There's hope yet

[roval]

Persuaded my wife to go to the range with me. I told her she needed to know how to run the revolver at least if the need came up.for it when I was away.

Took 2 revolvers a charter arms 38 spcl snubby undercover (1st revolver rookie mistake) and a 6 inch half lug gp100 with 147 WC.

She insisted on.using the snubby with predictable results for somebody who hardly shoots. No hits on paper at 10 yrds on a full b27 target...paper not target. Showed her the gp 100. DA was too much with relatively fresh new Springs but she did better with SA....she must have shot 60 rds and I let her use the snubby also. Pics below are 38 spcl sitting , 38 spc offhand and last was a cylinder of 357 mag158 gr swc with7.2 gr unique that runs around 1200 fps. Form left to right


She did well

 

[C0untZer0]

I don't know what resources you have available to you, if you have the ability to rent firearms, or buy another firearm, I don't know if at anytime during the history of your purchasing three revolvers you gave thought to the possibility that a woman may have to use a firearm - I don't know any of that.

But in general, just telling your wife that she needs to be able to run a revolver and then taking her to the range probably stands as the worst example I've seen recently of getting a spouse to be proficient with firearms.

 

[gbran]

How are the triggers on the guns she is shooting? Is she stuck with the guns you provide? Practice will help, but maybe you can take her to look at, fondle, dry fire something else? Maybe even rent on at a range.

 

[roval]

Gees wrote a long reply to only have it vanish into the ether.

There's gotta be always someone to rain on your parade.

I often ask my wife to go to the range .shes said no so often I hardly ask her anymore. We've taken down information for women only classes but she doesn't follow through. I've only bought her one gun the snubby. went to 2 gun stores and that is what she liked. I did tell her that a larger gun might be better for recoil but she refused. We looked at pistols and revolvers. The grip is good for her hand but it's more difficult to shoot. The other revolvers i bought for myself and not for her but if she can handle them then why not.

I've pretty much let her shoot 147 gr wadcutters running in the mid 600s so as not to scare her off. Apart from rimfires. The 357 load at the end of the session was a first for her.

I asked her to shoot DA but she pulls the gun and she gets frustrated without any hits. When I told her to try SA the first thing I showed her was how to decock it with her thumb under the hammer

Regarding the trigger the gp100 could do well with a 10 lb spring but what I had left over was the 12 lb spring and when I put on the 9 lbs spring there were light strikes . I do have a gp 100 5 inch with a softer trigger but the grip is too big for her. The older grips with the wood inserts are doable.

Regarding trying more guns. She's just not really into guns.

When I started shooting 9mm it took me hundreds of rds over several range sessions to be able to get most of it in the 8 ring. She improved within the session
Is she proficient? Hardly but the improvement was there,hence the title of the thread.

 

[GRIZ22]

If she's not hitting the paper at 10 yds move the target in to 5. Give her some success. Nothing frustrates someone more than just keeping them thinking they can't do something.

I have enough of a selection of handguns I explained how they work and let them have their choice. Both my wife and my daughters picked revolvers. Stock springs. Putting a 2 lb lighter spring in a gun really isn't going to change much. If their hand gets tired, take a break. No sense in trying to learn something that is hurting you. After the first few cylinders they were able to keep a group the size of my hand in the X ring on a B27 at 5 yds. Doing the same thing with a 2" j frame after the first 50 rds. Not match accuracy but good enough for most SD encounters. None of them are really into shooting but want to develop some skills in being able to defend themselves.

I think you may have made learning to shoot more of a chore than fun. JMO.

 

[THEWELSHM]

I think I know where you are coming from Roval. Well done for getting her there.

thewelshm

 

[BLB68]

Regarding the trigger the gp100 could do well with a 10 lb spring but what I had left over was the 12 lb spring and when I put on the 9 lbs spring there were light strikes . I do have a gp 100 5 inch with a softer trigger but the grip is too big for her. The older grips with the wood inserts are doable.

Is it possible to put the grips that fit her hands on the gun with the easier trigger? (May be a dumb question, but I don't know if the grips are compatible between newer and older GP100s.) If not, maybe you could get a set of grips that fits her hand for the one with the better trigger.

