Taking my wife to the range for the first time.

[SSW]

I noticed recently there have been a lot of threads about getting people out to the range for the first time. So I thought I would try to get my wife to the range.

We have been together for 24 years and she has always supported my interest in firearms and the shooting sports, but never really had any interest in getting involved.

Asked her for about the 1000th time, tonight and she finally accepted. We are actually working on firearms safety over the weekend, then headed out to the range on Monday.

I have a good line up of guns for her to try going start with a 22 and see how it goes. Also bringing a 380, 9mm and if she really seems to do well she wants to try my 1911 .45acp.

My angle is get her involved, licensed and maybe she will get me a new gun for Christmas!!!

So hopefully another shooter in the field and LTC holder in the state!!!!!

If anybody has ideas that worked well when they brought a first time shooter out, please post them below. I want to make this a great day for her!!!

 

[JakeF]

Good for you (and her)! My wife had never shot a gun before either, or had any interest in them until about 6 years ago when we were back in Missouri visiting my folks who own a farm there. Anytime we go visit, we always head out to a vacant pasture, set up targets for rifles and handguns, and a skeet thrower for shotguns and have a literal blast.

I started her out with a .22 rifle at 50' or so, shooting at empty soda cans, and there was no stopping her from there. She loved it. She really got a kick out of seeing the cans fly off the target stand, and flipped out when she hit a water filled milk jug with my Enfield. I don't think she'd have had quite the same reaction if we were just shooting at paper targets. To top it off she loves wild game, venison especially, and has been bugging me for the last 2 years to teach her how to hunt,,, something I did all the time back in MO, but haven't since we moved to MA. In the process of getting my LTC here in MA so that I can bring my guns here and get back into shooting and hunting, at her request, and she'll be taking a safety course and applying for hers sometime this winter.

So to summarize, I think reactive targets were key in capturing her interest that first time. I think was also important to start her out with an easy gun, easy target, and easy distance so that success was pretty much guaranteed, then slowly work toward higher calibers & more difficult targets. You want that first experience to be a good one. Best of luck!

ETA: Our 11th wedding anniversay is coming up this summer and guess what she said she wanted for a gift. A day at a range. Can't beat that with a stick!!

 

[TWtommers]

Start safe, start small, and stand back. Resist the urge to coach (that's really hard for me since I know everything) and just let her have fun. My wife started with a 22 pistol but found she really liked shooting the rifle. By our second range trip, her favorite was the 9mm and her favorite gun overall was my AR.

On bit I can share is that my wife asked "Why would you want to shoot anything bigger than a 22?" it was a valid question when all you're shooting is paper targets. I explained that once you moved to reactive targets, 22's aren't nearly as fun. She experienced that at the Pumpkin Blast, hence her new favorites. So, consider your target selection. Paper can get old but melons, full soda cans, water filled milk jugs, and other cheap reactive targets can be a bit more fun...and addictive.

Be safe but be sure to show hershey fun side and she won't be able to keep frm getting hooked!

 

[Dirtypacman]

I bet she surprises you and herself with her accuracy. Woman shooters, especially some beginners really have a knack to just get it.
Hopefully she can just enjoy and it will be another way for you to both enjoy some quality time together.
Wish you the best of luck.

 

[appraiser]

I took my wife to the range once, and she kicked my ass. Be prepared to swallow your pride!

Besides good hearing and eye protection, my only suggestion would be my standard " only one round in the gun at any time until safety is mastered" rule.

 

[BradM]

All the things mentioned here - I prefer to start new shooters on rifles over pistols, reactive targets if possible, I usually use a benchrest at first, and let her know you're there to assist her not "teach" her.

 

[dwarven1]

If you use paper targets, instead of bullseye targets, use some 8" paper plates - that way she won't be focusing on how close to the bull she is, but that she hit the target.

If you're bringing the .380, you may want to use that LAST. Many .380s have a rather sharp recoil and are less pleasant to shoot than a 9 or a .45! My little niece preferred the 1911 of all the handguns she shot - this was when she was 15. 5' 1" and maybe 90 lbs dripping wet. So don't fall prey to the "Oh, the little woman will like little guns" attitude that so many men have (and get bit on the ass with!).

Don't expect to get in much (if any) trigger time yourself - this is about your wife, so focus on keeping her safe and seeing that she learns to shoot and to have fun.

Oh, and water-filled jugs make wonderful reactive targets.

Good luck!

 

[Bigtuna]

I started my wife off with a .22 that was very comfortable for her to hold. Keep the target in close enough so she is getting on paper. What helped a lot was giving her a picture to show what she should see when the sights were lined up on the target.

 

[Business]

If anybody has ideas that worked well when they brought a first time shooter out, please post them below. I want to make this a great day for her!!!

Do what your doing, I started off about a year ago taking my wife to afs, She got her LTC a couple of days ago.

 

[Terminator03]

I bet she surprises you and herself with her accuracy. Woman shooters, especially some beginners really have a knack to just get it.
Hopefully she can just enjoy and it will be another way for you to both enjoy some quality time together.
Wish you the best of luck.

