Holy Crap! Wife wants to go shooting! HELP!

P

Patton

Inactive
Thanks for all the replies on the .357 Glock post but something has come up that pales in comparision to me buying a new gun....my wife.....avid hater of guns... said she wants to try shooting! I almost fell over. I only own two guns, a 686 6" and a Colt Pony. I have been hemming and hawing over getting rid of the Pony for another gun. Don't like the trigger or round and I don't have a CCW (almost impossible in WNY unless you are LE and I haved tried 5 times with different judges). I have been really primed to get a Glock after firing a buddies at the range (he had the 22, his service weapon) and I have really been looking at getting a compact model. Anyways, my wife gave the go ahead to pick out a new handgun provided I trade the Pony in for monetary reasons. She refuses to go to the store with me and i don't want to puch my luck.(Before I hear any wise cracks, I am also the father of two youngs boys and we work together as a family to make ends meet. It wouldn't be right to spend that kind of money without looking at out finances first)I am now leaning towards a 19. Ammo is cheap and recoil shouldn't be a problem for her. I will use 148gr wadcutters in the 686 which are real pussy cats and I figure 9mm shouldn't be too bad. Due to financial reasons and planets out of alignment :-)this will probably be the only "wife approved" chance in a long time to purchase a new handgun and I really don't want to get a .22. I am planning on borrowing a friends for that day anyways. HELP! Should I go with a 19? 19C? I want her to enjoy the experience at the same time getting a possible IDPA/training school/CCW (God willing)handgun in the process. Thanks for your help and, by the way, I am still so shocked hell must have frozen over and the Bills won the Super Bowl!

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"Now I want you to remember that no bastard ever won a war by dying for his country. You won it by making the other poor dumb bastard die for his country."
General George S. Patton
 
Patton, Go ahead and purchase the G19, it's a really nice pistol. It's also soft shooting so it won't scare the wife away from excessive recoil. You'll also find it very reliable and the accuracy is more than adaquate. The 9mm round is readily available in pretty much any gun store in the country. Good shootin! Mark / FL
 
P,
Consider holding off until AFTER you come back from the range with your wife. If she finds that she likes shooting, YOU might have to trade in the Glock for something she want. On the other hand, if she doesn't like shooting at all, then go out and find one that YOU like. That way, you will get a new pistola, BUT you won't involve a family fued. Just my two cents. My wife went through three different firearms (Ruger .22, S&W Airweight, Taurus 4" comped .357 - her current pistol) until she was comfortable with it. And it took several years of trying different pistols until she found one she liked. And yes, she picked it out and I PAID FOR IT. She's a dead eye shot, as most women are, mainly because they don't have all that manly testosterone running around through their veins. Or some other reason, I don't know for sure. But don't force it, let her start with the .22. If she likes that, move up to either 9mm or .38. Stay away from 'hot' loads or heavy calibers. You will not regret it.

And don't make the mistake I made. Don't try and teach your wife to snow ski. I'll never make that mistake again. But we did find other things that we can do together as a family.
 
I second most of what Wallew said. I am primarily a fan of semi-auto's rather than revolvers. When my somewhat anti-gun wife decided she wanted to shoot with me, I made the mistake of steering her toward my battery of assorted autos. Quite frankly, they scared her for a variety of reasons, and she stopped going to the range with me.

One day I got the bright idea to bring a .22 revolver for her. She loved it and asked to go again! Second time I brought the .22, my Detective Special and a Colt Trooper, along with light .38 handloads. Wow! She had a ball, and summarily announced that the Det Spec and Trooper were "her guns". :) Now we go to the range together, and she very contentedly fires a couple hundred rounds or so through the Trooper each time. :)

Point is - make doggone sure it's something SHE likes if she's serious continuing to shoot. Good luck.

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Regards - AZFred
 
I would recommend that you find a good instructor and have them teach your wife. There's so much emotion built into the husband/wife relationship that it often prevents them from teaching each other effectively.

Regarding the Glock 19, how big are your wife's hands? If she has small hands, the Glock 19 may be hard for her, because the double-stack magazine results in a fat grip. Single stack designs are generally better for people with small hands. Examples of good single stack designs include Kahr K9, used S&W 3913/3953, Sig P239, etc.

Don't get a Glock 19C. You don't need the compensator and it greatly increases muzzle blast.

