Well I think the pigs started flying

[Shu]

Ok so for christmas I talked my fiancee into getting me my taurus 1911, Well she got it for me.

This is where the pigs fly part now she wants to learn to shoot it. W00t
She is the type that says why do you have to carry it on you all the time I thought you where going to leave it in the car.

My question is this I want to get her a pistol for protection at home because im going to be carrying this one. I also dont want to scare her away by letting her shoot my caliber of gun(its a 45)
What would yall recommend do you think she will have a problem with shooting this gun

[nitrogen]

http://www.corneredcat.com

My advice: Just let her figure guns out the same way you did: let her shoot stuff till she finds what she likes.

[Charles L. Cotton]

Shu:
What part of Texas do you call home?

Chas.

[Shu]

San Antonio

[Crossfire]

My advice: Just let her figure guns out the same way you did: let her shoot stuff till she finds what she likes.

You know, guys, women are just people, just like you... only with different equipment. And more shoes.

Seriously, take her to the gun shows; take her to a range that rents guns and let her pick them up, try them on, and then shoot them. She will tell you what fits.

[quidni]

I also dont want to scare her away by letting her shoot my caliber of gun(its a 45)
What would yall recommend do you think she will have a problem with shooting this gun

I'm female, 5'2", with fibromyalgia and CTS in both wrists. My favorite carry is a Colt in .45 (any size, from officer's to gov't). I like it because while it "shoves" a bit more, the recoil is less "snappy" than a 9mm with a comparably-sized frame is for me. Of course, because of my wrists, I prefer a heavier-framed pistol over a lighter polymer or alloy frame - the weight of the gun itself helps me to control it better.

http://www.corneredcat.com is an excellent website - I'd recommend you both explore it. And let your fiancee try out as many different calibers and types of guns as you can, that she wants - she'll figure out which she prefers. (She may even out-shoot you when she finds "hers"..... )

[longtooth]

(She may even out-shoot you when she finds "hers"..... )

oouchhh Maam. You ladies need to be gentle when you out us.

[bauerdj]

Take her to ranges and let her rent several before you buy, better yet first let her handle lots of them at a gun show and then rent what she likes the feel of. I think one of the biggest mistakes both men and women make is buying without trying enough different ones.

By the way my daughters favorite is a G36 and she is rather small - 5 ft even.

Dave B.

[j1132s]

I also dont want to scare her away by letting her shoot my caliber of gun(its a 45)
What would yall recommend do you think she will have a problem with shooting this gun

Maybe both of you go to the range and shoot .22lr pistol and leave the .45acp at home for the first day?

If you don't have any .22lr pistols, then I don't think she'll have any problems w/ the .45acp (even if she's never shot before). .45acp out of a full sized 1911 is pretty controllable; she might get tired from holding the pistol, but recoil isn't going to be too bad.

Even better, if you reload/know somebody who reloads, you can let she shoot very light loads that has almost no recoil that work w/ light springs. This makes the whole gun very easy to handle. A problem w/ my wife is racking the slides; she has no problems w/ the .22lr pistols and my steel challenge 1911 (which is setup for lighter loads).

If you live near Austin, Red's indoor range has Monday lady's day, where gun rentals are free for ladies.

[Venus Pax]

I was always scared to shoot the .45 until I actually did so. (Dad always veered me away from it; he meant well, but was simply wrong on this one.)
Do you have other pistols besides the .45? Take them all to the range with you. God made us all different. You never know what she's going to like. My first pistol was a .38 special, purchased for me by my dad when I was 20. I've never been overly fond of shooting it b/c the trigger is so tough. Ironically, I like the .45 better; Dad would have never thought so.

Let her try all the pistols you have. If you have friends in your area that own different guns, meet up with them. Switch guns. Many of us, men and women alike, enjoy trying out different guns.

Another thing from a teacher's standpoint: get behind her and help her cradle the gun if she is a bit fearful at first. I teach dyslexic students to read and write, and I frequently get behind them and guide their hand & arm movements. This gives them both direct guidance and security. (Sometimes, I have to stand on a chair to do it, but it works.) She may get offended by it, so use your judgement based on her personality. I know that its something I use with my students, and its something I would be willing to use if taking a new shooter to the range.

Have fun at the range!

[sparx]

I'll second what everyone else here has basically already said. My wife, at 4'11", was apprehensive about shooting handguns, but wanted to give it a try. But, she didn't want to start with my 9mm so we rented a .22LR for her at the range.

She had a blast, but even after shooting the .22LR, she was still too apprehensive to shoot the Glock so we eventually moved to a .380 on llwatson's recommendation. She shot that and didn't have any problem. When I told her that the little .380 she had just shot actually had more muzzle flip than the G19, she finally decided to give it a try, and was hooked.

Since then she's shot a Colt Government 9mm and .45 and likes to shoot them equally as well, and doesn't have the slightest problem with the flip. She likes shooting the full-size .45 over a Colt CCO .45, as the lighter frame and shorter barrel results in a little more flip, but she'll shoot any of them in a heartbeat.

Her favorite handgun of course is the one she chose for herself (after quite a few various rentals and "feels" at gun shows), which was a Walther P99-QA 9mm. She's now the owner of that handgun, a Walther P22 and a Ruger Single-Six .22, and has her CHL, which is FAR more than I ever hoped for, or expected, not more than 8 months or so ago.

Now that we're having a blast at the range with our handguns, I plan to pick up a .410 and get her started on shotguns!

But seriously, let her try out as many handguns in various calibers as she likes, and don't rush or try to over-influence her decision and she'll probably find "just the one" that she takes a partial liking to and will no doubt enjoy shooting the most (at least at the start). I personally prefer my 1911s and Glock over her Walthers, but that's what makes it fun and interesting (and gives us more guns to shoot!). My only regret is that I didn't take her out shooting 19 years ago when we first got married!

[stevie_d_64]

My advice: Just let her figure guns out the same way you did: let her shoot stuff till she finds what she likes.

You know, guys, women are just people, just like you... only with different equipment. And more shoes.

Seriously, take her to the gun shows; take her to a range that rents guns and let her pick them up, try them on, and then shoot them. She will tell you what fits.

Thats what I did...I was a silent partner in the deal...

[Tote 9]

Now that we're having a blast at the range with our handguns, I plan to pick up a .410 and get her started on shotguns!

Good idea to start with 410, the first shotgun my wife
shot was 12 ga. I didn't have anything else. She wasn't
holding it tight enough even though I warned her. Well,
it nearly knocked her down and she dropped it on the ground. She hasn't shot a shotgun since.

[Shu]

I have a 300 winchester mag do you think she can shoot that.


J/k on this one.

[Texasdoc]

Shu, my oldest daughter shoots my 300 winny and she is 5'4" and has not had a problem .Plus she shoots my Glock 23 in 40 S&W my Kimber Pro Carry in 45 Acp and my S&W 29 in 44 Mag .

so I think your GF should be able to handle a 45 with ease.


300shooter