Which gun to teach my girlfriend to shoot?

Auto or Revolver to teach new shooter?

  • Auto

    Votes: 26 38.8%

  • Revolver

    Votes: 41 61.2%
  • Total voters
    67
  • Poll closed .
Before you head to the range...

I'd say definitely a .22, either a revolver or a Ruger Mark III (or Colt Woodsman). Probably the semi-auto is better because so much of the recoil energy goes into cycling the mechanism.

BUT before I placed a gun in her hands, I'd make sure she understood range/gunhandling etiquette (all guns assumed to be loaded, muzzle always pointed in a safe direction etc.).

I think this is far more important than what gun to use.

Preferably, before heading to the range I'd give her a homework assignment, to read and understand "In the Gravest Extreme" by Massad Ayoob and "Armed & Female" by Paxton Quigley. And/or, if you can find it, "Survival Shooting for Women" by Tom Givens.

She has to grasp that shooting isn't fishing or golf. It can be fun, but it is also deadly serious. I know that "girls just wanna have fun", and that being that serious isn't very romantic, but if she's not ready to take it seriously, teach her to fish or golf instead.
 
My NRA instructor also used a revolver cap gun when teaching new shooters - just teaching them the princples and functioning of a gun.

I think with a revolver it is easy to grasp the mechanics of what is going on. You can see the bullets rotate under the hammer, you can see the hammer fall and understand that a blasting cap (primer) is being hit and detonated.

A bolt action pistol or bolt action rifle with a magazine is a nice next step up. From there a new shooter can understand that something similar is happening, it's just that the bullets are getting there a little differently.

Manually pulling back a bolt and ejecting the spent case sets the stage for understanding how an automatic actions work.

I think if you start out with just an auto a new shooter is not quite sure what all is happening inside of the thing.
 
On a side note I do have a S&W .22a which is the smallest
caliber I own. I think she can handle more than that on her
first time though.
Click to expand...

Of course she can handle more than a .22,,,
But that's not the point is it.

The point is starting her with the fewest handicaps to overcome,,,
And that's what any .22 handgun is perfect for,,,
And you have a very nice one at hand,,,
Why not utilize it for her training.

Move her to the .38 handgun later on,,,
Let her learn to shoot first.

Aarond
 
In my experience, the Glock is too light for a first-time female shooter, and she will limp wrist it. A constantly jamming gun will be a big turn-off for a new shooter. On the bright side, she'll get used to clearing jams sooner than later. If you can find a steel-frame semi that's heavier and will absorb the recoil better, that's not such a bad idea.

Load some .38s in that revolver and let her learn the basics, then move on to the Glock.
 
I once taught a friend to shoot. Her mom bought her some DAO 9mm - I think it was the Colt 2000 Polymer.

Ya, she could handle it, she had enough strength to load it, cycle it and fire it, but it was not a god gun to learn on.

Basically my teaching her involved unlearning bad habits that she picked up while shooting that monstrosity. Flinching, improper placement of the trigger finger, jerking the tirgger.

When I fired it I thought it was a horrible gun. Trying to keep a good sight picture while grinding out that trigger pull was damn near impossible. It was basically impossible to learn good shooting fundamentals on the gun. If you already knew how to shoot - you could put up with the weapon's flaws and still shoot it, but a beginner would not be able to learn on it.

She learned the basics on a .22 with a short crisp trigger pull. Then she did the best she could with her Colt.


BTW, her and I were both in the Army at the time and she'd already shot the M16, so she wasn't a total beginner to firearms. Another funny thing... we were on a range together for qualifying officers on their .45s. She went through one of the last qualifying cycles we did that day. She told me she liked the M1911 better than her Colt!

I just thought that was sad - I'm not cutting down the M1911 - but the pistols we had were so beat up, so loose and shaky, I just just thought that was really saying something for a beginner,(to handguns) to say she liked it over a brand new Colt 2000.
 
I second COuntZerO,
The modern airgun, either pellet or airsoft, is so realistic, it's a great way to start a new shooter.
The advantage of being able to do this right at home is a serious plus.
Set up the targets as close as needed, make all the mistakes the new shooter is apt to make before ever going to the range, not worrying about interference from others, all greatly reduce the apprehension level for all concerned.
Add dryfire and gun handling of the real gun, empty of course, and the new shooter will be well on the way by the time they go to the range and do it for real.
That's been my experience, anyway.
 
Another poll question should be

SA

or

DA/SA

or

DOA

I'd vote to start out with SA, whether it be cocking a revolver or an SA auto.
 
I started my wife out on a .22 revolver. She now shoots her own .45 auto, a .357 revolver and still has the old .22 revolver. So I voted for revolver. Start slow and work up.
 
22a's are heavy but it should be the first thing she shoots to warm up to it.

You probably wont leave the range before she wants to try the G17.

If your going to have her shoot the .357 put special in it.
 
I know several women that like the Sig P238. The recoil is very manageable and the pistol is easy to handle and shoot.
 
Of the guns you listed, I'd suggest you use the revolver and shoot 148 grn wadcutter target loads. That load in a 357 revolver has very little recoil, only a .22 would have less, and would be easy for her to shoot. Have her start by shooting the revolver in single action mode until she has the basics down.
 
I usually start new shooters on a .22 revolver (K-22) Then move to a .22 auto (woodsman) then up to .38 revolver (K-38) and finish with 9mm auto (various).
 
Another vote for .22 Revolver, preferably, but an auto works too. The .22 is fun to shoot (promotes repeat sessions). Low recoil/blast allow the novice shooter to focus on fundamentals. My vote, without reserve.
 
LOL @ the "will she be able to rack the slide?" my girl can't come close. For some odd reason a lot of women think they can't rack the slide. All about technique. Also, revolver is good to get the "jitters" so to speak out of the gun going "BOOM" every time you squeeze that trigger. After that, she'll be gung-ho about wanting to shoot the semi-auto.




Also, with the .357...don't spook her. Make sure your .357 can shoot .38special. Much more user friendly and not as loud as the .357.


Anything else PM me bro.

We're on the same page, except my girl is still being a sissy from when that .22 casing bounced off the fence and went down her shirt. Come on! Just a little burn..
 
No matter what...

No matter what gun or what caliber, I cannot stress the following enough:

Do not undertake to teach someone (anyone) to shoot, or place a loaded gun in their hands, unless and until you are sure they fully grasp the concepts of muzzle discipline and indexing.

These are the two biggest marks of a pistolero. I see people pick up guns in gunshops all the time and immediately put their finger inside the trigger guard (and then, invariably, sweep the muzzle around); NOT GOOD.

Your default grip whenever you pick up a gun should be with your index (trigger) finger extended alongside, not in, the trigger guard.
 
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To caveat off of what most of these guys are saying, when my wife first started shooting we were using a S&W M&P 9mm. She could operate all the controls and through her first two magazines of the day she would be shooting pretty darn good. After that, fatigue would start to set in and she would lose focus and get frustrated and would always end up leaving the range dissapointed in herself.

I ended up getting a Ruger 22/45, and now she will shoot a little bit with her 9mm then switch to the .22. She cannot shoot enough of it and always wants to stay longer and shoot more. The biggest thing that I took away from this was that it made shooting fun again for her, which meant we were both spending a lot more time at the range.
 
Single Action Revolver .22LR

When dealing with a novice, I always start out with a .22LR, Single Action Revolver. After that and depending on interest and attention span, I progress up in caliber and action. .... ;)

Examle would be my eight year old grandson that I have been working with for about a year. The next handgun on his learning curve, will probably be a .9MM Semi-Auto. .... ;)


Be Safe !!!
 
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