Suggestions for a gun for my wife...

[srv656s]

So my wife is open to the idea of us getting her a gun to practice with. She finds the idea of a gun for her to be agreeable, and would like to learn to shoot a gun, however has not taken well to any of the guns I own.

I would like to get her a handgun, and something that she'd enjoy to shoot and would learn to shoot proficiently.

Here's the things that I've made up my mind on:
1. The gun should have a fairly light trigger. She finds even some of the medium pull triggers too heavy. She does poorly with double action triggers. She does not have much strength in her trigger finger.
2. The gun should be in .22 LR caliber. I've given this a LOT of thought, and while this is not the strongest or best caliber, she is very gun-shy and I know she wouldn't practice with a gun if it kicked too much or was too loud. I've tried to get her over this, but to no avail.
3. The gun must be easy to shoot. She shot the Makarov one day, and hated it. It does have a nasty flip, but I thought it was a fairly easy gun to shoot. I let her try my 1911 with a .22LR conversion kit, and she liked that, except for the trigger pull was too heavy.
4. It must accept a red dot sight. She is right handed, but cannot use the sights properly. I've gone over the way they should be used, however she never is able to line them up properly. She can't close her left eye without closing her right, and can't focus properly on the front sight with both eyes open. I think a red dot would get around this.

Well, that's a lot of stuff to consider… I'm thinking that getting her a Ruger .22 LR pistol would be best, and I know there's options out there for mounting red dot sights on them.

If you have any ideas, please let me know.

Shawn

 

[nhhillbilly]

How about paying for a NRA basic Pistol class

Shawn: How about giving her a NRA basic pistol class. These classes give very good instruction on the basic's and normally give students a lot of pistols to try and therefor she can pick out one she likes. (this is normally the best way let her choose.) There is less stress in your marrage and she gets good training and informed about options.

 

[hillbilly]

As an NRA instructor, let me second that NRA Basic Pistol class idea!

Also, lots of indoor ranges will work a "package deal" for you.

Pay one fee, get to rent and shoot a bunch of different guns.

Don't you be the one to pick out the gun or the caliber.

Let her go to the class, shoot a bunch of different guns, and her be the one to pick it out.

Make sure she handles and fires as many guns as possible, and get her the one she wants.

hillbilly

 

[SHOOT1SAM]

Shawn:

A couple of questions. Where do you shoot, indoors or out? If it's indoors, have you tried both ear plugs AND muffs for her? I personally can't shoot indoors without both; it's simply too loud for me with only one and not the other.

Practice should strengthen her trigger figger, given enough time & enough practice. What is the trigger pull on your 1911 with the .22 conversion? Is a Ruger going to be any less?

Have you considered that she may be LEFT eye dominant? Has she tried to shoot with her left eye or, is there some kind of range rule that right-handed shooters use their right eye only?

It seems that you have already decided on a .22 Ruger, and I think this is a good choice to start with. It will likely get her hooked on shooting and she'll probably want to work her way up the scale from there.

Regards,
Sam

 

[PCRCCW]

My whole hearted recommendation is a Walther P22...I shot another today and out shot my PCR and CZ40B.....easily with it. The trigger is DA/SA but can be cocked and locked, tiny grip perfect for small hands and accurate as ANY 22 Ive owned or shot.
The red dot is a good question.......this fits your other criteria.........Shoot well

 

[GEM]

Having heard Vicki Farnham speak to this issue, having read quite a few books on the issue and knowing other excellent female trainers (Penny Riggs of KRTraining), the best gun is the one she chooses after training with a competent female oriented instructor.

Maled buying guns for females can be disasterous. Such instructors build confidence, diagnosis problems and help with gun choices as they are cognizant of issues most men don't get!

So I would back off on the technobabble choice of a gun and get her trained.

Tech is really not the solution until the person has some basic competence.

 

[bean357]

Shawn,
Here are a couple of my Browning Buckmark .22s that have red dot scopes-so you can get an idea what they would look like. There are also several options of scope mounts available for them depending on whether you still want to be able to use the open sights and also what you prefer for looks. Very fun to shoot!

 

[pax]

GEM is absolutely right on, especially on this point:

Tech is really not the solution until the person has some basic competence.

Having said that.

If the goal is range fun (not defense, not training to shoot properly, etc) -- but simply range fun -- I would recommend a Ruger 22/45 or Mark II or III, outfitted with Crimson Trace Lasergrips.

