JimConway
Instructor
I am pleased to announce that Mike Nastek and I have been selected for publication of a article in Gabe Suarez's "Warrior News"
Buying a Fire Arm for the Woman in your life
By Jim Conway and Mike Nastek
S.I. Staff Instructors
When I suggested this article to the editors, I was planning to discuss my frustrations over trying to find the right handgun for my wife and to include a few examples from a few friends about their experiences. The first friend to respond to my questions was Mike Nastek, one of my associates in NEshooters.com. He sent me a very detailed report of his experiences over a period of several years. His description of the events was so close to my own experience that I decided to include it as he wrote it. The following is how Mike Nastek described his attempts to get the right handgun for his spouse and his final success.
“Have you ever gone shopping for your wife or with her? I know we all have. You or she is looking for something that she wants, but does not know what color, style or where she is going to find it. But you’re on a mission to satisfy her needs. For me this story started out as a simple suggestion that she get her License to Carry (LTC), since I had Firearms in the house. Being a trooper she attended the 10 hour NRA Basic Firearms and Home Safety course. Upon her return home, her first question was “can we go out and shoot tomorrow”. Now came the challenge, since I own primarily 1911’s in .45 & 10 MM. My spouse is 5 feet tall and 105 pounds and her hands are small. I grab and assortment of what I own and the ammo to go with it and off we go to the range. She takes charge the minute we get there regarding the safety of the shooting area, we hang some large targets, she puts on her shooting glasses and hearing protection, and asks which gun she should shoot first. I place the ammo on the bench and she is astounded at the size, .45 Cal and 10 MM and asked where the small bullets are. Qualifying in the NRA course she fired .22 caliber. We load up and shoot the first 1911 a Colt Defender; it was like watching her walk up hill in a pair of 6 inch heels with one of them broken. But we got through it and made the best of the day. Her hand, wrist and arm were sore and there was no immediate gratification and good target hits were very few.”
“As we left the range she asked if we could go and look at firearms for her. We went to the local gun shop, where she handled every gun that looked right. But “she could not really try it on for size” by that I mean shoot it for feel, experience the recoil and work all of the different safeties and decockers etc. We settled on a Ruger Mark II semi-automatic and a S&W model 317 revolver both in .22 caliber, which I thought were good choices. Then we went back and did more shooting with the two new purchases. These two guns were still not right for her, trigger pull, weight, magazine release, cylinder release etc., but she were shot them throughout that summer”
“By now, she had received her LTC and needed an appropriate firearm to carry . It was time to return to the gun store. Our choices this time around were the S&W model 637 in .38 caliber and the Beretta Tom-Cat in .32 caliber and enough ammo to have some fun. Off to the range we went with her new firearms. The Tom-Cat had some appeal from the start because of its size and weight along with its ability to be easily concealed, but the caliber and tip up barrel were something to overcome. She fired the first round and almost immediately said I don’t like this, but stuck with it and accepted the difference in the way it fired and felt. Next came the S&W 637 in .38 caliber. It had the same feel as the 317, weight was not an issue, and loading went fine but the real test was firing the first round. I watched the trigger being pulled in double action and then the hammer fall, and the gun fire and the look of shock in her face as the recoil was felt by her small hands and arms. She never carried either of these two guns for protection or fired them again, but we now had two new safe queens.”
“After my next trip out to the dealer, I presented her a new Sigarms 232 in .380 Caliber that I thought would fit her hands and be a little kinder, It was a very suitable purchase in my eyes. She willingly accepted the new acquisition and off to the range we went, the caliber was great, trigger was tolerable, the grip size and weight was acceptable and it fired well and seemed to be a great choice finally. But the slide was stiff and required a lot of strength to pull back but on a scale of 1-10 it was an 8 compared to all the others.”
“She was now ready for her first defensive handgun course and ordered all of the required gear with great anticipation. Two days of shooting, magazine changes and enjoying every minute of it. Yeah!! Right. The Sig 232 had not been dehorned, had a European magazine release and if held with too high a grip caused nice snake bites on her hand.”
“She enjoyed the class but her hands needed time to repair after the 20 hours of torture. The SIG was a great carry gun but not a training gun for a defensive handgun course. Need I say more, I should have thought before I purchased again but we try to please the ones we love. I then acquired a Beretta 9000s in 9 MM with a magazine release next to the trigger guard, and a slide that moves without much effort. The story on this one is short but sweet, She shot it did not like it and I did not ask why. There is a time to remain silent.”
“We continued to shoot and learn, as you can see there has been considerable money and time spent so far and no real 100 percent solution. Once again we went to the local dealer and found a KAHR K9 in 9 mm, By now she was more savvy. The grip panels, weight, and frame were right, and she could handle the slide with a little effort.”
