Wife hasn't been shooting yet...which guns to get her comfortable?

Quiet and low recoil to begin. Don't scare her.

.22 is a good place to start.

My G/F has a G43 9mm that she likes to shoot. Range dates are her fave.

Anymore modern ballistics a 9mm is the way to go for most people anyhow. Less felt recoil. Cheaper to train with. More capacity. And ballistic performance of 9mm, .40, and .45 aren't far apart anymore.

Edit: Also, don't be the one to teach her to shoot. Women often have a hard time learning from their significant other (no, that's not a sexist remark). If she's open to it hire a real firearms instructor (not just anyone who claims to be one). It's easier to learn from an expert you don't know than someone you're emotionally attached to.

 

worst 12ga I shot was a bolt action 12ga with metal buttstock endcap, with some paper shell casing (60's or 70's I assume) high brass rounds. I swear the stuff turned to nitroglycerin. I shot one and I about dropped the shotgun.

 

I've instructed many first-time shooters and I'm not a fan of telling someone to use a "girl's gun/caliber" to start with. I think the biggest hurdle for new shooters is to get them comfortable in just handling the gun in the first place. You can always tell when someone isn't comfortable just by the way they approach the table and reach for the weapon. Get past that and she'll be able to shoot anything. I've trained 100 pound/ 5' females that can outshoot 6'5" 220 pound males. It's more about the mental aspect of it than physical. Dry fire exercises and repeatedly pickup a gun and putting it down safely will get her comfortable.

That being said you still want to deeply consider recoil. A short barrel 1911 is going to recoil more than a full sized Glock in any caliber so keep that in mind. Having her wrist hurt from poor/improper grip will probably lessen the chance that she'll want to shoot gain.

 

So I was a very serious amateur, well practiced, hitting the public range or the desert twice a week kinda guy for my early times in college. Once I got a big boy job out in the sticks and we have our own private range here, it's been nice to shoot at a lot more relaxed, but intentional focused practice since I didn't have to worry about who was next to me. I have been asked by many female friends, or guy friends with gf/wives to do a range day together. This is what I've learned with teaching women to shoot as well as what not to do:

DON'T:
-Have a macho attitude. Keep your ego in check. Countless times I've seen a guy give a novice shooter a 12ga and they have an awful time. "Big gun, loud gun = Awesome" mentality doesn't work with women.
-Get frustrated with her. That is the last thing you want to do. She's attempting to understand and share into your world. The last thing you want to do is discourage her from doing that by being an A-hole.
-Talk about anything technical, unless asked. Cost of the firearm or accessories, engagement of target distances, effective range, bullet weight, powder loads, etc...
-What things this firearms "kills." No joke here: law enforcement, bad guys, people, war in Iraq, animals, hunting, the "I had a buddy in 'the 'Stan' do this with this"... etc
-The entire 2A debate. Avoid. Keep politics out of it. Being in CA, this comes up a lot, but I try to steer the conversation focused on target shooting/marksmanship
-Social justice. Avoid. "Why would someone need this...?" Again, being in CA, this comes up a lot too... Just focus on it being a hobby.

DO:
-Start with 22LR pistol and long rifle to get used to target shooting and the aspects of firearms. Then once she is comfortable with handling a gun, then step up to 9mm and .223.
-Make sure the firearm is light. Like real light. Most women lack upper body strength, so "poor form = uncomfortable = no fun"
-Be at a private range or have your own full bay. Indoor ranges are a nightmare for novice shooters. It gets way too overwhelming with sensory saturation (New environment, other range A-holes, atypical formal procedure, PPE, smells, etc...)
-Women have emotional experiences so you're going to have to start slow, be encouraging, keep the male bravado in check and just focus on her needs through out the entire process.
-Have fun. Make it an enjoyable experience for everyone.

 

thanks for all the advice everyone, yes that plan is both hand gun and long gun, for home defense.

 

Never give someone a semi auto if they've never shot before. You don't know if their instinct is going to be to flinch or drop it, or turn around and look for approval aiming it back in the wrong direction. Spend lots of time explaining everything before you even head out. Work up to what some of these guys are suggesting as a first time fire.

 

I'm not saying I'd stand in front of a .22 cause it would only be a scratch, but from a home defense standpoint I'd definitely think bigger. There are definitely viable options that won't be "too much" to start with that can also be kept and better used for home defense. I know as far as pistols, many women have an issue with racking the slide so if that's not an issue for your wife I'd consider that, as well as the revolver I mentioned previously for handguns. Training is the issue after that. A semi auto can require a little more familiarity in a case of ftf or fte's etc

 

I’ve been shooting since I was a kid. Now? The .22lr is my favorite caliber to shoot by a long shot.

Cheap, accurate. Lots of ammo choices available. A Velocitor round packs a whallop.

 

You should go with a .22 rifle just for the cheapness of it. Good for both of you to get range time with and it'll be cheap to operate and maintain. As others have said a revolver is a good choice but a standard semi auto works too. I'd suggest something on the cheaper end with a longer barrel to mitigate recoil and prob stick with 9mm.

Take everything slow and make sure to preach safety safety safety with everything. Having the confidence knowing you are doing things right and safely does wonders. Practice dry fire and loading snap caps and such so she can learn the operation mechanics of what to do.

 

Hand gun look into a 380 or 9mm. Long gun for home defense either a mossberg 500 or Remington 870. 12 or 20 gauge

 

thanks again everyone, what have you all found to be good inexpensive guns?

 

Anything by Rock Island Armory has been amazing for me. I have the 1911 GI which is a Colt 1911 clone. Their shotgun is a Mossberg 500 clone for like $150. I have put 4K rds down the pipe of the RIA1911 GI with issues only related to magazine or ammo quality. Also the S&W MP 15-22 is an excellent 22LR AR platform that isn't picky at all with ammo.

 

.22 pistol fun easy gun to shoot holds 7rounds. Revolver is an old .32 Cal which is my favorite gun. And a browning 380. All great starting pistols. As far as rifles go .22lr you can't go wrong with.

 

My wife is a realtor and fairly new to handling a handgun of any kind but I ended up getting her a Ruger 380 for the ease of concealment and ease of use. Recoil is tolerable and quite accurate for it's intended range for self defense. She also likes my Ruger LC9 9mm but is too intimidated to try to shoot my Taurus 1911 due to the recoil. I usually pocket carry my own Ruger 380 but my go-to for home defense the 9mm.

 

Longer barrel = less noise generally. Pistols are not good for beginer shooters. IMHO, the Beretta Cx4 Storm carbine is cheap, easy to handle, and the 9mm version is not harsh at all.

Very much recomended and a great home defense weapon as well.

http://www.beretta.com/en-us/cx4-storm/

 

When I hunt geese we typically shoot 3.5" T shot or BBB's. After the second or third group of birds decoy you're shoulder feels like it's going come out of the socket, but geese don't fall easily and I've sailed a lot of birds with smaller loads.

 

thanks again everyone, we are going to look into everything

 

If it’s a HD/carry pistol I would highly recommend starting her out with a revolver. Most new shooters aren’t efficient or confident enough with a semi auto pistol. A 22 mag or 38 special would be a great choice

 

After practicing with a .22, for home defense and a ladies "purse gun", I would recommend a Lady Smith and Wesson .38. Conceals well and no jammy jam. But I'm old school like that and love revolvers.

Purdy too.

 

Ar15.