Yup.Women are usually good shooters because they don't show up with preconceived Rambo ideas about weapons.
I'd start out easy like a .22 pistol and a .22 rifle. Should be relatively cheap. Have fun
Should I ask for these things or let them choose?Yup.
I'm assuming you're going to an indoor range and looking for pistols? A .22 is super easy to shoot and not intimidating. If you guys enjoy that, a 9mm is a nice step up and a blast to shoot.
Most indoor ranges will be more than willing to show you the ropes. They don't want to hand over a firearm to a n00b without any instruction for obvious reasons.
Tell them you're first timers. They'll take it from there. You'll pay to rent the gun(s) and ammo. Prices are going to vary a lot, IME.Should I ask for these things or let them choose?
How long should a session take? What am I usually paying for? Anything to make sure I do or definitely avoid?
Sounds like a great birthday gift most women would love.Was thinking of taking the wife to a shooting range for a birthday gift.
Bag of potatoes instead?Sounds like a great birthday gift most women would love.
Otis doesn't think so.hooter311 said:Just tell them you have no idea what you're doing and listen to everything they say. If you're not sure about something, step back and ask. Most gun guys are pretty chill as long as you respect the rules. You guy's will have a blast!
My wife once asked for throwing knives. She's pretty good with them. At 30 feet she is never more than an inch or two at the most off center. It's weird given her personality. She just found out she has a gift for it many years ago and she likes it. I cannot get her to shoot a gun or a bow. She refuses to come to Aikido with me. but damn she is good with those things. When I try I hit the target, but I do not stick it in the target more than 1 out of 20 times. She never fails to stick it in the target, never.Sounds like a great birthday gift most women would love.
This. Never this!I would suggest not looking down the barrel to see if it's jammed.
memorize this!Please familiarize yourself (and your wife) with basic gun safety rules.
Treat all guns as though they are loaded.
Never let the muzzle cover/point at anything you are not willing to destroy.
Keep your finger off the trigger until your sights are on target.
Be sure of your target, what is beyond the target, and what is between you and your target.
whatever you do, don't shoot yourself in the foot!Should I ask for these things or let them choose?
How long should a session take? What am I usually paying for? Anything to make sure I do or definitely avoid?
Finally. Some advise we can really use.Your wife, she will either be scared or super horny after. I've never seen middle ground on this.
Serious question (sorry Otis). How did you chose this particular gift?Was thinking of taking the wife to a shooting range for a birthday gift. Neither of us have ever shot a gun.
Bad idea? What to look for? How much should I expect to spend and what kind of gun and/or ammo would be good to start with or ask for?
She had once mentioned wanting to try it out sometime while we were talking with some friends. Made a mental note of it and figured might as well give it a shot (no pun intended). This was a few years ago and was trying to come up with something different for a gift.Serious question (sorry Otis). How did you chose this particular gift?
So you're saying there's a chance!Your wife, she will either be scared or super horny after. I've never seen middle ground on this.
There is usually someone patrolling the lanes at each range. They are more than happy to give a lesson most of the time. If the place is packed, s/he might not be able to give as much attention, but if you were to go on a weekday you could probably have someone working with you pretty extensively.Thanks for some great posts here. Last question after reading these:
Will they give us some sort of "lesson" or do I really need to learn this stuff on my own?
They will give you a lesson, just ask.Thanks for some great posts here. Last question after reading these:
Will they give us some sort of "lesson" or do I really need to learn this stuff on my own?
Just get them to show you if there's anything you're not comfortable with, such as how to load the magazine, chamber a round, etc. The main thing you will need to "learn" is how to stand properly. You want to be comfortable yet stable in your stance. You'll figure out what feels the best for you.Thanks for some great posts here. Last question after reading these:
Will they give us some sort of "lesson" or do I really need to learn this stuff on my own?
My wife once gave me a certificate for a trapeze lesson. That was different, and fun.She had once mentioned wanting to try it out sometime while we were talking with some friends. Made a mental note of it and figured might as well give it a shot (no pun intended). This was a few years ago and was trying to come up with something different for a gift.
Good call on women limpwristing a pistol. My GF's nieces wanted to go shooting so I took them (with their father) to the range. They were 9 and 12 (were familiar with rifles)... and one of them kept having brass ejection issues with my Glock 26 (9mm). This is something I had never seen before in thousands of rounds fired through this pistol. I was convinced it was a bad box of ammo... got another... still issues. Finally figured out they were relaxing their grip once their father or I would make sure to stress it was important.One problem my wife has with a .22 handgun is that there is very little recoil to eject the brass, and unless she concentrates on holding the gun tightly, she sees a lot of jams. Something to watch for.
Was just at the range yesterday with my .22 target pistol, and a few other calibers. Besides shooting a bit with my carry gun (.380) just to stay familiar, I shot the .22 almost exclusively - definitely the most fun to shoot.Outstanding advice so far, and I would just add another recommendation for starting with a .22.