“We signed up for another 2 day defensive hand gun course and all went well, but the firearm again proved to be a lot for her to handle over two 8 hour days. But we have made some inroads over the last 2 years it has been an uphill battle. This brings us to a new cross road. We went to our dealer again, found a Glock model 26 in 9 mm that felt good in her hands, with a slide that is easy to manipulate, no decockers, manual safeties, and the weight is great. We buy it and run, the next Saturday we go to the range and all is well the gun runs flawlessly. You guessed it. She has a complaint about the grip because of its small size, but on a scale from 1 -10 we are hanging at a 9. I then looked for a Glock 19, 9 mm with it's slightly grip, and bought it as soon as I found it.”
“Using the Glock 19, she took another defensive hand gun course with Gabe Suarez 4 days of live fire, manipulations, and shooting on the move and a four day course at Front Sight, all in a 3 month period. She has found the gun that is right for her and it is a marriage made in heaven.”
“Please understand this in no way is an evaluation of any particular firearm but a summary of the road well traveled in finding the correct firearm that fits a spouses need. I can say that it is a pleasure to shoot with her, now that all is comfortable and her abilities have grown. She now possesses several licenses to carry in several states has taken six or more handgun courses and is skilled in the manual of arms.”
“I purchased nine handguns for her and spent $3,500.00 to 4,000.00 Dollars over 3 years, It would be a great thing to be able to shoot and try a firearm before it was purchased, and, even better, if the manufacturers would really consider the female market when they are designing their products.”
Based upon both of our experiences in trying to acquire the right handgun for our spouses, there are several lessons that we learned the hard way.
The first handgun that you buy for your spouse is almost guaranteed to be the wrong one, unless you are very lucky.
It will take a lot of time, money and frustration before you find the right one. For each mistake that you make buying the handgun, that you are sure going to be the right one, you should, at least, be able to learn what does not work.
In both of our cases, the turning point came only after our spouses gained enough experience by both shooting at the range and attending classes taught by top instructors.
Buying a Fire Arm for the Woman in your life
By Jim Conway and Mike Nastek
S.I. Staff Instructors
When I suggested this article to the editors, I was planning to discuss my frustrations over trying to find the right handgun for my wife and to include a few examples from a few friends about their experiences. The first friend to respond to my questions was Mike Nastek, one of my associates in NEshooters.com. He sent me a very detailed report of his experiences over a period of several years. His description of the events was so close to my own experience that I decided to include it as he wrote it. The following is how Mike Nastek described his attempts to get the right handgun for his spouse and his final success.
“Have you ever gone shopping for your wife or with her? I know we all have. You or she is looking for something that she wants, but does not know what color, style or where she is going to find it. But you’re on a mission to satisfy her needs. For me this story started out as a simple suggestion that she get her License to Carry (LTC), since I had Firearms in the house. Being a trooper she attended the 10 hour NRA Basic Firearms and Home Safety course. Upon her return home, her first question was “can we go out and shoot tomorrow”. Now came the challenge, since I own primarily 1911’s in .45 & 10 MM. My spouse is 5 feet tall and 105 pounds and her hands are small. I grab and assortment of what I own and the ammo to go with it and off we go to the range. She takes charge the minute we get there regarding the safety of the shooting area, we hang some large targets, she puts on her shooting glasses and hearing protection, and asks which gun she should shoot first. I place the ammo on the bench and she is astounded at the size, .45 Cal and 10 MM and asked where the small bullets are. Qualifying in the NRA course she fired .22 caliber. We load up and shoot the first 1911 a Colt Defender; it was like watching her walk up hill in a pair of 6 inch heels with one of them broken. But we got through it and made the best of the day. Her hand, wrist and arm were sore and there was no immediate gratification and good target hits were very few.”
“As we left the range she asked if we could go and look at firearms for her. We went to the local gun shop, where she handled every gun that looked right. But “she could not really try it on for size” by that I mean shoot it for feel, experience the recoil and work all of the different safeties and decockers etc. We settled on a Ruger Mark II semi-automatic and a S&W model 317 revolver both in .22 caliber, which I thought were good choices. Then we went back and did more shooting with the two new purchases. These two guns were still not right for her, trigger pull, weight, magazine release, cylinder release etc., but she were shot them throughout that summer”
“By now, she had received her LTC and needed an appropriate firearm to carry . It was time to return to the gun store. Our choices this time around were the S&W model 637 in .38 caliber and the Beretta Tom-Cat in .32 caliber and enough ammo to have some fun. Off to the range we went with her new firearms. The Tom-Cat had some appeal from the start because of its size and weight along with its ability to be easily concealed, but the caliber and tip up barrel were something to overcome. She fired the first round and almost immediately said I don’t like this, but stuck with it and accepted the difference in the way it fired and felt. Next came the S&W 637 in .38 caliber. It had the same feel as the 317, weight was not an issue, and loading went fine but the real test was firing the first round. I watched the trigger being pulled in double action and then the hammer fall, and the gun fire and the look of shock in her face as the recoil was felt by her small hands and arms. She never carried either of these two guns for protection or fired them again, but we now had two new safe queens.”
