Range Time with wife, and question.

Double hearing protection works better if the outer earmuffs are the electronic kind. That way you can still hold a (loud)conversation except during gunshots.

I think that first sessions ought to be someplace/time where there aren't other shooters shooting. It's distracting and interrupts discussion (at best).
 
agree with G.Willikers...

Double up on ear protection, start with small caliber, find a nice outdoor range or - better yet - a national forest area where hunting is allowed if such a place is near you.

The whole set of "breathing, grip, stance, sight alignment, trigger press, follow-through" fundamentals does not require anything more than snap caps or dry-firing at first, and then progress to a pellet gun or .22 pistol.

An outdoor range where its just the two of you will be quieter and more conducive to learning. Double up on ear protection, its a good idea.

In terms of trigger pull, a DA/SA semi-automatic pistol that can be manually cocked might be best, since single action triggers can be pretty light. There are a number of reasonably sized Walther, Sig, and Beretta pistols chambered for .380 or .32 that should be comfortable for your wife to shoot regularly, yet not be so difficult to manipulate that she is frustrated by the handgun.

There is a handgun out there that will be perfect for her, it will just take some experimentation. Unless you handload, though, I would stay away from Magnum revolvers - it just isn't necessary to expose your wife to factory load blast and recoil when she is already sensitive to both. 9mm, .380, .32 ACP, and .22 rounds will be fine for her, if you can find a handgun large enough to soak up recoil, and easy for her to shoot well.

Best,

Doc
 
If you want to help her out then consider getting her a little instruction from a third party. I enrolled my bride in a few classes many years ago when she first started shooting, and it was the best money I ever spent. They were women-only classes led by an exceptional female instructor, and it really helped start my wife out on a positive note. It reduced the intimidation factor of guns in general, introduced her to proper technique and fundamentals, and kept her wanting to come back for more. Totally worthwhile IMO.
 
First, both of you should read Pax's Thecorneredcat.com - it deals with techniques to rack slides

Then get her a lesson or three without you there, preferably by a female instructor.

Follow up on her lessons with a nice .22 and work up slowly

"easy 38" - no such thing, especially to a new shooter - and she should never have fired that 357 - she isn't anywhere close to ready for that

If you want her to remain interested and able to shoot, stop trying to swallow the whole elephant on the first bite
 
Another vote for a full size 22LR

I went through the same type of thing with my wife.

We shopped for proper defense caliber autos. She settled on a Hi-Power in 9mm. Single action trigger is pretty easy to master. She can barely rack the slide though. If she uses the right technique, she gets it, if not, she doesn't. Not exactly confidence inspiring.

I reasoned that maybe since it is a single action gun, she can just leave it cocked & locked; then she won't have to rack it. But occasionally, she limp-wrists and jams it. One has to be able to rack the slide then.

What it came down to is that if she practices, she does well, and if not, she doesn't.

The reality is that she doesn't practice, but can ALWAYS shoot a .22 well. She has no problem racking the bolt/slide. She is accurate and confident. So she decided to get her own 22. (she thinks my Ruger Mk. II Target model is too heavy) So she got a Buck Mark. She loves it and shoots it well, even without practicing more than a couple times a year.

In short, I would feel like she'd do a better job defending herself with this 22 and good ammo than a 9mm or my own SP-101. (she hates revolvers; says they're "Old Man's Guns")

Perhaps more importantly, she enjoys going shooting with it. When she's really in the mood, she gets going with the Buck Mark, then feels confident enough to try a centerfire again.

So the key is to get her a 22 of her choice, so she has something she really likes. (I've not yet met a woman who doesn't like shooting 22s) Get her to come shooting more often. If she enjoys it enough, she will come more often and may eventually build up to bigger guns. She will get accustomed to the noise at the range, and to some amount of recoil.

If she doesn't enjoy it enough to come more, at least she will have one gun that she is competent with. Oh, and you will also have access to it as well.

Here's the only pic I have of her Buck Mark. I highly recommend getting one with the "Contour" grip. It is much nicer than the old style one.

6f841816.jpg


As it so happens, my Mk. II is directly opposite it. The red dot makes it easy to hit with, but also heavy, bulky, and not sexy any more.

Her Hi-Power is right below her Buck Mark.

She has shot the Bersa 380 on the bottom too, and felt that it kicks too much. The Hi-Power weighs so much more and has the locked breech design that does a better job of absorbing recoil.
 
I just breeze through the posts, but I did not see anyone mention this. I heard a suggestion a while back for someone who wanted an auto, but could not rack a slide. Thy tomcat or cheetah because of the tip up barrel.
 
Gun for carry or for range time and maybe home defense? It does not sound like she is going to be ready for CCW any time soon.

The OP mentioned a 1911, I'd say consider a 1911 full size in 9mm. Cheap ammo so lots of practice, heavy gun for the 9mm so not bad recoil, great SA trigger and of all the auto pistols is going to have an easier slide to rack. With slim line grips and a short trigger works well for smaller hands.

That and a 22 auto would be one way to go. With time she will likely build the strength to work anything
 
How about a Bersa Thunder 22,,,

She has shot the Bersa 380 on the bottom too, and felt that it kicks too much.
Click to expand...