I think getting her to hit center mass at 5 to 7 yards shooting double action would be a good goal. You could probably get there with a minimal investment. Get the grip situation sorted out and get some snap caps and have her do some dry fire practice to work on technique and strengthening her hand for the DA pull before going back to the range. That'll be productive and save on ammo costs. One of the mods (forgot who) has a link to a good article on dry fire practice in his sig. (Sorry, I guess I just told you to go read all the mods' sigs... I'll edit this and add it if I come across it.)

Edit: Here's the link (it was 9mmepiphany's sig): http://grayguns.com/zen-and-the-art-of-hitting-stuff/

 

[Drail]

Strengthening her hands and dry fire practice will help her shoot a DA revolver. (though she probably won't understand why it is necessary) A Ruger MK .22 pistol would help her learn basic shooting techniques more quickly than a centerfire revolver. Shooting a DA revolver is not something most people's hands are up to without some conditioning.

 

[jad0110]

Doesn't sound like she is a willing participant ... Just my observation based on my experience with my wife. I always invite her to come with me, but I don't tell her she needs to go. In our case, that would just turn her off even more. Frankly, I would incur some serious nastiness, deservedly so. She may come out once every 3 years and shoot about 30 rounds. She keeps a baseball bat under her side of the bed which she'd probably be more likely to use anyway ... She just doesn't like guns. Me forcing the matter will just cause her to dig her heels in.


Something to consider.

 

[roval]

Griz22 -giving her success t...that is what I was having her accomplsh. The pic are her shots. 2 of them off hand at 10 yrds at the end. This was less than 70 rds fired for the session for her.

Jad110 you know where I'm at. A couple of years ago she accompanied me to the range as my birthday gift and she mentioned on Facebook that she will try to go shooting with me more. Don't give a hoot about Facebook but she's gone our maybe once or none since then. The only time she's interested in guns us when one of her "Facebook friends" talks about their piece. It's irritating .

I also don't tell her she needs to go except when I have to go on a trip which is rare.

The older style grips maybe a better option buying one for the other gp and placing it on the gun prior to another range session.

Blb68 the trigger is not that light even with replacing the springs. In fact shooting the lighter triger gp100 after shooting more than 150 to 200 rds my double action trigger finger runs out of gas I'd have to shoot with the other hand..

The closest distance in our outdoor range is 10 yrds.

I used to have 22 only range days but not so much this past few yrs. In fact the other gun I brought yesterday was a ruger mark 2 but her interest was shooting the revolver for a just in case scenario. It's kind of amusing is that since I was banging away on my 4 inch gong at 25 yrds with the 22, she wanted to try shooting it with the snubby that way she could just hear it if she hits it. I had to explain that it would be too hard for her to do. I shot it with the snubby then and had 1 out of 5 shots hit and her comment was " oh only 1 out of 5..."

 

[BLB68]

If the GP100 is too much for her to handle due to the trigger, and you have a .22, why not just work on fundamentals with the .22? In a pinch, I'd take a Ruger 22 over a baseball bat.

 

[BigBore45]

i just got back from a 3 hr session at the range with my wife. she shot her taurus 605 mostly loaded with 158 gr. swc and 4.0 grains of titegroup in 38 sp cases. she hit 90% of the targets 8" steel plates or IDPA center 0 down at 15-20 yards. when she did miss she was in the down, no FTN always hit the target. she ran my 1911 a few clips full and a few through my 686 and did good with that too.

also had her do some draw and fire drills and multiple target drills all with her 605 taurus ( her carry gun). did well on those till we went to DAO on the revolver. but still hit everything inside 12 yards. i would be happy to have her back me up if a problem arose.

 

[340PD]

But in general, just telling your wife that she needs to be able to run a revolver and then taking her to the range probably stands as the worst example I've seen recently of getting a spouse to be proficient with firearms.

With all due respect, I disagree. I have taught hundreds of first time female shooters and many wannabee CC individuals. The vast majority of them struggle with the mechanics of a semi auto not to mention all the malfunction drills that go with that type of firearm. A revolver can be a great beginning for a first time shooter and anyone who will not devote lots of time of operation and drills.

