Took a friend to the range this past Sunday,,,

A

aarondhgraham

New member
She is the lady who has the Treasury Department Commemorative nickel plated Model 15,,,
So we finally got the same days off and we went to the range with it and a few other of my guns.

I took my S&W Model 18 which is identical to her Model 15,,,
Except that it is chambered for .22 LR.

I also took my Bersa Thunder 22 and the Thunder 380,,,
As well as my Taurus .22 PLY just for giggles,,,
My Beretta NEOS as a general plinker,,,
And my S&W Model 36 for grins.

She shot everything we took out there,,,
Much to my surprise she liked the revolvers more than the semi's,,,
In fact I thought I would have to use a crowbar to get the Model 18 out of her grasp.

She didn't like either of the Bersa's all that much,,,
That surprised me because every lady who has shot them before loved them.

She ran about half a box of .38 special through her pistol,,,
Then at least 100 rounds through my Model 18.

So when I asked her why she liked shooting the revolvers best,,,
She said they were simpler to remember what to do,,,
She was confused by the semi-auto's.

This struck me strangely as she is no dummy,,,
She's one of the sharpest people I know,,,
But later it dawned on me the reason,,,
Each semi-auto was different.

She is a girly-girl but had no problem racking the slide,,,
I don't believe she was confused by the semi-automatic action,,,
I think she was dismayed by three radically different "manual of arms".

Two had a mag disconnect and one didn't,,,
Two had a slide lock and one didn't.

One was SA only and one was DA only,,,
One was DA/SA with a decocker.

I think there were just too may "differences" to keep track of,,,
While the revolvers all worked almost exactly the same.

Next time we go out I'm taking only one semi-auto for her use instead of three,,,
It will keep the manual of arms simpler with only one to learn on that day,,,
I'm not trying to push her towards a semi-auto for her use,,,
I just want her to learn about all types of handguns.

I think I inadvertently made it too complicated for one day's shooting lesson.

But on the good side,,,
Once I taught her a modified Weaver stance,,,
She was hitting 4" clay pigeons 2-3 out of 6 shots at 25 yards.

That was with her S&W Model 15 and my S&W Model 18,,,
I think that was some dang good shooting,,,
Especially for a beginner like her.

Aarond
 
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If you look at the list of trigger options for some of the HK autos and others you'd get very confused too ! The best of all the mechanisms is the HK P7. Squeeze, pull trigger !!
 
I hear you. There is a lot of variety:

If you like the DAO/DAK trigger without a frame or slide-mounted manual safety (which seems to be the most popular option for CCW these days), you have Glocks, Kahrs, Kel-Tecs, the Smith & Wesson M&P series, and the Springfield XDs (though these have a grip safety).

If you like the DA/SA trigger without a frame or slide-mounted manual safety, then it's the Sigs and the Walther P99.

If you like the DAO/DAK trigger with a frame-mounted manual safety (1911-style safety, sweep down to fire), then there's the new Ruger SR9c and their type (this is a small category).

If you like the DA/SA with a frame-mounted manual safety (1911-style safety, sweep down to fire), then it's the CZs and HKs.

If you like the DA/SA trigger with a slide-mounted manual safety (PPK-style safety, sweep up to fire), then it's the Berettas, Bersas, Walther PPK, etc.

If you like the SAO trigger with a frame-mounted manual safety (1911-style safety, sweep down to fire), then it's 1911s and the Browning Hi-Power.


When you break it down like that, you realize there really are a lot of differences for the new/inexperienced shooter -- and this doesn't even include the magazine disconnect safety! Thus, because I'm such a big believer in the KISS principle, I advocate learning one manual of arms (MOA) and staying consistent with that MOA because familiarity, training and muscle memory are far more important than bravado, caliber size and gadgetry.

Was issued the Beretta M9 for work/duty. Thus, I train with the Walther P22 and am looking into the Bersa or Beretta PX4 for concealed carry (and sold the Ruger SR9c that was supposed to do this job). The slide-mounted safety (sweep up to fire) and the PPK-style DA/SA trigger aren't exactly the peak of modern firearms design/technology, but hey, KISS.
 
Too many options in one day,,,

Hello anonimoose:

I think you caught my meaning,,,
While the options for MOA aren't all that complicated,,,
Having three very different semi-auto's at once complicated matters too much.

That was a mistake on my part,,,
Too many firearms to play with at one time.

Next time all I will take will be the Model 18 because she liked it so much,,,
The Model 34 snubbie in .22 because she asked about it,,,
And one of my SA-Only .22 target pistols,,,
Perhaps the Beretta NEOS again.

Sheesh!

I have a Master's Degree in Education and I forgot the basic tenet,,,
Don't try to teach the whole subject in one lesson.

Aarond
 
Aarond, what can you tell me about this Treasury Dept. Commemorative? I worked for them from 1970-1997, and never heard about it. The various agencies (Customs Investigations, ATF, Customs Patrol, IRS, etc.) had commemoratives, but I never heard about a general Treasury gun.
 
Aarond;
Revolvers are much simpler to use. That's y I recommend them for students and new owners, especially women who have never shot before and are less likely to get into the hardware per se. It is not that she is dumb as you state. I wonder why you discount her response on top of that?

Hope it works out.
 
Hello Sleuth & Gerhard,,,

Hello Sleuth,,,

This is from the Standard Catalog of Smith & Wesson.

attachment.php


Her Father in Law is a retired Treasury Agent,,,
He gave her this revolver a few years ago.

