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C-dub wrote:If she's going to stick with birdshot then any information regarding lethal force might be irrelevant.

At least she isn't planning to use rock salt.

OK, so here is an update. I met my wife's friend on Saturday and everything went well. But I discovered that my wife's info was about as reliable as my info would be if I told her that a coworker wanted advice on a designer bag purchase. Basically accurate, but a lot of important details were incorrect.

My wife's friend may be 70, but she looked at least 10 years younger. Very fit and definitely not frail. Her shotgun was a Mossberg Maverick 88 that she bought about 18 months ago, so not an old, unmaintained gun left to her by her ex. She also had a Ruger LCR, with laser. In addition to these guns, we also brought my wife's Ruger SP 101 and my Mossberg Shockwave to the range. The Shockwave was just to show her how a light / laser combo works, and NOT for her to shoot (although I couldn't resist firing off a few shells). The SP 101 was to show her the recoil difference based on the weight of a revolver.

Friend had a bad shoulder and insisted on firing her shotgun from the hip. I was surprised that both she and I were able to maintain effective accuracy using this method. It probably helped that the target was only 10 yards out, of course, but that approximates typical HD distances in a normal house. We were able to fire a few rounds of birdshot, which she was very comfortable with. She also insisted on firing some buckshot, and after two rounds decided that she definitely wanted to stick with birdshot.

As for the revolvers, she was OK with the SP 101, but only managed to fire two rounds out of the LCR before deciding that the recoil was too much for her. I am currently exploring a couple options for a heavier / lower recoil revolver for her to consider. She is also thinking about getting something chambered in .22 caliber, which would be great on recoil, at the cost of stopping power.

At dinner, I did my best to answer her questions about the legal use of deadly force if someone was to break into her house. She also asked me about the rules and process for getting her LTC. All in all, it was a very good day. I got to meet a great person and she left with greatly increased confidence, especially after seeing what 5 rounds of birdshot will do to a target (yes, I know her gun will hold 5+1 but we started with an empty chamber).

cyphertext wrote:

Soccerdad1995 wrote:

cyphertext wrote:I would postpone the trip to the range until I had more info... still have her come over, verify it is unloaded, show her how to verify and how to operate it. She may be more at ease just knowing those things. I certainly wouldn't have her shoot buck shot out of it for the first go, and she may not really be interested in going to the range to shoot other stuff.

Have her over, figure out what she has, teach her a little about it, go to dinner... then you can gauge if a range trip is in order for the future.

The idea of having her shoot other things with less recoil would be to see if she might be interested in switching HD weapons. I have since learned that her ex husband has been an ex for around 40 years and I don't believe she has fired any guns at all. So in addition to other concerns, the shotgun is apparently very old and likely not well maintained. As I mentioned, this lady is a friend of my wife, so I would be happy to even give her a reasonably priced HD weapon that might be more appropriate. Revolvers are simple to operate, so the learning curve is easy.

But is she interested in HD weapons? Or has she had this shotgun laying around for 40 yrs and it makes her nervous? I guess that is what I am missing from this story.

Sorry, I should have been more clear. I am getting all this second hand from my wife, but my understanding is that the lady is concerned about crime in her neighborhood and wants to know how to use the shotgun that her ex-husband left her. I am taking this as a concern for her safety first and foremost, with the shotgun being a means to that end.

I will get a better understanding after I talk with her on Saturday.

cyphertext wrote:I would postpone the trip to the range until I had more info... still have her come over, verify it is unloaded, show her how to verify and how to operate it. She may be more at ease just knowing those things. I certainly wouldn't have her shoot buck shot out of it for the first go, and she may not really be interested in going to the range to shoot other stuff.

Have her over, figure out what she has, teach her a little about it, go to dinner... then you can gauge if a range trip is in order for the future.

The idea of having her shoot other things with less recoil would be to see if she might be interested in switching HD weapons. I have since learned that her ex husband has been an ex for around 40 years and I don't believe she has fired any guns at all. So in addition to other concerns, the shotgun is apparently very old and likely not well maintained. As I mentioned, this lady is a friend of my wife, so I would be happy to even give her a reasonably priced HD weapon that might be more appropriate. Revolvers are simple to operate, so the learning curve is easy.

flechero wrote:

Soccerdad1995 wrote: And the range I belong to does not allow birdshot. Only buckshot and slugs.

In this particular case, I'd go to a different range that allowed birdshot. That or use a 28 ga. loaner gun. Do you have a skeet range close by? Maybe a 20 ga with #8 shot target loads.

The only skeet range nearby is American Shooting Center, but I would be concerned about the attitude of the folks who work there ruining her experience. They tend to be intimidating for novice shooters.

The range where I am a member (Boyert) has a loaner 20 gauge. That and a recoil pad may work. I'll also bring a .22 lever action and an AR along with the GP 100.

omegaman wrote:Soccerdad:
Your wife and her friend are trusting your judgment. She could very likely have a severe adverse reaction to firing a 12-gauge shotgun for the first time. I suggest you let her try a 20-gauge if you have one. Then, talk her into selling the 12-gauge and buying a 20-gauge. Just my $0.02

That's a good idea. I don't have anything other than a 12 gauge, unfortunately, but I do have other rifles, including .223 and even .22 caliber. I may also see what the range has available to rent, although I don't think they have many shotguns.

I am planning on bringing my Ruger GP100 along as well. I'll see if this lady is OK with shooting some .38's out of that gun.

SQLGeek wrote:Aguila Mini Shells, Reduced Recoil or #4 Buckshot might fit the bill.

Why doesn't the range allow bird shot?

No idea on the reason for the restriction. I assume it either messes with their backstop or they are worried about ricochets. The mini shells would be an option but I don't think I can get those + adaptor locally and don't have time to have them shipped.

A couple months ago, SWMBO mentioned to me a while back that one of her friends got a shotgun from her ex-husband and was very uncomfortable with it. Being the kind soul that I am, I suggested that we have her friend over to the house for a tutorial on gun safety and proper use of the gun, followed by a trip to the range for practical experience. SWMBO has been going back and forth with her friend, and they finally scheduled this Saturday for the occasion, to be followed by dinner.

Both my wife and I are in our 40's, and this whole time I am picturing her friend as someone about our age, but wasn't sure if we are talking about a petite lady or somebody more stout. So I asked my wife the other night whether her friend was a large person. My wife gave me a weird look, and then told me that her friend is a petite lady who happens to have just turned 70. SWMBO assures me that her friend is in good shape for her age with no significant medical issues, etc. I also verified that the shotgun in question is a 12 gauge. And the range I belong to does not allow birdshot. Only buckshot and slugs.

So my question is how to minimize recoil for this lady. I have plenty of standard power 12 gauge shells, and I would custom order the lowest recoil shells I can find, but I need them by Saturday, so will likely need to get whatever I can find at either Academy or Bass Pro. I also have a recoil pad from my 30-06 that may fit her shotgun. Do y'all have any other advice. And do you think that it is a good idea to let her shoot her shotgun at all?

In case you are wondering, my wife has never fired any long guns and has no understanding of recoil, etc. And I was not able to pry any other details out of her about her friend's shotgun. I am picturing a nice heavy full size gun, which should help with recoil but might cause issues with her friend being able to hold the gun properly.