My wife, the converter.

[bnkrazy]

My wife loves to shoot and has been talking to a couple of her friends over the past few months, encouraging them to come with us one day. About two weeks ago three or four of them decided they wanted to go shooting. I made a deal with another friend of hers who is terrified of guns, that if I did something she wanted me to do she would go shooting with us. She agreed and so we had about 5 women to take.

Since then, word has gotten around and my wife has been talking to many other women about shooting with us. At least one lady was pro-gun control, until they spoke to my wife about the reality of the situation and now they're on board as well. One even wants her two oldest sons to come. We're both excited.

It looks like it will end up being a small beginners shooting class with 10+ women. I think they are going to want to make it into an all-day event. This should be fun!

One additional side benefit: I have a Ruger MKII, but it is a stainless target model so it's quite heavy...so it's a good excuse to get a lightweight .22.

 

[md7]

awesome man! i think every one would enjoy shooting if they had the opportunity, and someone like yourself that was willing to teach them how. good on you and your wife.

 

[scrat]

excellent job if i do say.


oh some pics would be nice

 

[bnkrazy]

I'll be sure to get some pics. I just need a Sat where it doesn't rain... For the last month almost every weekend has been rained out.

 

[scrat]

mmmm. hasnt rained here in a few months.

 

[offthepaper]

It looks like it will end up being a small beginners shooting class with 10+ women. I think they are going to want to make it into an all-day event.

Hmmmm....
ought to suggest the "students" get together and prepapre a good home cooked lunch.
I know you're married, but a single guy would never pass up that oppurtunity with 10+ women.

 

[bnkrazy]

ought to suggest the "students" get together and prepapre a good home cooked lunch.
I know you're married, but a single guy would never pass up that oppurtunity with 10+ women.

The first thought that came to my mind was a BBQ.

They haven't decided whether or not they want to bring their husbands. I'm friends with most of the guys and they said they didn't really want to go because they thought it would be less stress if they weren't there. And, someone has to watch the kids.

It may also be a two part thing just because we may not be able to get everyone together on the same day.

 

[SoCalShooter]

SWEET@!!! nice work

 

[disneyd]

I've found that a very good learner's pistol for women is a Buckmark with a Tactical Solutions lightweight barrel. This combo is very light and my girlfriend was able to shoot it all day without fatigue. My standard Buckmark or Mark III with bull barrels got to her after a while.

 

[Dksimon]

Sounds like you are doing your part to convert as many as possible to pro-gun. Keep up the good work!

 

[velobard]

Congrats!

I bought the Beretta Neos specifically because I was afraid my wife would gripe about the weight of the Mark II and III models I was looking at. Thankfully, it's a great gun to shoot even if it does look funky.

 

[3KillerBs]

As a woman newly re-introduced to shooting after a 10 year hiatus I'd like to make a couple suggestions.

1. Don't forget to mention the high-necked shirt requirement. DH and I once went shooting before going out to dinner and, unaware of the potential problem, I was wearing a v-necked blouse. Even .22 brass in the bra is not fun.

2. Suggest comfortable, supportive shoes. My arms didn't hurt after the range time for my Basic Pistol course, but my back did. I like to wear my "waitress" shoes to the range for the best support while standing.

3. A woman, or anyone for that matter, wanting to learn to shoot without having her arms ache can work out by using a hammer or mallet as a weight to practice presenting from ready and acquiring the front sight.

We're in the "every tool known to man" category so I chose an iron mallet that is about 5oz heavier than my Mark III Hunter (I went ahead and got the longer barrel because they're so well balanced that I couldn't feel the difference in weight when holding one in each hand).

I get a nice grip on the mallet head itself and present it, handle "downrange", and "acquire the sights" by focusing on the very end of the handle. I started with 5 reps morning and night and I'm up to about 20 reps several times a day. As I'd hoped, my Mark III feels light and easy to handle now.

4. Make sure they have fun. At my CC class last week there was a woman who had to get the permit because of her job. She was surprised and delighted with how much sheer fun there is in shooting.

 

[Kitchen_Duty]

I like the practice with the mallet thing, I think I am going to make my g/f do that so she can shoot my new GP-100 "it's heavy"... well of course it is compared to a 642 airweight

 

[Seancass]

bring ammo. lots and lots of ammo. keep your mind on making sure no one is excluded.

 

[mekender]

if i were you, i would look into getting at least one, maybe two more instructors involved... generally with totally new shooters, you want to limit it to 3 students per instructor

 

[Picard]

Congratulations. We need more people like you.

 

[3KillerBs]

@Kitchen_Duty,

Since I knew my muscles needed to be stronger to use the gun I liked it seemed only logical to find the most gun-shaped weight I could come up with.

The Basic Pistol instructors had suggested grip exercisers for the ladies who couldn't work slides, but it wasn't my fingers that needed it so much as my forearms and shoulders.

Since I present the mallet from the ready position and sight it on target I know I'm working all the right muscles -- unlike a more general fitness workout.

 

[bnkrazy]

Thanks for the suggestions! That's a nice list 3KillerBs. I'll make a list to email those coming and have them work on some of the muscles that will be involved. A hammer or gallon jug of water should do the trick.

We've got ammo covered. Yup, plenty of ammo. The first time's free, right?

As far as instructors go, between my wife and I we should be able to keep on top of things. If not, we can always get one of their husbands to help out (I've taken most of them shooting with me in the past and several are very proficient/know their stuff), as long as he isn't "helping" his wife things should go smoothly.

I'm actually thinking about getting certified as an instructor. Maybe not before we do this, but in the near future. It's something I've been interested in for a while now. I already have the land/range available so costs would be minimal on my part to get started.

 

[gunshow]

You're married to this?

or this?