Getting the wife shooting; our story

[Oninotaki]

Since you asked about 3” barrels earlier in the thread I would just like to toss out there as an option the Charter Arms Professional in .32 H&R magnum 7 shot revolver. Shooting .32 S&W Long Wadcutters out of mine has been one of the most pleasant shooting experiences of my life. It has a nice fiber optic front site which many carry revolvers lack, and it is not impossible to get speed loaders for if she ever wanted to try them out. I did swap the grips for some textured ones from premium gun grips however.

.32 S&W longs in general are easy to get now online, with some brands as cheap as $25 for a box of 50, .32 S&W Shorts, and .32 ACP function as even softer shooting alternatives, and if you can find them .32 H&R magnums can provide the extra kick she may look for after she becomes comfortable shooting in general. Buffalo Bore, Black Hills, and Underwood are the easiest sources of them currently as far as I can tell.

https://charterfirearms.com/collections/nitride/products/model-63270

https://premiumgungrips.com/charter-arms/

 

[Smaug]

Since you asked about 3” barrels earlier in the thread I would just like to toss out there as an option the Charter Arms Professional in .32 H&R magnum 7 shot revolver. Shooting .32 S&W Long Wadcutters out of mine has been one of the most pleasant shooting experiences of my life. It has a nice fiber optic front site which many carry revolvers lack, and it is not impossible to get speed loaders for if she ever wanted to try them out. I did swap the grips for some textured ones from premium gun grips however.

.32 S&W longs in general are easy to get now online, with some brands as cheap as $25 for a box of 50, .32 S&W Shorts, and .32 ACP function as even softer shooting alternatives, and if you can find them .32 H&R magnums can provide the extra kick she may look for after she becomes comfortable shooting in general. Buffalo Bore, Black Hills, and Underwood are the easiest sources of them currently as far as I can tell.

https://charterfirearms.com/collections/nitride/products/model-63270

https://premiumgungrips.com/charter-arms/

That is a GREAT suggestion; thanks! I'm a handloader, so I would likely buy a couple hundred pieces of 32 H&R Magnum brass and just handload for it. Maybe Buffalo Bore for a carry/defense load...

If the trigger's as good as it was on the Undercover I looked at the other week, it should be a doozy! (and for $200 less than the Taurus 856 Executive AND American-made!)

It would look good with the White Fire Pearl Wrap grips in the 2nd link...

 

[Smaug]

↑ I'll probably hold off though until primers are more available. It's hard enough now just to get small primers for my 38/357 habit; don't want to add another cartridge into the mix just yet.

 

[Oninotaki]

That is a GREAT suggestion; thanks! I'm a handloader, so I would likely buy a couple hundred pieces of 32 H&R Magnum brass and just handload for it. Maybe Buffalo Bore for a carry/defense load...

If the trigger's as good as it was on the Undercover I looked at the other week, it should be a doozy! (and for $200 less than the Taurus 856 Executive AND American-made!)

It would look good with the White Fire Pearl Wrap grips in the 2nd link...

I am glad to see the suggestion is of interest to you. I went with the Rosewood and Fire pearl grips myself, love them and put them on just about everything I can. Taurus 327, Diamondback Sidekick, Heritage Roughrider birds head and standard grips, and a Bond Arms Derringer. I am at the point that if premium gun grips makes that style of grip for a pistol, I gotta check out the pistol. Anyway here are a few handloading articles I found when debating if I was going to hand load for this firearm. Maybe they can help you get started if the .32 is the path you want to go down.

https://reloadammo.com/32-h-r-magnum-reloading-data/

http://www.lasc.us/fryxellthe32s-wlong.htm

 

[mrcabinet]

I went through this same exercise with my wife about 10 years ago. We tried probably a couple dozen different handguns of various styles and calibers, and the one she "settled" on was an older 6" Taurus .38 with my 148 grn. wadcutters. It wasn't my preferred choice for her, and she wasn't 100% happy with it, but she could shoot it comfortably and accurately.

Then I ran across a Walther PK380 at a show. I didn't know much about it, but I thought it might be a contender for her. I brought it home, and she immediately loved the grip and overall ergonomics. Then she racked the slide, and a huge grin appeared on her face. It is very, very easy to rack. She insisted we go to the range that day and try it out. At the range that grin turned into a giant smile. Not only is it light and easy to rack but, because it's not a blowback design, the recoil isn't much more than a .22. It's also surprisingly accurate. Three of my wife's friends that had been on a similar journey now own a PK380 - that's how "female friendly" it is.

