# Gots me a DeadEye woman.



## lklawson (Nov 12, 2010)

Because I had the day off yesterday for Veterans Day, my wife and I went on a date (one kid went to pre-school, the other to a sitter).

Went to see the movie RED, then went target shooting.

I convinced her to shoot for NRA certifications.  This time she shot the NRA "Marksman" course.

Oh yeah!  She can handle a gun.  (Innuendo and Double Entendre may now ensue.)

Peace favor your sword,
Kirk


----------



## Bill Mattocks (Nov 12, 2010)

Very cool!  I took Ann-Marie to the indoor range a few years back, because she felt that if we were going to have guns in the house, she should be comfortable using them.  She did great with the S&W model 10 .38 special, but she didn't care for the grip on the CZ-75 Czech 7.65x25 semi-auto (lots of people don't care for it, but I like it).  She loved my old Sauer & Sohn "Hawes Western Marshal" .44 mag SAA clone.  Yeah, the boys on the firing line were popping away with their Wonder Nines and their .40 cals, and she dropped the hammer on a .44 mag cartridge.  Ka-Whoom!  A four-foot long flame out the end of the barrel and her grinning from ear to ear.  And yeah, she got some good groups.

A woman who can cook *and* shoot.  What's not to love?  [ducks, runs away]


----------



## lklawson (Nov 12, 2010)

Problem is (in her mind anyway) she was shooting with her favorite .22  revolver.  Now, as a CCW holder, she doesn't carry that.  Though she's  accurate enough with her Makarov, shooting more than a couple dozen  rounds becomes uncomfortable for her.  She shot both yesterday, but qualified with her revolver, didn't even try to with the Makarov (she didn't want to shoot 100 rounds of it).

Gotta find her a carry  piece more suited to her needs.  I'm trying to get her to use my P32 but  she dislikes the idea of no safety.  Maybe I could get her to use the  KT PMR30 if I bought that.  But that's too big for her to comfortably  CCW.  

She likes her .22's and inherited a .25 from her father that she might use (though I don't see that being accurate enough).

I keep hearing good things about the Phoenix Arms HP22A, maybe I'll find one of those.

I shot my P32 with some Euro made rounds a friend gave me.  A smidge more peppy than the winchester fmj I've been shooting in it and a lot of carbon leavings but other than that shoots real well in the pistol.  After a box of the .32, I unlimbered my CZ52.  Talk about a difference.  I love that pistol.  Wife said she could feel the report through the concrete floor every time I lit one off.

Peace favor your sword,
Kirk


----------



## Grenadier (Nov 12, 2010)

Congrats!  Looks like you got yourself a real keeper here.  

I've found that the ladies can certainly shoot the harder kicking guns, if they're brought along gradually.  

I start them out with a .22 LR pistol, until they're comfortable with good trigger mechanics, at which point, I'll use my Glock 17 that's equipped with a lighter recoil spring, in combination with some lightly loaded, subsonic 115 grain rounds (one of my custom, "bunny fart" loads).  Once they're used to firing their first centerfire pistol, I'll swap out the lighter recoil assembly with the stock factory recoil rod / spring, and then use handloads that are similar to the plinking fodder from Winchester (white box, USA ammo).  

Eventually, I graduate them on to my 124 grain NATO-spec loads (124 grain bullet, 1220 fps).  By this time, the noise / recoil isn't an issue anymore.  Once they get used to this, I take the next step, and let them try my Glock 20, using the FBI-spec 10 mm loads (180 grain bullet, 900 fps), the one that an old colleague of mine used to mock as being "minus P" loads...  

The recoil of the Glock 20, in combination with softer shooting, subsonic 180 grainers, is actually mider than shooting a .40 pistol with a similar .40 load, since the frame is wider, there's a bit more mass, and a slightly longer barrel.  It really doesn't take very long for the ladies to get used to this combination.  

So far, out of the 8 that I've let use the 10 mm pistol, 7 of them wanted to try "the real thing," meaning the Norma-spec 10 mm loads that I make (180 grainer, 1300 fps).  

All in all, building them up to that point is more of a long term project, but it's a very rewarding one, and to see many of them trying their hand at IDPA, IPSC, USPSA, or GSSF matches, gives me a feeling of the warm fuzzies...


----------



## lklawson (Nov 12, 2010)

She shoots here Mak well, it's just that she's recoil sensitive and says that it begins to hurt her hand fairly quick.  The Mak is an all steel gun and she was tossing Wolf 95 grain FMJ's.  They're a bit more energetic that a .380 but only a bit.

I think I can convince her to try my P32 again but I want to get a second mag from KT and the "pinkie extenders" to make it more comfortable to shoot.  I've also got TractionGrips for it that I should install before then.

FWIW, she wants to shoot me CZ52.  It's actually a fairly comfortable shooting gun.  Fairly heavy and the grip is wide, nicely rounded, and easy on the hand (I replaced the side panels for some fancy wood).

If she shoots it well, I may have to give up my stock CZ52 and have that tricked out for her.  

Peace favor your sword,
Kirk


----------



## Bill Mattocks (Nov 12, 2010)

A useful item for those who wish to overcome fear of higher-powered pistols (or who tend to buck or anticipate the shot) is if you have a revolver, have someone else load the cylinder, and leave some of the chambers with fired brass in them.  Then when they pull the trigger, if the round does not go off, you'll see any flinching, bucking, etc.  Works a treat - good for anyone, not just the ladies.


----------



## MA-Caver (Nov 12, 2010)

lklawson said:


> Because I had the day off yesterday for Veterans Day, my wife and I went on a date (one kid went to pre-school, the other to a sitter).
> 
> Oh yeah!  She can handle a gun.  (Innuendo and Double Entendre may now ensue.)
> 
> Kirk



You going to have another kid? .... :uhyeah: 


I think it's always a good thing that a woman, married (or single) and with children should know how to handle firearms. I'd want my woman to learn and be proficient with them, maybe she doesn't have to be on a competitive level of shooting (though it'd be nice), but can hit her targets and be able to handle any *ahem* difficulty that may come up. 
I'd feel more comfortable should I have to be away for a bit and knowing the family is going to be alright.


----------



## lklawson (Nov 15, 2010)

MA-Caver said:


> You going to have another kid? .... :uhyeah:


<blanches>



> I think it's always a good thing that a woman, married (or single) and with children should know how to handle firearms. I'd want my woman to learn and be proficient with them, maybe she doesn't have to be on a competitive level of shooting (though it'd be nice), but can hit her targets and be able to handle any *ahem* difficulty that may come up.
> I'd feel more comfortable should I have to be away for a bit and knowing the family is going to be alright.


Yeah, it's nice.  I love that she can shoot.

Peace favor your sword,
Kirk


----------

