The Goose
Member
A few years back my wife expressed a desire to take up handgun shooting, I was thrilled. She went through the class, got her permit and she was very excited. Then a combination of things happened that dampened her spirits. The range that we joined had a choice of an outdoor range with either a 25 yard or 50 yard option and the indoor range only allowed lead ammo and the ventilation really bothered her. Around the same time she developed Carpal Tunnel and shooting really bothered her.
So a trip to the range was physically painful and either at 25 yards where it was difficult for her to shoot well or indoors where the fumes bothered her. Not surprisingly her interest waned and then disappeared. Shooting was just not fun.
Eventually she had surgery and now has completely recovered. I kept encouraging her to try again, but did not want to push it. Finally on Saturday she asked to come along to the range. As a note, I had since joined another club with a much better indoor range with excellent ventilation. I also picked up an old Colt Detective Special with a 3” barrel in like new condition and a few boxes of wadcutters, instead of the Sig 239 9mm which she had chosen as her original gun. The Sig is a fantastic pistol, but a bit much for a total beginner. I had tried to interest her in a .22, but she was insistent that she wanted a “real” gun. Her words not mine. I shoot a .22 a lot of the time.
Before going to the range we spent about an hour with some Snap Caps at home doing a safety refresher. I kept it fun. When we got to the range I set up a target with an 8” Shoot N C at 30’. As she prepared to fire her first shot she stopped and said “What if I miss the target”? My response was “Who cares, lets just have fun”. Her first shot was about 1” from dead center. She was jubilant. She proceeded to shoot off 100 rds. very slowly. She just took her time and stopped to rest when she felt like it. She just kept smiling and laughing. Most of the shots were well within the 8” and they were all on the paper. She had never shot so well. She saved her target.
On the way home she was just bubbling over what a good time she had. Today she took her target to work to show her friends. I am so happy for her. She really likes that little .38. No flying brass, low noise with wadcutters and very light recoil, also a beautiful trigger. She now tells me that she would like to hit the range a few times a month.
So a trip to the range was physically painful and either at 25 yards where it was difficult for her to shoot well or indoors where the fumes bothered her. Not surprisingly her interest waned and then disappeared. Shooting was just not fun.
Eventually she had surgery and now has completely recovered. I kept encouraging her to try again, but did not want to push it. Finally on Saturday she asked to come along to the range. As a note, I had since joined another club with a much better indoor range with excellent ventilation. I also picked up an old Colt Detective Special with a 3” barrel in like new condition and a few boxes of wadcutters, instead of the Sig 239 9mm which she had chosen as her original gun. The Sig is a fantastic pistol, but a bit much for a total beginner. I had tried to interest her in a .22, but she was insistent that she wanted a “real” gun. Her words not mine. I shoot a .22 a lot of the time.
Before going to the range we spent about an hour with some Snap Caps at home doing a safety refresher. I kept it fun. When we got to the range I set up a target with an 8” Shoot N C at 30’. As she prepared to fire her first shot she stopped and said “What if I miss the target”? My response was “Who cares, lets just have fun”. Her first shot was about 1” from dead center. She was jubilant. She proceeded to shoot off 100 rds. very slowly. She just took her time and stopped to rest when she felt like it. She just kept smiling and laughing. Most of the shots were well within the 8” and they were all on the paper. She had never shot so well. She saved her target.
On the way home she was just bubbling over what a good time she had. Today she took her target to work to show her friends. I am so happy for her. She really likes that little .38. No flying brass, low noise with wadcutters and very light recoil, also a beautiful trigger. She now tells me that she would like to hit the range a few times a month.
now get her to go deer hunting.
