Wife wants to learn to shoot.

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iwilc2

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After being together for 40 yrs she finally wants to learn to shoot. While watching the news and hearing about all these home invasions, she said she wants to learn to protect herself. She is a small woman with very little hand strength (she has MS), she can pull the trigger double action on my Ruger Security Six but she can't rack the slide on any of my semi-auto's. I am sure she will be very recoil sensitive to start so I will start out with a .22, I was thinking maybe a Ruger SR.22, she will also be using it for home protection while I am at work (we also have a very big dog) until she graduates to something a little larger. I was wondering what any of you forum members (especially you ladies) would recommend to start her out with. Len
 
Do not get the SR22 for her to learn with. It is an automatic pistol.
Get a nice little 22 revolver to begin with. After she learns to shoot then you can get a glock 9mm. There is an add on ring that allows you to hook your finger into the ring and rack the slide that way. It seems to work good for issues like your wife has. The glock is easy to rack without the ring and i have been told the ring makes it even easier.
Another option is a L frame Smith&Wesson in 357 Mag.You can shoot
38+P for good defense round. The size and weight make the gun a good option for her.
To get started look at The Cornered Cat website. It is written for women by a woman and has good dope on it.
 
Normally I would suggest a revolver, but the double action may be hard for her.

I can give you one option - a Beretta Tomcat in .32ACP or one of the Taurus Tomcat clones.

The Tomcat has a tip-up barrel which allows you to load a round without racking the slide.
 
For new shooters, recoil sensitivity can be exacerbated by poor hearing protection. I suggest plugs (that fit and are properly inserted) with electronic muffs that form a good seal around the ear. Just turn up the muff volume so she can hear the instructor.

Little hand strength + recoil sensitivity may contribute to limp-wristing which can prevent a semi-auto from cycling properly. Thus, the next step after .22 might be cowboy loads in your Security Six.
 
Your wife can rack the slide, it's all a matter of technique. Unload the weapon, have her hold it and use a shoulder twisting motion with her elbows locked. Push the pistol away with that shoulder going forward, pull the slide with that shoulder going back. My wife learned it in about 2 minutes at a LGS 20 years ago.
 
hey guys thanks for the reply's, kitsap thanks for the cornered cat link, think the wife will like it. There is a gun show coming up at the end of the month, will take her and let her try out some guns to see how they feel to her. Len
 
My wife's first pistols were a 1911 commander, Sig Mosquito, EAA Witness fill size, and Walther PK380. She was able to operate the slide on the 1911 after a few range trips. The Mosquito was easier for her to operate. Take her to gun shows/stores and allow her to find what fits her hand first, then look into slide operation. She won't handle,let alone shoot, what isn't comfortable.
 
Put some low recoil .38s in the Ruger and she'll be fine. It's a heavy revolver and recoil will be mild.
 
Is there a range nearby that rents pistols? Take her there and let her find out what she likes. Then shop for something like that.

A revolver is easiest for someone who had problems racking a slide, but not everyone likes the feel of a revolver. If she likes a revolver, there's a wide selection of .38s and .357s to choose from.

If she's recoil-sensitive, look for "cowboy action" ammo, which is usually loaded very mild. Of course, if you reload you can load anything you want. I set the press up and my wife does the rest.
 
Sr22 slide

I have a sr22. The slide is very easy to operate. I could rack it one handed by pressing the slide against my leg with little effort. It also is a fun little pistol. The spring rate is significantly less than auto loaders of larger calibers.
 
Together 40 years and would like to "LEARN" to shoot???

