Need some advice

[ehidle]

Okay, I need some advice from the peanut gallery.

My girlfriend's birthday was this past weekend, and so a couple of months ago I put up the money (before I found out about my pay cut at work - grumble grumble) to order a compact 9mm carry pistol for her. I thought that would be a decent starting point for her to get into shooting. She passed the PICS and took possession of it the other night.

So, we go up to the range last night for her to try it out for the first time, and because she'd never shot there before, they made her prove she could shoot on a .22 revolver before they would let her shoot anything bigger.

She shot about a 3" group at 7 yards, which wasn't bad at all considering their rental .22 revolver is a colossal piece of crap and she'd never shot it before.

Anyway, I loaded up a round in the 9mm and she fired it. I guess the recoil was more than she was expecting, because she turned to me and said, "I don't like it." She did fire a few more out of it, but she is basically a little intimidated by the gun.

We talked about it on the way home, and she did enjoy shooting their .22 revolver because it was not at all intimidating and she felt more in-control of it. She said she didn't like the 9mm because it felt unwieldy and as if she didn't have good control over it.

I think she could get used to it with time, but she is definitely not comfortable with the gun right now. As soon as we got home, she started looking at .22 revolvers on the Internet. Heh..

My question is, what do I do? I can't afford to buy another gun, and neither can she. I don't want to sell the brand new 9mm because I'd only end up losing $100 on it, and I think she could grow to like it with enough time. We could keep paying to rent the .22 revolver for her, but that's also just a waste of money.

I don't really know what to do at this point, so I'd really appreciate any advice. Thanks in advance!

[The_Game]

You should have taken her to the range and rented a few guns before dropping the money on one.

Not that hindsight is any help, but it's all I've got.

[ehidle]

You should have taken her to the range and rented a few guns before dropping the money on one.

Not that hindsight is any help, but it's all I've got.

I thought I was safe with the "Who can't shoot a 9mm?" mentality... heh.. but yeah, this part I've figured out on my own hehe..

She's not as passionate as most of us about RTKBA, shooting, guns, or anything like that. She acknowledges that she should be able to protect herself and have the necessary tools for the job. She looks at it less as a fun hobby and more as an unfortunate necessity of life, and the gun is a tool. At least, this is the impression I get from her.

Maybe I can get her to chime in here...

[Kurt_M]

First, don't sell that 9mm if she's serious about learning to shoot for SD. You're absolutely right that you'll take a big hit selling it used, and that's just a waste. Given that money is the issue, maybe you should just practice the fundamentals of trigger squeeze and sight alignment with dry-fire practice and start saving for the .22 or better yet, a heavy steel K-frame size .38 revolver. I'm not sure what model 9mm you're talking about, but a small 9mm can have some pretty snappy recoil. Small, full caliber pistols are the worst choice for an inexperienced shooter for exactly that reason. Your girlfriend needs to practice with a defensive level caliber in order to get used to the recoil, but starting her off with a small gun isn't the best way to do it because muzzle flip and flash are greater the smaller the gun gets. Big, long barreled revolvers are heavy enough to soak up a lot of the recoil and allow new shooters to learn the fundamentals and get used to recoil so they can become more comfortable shooting a smaller defensive pistol. She'll probably never enjoy shooting that 9mm, but with some training she should learn to handle the recoil well enough to become competent with it so she can carry. The best carry guns are a bitch to shoot at the range because they're so small and light. That's why you get a big one to practice with.

[imperialism2024]

While making sure that she is using proper form so that she doesn't injure herself, have her shoot a compact or subcompact .45, or maybe a snubbie in .357 magnum. After a few dozen rounds through those, have her go back to the 9mm, and it'll feel like a BB gun.

It's all about perspective.

[Michele]

While making sure that she is using proper form so that she doesn't injure herself, have her shoot a compact or subcompact .45, or maybe a snubbie in .357 magnum. After a few dozen rounds through those, have her go back to the 9mm, and it'll feel like a BB gun.

It's all about perspective.

Wow! I was just going to say that! ^^^

Get the g/f on this board. Let her read about what the females here carry and shoot.

Before you know it, you'll be spending YOUR money on a nicely tailored AR just for her!

[aprilm]

Girlfriend chiming in here...

While making sure that she is using proper form so that she doesn't injure herself, have her shoot a compact or subcompact .45, or maybe a snubbie in .357 magnum. After a few dozen rounds through those, have her go back to the 9mm, and it'll feel like a BB gun.

Ha! He mentioned this to me, and I told him I probably would have turned around and shot him. I don't like nasty surprises.

My issue is with control--I felt way too out of control of the 9mm, and it intimidated me. I think I need to become more comfortable with guns in general before "upgrading". I felt totally in control when using the .22, and was actually having fun. Every time I shot the 9mm, I put it down and stepped away. It's just too much gun for me right now.

[JoeWilliams]

snip

My question is, what do I do? I can't afford to buy another gun, and neither can she. I don't want to sell the brand new 9mm because I'd only end up losing $100 on it, and I think she could grow to like it with enough time. We could keep paying to rent the .22 revolver for her, but that's also just a waste of money.

I don't really know what to do at this point, so I'd really appreciate any advice. Thanks in advance!

Seems pretty simple to me. Take the loss and get her a .22 if you want to get her into shooting. If she ends up being half as good a shooting buddy as my wife is, it'll be cheap in the long run. What price not to have a woman who resents every penny you spend on guns, because she's secretly pissed she was shut out of the sport. If she feels pressured to like a gun she's already intimidated by, I just don't see how things can end well. It's a beautiful day, go get her a new gun, and the two of you go shooting!

Oh, and take her shopping and let HER pick out the .22!! She may be open to semi-auto .22s also, maybe not. A lot of new shooters are a little freaked by all the parts moving around in front of their face.