Very high polish nickel plating,,,
Engraving on the barrel,,,
Matching belt buckle,,,
Nice wood box.

Hello Gerhard,,,
I didn't discount her response,,,
Or at least I didn't mean to give that impression.

I was simply stating my amazement,,,
That she didn't fall in love with the Bersa like everyone else,,,
Literally everyone (especially the ladies) fell in love with the Bersa pistols.

In actuality I believe she is thinking this gun thing through very nicely,,,
She wants to get her carry permit so she can carry when she travels,,,
She is pretty sure she wants a revolver so there is less maintenance.

She did like the fact that I had both a .22 and a centerfire version available,,,
She is thinking of a snub-nose .38 and a 4" .22 for a range pistol.

I didn't tell her to do this but she mimicked my shooting pattern,,,
A box of .22 than a cylinder or two of .38 special,,,
Then back to the .22 again.

Aarond
 

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Thank you Aarond, that explains it - the gun is the IRS-CID Commemorative. Too bad she shot it, that reduces the collector value.
(IRS Criminal Investigation Division - accountants with guns, your worst nightmare!)

BTW, My wife teaches a ladies introduction to handguns. One of the basics she teaches, reinforced by my own time behind the counter in several gun shops?

"Women should nottake their significant others with them to buy a gun!"

What usually happens is the man pushes them into either a ""Ladies gun"" like a .22/.25/.32/.380, or a gun that HE really wants. In her classes, the students get to shoot a variety of our guns. A surprising number of ladies really like the 1911 in .45. Not one has liked the ""Ladies gun"" their husband/boyfriend/significant other bought for them.
 
It had already been shot Sleuth,,,

A lot by the buildup of crud I cleaned out of it.

The gun did clean up nicely though,,,
And is a great shooter.

I had to chuckle at a part of your post,,,
Just yesterday I was talking guns to a young man,,,
He is a friend and also a server at my favorite watering hole.

He told me he was in the market for a good 9mm,,,
I told him he should buy the CZ-RAMI BD at the Evil Pawn Shop.

When he asked me why that particular pistol,,,
I told him it was because if he bought it,,,
I could shoot it every now and then. :D

I really do try not to inject my personal preferences when asked about guns,,,
I know I can't redact them completely as they are experience based,,,
But for the most part I try to lay out options for their perusal,,,
That in itself presents the problem of information overload.

That's what happened with Jane,,,
I presented her with too many options at one time.

It's just that we so rarely have matching schedules,,,
I felt a desire to bring too many guns to the shooting bench.

I'll know better next time.

Aarond
 
Not a problem sleuth,,,

I see what you are talking about all the time.

I hang out at the Evil Pawn Shop a lot,,,
Several weeks ago a young dude was showing a gun to his clueless girlfriend.

It was apparent he wanted the gun for himself,,,
But he kept trying to get her to say she wanted it.

Last month I gifted two young ladies each a seat in an "Intro to Handguns" course,,,
The instructor did a classroom lesson on the major handgun types,,,
Then there was a lot of range time with many different .22's,,,
Both of the girls said they got a bunch of good knowledge.

I thought they would learn more from an NRA instructor,,,
So I just sat back and watched them enjoy their range time.

Aarond
 
Shooting

Way to go Aarond. Its good to see some of us older folk take the time to show the younger crowd about the fun and safety of shooting. Keep it up!!!
 
I'm surrounded by young folk,,,

I work as an instructional support specialist at Oklahoma State University,,,
I'm literally surrounded by young folk who know nothing about guns,,,
I take as many of them as seem interested to the range.

The lady I last took is not a kid though,,,
She's 47 years young I believe,,,
Compared to my aging self,,,
She's just a puppy. :o

But, going to plink is almost always more fun,,,
When you take some company along.

Hanging out with the young kids from the university,,,
Will hopefully keep me from becoming an old curmudgeon.

Aarond
 
I took my cousin to the range today and he was kind enough to pay for the ammo and bought lunch. He has only shot a .45 a few times in his life and was basically unfamiliar with handguns.

I made sure he was aware of the 4 basic rules of firearms and was impressed with his shooting and percieved safety... After the assumed last bullet was fired he racked the slide on the Glock 23 and began to hand it back to me... with the muzzle pointed right at my chest! I was a bit dissapointed in him at that point. I have seen the barrel of a gun pointed at a me a few times in my life and it brought back some scary memories for me.

We all know how sensitive glock triggers are, and what if he missed a round or something?! He could have put a .40 caliber hole in me! Needless to say it will be a while before he goes back to range with me. As much as I appreciated his financial contribution, he needs another lesson in safety. Maybe I'll re-train him with my BB gun.
 
I had more guns pointed at me at public shooting ranges than I did in 27 years as a Fed! You are right to require more training for your cousin.
 
I agree. A small framed 38 revolver is the best carry firearm for a woman who is a novice shooter. No slide to pull back, no not knowing if there's one in the chamber or not, no safety to actuate, just point and pull the trigger.
 
If you like the DAO/DAK trigger with a frame-mounted manual safety (1911-style safety, sweep down to fire), then there's the new Ruger SR9c and their type (this is a small category).
Click to expand...
I'd proffer the M&P has a manual safety version as well, at least for the 9mms. At least it was on their website last weekend. I don't know how reliable they are.
 
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