My wife wants to learn to shoot!

[TH3180]

I got into shooting pistols last spring. I love it, every single thing about it. After my first time I told my wife you should really come with, I think you would enjoy it. She had absolutely no interest at all. A friend of the family that has some land and a 200 yard range told me many times to bring her with. His wife has offered to teach my wife how to shoot and be safe. I thought this sounded like a great plan. That way the wife is learning from someone with +55 years of shooting. Plus you all know how it goes when a husband is trying to teach his wife something and visa versa. Even with that offer the wife would just say nope I could careless. I pretty much gave up on her coming shooting with me.
Fast forward to Sunday night. We are sitting there eating dinner, the wife looks at me and goes. Will you take me to Jake's shooting once the snow is gone? I dang near fell off my chair. She said she has been researching shooting for the last few months. She has read a few books, done some internet research and has been watching some shows. She also read on of my reloading manuals just to get an idea of why I spend so much time pulling a handle. I am pumped up, I can't wait for the snow to melt. She doesn't want to start at the indoor range. Which I get, hell I was intimidated the first few times I went there. I already talked to the people that I shoot at there house. She said she would teach my wife how to shoot. My wife's biggest thing is she wants to shoot pop cans. She also told me if I ever buy her a gun that has pink on it, I will be cooking my own dinner until it is sold.
I love that woman.

 

[MaterDei]

Wow, what a blessing. You're a lucky man. A some point you're going to have to ask her what caused her change of mind. Was it something she read or something she saw?

 

[JayBird]

Great...good for you. But my recommendation, if she likes it and expresses a desire to own a gun herself, don't buy it for her. Take her and offer advice, but let her have the final say on what to actually buy. She....and therefore you will be much happier.

Also, start her out on a 22 or something small when she first shoots. If you hand her a 45 for her first shot, she may just walk after the first shot. But definitely bring a range of calibers for the first time. Gradually walk her up the caliber chain and she will feel much more comfortable in the long run.

 

[chris in va]

Sounds exactly like my GF. For a while she would actually ridicule me in public for carrying. Now she has her own CC permit, though it rarely gets used.

 

[TH3180]

Great...good for you. But my recommendation, if she likes it and expresses a desire to own a gun herself, don't buy it for her. Take her and offer advice, but let her have the final say on what to actually buy. She....and therefore you will be much happier.

Also, start her out on a 22 or something small when she first shoots. If you hand her a 45 for her first shot, she may just walk after the first shot. But definitely bring a range of calibers for the first time. Gradually walk her up the caliber chain and she will feel much more comfortable in the long run.

She is going to start out on a S&W 422 that was her dad's before he passed away at the age of 51.
I have aready told her that if she ends up wanting a gun of her own we will decide on a price limit and she will go to the gun shop with the the guy that we will be shooting at his house. He is old enough to her dad. Also the gun shop I go to they are a great group of no B.S. guys.
I WILL NOT be there when/if she gets her own gun.

 

[45Fan]

Good for you!! My wife started taking an interest in shooting as a result of me getting a pistol as well. I encouraged her, but let trusted friends do the initial coaching, to avoid the husband/wife dynamic that you mentioned. A buddy came over with several pistols, amung them a PK22, and his 1911, complete with target sight rail and compensator. She liked the .22, but when she got ahold of the .45, she fell in love.
She has since startrd to learn the process of reloading, and has spent many hours with me at the bench in the last year.

 

[ArfinGreebly]

Stuff She Read

So, she read some stuff . . .

Was any of the stuff she read in the material over at The Cornered Cat?

If not, it's worth a look in. It's a site maintained by one of our former moderators, Kathy Jackson (pax) who is, among other things, a trainer and author, and editor at Concealed Carry Magazine.

Her site is really good at the women's perspective as it relates to guns and carry.

 

[tekarra]

You are a fortunate man. +1 on the cornered cat recommendation.

 

[USAF_Vet]

Why wait for the snow to melt, build a flamethrower and get to work!
Good job on getting the wife into shooting. hopefully she will enjoy it like mine does. Easier to buy new guns when you have a wife that wants them also.

 

[Jeff F]

Man don't do it. Do not teach her to shoot. Mine wanted to learn so I taught her. She ended up liking it so much that my ammo costs over doubled. Now I only get to shoot half as much as I used to.

