My wife

[dispatch 510]

wants to learn to shoot. Im thinking on starting her with a 22/22wmr single action. Then let her work her way up to something bigger. Her goal is to get a carry permit. Do you think that this is a good route to go. Thanks

 

[wildehond]

Good place to start. I started there. shot .22 Colt Woodman for six months.
Teaches one to do all the basics right from the start. The big thing with handguns are trigger control coupled with the shot followthrough. A .22 pistol is perfect for teaching that.

She will also probably enjoy shooting the .22 and then be keen to practise.

 

[Lawdawg45]

You're on the right track in my opinion, but I wouldn't go with a SA if the ultimate goal is for her to conceal carry a weapon. The idea is for her to learn trigger control in a self defense situation and she won't be firing her weapon in a rapid SA fashion in real life. You can get a .22LR at Charter Arms for under $350, or look for a used S&W for about the same price. Good luck!

LD

 

[DNS]

I agree, single action.

Rugers new single 12 22lr with hi viz sure is on my list this year.

I always load a couple empties and the rest live rounds with new shooters. Great thing about revolvers is they aren't ammo picky which is always a distraction when training.

 

[oldfool]

a RSS convertible most certainly makes a real nice addition to anyone's collection, excellent range day value, and rimfire is the #1 best way to start off any newbie

but heed Lawdawg's advice
CCW training = DA trigger, with some emphasis on gun size & weight at least somewhat similar to what size she might be most inclined to carry

I think (?) they just came out with a Ruger LCR in rimfire, and S&W makes some j-frame 22s of same/similar size to their centerfire Js, FWIW. Ruger also recently came out with a SP-22.
Lots and lots of rimfire autoloaders out there to pick from, if she thinks that is more her flavor, Buckmarks and Ruger MKs are tough to beat if/when it comes to that.

Don't expect to get a good quality DA rimfire on the cheap, though, unless you run into a great used gun deal. Good ones cost what their centerfire brethren cost. After all, she is worth it, you know.

 

[JTQ]

Get somebody else to teach her (somebody that does this for a living), and have them provide the pistols they recommend. She'll learn more and your marriage will be healthier.

 

[esquare]

Get somebody else to teach her (somebody that does this for a living), and have them provide the pistols they recommend. She'll learn more and your marriage will be healthier.

Best advice by far.

 

[Loosedhorse]

So much time is spent on thinking about the right first step...

Just start walking. If you don't like where it's leading you, take a turn then; don't try to figure out all the turns you might have to take later.

Just start! Good luck. (As if any of us can give someone advice about his wife anyway...!)

 

[AKElroy]

My wife is not a big shooter, but she qualified for her CHL with a perfect score just fine even after starting her handgun shooting in the "worst way possible". When we first married 24 years ago, the only gun I owned was a Redhawk .44 mag, which she shot as her first handgun experience. With Pacmayer decelerator grips, even full-house Samson 240gr loads were comfortable for her to shoot. She still has no flinch, and often credits that first experience with taking the fear out of shooting.

 

[smalls]

I tought my wife how to shoot on an 8 shot .22 revolver. After about 4 cylinders she decided she hated the trigger pull, and asked to shoot my 9mm carry gun. She shot it waaaaay better, and enjoyed shooting it. She still refuses to shoot the .22 when we go to the range together. I agree it's a good idea to teach her on a .22, because they don't know what recoil feels like. But don't be afraid to let them shoot something bigger if they feel like.

 

[smalls]

And not everyone yells and screams when their student isn't doing things correctly. So unless you act like that, I see no problem skipping on getting another person to instruct her.

 

[TonyT]

I always thought that starting a new shooter with a 22 was the way to go. RecentlyI received a different input from a shoter who helps with our clubs monthly ladies/new shooters day program - he states that women who have not been warned about the recoil of 45's tend to use them without blinking the proverbial eyelash.

 

[cardinalfan]

Let her pick the gun she wants. Find a range that has a lot of rentals available and let her go at it. If she picks what she wants, far better chance of her carrying it.

 

[3KillerBs]

Give her the gift of an NRA Basic Pistol course. I wouldn't have really cared that mine was a women's only group, but for many women that's helpful.

Don't worry about carry at first unless you have a pressing reason to be worried about her safety. Focus on the fact that shooting is fun and that shooting together makes a great date.

A long time ago a guy borrowed his mother's .22 rifle and took me can plinking. I kept both the guy (now my husband of nearly 23 years), and the hobby.

 

[igousigloo]

Get a Ruger sp101 in 22lr. you have both double and single action.

 

[Arkansas Paul]

Starting with .22s is never a bad idea. The important thing is that when she is ready to move up and get a carry piece is to take her with you and let her pick out the one she wants.

