Thanks goes out to Tulianr for (indirectly) reminding me to post this . . . “Hello, Little Lady” - Street Smarts | SWAT Magazine As it specifically says in this article it should be shared I thought I'd do just that as it contains some dang good information and conveys some darned important principals.
Can't agree more! A once met a lady, 5'6" 105# dripping wet. Tiny really, she needs to run around in the shower to get wet. Her hubby (love this guy but this was stupid) decided they needed "in home protection" and goes out and buys a model 870 12 gauge SLUGGER. Forget the slugs killing the neighbors, they probably need killing too. The gun is full sized, in 12 gauge for a little tiny lady. He took her to the range she fired it once and walked away, likely to never shoot again. I pleaded with her to go with me to shoot my daughter's youth sized 20 gauge autoloader. I promised the smaller gun will fit better and the lighter target loads more appropriate for her frame. I could have trained her to mount the gun and fire without recoil issues. Nope!! The 12 gauge bruises did enough. I hate pumpers for beginners. No recoil reduction. Ohhh yeah.. the hubby can't shoot it either. He's afraid of it too.
Sad. This has happened to too many gals that I know of. Too bad, too. I've offered to some to have a "girl's day out"... but most decline, as once that damage has been done, the fear creeps in. I feel that those who are that afraid shouldn't handle a weapon.
I have taught several little ladies and some not so little. The advantage for me is that they are all women that I have known long enough for them to trust me completely. I teach them proper grip and stance, and do not allow them to do anything that will cause them pain or injury during the shooting session. I am sometimes amazed at what just a few hours of practice can do to their capabilities as well as their attitudes towards firearms.
I wish I were there for a visit. I would offer to help your neighbor out by taking the shotgun off his hands for a significant price reduction of course.
I have to agree totally with this. In two hours of training, if the woman is trying, I can have them outshooting me quite easily. A case in point is that the daughter of a very dear friend is a tall and athletic gal. Her husband is a great guy, and his whole family is into guns. He buys and shoots a lot of big bore pistols. He tried to teach her to shoot, and insisted that when she learned, that he was going to buy her a .380 for her CCW. It ended in a fight. We were at their party farm a few weeks later, and there is always some shooting done, and I had no intention of shooting that day until the Dutch neice told me she wanted me to teach her, and NOT her husband. He shrugged, and I spent the better part of an hour instructing her. She got very good with the .22 we were using. After completion, she told me that she was going to get a Kimber and wanted me to instruct her on that next time. Hubby said no it was too much gun for a woman, and she gave him one of those hard stares we've all come to know and dread. I suspect that this month when we go out there, she will be packing a brand new Kimber.
A womans view If a woman of any size quits trying to learn after one bad experience with either the wrong gun or the wrong teacher there are only a few possible reasons: She has never been thrown from a horse Never fallen off a bike Never given child birth Never purchased a car on her own or taken it for service Or she has found a good excuse to get out of an activity she wasn't really interested in to begin with. Okay, so five reasons.
Excellent article that I really enjoyed...once I got over the term "...many former female students...", it distracted me and set me wondering how this guy ended up with so many students who were post gender-change surgery... Maybe he meant to say "female former students"...
At the gunshop I work at, many men come in looking for a pistol for the girlfriend, wife, sister, mother, ect.., and usually walk away with a cheap .22, .25, or .380 autoloader or a cheap .38 special. When they tell me they are looking for a pistol for their female loved one (I can't figure out why anyone would arm their loved one with the cheapest weapon avalible), I aways try to have them bring them in the shop to at least let them find a gun that fits their hand. Often, I would invite women to the range to try out some of my handguns along with my 90 pound niece to show them there is no reason to fear a gun. It usually helps when my niece shoots my .44 Desert Eagle to ease fears of painful recoil many ladies imagine.
A friend who teaches firearm (safety) classes, I believe her choice for women to start out with is a 9mm Glock.
It has been my experience, that the above senerio is due to these Guys, thinking "Why waste an expensive weapon on "The Little Lady" when they really don't like firearms anyway." I have trained, and equipped, a double score of Female Shooters over the last three decades, as an FFL. I do not advertise, and all of them come to "Me" word of mouth, as it were. Not so many, NOW, as I live far out in the Alaskan Bush, these days, but before moving north, It was a nice business. I ALWAYS insist that the prospective shooter handle the weapons, to see what feels comfortable in their grip. I personally, HATE S&W SemiAuto Pistols, as they feel like I am trying go grab a Brick, or 2X4. what makes a good weapon for ANYONE, is what feels comfortable, right, and like a glove, in the shooters hand. Once that is determined, THEN it is time to figure out what Cartridge should be incorporated into the weapon. These days FireArms OEMa make the same frame and basic weapon ion MANY Calibers, and you taylor the cartridge to the shooter, and their circumstances. What really shocks my sensibilities is to see sone "Yahoo" give his girlfriend a S&W 29, loaded with FullHouse loads or DE in .50AE and they just laugh, when she can't handle the weapon, and that causes her to lose interest in shooting. I would, and have, punched guys out for such BS. that is no way to treat a Lady, Period. Start small, and work her up to a reasonable weapon/cartridge match for her build, and wrists. I have found that most females, when trained correctly, can handle Handguns up thru and including, my S&W 29 6", loaded with FullHouse Magnums, once they get into shooting, on a regular basis. I can tell you this, FACT. I would NEVER stand in front of MY Wife, inside 200 Yds, when she was Mad at me for a typical Male Indiscretion, when she was packing that S&W 29, or even her Dan Wesson .357, with the 8" barrel installed. I would be "DEAD Meat on the Hoof" ....... YMMV.....
True story: I once tried to teach my Sweetie to shoot. She is now into throwing knives, and archery. After seeing how far she has progressed, I can only hope that if she ever decides to off me, she uses a gun.
I prefer knives and archery myself too. I don't remember ever being afraid of guns growing up though. They were just a tool no different than a hammer or an ax. As long as you know what you're doing and are careful, you're good to go.
started my wife out with a .22 then worked our way up to.45 when she could bounce a beer can 6 out of 7 shots at 15 yards... she likes a .38 better than any thing else... except her 12 gague....
I grew up around guns; my wife didn't and was scared of them. Smartest thing I ever did was invite a friend of ours to the range to teach her how to shoot. I politely butted out, kept my mouth shut, and shot at my own targets. An hour later, friend had her unafraid, and able to hit the side of a barn. She now owns four guns (and yes, one is a pink .22), is capable and prepared to defend herself, and occasionally attends gun shows with me (which, often as not, costs me between $400 and $600). It's impossible to teach someone something without correcting them; any correction you give your wife will be tainted by your "other" relationship. Best to let someone else do the teaching.