Trying different firearms

[Tyeraxus]

So I got my wife into shooting by taking her out to Cresap with the .22LR, and success soon followed. She said to bring lots more ammo next time (we shot through probably 250-300 rounds that afternoon), she wanted to try the next biggest round sometime, and she's interested in a handgun for home defense and possibly CCW if/when MD gets its house in order.

Obviously we want to try various things out before purchasing something, especially since looks rank up there with fit on her list of what to get. No, nothing pink and girly, but she absolutely hates the looks of a Glock (she took one look at a 1911 in the case at the store and said "That's what I like").

So the question at this point is where can we go, within decent driving distance of Germantown (30 mins or less if possible), where we can rent/try out a variety of firearms to see what fit/caliber/etc. would be good for her?

I'm also looking for suggestions on where to start. For handguns, a 1911 is pretty much outside our budget at the moment, and since Glock is a no-go as well, I'm thinking a Ruger P-series wouldn't be a bad place to start, but I don't really know where to go after that. On the longarm side, I want to have her try a .223, but what platform is up in the air. I'll probably start with the Mini-14 if possible since the workings will be similar to the 10/22 she's learning the basics on. Again, I'm not sure where to go from there, so any suggestions would be welcome.

 

[Rich1911]

I got my wife a Ruger SR9c and it fits her pretty well.

 

[hvymax]

1911's are not a beginner gun. SA and cocked and locked can be squirrelly for "experts". For range use and such that is fine but HD and carry something simple and reliable is paramount.

 

[Joseph87']

i too am in germantown. u can go to gilberts gun range and rent and try different platforms. its in rockville on gude near the animal shelter.

 

[Joseph87']

oh and have her try a cz rami model in alloy. i believe she would love the looks and feel. take a look at the cz website.

 

[gmhowell]

I second Gilbert's. My gf also tried the S&W plastic gun (forget the name. XD? M&P? I dunno)

 

[frdfandc]

I second Gilbert's. My gf also tried the S&W plastic gun (forget the name. XD? M&P? I dunno)

M&P.


To the OP. Have her try everything she can get her hands on if possible. Let HER decide what she wants to own and shoot. Something in a 9mm, .38 or .380 round.

Me personally, I'd have her go for the 9mm. With the number of SD/HD ammo on the market, it would make for a great home and CCW piece.

 

[hvymax]

oh and have her try a cz rami model in alloy. i believe she would love the looks and feel. take a look at the cz website.

I love that style of gun. I prefer the EAA Witness line for the interchangable slides and barrels.

 

[gmhowell]

To the OP. Have her try everything she can get her hands on if possible. Let HER decide what she wants to own and shoot. Something in a 9mm, .38 or .380 round.

Me personally, I'd have her go for the 9mm. With the number of SD/HD ammo on the market, it would make for a great home and CCW piece.

And personally, I'd start with the smaller guns and work up. By the time you've shot some .38 or .380, a new shooter will get used to the recoil and a 9 or more won't be as big a shock.

 

[teratos]

I'd be careful with the .380 you choose. The LCP has considerable recoil. I would stay away from the subcompacts until she has a little more experience under her belt.

Consider a RIA 1911 in 9mm. They can be had for under $500.

 

[MauiWowie]

Get her to try a 9mm Sig P229 stainless elite she'll fall in love

 

[HardHatMan]

Try Silver Eagle Group in VA: http://www.silvereaglegroup.com/range-use/rentals/handgun-rentals

Also, Blue Ridge Arsenal in VA has a ton of rentals: http://blueridgearsenal.com/

 

[mdvctry]

Tyeraxus,

Have her contact my wife; NP556. She belongs to AGC Monumental Pistol & Gun club Women's Division. She started with a 5.56, then bought a 9mm Glock and recently bought a Kimber .45 Ultra Concealed carry with Crimson Trace Laser grips. It has a 3" barrel and has a bit of recoil, but she loves it. Her perspective may be different then most. She is also getting her NRA Pistol Instructor certification and would be happy to have your wife go shoot with her at IWLA in Damascus and she could try Sig Mosquito, Glocks and different .45s. WRT Rifles she could try the M4 5.56/.223 or the MP 15-22 22LR.

If your wife is interested, Monumental is hosting a Women On Target rifle course 11 August. They provide everything and the cost is almost nothing for the value and quality of the training. Check out their website for more detailed information.