My wife started with a Ruger MK2 Target and a Marlin 60.
Now she's shooting a .243 and a .308 and wanting a .38 revolver of her own. Can't wait for her to go with me and try some out.

 

[Serenity]

I took the NRA basic pistol course with my 14 year old son. Neither of us had shot a handgun before, I hadn't shot any kind of gun. We were the only woman and youth there, but all the guys were great. On the second, range day we started with a 22 revolver and then a 22 auto and then a 38 special and then a 9mm and then I think a .45. No one ever said anything about recoil, the instructor just kept telling me to keep my grip tight and my arm rigid and it was AWESOME and I was hooked!

 

[Fotno]

Get somebody else to teach her (somebody that does this for a living), and have them provide the pistols they recommend. She'll learn more and your marriage will be healthier.

Quoted for truth...

 

[rellascout]

I echo those who are recommending the NRA first pistol course. It will give her a good foundation for safety, different types of guns and it should have at least some basic hands on shooting instruction.

From there it is all about trigger time. To do this on the cheap a 22LR is the way to go. I personally think that a good DA revolver is the best place to start. It is simple not ammo picky and will teach her trigger control. The downside is that a good DA 22LR is not cheap. I would look for a used S&W. From here you can transition to a semi-auto for carry or she might find she prefers the simplicity of a revolver.

The next best thing IMHO is a plinker like the new Ruger P22. It is a DA/SA semi-auto gun that will function in a similar manner as most carry semi-autos. This will help her master a DA/SA pull and how to properly manipulate a semi-auto. This will help if the end goal is a semi-auto carry gun IMHO.

As for SA 22LR like a Ruger MKII or 22/22wmr single action I am not a fan of starting people out on these. I love them for later on but learning on a light triggered SA gun can make for a hard transition when you move to DA/SA or DAO carry gun. I love using them to train and develop better accuracy but I do not like them for a first pistol when a carry gun is the end goal. YMMV

After the first pistol course I also recommend a longer training course if you have one available in your area and you can afford it. Creating a good solid foundation for skill development is easier early on vs developing and reinforcing bad habits which become harder and harder to correct down the road.

 

[Nushif]

Just something for mindset on teaching people in general as well ...

Never "let" someone progress. They're not going to a bigger problem, longer vocab lists, bigger caliber whatever because of your graces and because you "allow" them to. It is because they have the desire to learn it.
So if you find out after the first mag of .22 that your wife wants a big bore, deep down inside ... Please don't make her sit through tedious hours at the range with her husband, being told what to shoot, until she has met some random qualification group. Because as much as a lot of people love their .22s ... I married one lady whose sole passion in shooting is a lightweight 12 gauge.
Just a mindset thing about teaching. Your instruction allows someone to make an educated decision as to ehat they choosse to learn. It doesn't make you their Master and Commander.

 

[rellascout]

Just something for mindset on teaching people in general as well ...

Never "let" someone progress. They're not going to a bigger problem, longer vocab lists, bigger caliber whatever because of your graces and because you "allow" them to. It is because they have the desire to learn it.
So if you find out after the first mag of .22 that your wife wants a big bore, deep down inside ... Please don't make her sit through tedious hours at the range with her husband, being told what to shoot, until she has met some random qualification group. Because as much as a lot of people love their .22s ... I married one lady whose sole passion in shooting is a lightweight 12 gauge.
Just a mindset thing about teaching. Your instruction allows someone to make an educated decision as to ehat they choosse to learn. It doesn't make you their Master and Commander.

This post is really comming in from left field. No one has suggested anything like what you are describing. What people have suggested correctly is ways to build the fundemental skills needed to defend yourself safely and effectively with a handgun.

Seems like you are projecting here...

 

[Nushif]

Then let her work her way up to something bigger.

Unless I am grossly wrong about the meaning of "letting" in the context here this implies to me at least permission. Who knows, though! I have been known to be a foreigner. Worse yet. A foreigner who has seen his wife being talked to by a lot of guys at the range.

My wife is not a big shooter, but she qualified for her CHL with a perfect score just fine even after starting her handgun shooting in the "worst way possible". When we first married 24 years ago, the only gun I owned was a Redhawk .44 mag, which she shot as her first handgun experience.

Odd, that. Or not, maybe because she *likes* what she is doing, rather than for instance my wife who doesn't much *like* shooting anything less than 12 gauge.
I mean, I could "let" my wife start on a .22 and like .... bore her to tears so she never comes to the range with me and then come back about how she simply isn't ready yet to start shooting. Not sure how that helps her shooting, though.

But since "nobody has suggested anything like what you are describing" ...