I am thinking she is in her 50's so I would start from the ground up. Figuring that she has never shot. Its crazy but i start women out on BB guns. No recoil, can shoot in most back yards, teach the fundamentals about firearms, stance, control muzzle direction and they get the joy out of hitting the target, a real confidence builder . Couple lessons of that then move her up to 22's (rented, borrowed ) and the gun range (atmosphere). Believe it or not but the gun range can be intimidating to some women. Once she finds out we gun toting, testosterone filled, gun shooting apes aren't as bad as we look and some of us are even quite friendly, she will relax some. Do a couple trips to the range and try (rent, borrow) different (calibers) guns. And let "HER" tell you what she likes and feels most comfortable with (calibers) then pursue those avenues. Meaning if she likes a .380, there are 2 dozen different makes of that caliber out on the market. Then start looking at which ones she likes in that caliber,(what ever the action is) the size of her hands and her strength dictates what "SHE" will feel comfortable with. Make it personal for her, it will be hers and maybe she will let you shoot it sometimes.. I believe its more about bullet placement and confidence than anything else. I can't tell you how many women i have seen get dragged out to the gun range to shoot "their" gun that "their" husband/Boyfriend has picked out for them. Most men see it as a way to buy another gun, but its hers and it might just save "YOUR" life one day. One woman I saw was shooting with her eyes closed she was so scared of it, she told me she would rather throw it at a attacker than shoot it. Just sad
 
I'll second the SR22,,,

I'll second the SR22,,,
It has the easiest slide of all my combat style .22 pistols.

Yeah, it's only a .22,,,
But load that puppy with Mini Mags or stingers,,,
She will not be defenseless and has 10-20 rounds of mini lightning.

Aarond

.
 
cl4de6 said:
Normally I would suggest a revolver, but the double action may be hard for her.

I can give you one option - a Beretta Tomcat in .32ACP or one of the Taurus Tomcat clones.

The Tomcat has a tip-up barrel which allows you to load a round without racking the slide.
Click to expand...
You know I looked into the bobcats/Taurus clones when my wife wanted a CCW gun, but the big problem, and the reason she bought a j-frame, is when one of those jams you can't clear it as quickly as a regular pistol so your pretty much out of the fight. I also looked in to the Taurus knockoff and they get terrible reviews. I'm a Taurus fan and I wouldn't buy one after seeing all the reviews!
 
If you have a 4" Security Six, you already have a perfectly good gun for her to learn on. Even with .38 Special +P, recoil is extremely mild, even pleasant. If the trigger is borderline for her, I might take it to a reputable smith and have it smoothed and lightened a bit.

Racking a semiauto slide is mostly a matter of technique. I think if your wife has the strength to pull an 8-12 lb DA trigger with just a finger, then she still has the strength to rack a slide against a 12-18 lb. recoil spring with her whole upper body, once she learns the push-pull method using the whole of her arms, shoulders, and chest muscles.

If she absolutely could not do that (and your suggestion that she can't is more credible than most given the degenerative changes over time from MS), another option would be to have two or three Glock 17s or comparable guns already loaded around the house. No need to rack slides, just New York City reloads with high capacity, light recoil and an easy trigger.
 
captmoto said:
Your wife can rack the slide, it's all a matter of technique. Unload the weapon, have her hold it and use a shoulder twisting motion with her elbows locked. Push the pistol away with that shoulder going forward, pull the slide with that shoulder going back. My wife learned it in about 2 minutes at a LGS 20 years ago.
Click to expand...

I hear this quite often, and for an individual with less than average hand strength it is likely true. However, when the individual in question also has arthritis, calcinosis, or some form of scleroderma in her fingers or joints (OP specifically mentioned 'she has MS') saying "it's all a matter of technique" is a hollow statement.

Motivated humans with disabilities can be capable of remarkable achievements and activities, but a beginning shooter with hand or finger issues may very well not be able to rack a semi-auto slide, regardless of technique being taught.

A single action revolver works very well for my wife's home defense firearm, with a S&W Model 10 as her second choice - she can cock the S&W hammer with the heel of her left hand to fire it single action like the SAA if she finds herself unable to pull the DA trigger.