 

[Smaug]

I went through this same exercise with my wife about 10 years ago. We tried probably a couple dozen different handguns of various styles and calibers, and the one she "settled" on was an older 6" Taurus .38 with my 148 grn. wadcutters. It wasn't my preferred choice for her, and she wasn't 100% happy with it, but she could shoot it comfortably and accurately.

Then I ran across a Walther PK380 at a show. I didn't know much about it, but I thought it might be a contender for her. I brought it home, and she immediately loved the grip and overall ergonomics. Then she racked the slide, and a huge grin appeared on her face. It is very, very easy to rack. She insisted we go to the range that day and try it out. At the range that grin turned into a giant smile. Not only is it light and easy to rack but, because it's not a blowback design, the recoil isn't much more than a .22. It's also surprisingly accurate. Three of my wife's friends that had been on a similar journey now own a PK380 - that's how "female friendly" it is.

I'll have to keep my eyes peeled for one of those. Seems like a contender to the S&W Shield EZ 380, but without the bad grip safety.

My wife has opted not to come to the range with me the last couple times I went. Last night, she took our daughter and a friend for dress fitting. Mom stuff; she always has something else to do.

 

[Hal]

I'm pretty blessed with the fact that when my wife and I started going out, one of our first dates was going to a range and shooting my Hi Standard Sport King.
My wife adopted as her own and hung onto it until I bought her a Browning Buckmark Micro with a nickel finish - same as the Hi Standard,
We've been together now for 41, going on 42 years.

Shooting together makes the heart grow fonder... .

 

[Smaug]

We went to the range again together yesterday (her idea!)

She's really getting comfortable with the S&W 19. I had some light 38 wadcutter loads that were just perfect for her. The bullets were 150 gr. HiTek-coated (for my cleaning pleasure) and propelled with 2.8 gr. of WST. She didn't even want to shoot the SP-101 this time. I think she needs to work on holding up a weight at arm's length, as her accuracy really dropped off by the end of the 1.5 hour session. (and she took breaks) She's been working the hand exerciser I got for her a few weeks ago and has no problem pulling the (light) DA trigger any more.

We had a couple more light primer strikes with the 19; I need to look again for the spring kit from Brownell's and see if they're in stock yet. I asked her if she'd like a gun like the 19 but lighter. (thinking of an old, pencil-barreled 4-incher, like Tallball recommended. She said no, she likes this one. Damn. I might buy her one anyway. Need to go to a gun show or something.

I got an XS tritium front sight and installed it on the SP-101 this past week; it looks great! Unfortunately, the silhouette targets available at this range are also green!

I shot some new handloads and leaded the hell out of the 19 and SP-101: old 105 gr. Meister "Rattler" bullets in 357 cases with 7.0 gr. of Win231. I think I'm gonna scale it back to 6.0 gr. and try again, if I ever get a patch through without little tiny lead chips coming out. Can't WAIT to get these bullets used up and hopefully never buy lubed lead again.

I'm still thinking of the Taurus 856 Executive for Cari. Probably pick one up after I get the Cimarron. Good trigger, lighter and 38-only. She finds regular S&B 158 gr. 38 Spl to be quite heavy in recoil, so there's no need to consider 357 Magnum for her. If it turns out to be a good gun, I might just sell the SP-101, as I don't need to shoot 357s out of a little gun these days.

 

[J-Bar]

My wife earned her concealed carry permit years ago but did not renew it when it expired. Simply forgot. Missouri allows residents to carry open and concealed without a license so she wasn’t breaking a law by continuing to carry, but she wants to get another permit which reduces anxiety during out of state travel. So she will attend another class in November. She asked me to take her to the range for some refresher lessons.

She is a perfectionist, which showed up as trying to put each shot in the center of the X ring. Not necessarily a bad goal, except when it causes her to aim so long that she gets the shakes and then jerks the trigger when the sight picture looks perfect.