Perhaps a Bersa Thunder 22 is what she needs,,,
vanessa-lr.jpg

It will get her used to the Bersa .380's smaller frame size,,,
And possibly get her used to handling it so that the .380 isn't objectionable.

If she still doesn't like the .380,,,
10 rounds of CCI Mini-Mag HP will ruin a bad guy's day.

Just a thought,,,

Aarond
 
Hi Aaron, and I think you're right.

That gun is on my short list too, so if I can convince myself that my wife "needs" it in order to improve her handgun handling skills...


Great picture, by the way.
 
Here Smaug,,, I'll help you out,,,,,

Show her this picture,,,
bersas-lr.jpg

It's a rare woman who can turn down "matching accessories".

I wouldn't wait too long to get a Thunder 22,,,
According to the guys over at Bersa Chat they are only made once every two years.

When that run gets sold they are rare until the next run,,,
I looked for over a year before I found mine,,,
Right now they are available,,,
But in a few months,,,
Who knows?

Aarond
 
I'm surprised nobody has questioned gun retention if this discussion is about a carry gun for your wife. If you're more concerned with home defense, maybe a 20-guage shotgun would be a better choice than a handgun? If she doesn't have much hand strength, to the point that she may have trouble pulling the trigger, then SA-capable handguns are required, but she'd need to be able to rack the slide. If anything went wrong when she needed the gun, it's likely that her opponent would just take it away from her... A shotgun would bring more large muscles and gross motor skills into the equation, but wouldn't be much for carry. If the options get any more limited, she may be left with trusting God for her defense ;)
 
Hard to find but a Beretta 86. It is a large .380 with a tip up barrel. A bit small but the companies .32 Tomcat might be something to look at also. Has the tip up barrel. And also if their is trouble with a long DA pull it can be safely carried cocked and locked.
 
Some people just can't work the action on any semi's.

My wife is one, she broke her back and has two rods between her shoulder blades. I have several pistols she tried, also took her to several gun shops shopping.

We settled on revolvers, she can shoot, she just can't work the action.
 
She also may have reached her exhaustion point. Those of us who shoot enough don't really have one, or it would take more ammo than we have money for to reach it. But new shooters tend to reach a point of physical exhaustion fairly quickly, which results in decreased fine motor skills, a loss of strength, and a feeling of being "down" or tired (typical symptoms opposite those of adrenaline). Since you said she was jumping at every shot, being that she was not used to the gunfire, she would have dumped a good supply of adrenaline into her system. Once that was burned off, her motor skills would have dwindled.

With new shooters, you should keep range sessions fairly short (~30-45 minutes max in my opinion). This helps them to get used to the weapons, and retain little bits of knowledge at a time instead of experiencing a lot and only retaining a little. Concordantly, the larger the recoil and rapport of the weapon being fired, the faster a sense of exhaustion is reached. Maximize range time with .22lr and get there early in the morning if possible.

~LT
 
Range time was 1 hour. I did most the shooting. She fired less than 30 rounds total. I did all the racking, loading, and putting up targets.

She's excited about moving to the 22lr. That's the plan anyway.
 
You have received some very good advice.
To recap:
--Visit the Cornered Cat site, and ask your wife to do so as well. It is a great resource.
--Get a .22, preferably one that she has tried and enjoys shooting.
--Get some snap caps and dry fire with her. Do it safely and make it enjoyable.
--Invite her to shoot regularly.
 
Update:

We looked at several 22's. She was able to handle the Walther P22 easily and really liked it. But then the salesman showed her some 380s, including the PPK, Bersa Thunder, and a Beretta. She also handled a small Sig P238, but the handle was too thick for her.

Turns out that she was very comfortable with the PPK/Bersa style, especially after the initial racking because then the trigger sets way back inside the guard. And the best part is that her brother has a Bersa Thunder 380 that has only been shot three times (in the family) that he's willing to part with for $250. We jumped on it!

The best part for me personally is that I don't have to sell the little Taurus, which I really liked.

For her, she gets a gun that she can rack, that is really easy to fire on follow up shots, that fits her hand, and had more stopping power than a 22.

:D:D
 
Great call, but not that "brotherly" of a price.

They go for around $280 new. Did you pay him yet?

Another great thing about that gun is that you can get it in 22, as Aarond pointed out above. Practice with the 22 should transfer right over.

Aarond: you said the Thunder 22s are only made every couple years. How about the Firestorm 22s? They're the same gun, I think, and maybe they alternate years and just switch the tooling for stamping the slide and such.
 
Here's one more thought.

My daughter could not rack the slide on my Beretta 92FS or my Walther PP so we went shopping for a gun she could rack OK. We settled on a Colt Combat Commander in .380. Keep in mind most semi's have a powerful spring to handle the recoil. The Colt pistols have the notches in the barrel that mate into the cuts in the slide to keep the slide closed until the pressure drops, then alllow the slide to operate. The recoil spring is much lighter. The result is an easy to rack pistol. She is able to handle the Colt just fine. The recoil of the .380 is easy for her to handle as well although she has fired my BAR and M14 with little problem. I just had to pick her up off the ground after shooting a burst with the BAR.
 
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