A Welcome Sight--Lady Shooters

[kenpo333]

Last Saturday our HQL class were 60% women. I told the entire class that if they wanted to continue to enjoy shooting they should find five friends and teach them to shoot. In fact if each of us brought five new people a year to shooting then we could change the political scene.

 

[Augie]

You think getting your wife into rifle an pistol is expensive I highly recommend you do not get them into the shotgun sports,I got to pay for the ammo and the birds,a sporting clays trip gets expensive. Lot of fun shooting with the wife though.
She's a hell of a shot with a 1911 also.

 

[The sphinx]

Almost Every time I go to a range there is a guy teaching his girl. Most of the time they are just fine. But you do get the tough know it all guys who don't know anything. Especially when they let them fire there first ever rounds with a full magazine.

 

[The sphinx]

Last Saturday our HQL class were 60% women. I told the entire class that if they wanted to continue to enjoy shooting they should find five friends and teach them to shoot. In fact if each of us brought five new people a year to shooting then we could change the political scene.

I try to get as many people I associate with to learn about firearms if they have interest. I tell them about your class and got two people coming to the next one.

 

[Mack C-85]

But you do get the tough know it all guys who don't know anything.

Like the guy who brought his 12ish daughter to On Target in a Spaghetti strap shirt, shorts, and sandals. Anybody want to guess where the .45 cal brass he was shooting ended up? Nice second degree burn on the chest.

Or the guy that brings in his GF and for her first time shooting rents the biggest baddest .45 they have.

Nothing against the .45, but definitely not a starter gun.

 

[Robert1955]

I think my 45 shoots softer than my 9mm. Now one of the alloy framed .357's would be a handfull, in fact there was a man and wife there the last time I was at On-Target and they wanted her to shoot an all steel 357 before they would let her shoot one of the alloy guns.

 

[teratos]

With all these women at the range, who is in the kitchen?















I kid, I kid.

 

[1ceman]

Of all the women you saw at the range? How many were there on their own? And how many were accompanied by husband/bf/other male friend?

I can probably count on one hand the number of women I've seen go shooting on their own (not counting at comps, although none of those women are "beginners")

I would be stupid to let my sexy wife go to the range by herself.... You dont tink its sexy to see a beautiful woman with a firearm??

...... even worse for her to climb out of a 4X4

 

[ShallNotInfringe]

I think my 45 shoots softer than my 9mm. Now one of the alloy framed .357's would be a handfull, in fact there was a man and wife there the last time I was at On-Target and they wanted her to shoot an all steel 357 before they would let her shoot one of the alloy guns.

Was thinking the same thing.

Actually all three of my kids shot a .45 for their first handgun experiences. . Happened to be the one at the range when they got the interest in trying. My 12 yo (at the time) daughter liked it better than the .380 on subsequent range trip.

No way I'd put them on a 357 right off, now that's a bad idea.

 

[ShallNotInfringe]

With all these women at the range, who is in the kitchen?

I kid, I kid.

That's what crock pots are for

 

[Mack C-85]

I think my 45 shoots softer than my 9mm. Now one of the alloy framed .357's would be a handfull, in fact there was a man and wife there the last time I was at On-Target and they wanted her to shoot an all steel 357 before they would let her shoot one of the alloy guns.

I give On Target a lot of credit for attempting to guide the newbies to "appropriate" rental guns, but unfortunately, some of the hardheads they have to deal with.......

I know what your saying about the .45 shooting softer, but again a lot a the time the mindset is "biggest, baddest" and instead of making it enjoyable, the newbie is immediately "not for me". You know, like use the heavier model .357 and shoot .38 spl in it.

My daughter isn't real thrilled with shooting now because of a neighbor in the next lane's hand cannon. Muzzle Blast and Flash was so bad I left the range, and despite good hearing protection, she's pretty much lost interest.

 

[Blacksmith101]

Get her in a junior shooting program. I have taught and coached junior shooters for many years and hands down the girls out shoot the boys. The girls don't know everything before they start so they listen and as a result become better shooters faster. Unfortunately sometimes the boys can't take being out shot by a girl and they sometimes quit.