Lasers are more fun than red dots, IMO. More importantly, grips weigh less than scopes do, and that means she'll be able to shoot it happily for longer right from the beginning.

pax

 

[nickthecanuck]

What about a ruger 22/45 with a Paclite upper.

That is what I would get based on your needs. The real life best answer though is the gun that she picks out herself.

My GF chose a S&W 66, probably the last thing I would have thought of to buy for her. It just felt and looked right to her in the store.

Also, a handgun that she picks out is also more likely to get her out to the range than something that you assign to her.

-Nick

 

[Preacherman]

I wholeheartedly second what others have said above: DO NOT choose a gun for her! She is the only one who should make the choice.

To aid in this, get her a good basic NRA handgun class, and then rent or borrow a whole bunch of different handguns for her to try. Let her get the feel of them all, and choose what she wants based on actual handling and shooting experience.

Do anything else, and you WILL end up paying for it - one way or the other!

 

[Majic]

She should shop and choose her own handgun, but if the trigger on your 1911 is too heavy for her then she really needs to work on hand strength. I would get her a tennis ball to squeeze every evening first.

 

[pete f]

I was going to say, a 1911 if she is standing close to you or a rifle if she was a long way off, but then i read what you were asking.....

And have to agree with the previous posters let her pick. my wife does not shoot a whole lot, and carries a 3'' rb hb model 10 says it has less to deal with.
My daughter prefers my 14-45 LDA paraord. says it fits her hand and the trigger is easy to pull. and she hits like lightning with it, not bad for 16 yo

 

[AirForceShooter]

a woman

would you buy her shoes??
a gun like shoes has to fit and you would be amazed at what fits.
Let her do the shopping, and don't say a word. If she doesn't like it and you buy it she won't use it.
I taught my daughter to shoot starting when she was 8 with the basic .22 rifle. When she was 12 I moved her to hand guns with a .22 wheel gun, I thought that would be a good start. Stupid me. She just had to try my 1911A1. I thought it would blow her hand off. She's been shooting that gun for 18 years now and it's her CCW. BTW she's barely 5' tall.
you never know.


AFS

 

[whm1974]

Have her try a S&W model 22a or 22s 4" with Softtouch grips. The model 10 w/ Pachmeyr rubber grips may work as well.

Light to middle .38 SPL loads work well in teaching someone to shoot.

-Bill

 

[phorvick]

I agree with the assessment on her taking an NRA course without husbandly input

I run several "women's only" NRA FIRST Steps classes during the year and they usually fill up fairly quickly. There is a lot to say for that segregation as the intimidation factor is really tough when surrounded by gun loving males

In my classes I have many varieties to try, and typically the ladies (when filling out the class review) say that is the best part for them...to try for themselves etc.

Paul Horvick
http://shootingsafely.com

 

[srv656s]

Sounds like I need to find out if there's any good classes around KC for women...

Thanks for the input.

Shawn

 

[firesafety3]

After following all the prescribed steps the brothers here have pointed out, look at a Sig Trailside. For target shooting it is hard to beat. Investing in some of the new electronic ear muffs is a good suggestion.

 

[bean357]

Some gun shops might have a helpful promotion too-a couple of years ago I went to "Smith & Wesson Days" at one of the shops with an indoor range. There were reps that would assist people at any shooting experience level at the range. Plus, they had a wide assortment of guns available to try out too. It was very helpful for me......also made my "want list" grow!

 

[t-maggot]

I'm in the same boat with my wife. She has been shooting my Walther P-22 and i just about ready to try something with a little more kick. The only problem being, she doesn't like my G17 and my Hi-power (size issue), and the only range that rents guns is about 45 minutes across town. The persons working the counter whenever I stop in are of the "how dare you come in here if your not LEO" attitude. God forbide if your a women. I suggested to her that we just take our time and let her handle everything she can untill she finds the perfect one. She likes the Walther PPK alot. She just hasn't given the "buy it" order yet

 

[Waitone]

Do the NRA thingy. Let her shoot and choose. You just stand there and speak when spoken to. I'm she'll permit you to pay for her choice.

My daughter shot a variety of guns and calibers. I predicted she'd go small and light. I'm proud to say my baby daughter now packs a PT-145 in .45 ACP. Not quite the biggest available, but certainly a heap bigger than I guessed.

Women will always surprise you if you give 'em the chance.