Wife interested in Handgun!

[RWF]

Wanda tried serveral guns, when i was shooting Glock 34"s the factory gun would stove pipe each shot, she bought a XD hated it, it would stove pipe once about every 300 rounds. but thats not why she hated it. then a beretta vertec she was happy with and moved on to the Elite 1A shot it even better. but her best pistol that she really loves is her Springfield 1911A1 9mm with S & A slim grips and mag well with a short trigger and ambi mag release. For her the key was (she says to tell you adjustable sights a must) the ambi mag release, she is 4'11" right handed, with very small hands so she uses her center finger on her right hand (you know the finger you use to say your #1) to release the mag so she can maintain grip and does mag changes very quickly. also she uses the hi cap 38 super mags for IDPA and USPSA single stack and L10. she wanted a wheel gun until she shot one.

with all that being said she now also owns a P14-45 with a short trigger which is her favorite mole hunting gun, 6 so far this year.

[Guest RN MEDIC]

Now if you REALLY want to help her, enroll her (you go too/with her consent of course) in a newbie handgun class there at Range USA or wherever you feel good about it. There are a lot of good ones to choose from. It will really give her the edge when (not if) she is threatened by the bad guy.

RN

[Guest Boomhower]

Now if you REALLY want to help her, enroll her (you go too/with her consent of course) in a newbie handgun class there at Range USA or wherever you feel good about it. There are a lot of good ones to choose from. It will really give her the edge when (not if) she is threatened by the bad guy.

RN

I agree MEDIC. I'm trying to get my wife talked into taking the HPC class that is combined in with the NRA Basic Pistol class that Phantom6 offers. I'm wanting to take the class as well, but I'm wanting her to get her HCP. She would probably never carry, but it would make it easier on me with leaving firearms in the car and little dinky stuff like that. Plus, she'd learn a little about handgun safety and maybe understand my FEVER a little better!!!

[Guest Phantom6]

Sorry Ghostdog. I've been busily working on our range and asleep at the switch regarding this thread. I would submit that you are correct. That's why I teach the NRA Basic Pistol course in conjunction with the TN Carry permit course. Safety is paramount. After all, as I tell my students there are only two things that will absolutely guarantee a failure in my class-

1. Negligent Discharge (as in shooting the instructor:eek: ) and
   
2. falling asleep during the video presentation and snoring so loudly that they disturb other students trying to sleep... er, ah belay that... ah, watch the movie. Yeah, that's it. Watch the movie.

In all seriousness, safety is primary and must be first and formost on the mind. Secondly is understanding how a handgun, be it semi-automatic or revolver and the ammunition works. Thirdly IMHO, is a good understanding of the basic fundamentals of handgun shooting, i.e. position, grip, breath control, sight alignment/sight picture, trigger squeeze and finally of course the follow through. Finally a good understanding of the basic law concerning handgun carry in this state is important.

I put my students through a lot of dry practice during the course of the class. In doing that, the three basic rules of gun safety are reinforced and run through their minds time and time again over the course of hours prior to going to the range. In doing this I rarely see safety issues come up at the range. That makes my job at the range a lot safer AND easier.

Understanding the mechanics of the handgun and the basic fundamentals of shooting the handgun along with a little evaluation and correction on the range will produce good scores and good scores will produce students that are more likely to dry practice on their own and get to the range more than once a year.

[Guest LegalRaptor]

Well, here is the Final Answer!

I took her to the range, let her shoot the M&P 9mm and M&P .40, both with the small palm swells. They fit her hand really well, and she was able to rack the slide, though with some difficulty. I think that with just a little practice, both to get the "knack" and build confidence, she will be fine with the slide. Her choice was the M&P .40. I emphasize - HER choice. I plan on her taking the basic carry course at either Range USA or RangeMaster pretty soon, then as much training as she is willing to take. She seems more interested in competition, at the local level, than personal carry, at this point. That remains to be seen. Anyway, thanks for all the input.

[LA_357SIG]

I started my wife shooting my Glock 17, she liked it, and then threatened to keep it. So I ransomed it back with a Bersa 380T. She liked it, and now CCW's with it.

[MemphisMechanic]

Well, here is the Final Answer!

I took her to the range, let her shoot the M&P 9mm and M&P .40, both with the small palm swells. They fit her hand really well, and she was able to rack the slide, though with some difficulty....

If you haven't bought it yet, hold off.

I shoot every week at RangeUSA's IDPA night. And my carry gun is a CW9 that I absolutely love. She's welcome to try it out. Come on out to RangeUSA on Tuesday night. I'm a lefty, so I doubt I have a holster she can use, but she's welcome to go shoot it on the other range, if you'd like.

We'll also be all morning out at MSSA as well, this Saturday at 9AM. There's an informal match the first Saturday morning of each month out there. Costs $12 to shoot.

But I will say that I wouldn't recommend the CW9 for competition use, and I'd steer her toward a 9mm if at all possible. The CW9 is G26-sized, but a single stack... and the trigger isn't competition-ready if she's going to go at it . As for .40 versus 9mm... There's a big difference in the cost of ammo. Especially considering that it's normal to shoot 500-1,000 rounds a month if you shoot IDPA events 5 nights a week.

[deerslayer]

Hey MM, you no-shoot murderer, let her shoot your 2lb. trigger IDPA cheater pistol.

See ya tomorrow.

[Guest TNDixieGirl]

I'm a wife and I carry a SW9VE.