 

[offroaD]

Get her to try a 9mm Sig P229 stainless elite she'll fall in love

I was thinking sig my self too, except the sig 2022 9mm.

 

[mancheechee]

If your wife says I like the looks of a 1911, then you don't hesitate. Go buy one. If she doesn't like it, then you have one in your personal collection.

Get a ria tactical as they are less expensive and plenty for a beginner. My next door neighbor lets his 8 year old shoot his SA mil spec all the time.

 

[Tyeraxus]

Thanks for the suggestions all. We wound up going to Gilbert's today, checked out a 9mm (S&W SW99), and we each put 50 rounds through it (alternating groups of ten) at 15 feet. Takeaways:

1) The 9mm seems like her caliber. She liked it, but said she was getting a little tired towards the end due to weight and recoil though. I mentioned maybe trying a .380 next time if the recoil bothered her, but she said she wasn't interested in "stepping down."
2) She's a better shooter than I am (but that's not hard to do). It took her a bit to get used to shooting a handgun (like I said, she's new shooter), but her fourth set of ten were very good. On a standard silhouette target, she put five in the X, three more in the ten, and one more low and left in the nine. Last shot was basically a called flyer far left at the edge of the paper ("I messed up, where'd that one go?"). Her fifth/final set of ten were right there with it (two in the nine, seven in the ten or X, and her last round in the middle of the head with a huge grin). I wish we'd been alternating targets rather than shooting at the same ones.
3) She hated the gun (SW99). Multiple failure to cycle malfunctions on her end, and several for me as well. While I'm not ruling out operator error on our parts, we were both using the Weaver stance (that's what I learned in my safety class way back when so it's what I'm teaching her). At least we got malfunction clearing practice, I guess.
4) Everybody complains about the prices at Gilbert's, and I'm no exception. Two people, two boxes of ammo, two targets, and one rental ran just shy of a hundred bucks; before we moved to MD, we lived in TN, and I would shoot a .40 for the same amount of time at the local range for twenty-ish bucks, so it was a bit of a shock. Silver lining: on the way home, she said "For that price, why don't we just get one of our own and drive up to Frederick (Cresap) for five bucks each? It'd pay for itself in no time!"

All in all, great experience, even if it was a bit pricey. But she had a great time, and that's what matters.

 

[Mooseman]

If she likes 9MM, take a look at the Beretta 92. They are a nice looking and good shooting gun. You can buy a police trade in at a very good price.

 

[gmhowell]

4) Everybody complains about the prices at Gilbert's, and I'm no exception. Two people, two boxes of ammo, two targets, and one rental ran just shy of a hundred bucks; before we moved to MD, we lived in TN, and I would shoot a .40 for the same amount of time at the local range for twenty-ish bucks, so it was a bit of a shock. Silver lining: on the way home, she said "For that price, why don't we just get one of our own and drive up to Frederick (Cresap) for five bucks each? It'd pay for itself in no time!"

You get the weekly membership? That one will kill you. Money ahead by getting the one month family, even if you only go twice.

If she likes 9MM, take a look at the Beretta 92. They are a nice looking and good shooting gun. You can buy a police trade in at a very good price.

They seem to be sold out locally at the moment. Know of anybody with them?

 

[steveh326]

My vote would be for a Bersa 380. I got my wife one a couple years ago. They are very reasonably priced, extremely easy to shoot, not a single malfunction yet on ours.

Take her to several gun stores to check out what they have in stock and see what fits her hands. She may prefer the simplicity of a revolver over a semi-auto.

 

[Threeband]

If she has small hands and/or short fingers like I do, she's probably best staying away from the double actions like the SIGs, the Beretta, and probably the CZs. The trigger reach is so loooooong on those things that people with small hands are forced to twist the gun in their hand. You want the barrel in line with your forearm as much as possible, and people with small hands just can not get a decent grip in most of those pistols.

I find the S&W M&P a pretty decent fit for me. Try the Springfield XD also: I'm not wild about the high bore axis, but I recall they seemed to fit me pretty well when I've picked them up.

Kahrs are supposed to be great for small hands, though I haven't tried them.

Among single actions, the Browning Hi Power is a surprisingly decent fit for many smaller hands. 1911s can be fitted with the short trigger, as an option.

Of course, if she has Gorilla Hands, you can disregard this post, but I think many, many people, men as well as women, struggle with badly fitting pistols.