I took my girlfriend to the range. Now it's going to cost me

Gun, shooting and equipment discussions unrelated to CHL issues

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GeekwithaGun
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Re: I took my girlfriend to the range. Now it's going to cost me

Post by GeekwithaGun »

gemini wrote:I've bought from Bachman pawn. Nice little shop with a good selection. They have a booth at the
larger local gun shows, and you get a slightly better deal if you buy at one of the shows.
Also, Target Master in Garland rents guns.
:iagree:

I bought my semi-auto from Bachman at a local gun show. They had the best price at the time for what I chose and couldn't find it locally anywhere else. They also have sales from time to time and they have a cash/check price 4% less than the credit price.
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Re: I took my girlfriend to the range. Now it's going to cost me

Post by bdickens »

:iagree:

She must pick it. Rest assured that if you get her something without her picking it out, your choice will be wrong.
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Re: I took my girlfriend to the range. Now it's going to cost me

Post by frazzled »

bdickens wrote::iagree:

She must pick it. Rest assured that if you get her something without her picking it out, your choice will be wrong.
Thats a rule of life right there. :coolgleamA:
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Re: I took my girlfriend to the range. Now it's going to cost me

Post by shortysboy09 »

bdickens wrote::iagree:

She must pick it. Rest assured that if you get her something without her picking it out, your choice will be wrong.
I'm going to quote you to her. Gun shopping tonight then! My favorite thing to do.
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The Annoyed Man
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Re: I took my girlfriend to the range. Now it's going to cost me

Post by The Annoyed Man »

shortysboy09 wrote:She is now wanting a pistol of her own along with a rifle. I know that recommended caliber's are things like .380, .38 special etc. But, what specific pistol would you recommend I get her? She wants a semi-auto type pistol not a revolver.

I have got the rifle thing covered ( I have a 22-250 Handi-Rifle that she will get ).

But, all in all I don't mind getting her a pistol because I got her hooked on shooting plus, I know the next step will be for her to be asking about CHL's. :anamatedbanana
My wife has had opportunities to shoot all of our pistols, from .22s to a .44 magnum. We own revolvers and semi-autos. I bought her a S&W 642 for valentine's day a couple of years ago, and that's what she carries daily (now that she has her CHL) because it's what fits best in her Coronado Leather ccw purse. But, she doesn't particularly like shooting it. Few people do. The pistol is so light that the recoil is relatively nasty, compared to say... a 1911.

However, her favorite pistol, which she enjoys shooting very much is her very own Glock 19. She first shot one when she took her NRA Basic Handgun Safety Course from Crossfire-Training, owned by our moderator Crossfire. (BTW, although they are not "female training specialists," they do have a very good record of making women comfortable with the idea of shooting, and carrying a pistol.) Then, when my wife took her CHL class from Crossfire-Training, she rented one of their G19s for the range qualification portion. That confirmed that she really liked that pistol, and the very next day she went shopping for one and bought one. The only reason she doesn't carry that pistol is that it doesn't fit that well into her ccw purse. However, our last range session this past Sunday, in which she practiced with both her little revolver and her Glock, convinced her that she is going to have to try and find a carry alternative to the purse. So now we are going to start shopping holster alternatives for the Glock, and she is finally willing to accept the idea of making adjustments to her wardrobe choices if that's what it takes to pull it off.

All of that is to say that you shouldn't sell your girlfriend short. Don't buy her a pistol — any pistol — based on a single range trip. She may decide after 3 or 4 range trips that she prefers a .45 to a .380. The .380 caliber is commonly regarded as a sort of "minimum requirement" for self defense purposes. Also, giving her more than one opportunity to shoot heavier hitting calibers, while it may not enamor her of carrying a .45, may put a 9mm into perspective once she realizes that it really doesn't kick that hard and is relatively easy to shoot. And that would be a good thing.
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Re: I took my girlfriend to the range. Now it's going to cost me

Post by shortysboy09 »

The Annoyed Man wrote:
Also, giving her more than one opportunity to shoot heavier hitting calibers, while it may not enamor her of carrying a .45, may put a 9mm into perspective once she realizes that it really doesn't kick that hard and is relatively easy to shoot. And that would be a good thing.
Very good point. After she had cleared the 9mm mag from my Taurus she turned to me and said, " Wow, that one has got some kick back to it. " I replied with, " You should try shooting a .45. " She then said, " Its a lot more than the .22 " which she had shot just before that. So, maybe she wasn't particularly meaning that it was too much for her to handle, but just commenting that it was a lot more than she had expected between the .22 and 9mm. I am planning on taking her somewhere she can actually test the pistols like the other members have talked about.
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Re: I took my girlfriend to the range. Now it's going to cost me

Post by stevie_d_64 »

"Sweety???"