She was in her middle fifties, already with serious finger problems, when she fired her first handgun. Work with .38 spl. snap-caps followed by primer-only fired rubber or wax bullets were a perfect introduction to handling and shooting. Reduced power cowboy load type cartridges are her usual practice ammo, with an occasional cylinder of the SJHP's we use for home defense loading so she can see how they feel and where they hit. As for her practice venue, she much prefers the well organized firing range with a RSO and individual stalls with tables and benches (says 'it feels more like a teaching and learning environment') instead of my usual cross the creek and shoot into a high clay bank on my buddy's farm.

Good luck to both you and your wife, iwilc2, and if you see it as a journey taken together there may well be big smiles in your future.
 
Why do so many people insist on starting a woman out on a revolver? I understand if her physical ailments might limit her abilities to operate certain guns, but saying no to semi-autos because she is a woman is putting her in a box. That's about the quickest way to turn someone off to the idea of shooting. My wife despises revolvers and would never go shooting if that's all she could shoot.

I agree with the advice to read Cornered Cat, as well as to pay attention to recoil and noise. I think a semi-auto .22 with a suppressor is one of the best options. But something SHE likes is even better.
 
Outlaw Man said:
Why do so many people insist on starting a woman out on a revolver? I understand if her physical ailments might limit her abilities to operate certain guns, but saying no to semi-autos because she is a woman is putting her in a box. That's about the quickest way to turn someone off to the idea of shooting. My wife despises revolvers and would never go shooting if that's all she could shoot.

I agree with the advice to read Cornered Cat, as well as to pay attention to recoil and noise. I think a semi-auto .22 with a suppressor is one of the best options. But something SHE likes is even better.
Click to expand...
1. manageable recoil
2. easy to teach and learn operation
3. easily verified loaded or unloaded.
4. learning on a doa breeds good trigger control
5. simple maintenance

of course I recommend revolvers to start for any shooter, not just women lol. I know my wife has had problems with autos and that is why she chose revolvers, not me.
 
I don't know your home situation (I.E. kids-grandkids and such in the house) but with you saying she has m.s. I wonder if a shotgun with minimum barrel length in cruiser ready would be an option to consider?. If she is not planning on carrying (at least that is the way it sound) that means the handgun will more then likely be in your bedroom anyways. Have a shotgun behind a door in in the closet might be the easiest thing for her to get to in a high stress environment.
 
If she can shoot the Ruger DA, then that will do just fine.
Early work with midrange wadcutters, "cowboy loads" or the anemic 130 grain plated econoball will keep recoil from shaking her up.

For NO recoil, look at the primer driven plastic or rubber bullets. Accurate enough at 10-15 feet to get an idea of what is going on.
http://www.midwayusa.com/product/31...lets-38-caliber-357-to-358-diameter-box-of-50
http://www.midwayusa.com/product/211008/speer-plastic-cases-38-caliber-box-of-50?cm_vc=sugv1315781
http://www.midwayusa.com/Product/71...lets-38-caliber-357-to-358-diameter-box-of-50


I have also made Madcap's recommendation. She does not have to be a tactical operator trained and exercised for all possibilities. You can furnish her with a loaded high capacity 9mm that all she has to do is pick up, aim, and pull through a light trigger to fire... 17+ times. That will take care of most home defense situations.
Glock 17 Gen 4 with bare backstrap for minimum grip size, S&W Plastic M&P with small backstrap, XDm likewise. I think the Ruger SR9 has about the slimmest grip of the type.
 
1. manageable recoil
2. easy to teach and learn operation
3. easily verified loaded or unloaded.
4. learning on a doa breeds good trigger control
5. simple maintenance
Click to expand...
I have semi-autos that meet all those items at least as good as a revolver (except maybe the ease of verification, but even that is close).
 
I've had very good luck with Ruger's LCR for women who don't really shoot.
Start with very mild 38 handloads and work up as needed.
Great trigger, no complaints about the gun being heavy, and easy to shoot
with light loads,
Usually not to hard to find one to try out a bit.
Dave
 
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