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

[shortysboy09]

I took my girlfriend, and soon to be wife, with me to the local shooting range this weekend. Her parents are mildly anti-gun. By mildly I mean they don't want anything to do with guns but do not mind if other responsible people have them.

So, she has never handled or shot any gun. Before we left for the range I taught her the way to handle all the guns we were going to be taking with us so I wouldn't have to explain over the sound of gun-shots at the range. Well, everything went great and she showed much more interest in shooting then I would ever have thought given her parents beliefs. We started with a .22 rifle and .22 pistol so she could get a feel for aiming and wouldn't be scared by the kick of the gun. From there we moved up to my Sig 556 which was her favorite to shoot.( Of course she would like the most expensive of the guns the best! ) After that we moved up to a .243 and my 9mm Taurus. She liked shooting both guns just not the kick as much.

Now, here's how it's going to cost me now... (If you don't like reading long posts read from here on.)

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.

[Drewthetexan]

Range time with the S.O. is always good fun. I think the general concensus before has been: take her shopping and let her pick out what she'd like.

[joe817]

Congrats for introducing her to the shooting hobby! You did well.

The best suggestion I could make, and it would show her how much you care, is to take her to a range where you can rent a variety of guns for her to try out. All guns feel different in everybody's hands. And she needs to find a pistol that feels comfortable to her. AND the kick has to be mild enough to make it not unpleasant for her. And that comes down to an undefined personal preference at this point.

There must be a range in Dallas or Collin county that has guns you can rent. I know Ft.Worth has one, and they have about 30-40 guns you can rent....all different.

I'd also recommend that she takes a look at the CorneredCat wesite. Made by a woman FOR women. It's great:
http://www.corneredcat.com/TOC.aspx" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Lastly, why don't you get her to join this forum? You KNOW how much information is here and the friendly people here. Why we even have forums for women only. I think that's great!

[shortysboy09]

Range time with the S.O. is always good fun. I think the general concensus before has been: take her shopping and let her pick out what she'd like.

Probably a very good idea. A co-worker of mine mentioned Bachman Pawn and Gun has some good prices on pistols. Has anyone dealt with them before?

Also, do they have a wide range of different pistols?

[TLynnHughes]

Range time with the S.O. is always good fun. I think the general concensus before has been: take her shopping and let her pick out what she'd like.

And personally, I've steered away from the .380 because the ammo is hard to find. I think she might be able to find one that doesn't recoil unpleasantly. Just an example, the "kick" on my HK USP Compact is negligible (or it could be that I'm getting used to the 9mm recoil...not sure which. )

Congrats on getting her hooked. Now hang on for the ride...just ask williamkevin.

T.

[A-R]

Congrats on "converting" her . Wish I could do same for my wife, but that's a lost cause I'm afraid.

Picking a gun is such a personal choice considering skill, experience level, planned uses, hand size and strength etc. Would help to have more info.

But if recoil is one of the primary worries, and assuming she wants a "real" gun with some self-defense capability and not just a .22 plinker/target gun, then look at the larger .380 autos like Sig 232, Walther PPK, Bersa, if she wants something smaller and more concealable (avoid the true pocket pistols as they can kick hard even with .380). If concealment is not an issue, then you have a huge selection of larger framed 9mm like Glock 17 or 19, Springfield XD, S&W M&P, Berettas, Walther P99, lots of Sigs and H&Ks, Taurus, Ruger ... almost endless selection as large and medium size 9mm is most common and prevalent pistols available. And these guns in 9mm will kick same or less than the smaller .380s mentioned above. Just see which fits her hands best and has controls she can easily operate and understand. Then of course there is always price to consider.

[shortysboy09]

There must be a range in Dallas or Collin county that has guns you can rent. I know Ft.Worth has one, and they have about 30-40 guns you can rent....all different.

I'd also recommend that she takes a look at the CorneredCat wesite. Made by a woman FOR women. It's great:
http://www.corneredcat.com/TOC.aspx" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Lastly, why don't you get her to join this forum? You KNOW how much information is here and the friendly people here. Why we even have forums for women only. I think that's great!

Joe, great suggestions! Thanks a lot.

I will email here a link to the forum and to the CorneredCat site and have her look around for awhile!

What is the name of the Ft. Worth range your'e speaking of?

[Keith B]

Now you've done it. That is why you NEVER take your girlfriend to the range. It's just like taking them to the jewelry store; they figure out they like diamonds and then they want you to buy them some!!

Seriously, I applaud you for doing this. Introducing your girlfriend to the shooting sports and doing it in a safe and fun way is a great way to build common interests. Finding that common ground in a relationship is important to a successful future, even if it does end up costing you a fortune.

[Drewthetexan]

Range time with the S.O. is always good fun. I think the general concensus before has been: take her shopping and let her pick out what she'd like.

Probably a very good idea. A co-worker of mine mentioned Bachman Pawn and Gun has some good prices on pistols. Has anyone dealt with them before?

Also, do they have a wide range of different pistols?

I haven't personally dealt with Bachman Pawn, but I've been referred there once by another CHL.

[92f-fan]

dfw guns and the bullet trap both rent guns

Take her to one of them and let her shoot 3 or 4 or 10

[joe817]

Joe, great suggestions! Thanks a lot. I will email here a link to the forum and to the CorneredCat site and have her look around for awhile! What is the name of the Ft. Worth range your'e speaking of?

Winchester Gallery in east Ft.Worth. it's where I shoot:

http://www.winchestergallery.com/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Their range is called The Shooting Gallery, located right behind the gun store. The gun store is HUGE! Most of the Shooting Gallery's pistols you can rent are semi-autos. Glocks, Springfields, Beretta's, Ruger's, Taurus, S&W, are the one's I remember seeing off the top of my head.

[DONT TREAD ON ME]

Range time with the S.O. is always good fun. I think the general concensus before has been: take her shopping and let her pick out what she'd like.

There are so many types of guns out there and many more opinions on them. Drew is correct the consensus is to let her go shooping, hold as many guns as she wants and let her choose which one fits her.

[grumble]

Maybe I'm the odd one out here, but I am REALLY curious as to how your girlfriend and your soon-to-be wife got along! I think Rodney Carrington did a song called "The Day my Wife Met My Girlfriend"..

[cougartex]

Take her shopping, what woman doesn't like to shop.

Look at the Stoeger Cougar or Beretta PX4 sub-compact, both are very soft shooting guns. The Stoeger Cougar is the best gun for the money (around $400).

[gemini]

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.