"Yes Dear???"

"What do you wan to do tonight???"

"Well, I thought dinner and a box of fifty would be nice???"

"Ok! It's a date!"
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Re: I took my girlfriend to the range. Now it's going to cost me

Post by stevie_d_64 »

BTW, "Wife Unit" picked out her first gun by herself...A very wise choice she made a few years ago...Taurus PT24/7 in 9mm...I have never been allowed to shoot it after the first magazine... :banghead:

Then I made the mistake of letting her handle another man's piece...And she liked it...That cost me a nice chunk of change... :smilelol5:
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Re: I took my girlfriend to the range. Now it's going to cost me

Post by PUCKER »

In the end, it might just be cheaper to go ring shopping (you know, engagement ring), it seems you've found a keeper! :biggrinjester:

And then you've solved the gun problem...all your guns will be hers too! LOL
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Re: I took my girlfriend to the range. Now it's going to cost me

Post by CompVest »

Please, don't let anyone tell you should won't like a 45. I have tiny 65 year old ladies with deformed arthritic hands prefer the 45 over everything else. The 45 may have a lot of movement in the recoil but it hits the hand softer than a 9. The 9 hit fast a sharp.

Caliber is a personal choice just as handgun make and model is. I would let her try anything she likes the way it feels in her hand without any comment so she will make her decision on what she likes and not a preconceived idea.

There aren't any ladies' handguns or calibers only the one that fits!
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Re: I took my girlfriend to the range. Now it's going to cost me

Post by Drewthetexan »

PUCKER wrote:In the end, it might just be cheaper to go ring shopping (you know, engagement ring), it seems you've found a keeper! :biggrinjester:

And then you've solved the gun problem...all your guns will be hers too! LOL
nah, I think he meant the ring too when he said "it's going to cost me." :thumbs2:
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Re: I took my girlfriend to the range. Now it's going to cost me

Post by C-dub »

Yup. She's gotta pick it.

You just never know. My wife is small and has very small hands, yet likes my full size G22 more than the G27. I would not have guessed that.
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Re: I took my girlfriend to the range. Now it's going to cost me

Post by The Annoyed Man »

CompVest wrote:Please, don't let anyone tell you should won't like a 45. I have tiny 65 year old ladies with deformed arthritic hands prefer the 45 over everything else. The 45 may have a lot of movement in the recoil but it hits the hand softer than a 9. The 9 hit fast a sharp.

Caliber is a personal choice just as handgun make and model is. I would let her try anything she likes the way it feels in her hand without any comment so she will make her decision on what she likes and not a preconceived idea.

There aren't any ladies' handguns or calibers only the one that fits!
You're absolutely right. I actually tried to get my wife interested in .45, but she likes the 9mm, specifically in her Glock. My Impression is that the 9mm's recoil, while not overly strong, is snappy. The .45's recoil is stronger, but slower, almost more of a "push" than a "snap". So I prefer the .45, and think of it as a big old pussycat. But in the end, I don't care whether my wife carries a 9mm or a .45 (or any other of half a dozen good, solid, personal defense calibers), as long as she carries it, is comfortable with it, and can shoot it. I'm just grateful that she is ready, willing, and able to do so.
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Re: I took my girlfriend to the range. Now it's going to cost me

Post by mikeintexas »

My wife has a .45 Taurus that she likes to shoot, but says it is too heavy for her CC purse. Right now she has an LCP that she packs. She is wanting a Kahr PM9. Her sister has one and my wife likes to shoot it; and it is thinner and lighter than the .45.

On buying her a gun, I will have to agree with most of the others. Let her pick out her own. A friend suggested I get her a S&W revolver in .38 Special, I don't remember the model number, but it was hammerless. She shot it a couple of times and hated the recoil. When she tried my .45, she traded the .38 Special for the .45.

DFW Gun Range on Mockingbird (between I-35E and Harry Hines Blvd) in Dallas rents pistols. That is the range we go to when we go shooting.

Good Luck! :txflag:
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