Target practice with the wife today, need some help...

[RECIT]

Advice on racking the slide, written by a lady for ladies:

http://www.corneredcat.com/RunGun/rack.aspx" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

My Mom has/had the same problem racking the slide. I showed her the same article and she picked it right up no problem. She also solved her problem by carrying a revolver 100% of the time now.

[The Annoyed Man]

Advice on racking the slide, written by a lady for ladies:

http://www.corneredcat.com/RunGun/rack.aspx" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

I highly recommend for all novice female shooters to spend time on corneredcat.com — without their husband/boyfriend/significant other hovering over them!

Also, the owner of that website has published a book by the same name. I bought a copy for my wife — who is no longer really a novice — as a Christmas present, and she has been avidly reading it. I have become an firm believer in husbands not trying to teach their wives too much about shooting.... ....not because the wives can't learn, but rather because the husbands can't teach, and because the husband/wife dynamic sometimes gets in the way of the teaching/learning.

For instance... How many of us have absolutely perfect shooting technique? What bad habits of yours are you passing on? I know I'm not perfect, and I am always work in progress.

The very best thing I ever did for my wife was to get out of the way and let someone else who is a trained and certified instructor teach her the basics and let her try out a number of different guns. She really liked the Glock 19, so when she did her CHL qualification, she did it with a rented G19. The next day she went and bought one of her own, and that is her carry piece. During our last trip to the range together, she asked me if she could try my M&P 45, and she liked it.

When I was trying to teach her, all it did was make her nervous. And it wasn't because I was brusk or impatient with her; rather, it was because she felt additional "pressure to perform" which was entirely her own issue. She said she felt like she was being judged, even though I wasn't judging her. When I got out of the way and we got her enrolled in an NRA Basic Handgun Safety Course, she was able to relax and actually have some fun with it. And when she finally took her CHL class and did the qualification — outdoors on a windy 23 degree January day — she was actually exhilarated and giddy when she was finished.

I hope this information is useful to you.

[rmr1923]

I have become an firm believer in husbands not trying to teach their wives too much about shooting.... ....not because the wives can't learn, but rather because the husbands can't teach, and because the husband/wife dynamic sometimes gets in the way of the teaching/learning.

i've got to agree with that. at first i thought i could help her but i just don't think i'm a good teacher. i tend to get long-winded with my explanations and forget that she's a novice to guns. i also sense that she may be intimidated when taking lessons from myself or her older brother. we plan on enrolling her in one of Compvest's courses for women within the next month or 2 so i'm hoping that will help a bit.

we spent last night at her parents' house in East Bernard and since we didn't have to work today, decided to go down to the creek and do some target practice. i made a few changes to my technique when shooting her Beretta and finally started hitting the center of the target, so at least i know it's not a problem with the sights on the gun.

at times she hits real close but still slightly low-left (maybe 6 inches from the center), sometimes she hits dead-on vertically but WAY left (8-12 inches left), and sometimes she hits low-center (again, 8-12 inches). i think maybe having some formal instruction and just a LOT more practice will go a long way. she's the first to admit that she's having trouble overcoming the natural instinct to flinch in anticipation of the recoil and she's trying hard to correct it, but that's something that even took me a while to overcome when i first started shooting handguns not too long ago. i can see her getting frustrated and discouraged at times, so i'm trying my best to encourage her without being overbearing.

i will admit that the little subcompact PX4 is a lot harder to hit the bullseye than with my M&P 40c (she shot that today as well and had the same aim issues). she seems to feel real comfortable with the way the PX4 feels, and she's a big fan of the safety/decocker, but i just don't like the thought of her carrying a gun that she can't shoot accurately and consistently.