“After my next trip out to the dealer, I presented her a new Sigarms 232 in .380 Caliber that I thought would fit her hands and be a little kinder, It was a very suitable purchase in my eyes. She willingly accepted the new acquisition and off to the range we went, the caliber was great, trigger was tolerable, the grip size and weight was acceptable and it fired well and seemed to be a great choice finally. But the slide was stiff and required a lot of strength to pull back but on a scale of 1-10 it was an 8 compared to all the others.”
“She was now ready for her first defensive handgun course and ordered all of the required gear with great anticipation. Two days of shooting, magazine changes and enjoying every minute of it. Yeah!! Right. The Sig 232 had not been dehorned, had a European magazine release and if held with too high a grip caused nice snake bites on her hand.”
“She enjoyed the class but her hands needed time to repair after the 20 hours of torture. The SIG was a great carry gun but not a training gun for a defensive handgun course. Need I say more, I should have thought before I purchased again but we try to please the ones we love. I then acquired a Beretta 9000s in 9 MM with a magazine release next to the trigger guard, and a slide that moves without much effort. The story on this one is short but sweet, She shot it did not like it and I did not ask why. There is a time to remain silent.”
“We continued to shoot and learn, as you can see there has been considerable money and time spent so far and no real 100 percent solution. Once again we went to the local dealer and found a KAHR K9 in 9 mm, By now she was more savvy. The grip panels, weight, and frame were right, and she could handle the slide with a little effort.”
“We signed up for another 2 day defensive hand gun course and all went well, but the firearm again proved to be a lot for her to handle over two 8 hour days. But we have made some inroads over the last 2 years it has been an uphill battle. This brings us to a new cross road. We went to our dealer again, found a Glock model 26 in 9 mm that felt good in her hands, with a slide that is easy to manipulate, no decockers, manual safeties, and the weight is great. We buy it and run, the next Saturday we go to the range and all is well the gun runs flawlessly. You guessed it. She has a complaint about the grip because of its small size, but on a scale from 1 -10 we are hanging at a 9. I then looked for a Glock 19, 9 mm with it's slightly grip, and bought it as soon as I found it.”
“Using the Glock 19, she took another defensive hand gun course with Gabe Suarez 4 days of live fire, manipulations, and shooting on the move and a four day course at Front Sight, all in a 3 month period. She has found the gun that is right for her and it is a marriage made in heaven.”
“Please understand this in no way is an evaluation of any particular firearm but a summary of the road well traveled in finding the correct firearm that fits a spouses need. I can say that it is a pleasure to shoot with her, now that all is comfortable and her abilities have grown. She now possesses several licenses to carry in several states has taken six or more handgun courses and is skilled in the manual of arms.”
“I purchased nine handguns for her and spent $3,500.00 to 4,000.00 Dollars over 3 years, It would be a great thing to be able to shoot and try a firearm before it was purchased, and, even better, if the manufacturers would really consider the female market when they are designing their products.”
Based upon both of our experiences in trying to acquire the right handgun for our spouses, there are several lessons that we learned the hard way.
The first handgun that you buy for your spouse is almost guaranteed to be the wrong one, unless you are very lucky.
It will take a lot of time, money and frustration before you find the right one. For each mistake that you make buying the handgun, that you are sure going to be the right one, you should, at least, be able to learn what does not work.
In both of our cases, the turning point came only after our spouses gained enough experience by both shooting at the range and attending classes taught by top instructors.
![[grin]](/xen/styles/default/xenforo/smilies.vb/041.gif "Grin [grin]")
![[smile]](/xen/styles/default/xenforo/smilies.vb/001.gif "Smile [smile]")
I find that almost any gun I like can feel like it was custom made with a few small modifications, usually grips. My sister has tiny hands, however, and her favorite gun is my .38 Chief Special. (She is damned accurate with it too.)
![[wink]](/xen/styles/default/xenforo/smilies.vb/002.gif "Wink [wink]")
![[laugh]](/xen/styles/default/xenforo/smilies.vb/012.gif "Laugh [laugh]")
Glenn lost a few that way.