To counter this we talked about sight alignment, sight picture, and practiced a good trigger squeeze even when the sight picture isn’t technically perfect. Then at the range, I brought the target REALLY close, about 6 feet, and had her shoot a .22 revolver single action. I had her break the shot within 5 seconds of getting the sight on target, focusing on trigger control/squeeze, and lowering the gun between shots. She produced delightfully small groups because the target was close, and learned that good groups happen with good trigger control, not jerking the trigger when things look “right”. She moved the target out when she wanted to, not my decision. She is not going to have any problem with her qualification test at her concealed carry class. She will qualify using the .22 LR because I’m cheap and conserving primers.

I describe this in the hope it may help your wife’s confidence, and help relieve her flinch/trigger jerk. Dry firing at home, learning to break the shot with a dime balanced on the barrel is still time well spent.

My wife carries a J frame Model 37 Airweight .38 Special with target wadcutters and Crimson Trace grips. She likes the laser and lack of weight.

 

[.38 Special]

I'm biased in favor of the Model 19, but after having read through the thread, it seems to me that your search is over.

Having said that, if the SA trigger is truly at or under a pound, the springs are way too light and the gun will never be reliable. I've never personally seen a K frame trigger under about 2.5 pounds that was safe and reliable, and honestly prefer 3 or 3.5 on a fighting gun. I think you are right with your plan to get some heavier springs.

 

[J-Bar]

UPDATE:

My wife had another practice session for CC qualification today. I’m proud of her progress.

She started the target at 9 feet with her .22 LR, putting most of them in the X-ring. She ran the target out to 7 yards, Missouri’s qualification distance, and fired another 3 cylinder’s full with the .22, then 10 shots with her carry gun, the S&W Airweight J frame .38 Special. Nothing outside the 9, and Missouri only requires that all shots be in the blue 7 ring to qualify, so she is very confident now.

I’m convinced that getting her to accept some sight wobble and concentrate on trigger squeeze made the difference. This is a 74 year old retired schoolteacher who really was never interested in shooting.

 

[Smaug]

That's very good!
My mom is a retired school teacher of that vintage and she would never go through with it.

I'm going to use your tips on my wife, next time she comes to the range with me.

 

[Smaug]

I took the missus shooting again today.

I showed her a recent post from another THR member who posted that his wife or daughter could shoot all day with a 22 instead of just an hour. Cari really identified with that and decided she would like to have that experience.

She asked to go look at guns again, with a focus on light guns with light recoil, an auto. This one local shop has a great selection, and Cari quickly narrowed it down to two: S&W Shield EZ 9 mm and S&W 22 Compact.

Ruger SR22 was too hard to rack, unless the hammer was cocked first. She didn’t like that.

Taurus TX22’s grip was too big around.

The lightweight Ruger Mk. II Lightweight Target, Glock 44 and KelTec PMR30 were too hard to rack.

Even my great uncle’s H&R 22 Special was too hard to cock.

As luck would have it, they had the S&W 22 Compact available for rent. Rent it we did and she was pretty excited; she applied herself to getting everything right. Didn’t really want my help, even though she needed it at times.

She shot it not too well, but had a ton of fun and really got her confidence up. By the end of the session, she could hold all the shots on a half size human silhouette at seven yards. She was un-bothered that she shot the old H&R twice as well, since she doesn’t like it.

When we came out, I said jokingly: “Welp, you gonna buy one then?” To which she surprised me and replied: “Yep!” …and she did. The guy accidentally pulled the version with the threaded barrel that we didn’t want and started paperwork for it. He offered us the free upgrade when he noticed and we accepted. (Though we’ll never fit a silencer)



Afterwards, we met friends for dinner and took 3.5 hours for it. We talked and decided she’ll get comfortable with it and decide if she wants the Shield EZ in 9mm or stick with a revolver for her home defense gun. That’s a question (and thread!) for another day.

Here’s a quick video of her shooting it.

 

[Tallball]

Nice. 22's are awesome for new shooters and training.

 

[Smaug]

Update: We went to the range again. Cari wore a big-collared sweater. You know where this is going.

Yep, a 22LR casing went down her shirt and got stuck in her bra. She danced around and pulled her shirt up and everyone looked on in amusement. She’s got a proper burn there now; it’s just scabbing over.

From now on, she’ll be wearing tighter collars and I need to find a cap that fits her. (She has a tiny head; I might need a kids cap…)