That is funny, and was my experience as well. My wife had never even held a gun in her life until she handled mine while going over the safe handling stuff. I set a target at about 30', and her first shot was a miss, then this was her second shot after working with her on the sighting

after which she said, "crap, I missed again, but the wind from the bullet must have blown the target off the clip"! Right about then a guy that was shooting a couple of lanes down said "hey, I guess we have Annie Oakley in the house", because she had shot the hanger rod dead center and severed it!

This was the result of the next few, though, after telling her that since she was dead on with her windage, she just needed to drop her sight picture down a bit.

 

[Dirtypacman]

Love it - great pics to keep the memory.

 

[josh2600]

If you're bringing the .380, you may want to use that LAST. Many .380s have a rather sharp recoil and are less pleasant to shoot than a 9 or a .45! My little niece preferred the 1911 of all the handguns she shot - this was when she was 15. 5' 1" and maybe 90 lbs dripping wet. So don't fall prey to the "Oh, the little woman will like little guns" attitude that so many men have (and get bit on the ass with!).

yep, I can shoot a .45 all day but I had a .380 ppk that hurt like a bitch. I wouldn't even let a first timer shoot that for fear they would hate it.

 

[SMagee]

I started my wife off with a .22 that was very comfortable for her to hold. Keep the target in close enough so she is getting on paper. What helped a lot was giving her a picture to show what she should see when the sights were lined up on the target.


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This is a MUST for new shooters (after Safety of course). Hand drawn sketches work fine for each firearm used helps as they are all different. After .22 shooting let her pick the next pistol/caliber to be fired. For some strange reason my wife hated 9mm but LOVES .357 magnum rounds. The Pistol just felt more comfortable to her and the rounds, noise, and recoil were all after thoughts.

Lastly if you have a muzzle break on an AR be aware of muzzle blast percussions around you. When I got my first AR my wife stood over my shoulder as I fired it. She wouldn;t touch the thing. After a few weeks I shot with a friend and stood behind his shoulder a few feet back. Stupid percussion almost took my fillings out. Now I know why she had no interest at first.

Good luck, take her for lunch afterwards, and hopefully she likes it. It's kind of nice when your wife shoots. Ammo costs double, but the Toys in the safe also increase with no begging or hiding purchases.

 

[SSW]

Thanks for all the ideas!!!

We did start going over basic safety tonight and are building on that over the weekend. She actually did well (unloaded weapon) handling the firearm.

She is setting the pace on this and is actually looking forward to the range. We are going to spend the weekend on safety and safe handling.

All the ideas you guys posted are great, I am going to use a lot of them. The advice on the 380 is great, I have a Colt Mustang in 380 and you guys are right it does fight back a little with recoil. May leave that for down the road.

Comfort wise she liked the 9mm. The adjustable backstrap (M&P) was great, we could really get her a comfortable, but stable grip.

So working on safety over the weekend and looking forward to Monday.

Thanks for all the ideas!!!! Really looking forward to getting her out to the range!!!!

 

[Independence Arms]

Promise her a diamond encrusted, silver plated $20,000 1911.

 

[SSW]

Promise her a diamond encrusted, silver plated $20,000 1911.

She watched about 5 mins of that episode of American Guns and did this

 

[Bill Nance]

Start her out sitting at a table. It will be easier to master sight picture, sight alignment and trigger control starting out from a sitting position. Then she can move to standing when she's comfortable with the fundamentals.

 

[SSW]

Well we hit the range today and my wife had a great day, lots of fun for us both.

I bet she surprises you and herself with her accuracy. Woman shooters, especially some beginners really have a knack to just get it.

You called that one Max, at first we did some safety and dry fire, then set a target so she could "just get used to the gun and firing." Her first shot ever, with any kind of firearm - Bullseye!!! (I had to open the hole a little to get the picture).

I took my wife to the range once, and she kicked my ass. Be prepared to swallow your pride!

Besides good hearing and eye protection, my only suggestion would be my standard " only one round in the gun at any time until safety is mastered" rule.

Everything Glockaholic called actually happened. We started live fire we went with single rounds. Once she got comfortable and had her handling technique down she let a few magaines fly. An there went my pride Proud of her though.





I think she may be hiding something from a previous life or anger issues


So we had a great time, about 2 hours and 200 rounds down range. Went to lunch after and now she wants to go back and even talked about getting her LTC!!!

Thanks for all the ideas, used almost all of them. We couldn't use reactive targets because we were in doors. But the splatter targets worked out well. When warmer weather comes, she is all amped up to shoot some steel or reactive targets!!!!

 

[dwarven1]

Once she got comfortable and had her handling technique down she let a few magaines fly. An there went my pride

A life lesson for you - there's ALWAYS someone better than you are! Unless you're Jerry Miculek, of course.

 

[George D]

Well we hit the range today and my wife had a great day, lots of fun for us both.

Excellent! My wife goes with me once a year at most. She shoots my 10/22 and my MkII. She has no interest in any larger calibers.
Scary thing is how accurate she is only shooting every 16 months.