For beginners, one of the main things I have seen scare them off (particularly the women and young kids) is recoil, and a .22 usually has minimal/none depending on the weapon being fired. Learning to shoot with that, and realizing that it is both fun and challenging, then progressing to a larger caliber can be quite thrilling for beginners. Even then, I've often seen them go back to the old .22 just to put more rounds down range, because it was the most fun for them to shoot.
this is so very trueYour wife, she will either be scared or super horny after. I've never seen middle ground on this.
Same thing happened to me. Buddy of mine who I go shooting with fairly often brought his wife. She'd never shot before. We started her on my Ruger SR22. The thing is an ammo eating machine. I've never had any issues with it stove piping or failing to eject, which is rare for a rimfire. She gets up there and about every other round there's a problem. Changed ammo. Same thing. Then we figured out it was the limp wrist. Moved her up to the Glock .380. Had a couple problems there and that thing never had a problem before either. Went to the 9mm and she was good.Good call on women limpwristing a pistol. My GF's nieces wanted to go shooting so I took them (with their father) to the range. They were 9 and 12 (were familiar with rifles)... and one of them kept having brass ejection issues with my Glock 26 (9mm). This is something I had never seen before in thousands of rounds fired through this pistol. I was convinced it was a bad box of ammo... got another... still issues. Finally figured out they were relaxing their grip once their father or I would make sure to stress it was important.
Look into youtube videos, and/or ask the staff on proper grip. Inner/Trigger hand should be looser (like holding an egg firmly but not crushing it). Outer hand should have a firmer grip. Squeezing too tight, or not tight enough can cause issues.
Same here. I fire my .380 which is my CCW to keep myself adept with it, but spend most of my time with the SR22. I love that pistol so much, I bought a second one. They have a Tungsten framed one now that's got fiber optic sights. Scored that sweet puppy for $300. Hihgly recommended.Was just at the range yesterday with my .22 target pistol, and a few other calibers. Besides shooting a bit with my carry gun (.380) just to stay familiar, I shot the .22 almost exclusively - definitely the most fun to shoot.
Great advice here, Gian - nothing to really add. Just stay safe, and the "always treat the gun as if it's loaded" is the rule of rules with guns.
I have that one too! It was my favorite shooting pistol until I got my Browning Buckmark Camper (long barrel target pistol - I put a red dot site on it, and it's really fun). Still, SR22 is a great all-around gun, and is an excellent starter pistol for anyone. It's also surprisingly accurate for its size.TheFanatic said:Same here. I fire my .380 which is my CCW to keep myself adept with it, but spend most of my time with the SR22. I love that pistol so much, I bought a second one. They have a Tungsten framed one now that's got fiber optic sights. Scored that sweet puppy for $300. Hihgly recommended.
Yes it is! I just swapped out the barrel for a threaded barrel last night. Bud's Gun Shop has the threaded barrel for $95. Cheaper than Dirt and Ruger have it for more than $140. I expect silencers to no longer require the tax stamp soon and when that happens, you won't be able to find a threaded barrel for months. I just bought the Ruger 10/22 Take Down with a threaded barrel as well. I also got that from Bud's. $298 with the backpack and one 10 round mag. The 25 round mags are $29, but the double 25 round mags are $40.I have that one too! It was my favorite shooting pistol until I got my Browning Buckmark Camper (long barrel target pistol - I put a red dot site on it, and it's really fun). Still, SR22 is a great all-around gun, and is an excellent starter pistol for anyone. It's also surprisingly accurate for its size.
If I only went through 100 rounds during a range session, I would save sooooooo much money! Not just on ammo, but magazines. I would rather spend money on magazines than range time loading magazines.gianmarco said:Took her out today. Didn't tell her where we were going and was hoping she was still interested. When we pulled up near it, she excitedly goes "we are shooting guns?". Great start.
It was pretty fun. Got a full lesson from one of the guys there on grip, loading, stance, etc. We ended up using a .22 the whole time and spent about an hour shooting. Both of us did pretty well and kept alternating after 5 shots. Went through 2 boxes of ammo (50 each). She loved it as did I.
We won't ever own a gun but will definitely go back again. It was a good experience and felt very comfortable handling the gun by the end. Next time out, we will try a 9mm like recommended.
Reading through this again, now a lot of it actually makes sense and I understand what it means. Thanks again for all the help here.
I'll report back how tonight goes....
gianmarco said:Took her out today. Didn't tell her where we were going and was hoping she was still interested. When we pulled up near it, she excitedly goes "we are shooting guns?". Great start.
It was pretty fun. Got a full lesson from one of the guys there on grip, loading, stance, etc. We ended up using a .22 the whole time and spent about an hour shooting. Both of us did pretty well and kept alternating after 5 shots. Went through 2 boxes of ammo (50 each). She loved it as did I.
We won't ever own a gun but will definitely go back again. It was a good experience and felt very comfortable handling the gun by the end. Next time out, we will try a 9mm like recommended.
Reading through this again, now a lot of it actually makes sense and I understand what it means. Thanks again for all the help here.
I'll report back how tonight goes....