My wife shooting!

[kurai_itaki]

I'm thinking about getting my wife a firearm to protect herself with, but then it dawned on me: she's a terrible shot... I went to talk to our local shop owner and he suggested starting her with a .22LR and working her way up in caliber. Is this a good plan? Does anyone else have any suggestions?

 

[robstid]

I would get her used to the recoil of a .22 and then work up, I think if you start her off on a higher caliber you might scare her away all together, at least I know that would be the case for my wife. But ultimately its up to her on what she feels comfortable with.

 

[Coyoye52]

Mine is a crack shot still don't how she does it. I can take her to range and she hits it every time. i only showed her the basics. If she has a gun in her hand I say yes madam no madam if I am I am between her and that gun. She loves that 1911. That My GUN!

 

[Chrisdrummer]

Your wife being a terrible shot may be a hidden blessing. As guys, we are prone to sometimes pushing the little woman over the edge, emotionally. If/when you do that you may be able to duck & cover, or at least run. If I send my wife over that imaginary line and she's within 12 yards, I'm toast!

 

[Knourek]

Get her started with a good brand .22 auto. Fun to shoot, and inexpensive for all the time she should put in to develop good fundamentals. If she likes it she can tell you what she wants to move up to.

Try to use a local range that has demo pistols to try before purchase.
(They are not always the cheapest deal, but supporting your local range is important.)

Of course you can always just go buy her the gun YOU want, and when she does not like it, it is your new gun.

 

[Zcrabtree]

My wife didn't like shooting either. I bought a p22 for her to practice with. And also you can use targets that break, pops, our explodes. Worked great for my wife

 

[wolf_fire]

Usually, firearms clubs will have classes especially for women. For instance, my gun club has an NRA sponsored class called "Girls and Guns". My wife went there and learned a lot. She shot many different calibers and found one that she liked a lot. There was no "male/female" tension in the class and afterward, we both were able to talk intelligently about what specifics she would like in a handgun and more importantly what she did not want. We went to one of the shops that allows you to "try before you buy" and we got her set up.

Hope my situation can be of benefit to someone.

 

[Phillip Gain]

I think you're approaching this the wrong way.

If she's a terrible shot...she's going to be a terrible shot with whatever is in her hand, be it .22 or .45ACP. I think you should start by finding her a really good instructor. That's what we're here for, you know!

For what it's worth: My wife was a terrible shot too, until this past weekend. I had tried to teach her, prior to becoming an instructor. And other instructors couldn't figure out what was the matter either. Finally, she agreed to let me have one more try. I figured out it was a vision issue. Cross-eye dominance, plus not being physically able to close one eye, nor get the sight picture with both eyes open. Once we put an eye patch over her non-aiming eye, she started shooting GREAT. Obviously not a permanent fix...but a good start, getting her able to see the correct sight picture.

 

[DLeeHarley]

Sorry to tell you this Coyoye52 It's not your gun anymore! Time to find a NEW one!

Mine is a crack shot still don't how she does it. I can take her to range and she hits it every time. i only showed her the basics. If she has a gun in her hand I say yes madam no madam if I am I am between her and that gun. She loves that 1911. That My GUN!

 

[Firefighterchen]

Mine is a crack shot still don't how she does it. I can take her to range and she hits it every time. i only showed her the basics. If she has a gun in her hand I say yes madam no madam if I am I am between her and that gun. She loves that 1911. That My GUN!

Advanced shooting techniques are extensions of the basics. You really only need to know, practice, and become proficient, in the basic fundamentals to become a great shooter.

On any subject, that I have taken or taught an advanced level (be it EMS, firefighting, firearms, leathercraft), there is a always a generous amount of time to go over the basics. Without a strong foundation in the basics, it will be really hard to succeed in the advanced techniques.

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