M1911
 
Greetings,

With all due respect, everybody should have a .22 pistol for cheap practice, plinking and newbies. Maybe you could get a used one and keep the two guns you have for now. My wife prefers the .22 when we go shooting, so she practices more with it. She shoots my CZ-75B and .38 snubbie too. If you're inclined to buy a defensive pistol for your wife to start with, the single stack idea is a good one.

Regards and good luck,

Ledbetter
 
GREAT advice, all of the above. The only negative in following said advice is that you will now have to get a second job to pay for two gun nuts collections!

Seriously, I took my wife and daughter to an NRA pistol class. The next class was their CWP and both passed.
 
Another vote for a .22 revolver, or in some cases a .38 such as a used Model 10 or Model 15.

Although, she may prefer autos, my wife does, and then it still makes sense to stick with a .22 at first.

First choice, definitely one of the Ruger MkII variations.
Or, if that isn't what she likes or it doesn't fit her hand well, try out the Brng Buckmark, Hammerli Trailside, or Colt Target .22, or any of the various copies of the Colt Woodsman design.

Bottom line:
She needs to be able to make hits repeatedly (or will get frustrated & bored),
It can't hurt her (no .44's as a first gun), It can't be too heavy (remember,
non-shooters aren't used to holding up to three pounds at arms length for any amount of time),
The gun must fit (in order to not hurt & be accurate, as well as reaching the various controls),
It must look good to her (hey, everyone has their aesthetic tastes).

Good luck!
-Kframe
 
I have to agree with the other two "PC" TFL'ers (don't shoot guys!) and say...

LET YOUR WIFE PICK THE GUN! Beg, borrow, rent as many different types of (non .22) guns as humanly possible. (Look HARD for a range that rents/demos. Drive a LONG WAY if necessary. Tell her nothing is too good for her...)

A: We get a new pro-gun person (a pro-gun WOMAN at that), rather than a potentially disenchanted "seeker".

B: She might actually let you buy somthing better than you had planned.

C: If she LIKES the Pony, you have given a decent gun a new lease on life and saved yourself come hard-to-earn bread.

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/----------------------------------------------------------\
| HONOR PRAE OMNIBUS | Above all, Honor |
| INIURIA MINIMA OMNIBUS | Do least harm always |
\----------------------------------------------------------/

[This message has been edited by MrMisanthrope (edited October 19, 2000).]
 
If she's just going to target shoot, a .22 will suffice, however, if she's wants to carry for self-defense, a 9mm, or 38 spec. may be in order. Any good 9mm semi-auto made by glock, Kahr, etc. would have low recoil, and would be accurate.

[This message has been edited by lucky085 (edited October 20, 2000).]
 
I've managed to get my wife to the range once so far, and was very happy for it. (She has worked in the domestic violence field for some time and isn't crazy about guns because of what she has seen.)

For her the answer was a .22 revolver, namely, a S&W Model 317 Kit Gun with 3" barrel, adjustable sights, and rubber grip. She wanted a very light weight gun (11 oz or so). Although she has hefted and taken a hard look at my Glock 19, she prefers the revolver--especially since the idea of a slide coming back at her makes her nervous, at least for now.

The Model 317 is a blast to shoot (I can hit steel targets at 50 yds with it), and we will keep it, but I want to eventually move her up to some kind of J-frame size 38/357 like the Model 60 as her house gun.

I was shocked when this week she suggested that we go to a gun show together. I'll try and have her heft several different wheel guns while we are there.

Good luck, and keep it fun.

AndyP
 
I also have to say wait until you buy the new gun, but for different reasons than above.

If you're strapped for cash don't just trade the Pony in, dealers give really low trade in value for used firearms - they have to to make a living. For a lot of people it's worth it for the convinience, but for the rest of us on a budget there is a better way. Find out what the guy will give you as trade in value then sell the gun privately for what it's worth. You will get more even if you end up paying shipping and FFL transfer fees to someone out of state (assuming you can still sell handguns privately in NY) This will take more time and hassle, but you will have a lot more to put towards that new gun.
 
I concur with advice given above regarding the borrowing of firearms. It's better to "test drive" something and determine whether she really likes it before you go ahead and splurge on it. That's why it's good to have a lot of shooting buddies.
 
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