Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Handguns Well, my wife finally crossed over...

Be proud of her, she chose a major caliber and she is well armed. I beleive that if someone tries to grab her child, they are in trouble for sure and for certain

Wade, your wife has awesome taste in guns. Have to say I like the looks of that even more so than yours
By all means, teach her to use the dights first and then the laser.
Keep a close watch on her, she may start out shooting you.

Very nice!

Good on ya Mrs Waders.

We all are going to look pretty foolish when she beats us all at the pins next year!

That's good shooting for a 1st time shooter, new gun & a 45, to boot.

Work her up some 185's at around 650-700 FPS........might need some re-springing, & give her lots of range time.

She'll get used to it in a hurry, then you can work back up to stiffer loads.

God Luck & give her a Well Done.

MM

Waders, congrats on your wife coming around to handgun ownership and and CCW. However, I hate to have to rain on your parade a little, but the 1911 platform really isn't that great a decision for a novice, especially under stress. Shooting paper and bowling pins are fine, but under duress, with no training, a revolver would be a much better choice. No offense intended, just an experienced mans opinion.

Running a revolver, such as a K or L frame S&W, in the situation you have described above really isn't any better. Most people cannot run a 6 shot revolver double action and keep up with the speed or scores on paper as compared to a semiauto. Granted, paper is not a self defense situation, but if one cannot operate accurately and effectively under simple time constraint pressure, then one would expect to perform worse as there is significantly greater pressure. Add to that scenario where one has to reload and one comes out ahead even when utilizing common speedloaders or moonclips. Even a simple practice session such as; with the firearm concealed, draw and fire 2 rounds in 4 seconds - draw and fire 2 rounds in 4 seconds - draw and fire 4 rounds in 8 seconds, utilizing a shot timer and a K or L frame S&W will give somewhat dedicated revolver shooters difficulty.

Each particular firearm has its pros and cons, but all require some training, familiarization, and practice to operate effectively under duress. Learning to accurately and effectively run a revolver really doesn't require any less training, practice, or dedication than that required of a semiauto.

Generally speaking, most do not have the facilities available to practice holster drills, malfunction drills, reloading, shooting while moving, weapons retention, etc; all of which are very important.

i have tried that, but she still has trouble with strength.
As to the pistol a number of years ago we were out in my flat fender jeep and ran accross a running jackrabbit. Handed her a model 19 and said shoot it. She took the pistol aimed, and hit the sucker on the run. That put me into shock so to speak, and i asked her why she killed the rabbit. She answered well you told me to shoot it. My answer was, yeah, but i didn't think you could.
That rabbit changed my attitude somewhat from that point forward.

The age old wheel vs Semi is a hard one. Both have advantages and disadvantages. She looked, she chose, she is practicing, and she has a great coach. I have seen Waders shoot.

Pins are a good practice. They teach accurate shooting at 25 feet, a distance way beyond the average confrontation. They teach fast and efficient reloads and the pressure of the competition is a lot better practice that just shooting paper. Besides, shooting pins is so much fun it make you want to practice.

Waders: Great gun! She'll enjoy it and recoil tolerance will build with time and rounds down range.

Here's my take on the revolver vs. auto issue:

I doubt that reloading a revolver, even with a speedloader, is faster than reloading a magazine fed semi-automatic.

I don't think a double action revolver is "simpler" than a single action automatic. Think about it: how is pulling through a 12-16 pound trigger any easier than wiping off a thumb safety and pressing a 4lb single action trigger? Assuming that the shooter owns the gun and is familiar with it, I think a new shooter--particularly one with limited hand strength--is better served with the single action semi-automatic.

In my experience with revolvers, the hardest to shoot quickly and accurately are the alloy construction J-frames with full-power ammunition. By comparison, even an alloy frame Commander size 1911 with 230gr Hydrashoks is a breeze.

Congrats, that's great!

Nice weapon too. She won't outgrow that.

Yep, and practice is the better answer than dumbing down the weapon system. Friendly competition can still rattle the nerves enough to create operator error, but in a safe environment. The more quality trigger time the better. If she enjoys shooting her new 1911 then she'll be more inclined to practice/compete and really KNOW her pistol. That's far superior to just "owning" a dusty revolver that hides in a night stand.

We went shooting again tonight. She loved it! She shot some .22lr to warm up and then went to the Kimber. She is still working out dealing with the recoil but says that she isn't afraid of it, and more importantly: She doesn't want a different gun--she likes this one!

She's going to shoot pins with us at next year's Washington Get-Together. I think she'll be a contender to win for 2nd place!!
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Awesome news Wade, I'm really happy for you. I can only imagine how happy you are that she made the jump----------NEVER get between a momma bear and her cubs!

As long as she's having fun and not spooked by the recoil, it won't be long before she's running that little pistol like a champ.

Yep. Awsome news indeed! Getting sideways with A woman protecting her babies while armed with a Kimber 45 is a REALLY bad idea!

Great thread. Congratulations!


Whatever 'clicked' inside the wiff, that she wanted to become a momma-grizzly and not a victim, ..... pretty damn cool!

Even if she does learn to outshoot you, sounds like great company to have when per-fekting YOUR SKILLS!

She's going to shoot pins with us at next year's Washington Get-Together. I think she'll be a contender to win for 2nd place!!
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You hope its is second place

Gotta love a wife that shoots, especially one that likes it!

Indeed,
But be prepared when she soon surpasses your "talent"

Mine did it within a year,
So I am always raising the bar.
Shooting smaller and smaller targets, farther and farther away.

I bested her by ONE point yesterday. With .22's and
by 5 feet with her .380
(same sized groups ..her's at 15 feet and mine at 20 with the Walther PK)

But I know that next weekend she will be back !

Oh yes, I've been shootin for about 200 years, her? 2!

We're doomed!

VA, agree it's up to the user. Helped a lady at the range recently who had little experience, she had more snags using her Ruger 40 than the revolver she also was trying. The 40 was a large gun for her hands, etc. etc.

No doubt a little practice will get a shooter accustomed to the controls and if it fits her hand, thats key.

J vs K, true the little Js are going to come back more. I run a K 3" and Magnums are no problem, though know a 686 L is better yet if your going to burn some ammo. Heavier and larger though, not a great 'carry' piece.