could make her own decision as to whether to shoot or not. One shot and that pistol is not for her . . . okay . . . move on down to other options. I don't think the whole story is being told here. But maybe and I wasn't there so "grain of salt."

I just hate when people feel the need to hand a 5 foot nothing, 98 pound girl (or anybody for that matter) a .41 magnum or a .338 as the first thing they ever shoot.

Congratulations, you just soured somebody on shooting, probably forever.

I found lightly loaded .38 specials (148 gr wadcutters or the mild 130 gr FMJs) out of a duty size platform work well for introduction to shooting.

jak67429 said:

This will get a little long but I think you will like the ending. I little back ground I am a certified handgun and rifle instructor and a certified youth coach. I just received an email from the husband of one of my shooting students. I says I have created a monster. I few months ago my granddaughter and I were at the range practicing. A guy and his wife came in and asked if they could shoot. I said I would stay for half hour then had to leave. He pulls out a sw 4" revolver 357 mag, with mag loads and tries to make her shoot it. after 1 shot she is done. So I asked if I could try something. after they agree I have my granddaughter show her how to shoot my ruger mk11. then my 10/22. she is hooked. just before we left my granddaughter talked her into shooting the ar we just finished putting together. The wife askes if I could do a personal class just for her, I said yes and after 2 classes she now shoots steel challenge with 22 pistol and rifel. So the email states she now owns 2 22lr pistols, 3 22 rifles and an ar15 in 223.

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That was cruel of you! Anyone that gives their wife a full power loaded 357 to learn to shoot with is NOT a person that wants his wife to have anything to do with shooting!

Great story, and well done.

Back before Christmas, a friend from church asked me what pistol to buy for his wife for self defense. Neither of them are shooters, so rather than give a specific answer to his question I suggested he give her a "gift certificate" that included two visits with me. The first will be a safety and familiarization briefing in our home after dinner, during which I plan to cover the four rules, explain how handguns work, and let her handle a variety of handguns to get a feel for them. I'll have her dry fire a couple of revolvers and semiautos so she gets a feel for the trigger, etc. May even set up an iTarget for her. But no shooting and no live ammo.

Second session will be at the range so she can try out several options and experience first hand the tradeoffs between them. For instance, an LCP is easy to conceal but difficult to shoot. A GP100 with .38 specials is fairly easy to shoot, but not so easy to carry. It will be interesting to see if she feels more comfortable with the long pull of a Kahr or the lighter pull of a Glock. We'll start with .22s, though. After the range outing, I think my friends will be in a much better position to make an informed choice.

If I'm lucky, I'll create two monsters.

ETA: First session is this evening!

jak67429 said:

On the total other end of the spectrum. My niece from California was visiting a few years ago. I was supposed to take her to the airport and she wanted to go shooting. well I didn't want alot of guns in the car at airport, so I stopped at my cousins that is on the way. We took 22 pistol and rifel and an ar. what she wanted the most was guns that had more recoil. she is 5 maybe 120 ponds and loved a ruger redhawk in 44 mag and a trapdoor in 45-70. you never know.

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If they ask for it, they probably know what they're in for. To just assume that .600 Nitro Express will be fun for the uninitiated is just plain wrong.

Jimbo80 said:

Not everyone likes their wives and girlfriends to be around for all of their hobbies. In my case the last thing I would want is a girlfriend that plays golf.

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And some of us have wives who are partners and we look for activities and hobbies we can share... She shoots with me, I cook with her, we fish, ski and ride together, win-win.

jak67420 (OP): excellent method you used.


In this video the first Recoil is at 1:08.
Katerina Vikor does not complain about the recoil, nor with her .458 Win. (other videos). Incidentally, she enlisted two years ago in the Norwegian Army.

The point is that many of us underestimate which kinds of shooting some ladies are willing to try - and repeat, with proper instructions.

Ignition Override said:

jak67420 (OP): excellent method you used.


In this video the first Recoil is at 1:08.
Katerina Vikor does not complain about the recoil, nor with her .458 Win. (other videos). Incidentally, she enlisted two years ago in the Norwegian Army.

The point is that many of us underestimate which kinds of shooting some ladies are willing to try - and repeat, with proper instructions.

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My little wife has shot many pistols/revolvers in various calibers. Including 44 mags. While she can shoot the big boomers well enough, she doesn't care for them. She just wants to shoot for fun.

Maybe he didn't her tagging along to the range and was trying to scare her off.

You blew it for the guy

When my wife put up a fuss about going deer hunting with me I wasn't too thrilled but smart enough to know what battles to fight with her. The outcome was that she was a much better camp cook than me and instead of beanie-weenies and saltine crackers I had hot biscuits and bacon for breakfast plus good groceries come suppertime. One time we took two of her younger brothers with us and we got our deer the first day and the brothers didn't. Morning two we slept in and the brothers asked her why she didn't get up and cook breakfast. She told them she would when she got good and ready and the could wait or go hunting as she wasn't their personal cook. Later that morning we had biscuits tossed in a pot of hot oil to cook, butter, honey, bacon, and cowboy coffee, one of the best breakfasts I can remember. Just the both of us by ourselves out in the woods. I have never been able to understand a married couple that didn't like to have the other around.

I taught her to shoot, sort of, before we were every married. The teaching was basically: This is the way this gun works, keep your finger off the trigger until ready to shoot, and pay attention to where the muzzle is pointing. She did the rest and yes, we started with a 22 rimfire, the only caliber I owned at the time. Even if I had had something larger the 22 would still have been the starter. She stood 5' 6" but only weighed 115#, not exactly a large person.

Old Dog said:

And some of us have wives who are partners and we look for activities and hobbies we can share... She shoots with me, I cook with her, we fish, ski and ride together, win-win.

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My wife was my best friend. We did everything together. I feel bad for guys who try to avoid their partners.

My wife is my best friend. My greatest fear is that I will outlive her.

I have a monster too!

My wife (my best friend as well) had shot a couple things before we met, shotgun (12 gauge) and a .38 revolver, so, wanted a gun for SD, she bought a .38 snub revolver, because that is what she knew, and had been told previously that was a minimum for what she needed and she had trouble racking a semi. She was not enthusiastic about doing more than shooting it a few times and putting it away. I bought her an SR-22 before we went the next time so she could work on fundamentals (my bad - I didn't catch the issue on the reverse safety) and teach her how to rack a semi. She put multiple boxes of ammo through it and found she could actually hit close to the bull. She was hooked!. She now has a collection of her own pistols - no more revolvers for her - and if needed can shoot every semi I own - she even shot a friends 45 Kimber Ultra once.

I don't mind her being a bit of monster, she has tried everything from .22LR and wmr revolvers to my 1911 and has settled on a Sig p365 - 9mm, P238 - .380 and an LCP2 in .22LR as her primaries. but has a few others she takes to the range when we go. She is enthusiastic about going to the range when we can and she is capable and accurate - I pity the bad guy if she ever has to use it against someone. Plus, with all the guns she has bought and decided she did not like I now have a few guns in my safe I would not have bought if it was just me, including the little LCR in .22wmr that I occasionally pocket carry in winter.

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