As a RSO and NRA instructor, I violated all my "rules" this Christmas when I presented my 42 year old single mom daughter with a S&W Mod.60 Pro Series revolver. She had never touched a gun in her life. She is a one woman dynamo and between work and kids, had no time to even talk about guns or shooting. She found an hour for shooting with me. So...

last Saturday I took her to the range, stood right next to her in the bay, and literally, did a three minute operation, sight picture, trigger press, grip and stance speech, and handed her a Volquartsen Ruger MKIII, let her dry fire it twice, loaded five rounds, and away we went. Second shot, bullseye at 28'. Smiles. She shot 25 rounds or so of 22 with great groups. Time being important, we moved on to the basic operation of her revolver which took two minutes even with ear protection on.
Med light handloads, 28', single action, reasonable results and nothing wild. Recoil did not bother her and she fully understood unloading and loading. 50 of those SA and DA and we had to leave.

Before anyone jumps on me, I do not consider her anywhere near ready to even keep her gun at her house. All we did was learn, She is not afraid of shooting guns, she was not recoil sensitive, and the great looking wood grips that came on her gun need to be replaced with something a bit larger. I plan to bring over a half dozen snubbies with everything from three styles of Crimson Trace lasergrips to rubber options from Hogue and let her tell me what feels better. At that time I will go over safety and the full operation of her revolver with her and her 11 & 13 year old boys who already own and shoot their own .22 rifles.

NO GUNS WILL BE KEPT IN HER HOUSE UNTIL SHE CAN OPERATE AND FULLY QUALIFY FOR HER CC LICENSE even though I doubt she will carry. At that point, a small safe will house her firearm.

MY point is, revolvers are simple and easy to understand, relatively trouble free, and a great option for a "I have a gun, get out of my house now" individual that has no real aspirations to become a weekly visitor to a range, although that is what I recommend and promote.

 

[HexHead]

My wife has never liked revolvers, preferring shooting a HiPower, Para PDA 9mm, Glock 17, HK P30 and Glock 42 (all of which except the HiPower were her guns) over the S&W 36 she kept in her car.

She found a new respect for revolvers watching me teach her best friend to shoot with a Model 10, and now thinks they are the best handgun for a new shooter to learn on. I showed her a 3" 686 I'm thinking about getting on Saturday, and she seems really interested in shooting it.

 

[roval]

Btw another issue is my wife has trouble racking the slide on a a pistol

 

[ApacheCoTodd]

For bitty .38s with my wife:

I start with very pleasing wadcutters to get the pistol feel then ease her up slowly. Over a couple-three or more iterations, as in very separate days.

I'm far more concerned with her being comfortable and confident in the particular firearm than I am in ultimate ballistic performance.


Todd.

 

[larryh1108]

roval, I don't get why some people have to pee in your Cheerios but I thought you did great. The only way to get her to get used to shooting is by taking her with when she feels like it. The next step is to find her a gun she can enjoy when she does go to shoot. She may ask to go more often if she gets results like you showed above and you guys find a gun she likes to shoot. Just keep plugging away no matter what the negative nellies say here.

My wife also was interested in the 70's model Charter Arms Undercover that I had. The factory wood grips even hurt me when you shoot with them and I loaded nice, easy recoiling 3.0 Bullseye under a 158gr SWC. I found some oversized rubber grips (I think Pachmayr) that made shooting it almost pleasant. She doesn't mind shooting now and has it in her nightstand. Find grips for the CA she picked out. She'll thank you and it's a lot cheaper.

 

[roval]

Yeah thanks... she does like her grips but she has problem still with the da pull . She can fire the gun but shooting center mass later on the same range session she put 2 in the head of the b27. ...they were kind of close just 2 feet higher.

 

[ApacheCoTodd]

Yeah thanks... she does like her grips but she has problem still with the da pull . She can fire the gun but shooting center mass later on the same range session she put 2 in the head of the b27. ...they were kind of close just 2 feet higher.

So there's a start.

I am more attuned to what my gal does well with than trying to force her to do well with what is best.

Little good comes of her being uncomfortable with something some tact-fool thinks is optimum.

Hell, for that matter, it really needs to be kinda "cute" for my wife as well.

I just say "You bet" and work within HER parameters.


Todd.