To do this on the cheap a 22LR is the way to go. I personally think that a good DA revolver is the best place to start. It is simple not ammo picky and will teach her trigger control. The downside is that a good DA 22LR is not cheap. I would look for a used S&W. From here you can transition to a semi-auto for carry or she might find she prefers the simplicity of a revolver.

The next best thing IMHO is a plinker like the new Ruger P22. It is a DA/SA semi-auto gun that will function in a similar manner as most carry semi-autos. This will help her master a DA/SA pull and how to properly manipulate a semi-auto. This will help if the end goal is a semi-auto carry gun IMHO.

As for SA 22LR like a Ruger MKII or 22/22wmr single action I am not a fan of starting people out on these. I love them for later on but learning on a light triggered SA gun can make for a hard transition when you move to DA/SA or DAO carry gun. I love using them to train and develop better accuracy but I do not like them for a first pistol when a carry gun is the end goal. YMMV

After the first pistol course I also recommend a longer training course if you have one available in your area and you can afford it. Creating a good solid foundation for skill development is easier early on vs developing and reinforcing bad habits which become harder and harder to correct down the road.

Again, I am not disagreeing with starting someone on a .22 who wants to start on a .22, but if after a range session, a mag, three shots or whatnot they are eyeing something "more exciting" ... please don't sit there and thump that one "ought to" start on a .22.
"Ought to" or the notion thereof is something I think best avoided, especially when the point of the exercise is to breed a passion.

Seems like you are projecting here...

Beware pop-psychology. It's not really psychology.

 

[2zulu1]

This post is really comming in from left field. No one has suggested anything like what you are describing. What people have suggested correctly is ways to build the fundemental skills needed to defend yourself safely and effectively with a handgun.

Seems like you are projecting here...

I thought his post made a lot sense. I'm not an expert on marriage, but telling a woman that she's only capable of shooting a 22 doesn't sound like a good idea to me.


One lady I taught, grandmother who had never fired a gun in her life, really took to the Steyr M40-A1 and smoked her husband from her very first shot ever to the end of the range session.

Spend quality time on the basics and women are very capable of shooting center fires from the beginning and they typically outshoot newb males from the get go.

 

[crazyjennyblack]

OK. Maybe I'm taking this the wrong way, but the whole "Just give the little woman a .22" thing kinda ticks me off.

Be sure to teach her the basics of stance, trigger control etc... BUT you should give her a chance to try any pistol you have. Just let her pick them up, feel them, and try what she wants. I started out with a .38 special when I was 12. If a 12 year old girl can do it, any adult woman can. If you have any female friends who shoot, it might even be a better idea to pair your wife up with one of them, or a female instructor.

The husband of one of my best friends tried to start her off with a .22. She HATED it. However, he later took her to the gun shop for her birthday and told her she could buy anything $700 or less. She picked a full sized Beretta 9mm, and has been happy ever since.

So to boil it down, present a range of options to your wife, and don't underestimate her. Be there to facilitate her choices, but remember to let her do the choosing and listen to what she has to say.

 

[BCRider]

Well, for starters has she come out with you and shot the guns you already have? How'd she like those ones?

I've helped out at the local rental range fairly often on Lady's Nights. As such I've shown the basics to LOTS of first time shooters that have never even seen a real gun in actual life before they came out to our range. It's actually quite amazing how well many of them do with 9mm as their first ever shooting experience. More than once I've seen the girl first timer outshoot the boyfriend that has been in shooting at the range before. So don't judge before you give her a chance. She may well surprise you.

I'm a huge fan of .22's not only for practice but for cheap fun as well. But I wouldn't bother rushing out and buying a gun just for her to shoot unless I'd always wanted one of them anyway for myself as well. If you find that she likes semis more or even DA style revolvers more then you've got a safe queen not earning its keep.

So all in all I would not decide for her at all. Instead take her and all the toys out for a day at the range and let her actually try them out. Begin with the softer recoiling guns for sure. But let her try them out and decide on which sort she likes more.

For now show her how to grip the right way but then don't fuss over any changes she makes. The only reason I'd tap her on the shoulder and correct the grip is if the fingers are out in the area of the side blast of a revolver or in the path of the slide on a semi. For now just let her feel and enjoy the fun of shooting. Once she gets over the newness of it all then settle down and work out little changes to aid her in shooting more accurately and with smaller groups.

Maybe hit a rental range in your area and let her try out some other guns as well.

The first few times out let it be about the fun of shooting and just getting aquainted with the noise and recoil shock. It's overwhelming enough without trying to teach the finer points of this or that holding method or worrying that she's shooting a foot to the left. Let her be until she asks why her targets aren't as well shot as yours. THEN show her this or that. On the other hand if she takes to it like a duck to swimming and outshoots you do try to take it like a man.....