Actually thats awesome, some of my friends wish they could get their wives or girlfriends into shooting. I taught my granddaughter to shoot and she got real good. She out-shoots the boys most of the time.

 

[Geckgo]

note to self, make sure the girl can read before you marry her

just poking, that's awesome. My wife hates going to the range cause it reminds her of work (ARMY)

 

[oldfool]

great news
be ready and willing to spend some bucks on some new guns, and consider it a great Return-on-Investment
corneredcat.com, ditto that
"My wife's biggest thing is she wants to shoot pop cans"
outstanding, best way for anybody to start, and the mentioned 422 should make an excellent "my 1st pistol session"
200 yard outdoor range available, pop cans... if there is even a glimmer of interest, surprise her with a very basic low cost 22 rifle on your 1st outing, a companion to that 422, doesn't really matter what kind, a single shot, or Marlin 60, or budget price boltie.. the upscale stuff can/will come along soon enough if the 1st few sessions are fun
nothing else encourages enthusiasm like hits

yes, I agree that the ladies should pick out their own
BUT.. step #1 is let get some rounds downrange, affordable fun shooting, smack some pop cans around
no matter what she has read about, face it, you cannot expect her to yet know what appeals or what doesn't, never having fired a round downrange
keep it simple, keep it (safe) affordable fun, until she at least gets her own first feel for shooting 1st person
THEN encourage her to explore whatever action/caliber that strikes her fancy

worked for me, and with a little luck, your family gun collection will double in size in just a year or two.. you might just end up with "hers, his, and ours"

 

[ulflyer]

NOt long ago my wife also wanted to learn. I bought a Walther P22 thinking not to intimidate her with the big stuff. Before we around to her shooting it dawned on my thick head to load up some mild 38's since I carry an LCR. Went outside, she fiddled with the P22 and shot a mag, handed it back saying thats too complicated. She took the 38 and fired off a few and said thats what I want! Got her a new one a couple weeks ago. WAiting now for warm wx for her to shoot some more. She and a girlfriend are going to take the CC course.

 

[Professor Gun]

My wife has her own Glock 21, her own AR-15, and we are fixing up a Remington 1100 in 20 Ga for her as a self defense gun. She also confiscated a Taurus snub revolver in .45 Colt from me and now claims it is hers.

Getting your better half involved in shooting is a great idea.

 

[remmy70]

The only problem I had with my wife shooting is that she likes it so much that I have a hard time getting out by myself!

 

[Wedge]

Sounds great, I love taking new shooters out. My wife doesn't mind shooting, but only goes occasionally. I always invite her but she rarely comes with me to the range.

I taught my wife and it went fine. My only focus was SAFETY and FUN. I didn't care about anything else. She hates the 45 and likes the 22.

Intrinsic motivation is the best kind! Have fun!

 

[sprale]

My problem isn't that my wife doesn't want to go shooting, it's that I can't afford what she wants to shoo. During her time in the military, she really loved the biggest AR's, which are way out of my budget, the ammo too!

 

[JTHunter]

TH3180 - your wife is definately showing more intelligence than most people. For whatever reason (you really need to find out) she changed her mind, she obviously did her homework and reasoned out her initial objections. This makes her a "keeper"!
Now you need to get her into reloading so she can try and customize her own loads!

 

[TH3180]

TH3180 - your wife is definately showing more intelligence than most people. For whatever reason (you really need to find out) she changed her mind, she obviously did her homework and reasoned out her initial objections. This makes her a "keeper"!
Now you need to get her into reloading so she can try and customize her own loads!

I know what changed her mind. She said eveytime I come home from shooting I am so happy. When I talk about I have a big smile on my face. I need more time on the press before I try and teach her to reload.
One thing you all have to remember. I meet my wife at a race track. She was pitting for here dad. There pit was right next to mine. Our 1st date was on the tailgate of my truck eating hot dogs. I won that night. The next weekend I crashed bad. I had a few broken ribs. Our second date was her and my crew fixing my car so I could race the next weekend. After all that I looked at my dad and said I found my wife. I love here like no other. I put up with her dumb hobbies, she can put up with my cool hobbies. She also helps me brew beer even though she can't stand the taste of beer.

 

[Geckgo]

TH3180,

That's awesome. I met my wife almost the same way. First date was watching me race at the track, but if I remember correctly I got 3rd that night