 

[Melnic]

I frequent OnTarget during lunch hour during the work week. Almost every time I go lately, there is a woman on the line. Sometimes Mom w/ daughter and sometimes a woman training a woman (don't know if related, friend or professional). This wasn't so about a year ago. Just from observing, woman seem to learn better from other women. Not because women or better trainers in general (maybe they are but I don't know), but I think it's just a thing that women can relate better. I've taken my wife and I've learned over 23 years how NOT to talk to her when training anything. I've seen women show up in groups as well as solos and the OT staff have offered to get them started. Saw this on Monday. Girl showed up solo and OT staff I felt delt with them professionally. Don't know if they charged her for the time or just got her started cause about 5 minutes into it, it I was done and left. I usually don't see guys get women flustered during the work day there. I more often see guys getting all worked up cause new shooter buddy jerks the trigger and Mr. Experienced shooter can't understand why. I'm no instructor but I do know that 80%+ of the people I"ve taken just jerk the trigger till they get used to it. I know I did when I first started on Handguns.

 

[sxs]

Like the guy who brought his 12ish daughter to On Target in a Spaghetti strap shirt, shorts, and sandals. Anybody want to guess where the .45 cal brass he was shooting ended up? Nice second degree burn on the chest.

Or the guy that brings in his GF and for her first time shooting rents the biggest baddest .45 they have.Nothing against the .45, but definitely not a starter gun.

Some guys take pleasure in seeing someone recoil from the gun's recoil (pun intended!). Frankly I had a country cousin (in WV) who did such a thing to me when I was 12 or 13 with an old rabbit ears 12 ga shotgun using high brass shells once upon a time. I was barely big enough to shoulder the thing at that time and he had me shoot at a 'coon that his dogs had tree'd. He thought it was funny seeing the 'city boy' on his butt after shooting a raccoon out of a tree (BTW, I never considered myself a 'city boy'....I grew up in Pasadena in an area that was mostly rural and was shooting 22's at 6 years old). For a couple years after that I avoided shooting a shotgun again. I've taken a lot of people shooting over 30 years. For handgun shooting, I almost always take at least 3 or 4 guns stepping up in caliber. I mostly start with a 22, then target 38's out of an n frame .357 Smith (my own light reloads) and/or a 9mm with medium reloads. I'll then take some 38+P type reloads and maybe a few full blown factory .357 Magnum...but only if they want to try 'em after shooting the heavy 38 loads. Occasionally I'll take a 1911 45 with light to moderate target loads Most women will step up to 38 or 9mm easily. Quite a few women and most men (macho factor?) will try the 45 and a few actually get off on full bore 357 or heavy 45's. Only if the person has some experience and really wants to try will I put a 44 mag in their hands (and I've let a couple macho types shoot my 460 just to try it). A very few will just shoot the 22's and let that be that. Before letting them shoot the next step up, I'll often fire a couple rounds so they can see what the gun does. As they step up to shooting a gun with more recoil, if they fire something that is getting out of their comfort zone, I make them step back to a lighter recoil load. Of course, once they've shot a time or 2, I know what they will most likely want to shoot most in the future. For rifles, I usually take a 22, sometimes a 223 bolt rifle and, if they want to try it, either a 243 or 6mm Remington. I don't take any rifle heavier than a 6mm if they are a new shooter as I don't want anyone to have a bad shooting experience.

 

[03walkalot]

I can appreciate the desire to teach the other half to shoot and even to help them buy their first handgun and to show support over the years in them becoming proficient with their arm of choice even to a point where you can surprise them on special occasions with a new bell or whistle for their baby. You take great pride in seeing her confidence level soaring and her becoming comfortable with firearms.
But in my case it really makes you question your sanity when you find yourself one day looking down the business end of that arm of choice, seeing the cylinder loaded with +P hollow points and a red dot dancing around on your chest as your being told to leave you don't live there anymore!
Boy 25 years sure went by soooo quicky! It makes me take pause and remember what the great Jerry Clower once said. "I aint gonna get married no more, every 10 years I'm gonna go find a woman I can't stand and buy her a house!"