PistolPete Posted October 19, 2003 Share Posted October 19, 2003 Well Here is the deal... I took my Fiance shooting today for the 2nd time. Last time she did really well with a 9mm and even a .40. Well I didn't have any ammo for the 9mm and she wanted to try my .45 race gun. BIG MISTAKE!!! I felt so bad for her. The gun first off was too heavy for her and she didn't like it at all. She shot a total of 9 rounds thru it. I give her so much credit because she was a trooper. The worst of it all was today was the Fun Shoot at my range which is basically an open house. So there were about 50 people watching her shoot. She was embarrassed and I tried to explain that noone judge anyone in this sport. They just want to help her. Many people offered to let her shoot their .22's but she wouldn't because she said she didn't want to humiliate herself any further. What a moron I am... When I get my SVI I'm going to get the Marvel .22 conversion and take her again but we'll go when noone else is shooting. I was hoping to get her a bit more interested in this sport but it all backfired on me and I made things worse. Any tips in getting her to go again? Pete <----Moron... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Zak Smith Posted October 20, 2003 Share Posted October 20, 2003 Buy her a gun. Take her out to look at a bunch, find one she likes that fits her, and buy it. It's her gun. Seriously. We spend just tons of money on guns, mags, holsters, hear, etc. Our competition guns cost $1500 - $3000, we have $800 reloading setups, and we go through $100 of ammo a week (easy). A $600 gun for your spouse is nothing in comparison, and she'll enjoy shooting more than if she's always shooting "your stuff." Shooting informally without other people focussed on her is probably a good idea too, until she is more confident. -z Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Loves2Shoot Posted October 20, 2003 Share Posted October 20, 2003 9mm gun and production gear post haste, your only hope. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ErikW Posted October 20, 2003 Share Posted October 20, 2003 Nope, $3,000 Open gun, plus mags and rig; the Dark Side is your only hope... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SiG Lady Posted October 20, 2003 Share Posted October 20, 2003 Gosh, and I thought I was feeling 'humiliated' about MY recent performance at the trigger...!! I went into the range today with a mental sign on my neck that read "I No Longer Give a S**t" and I had one of the best range sessions I'd had in ages!! If she wants to talk to another self-conscious, running-to-catch-up, occasionally-humilated-at-the-range female, have her email me at once. I may like to win (and feel devastated when I don't) but I also know how to COPE! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rufus The Bum Posted October 20, 2003 Share Posted October 20, 2003 PistolPete, don't feel bad, I have almost $3500 in guns and gear and I still shoot like shiznet. It's really frustrating to do your best and end up only embarrasing yourself, she is not alone. sometimes, I really question my investment in all this stuff I can't afford, I often ask myself "Why didn't I just buy a $500 Glock and 5 High Caps and just plink away? Why do I need to spend all this money?" To be honest, I don't know why I do it, I just do because it's fun and it's the one thing in my life I have control over. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SiG Lady Posted October 20, 2003 Share Posted October 20, 2003 RTB-- Don't question it; just enjoy it. You have more 'gun stuff' than I do (until my Valtro arrives, then we can talk) and probably chose each item for a reason. But one of my shooting buddies today (who was also having a great practice session) said, "Now why can't I do this during league??!!" In comic response I said something like, "What are we to do about all these great practice sessions??!!..." And he looked at me and said flatly, "Enjoy 'em." Yeh. The three of us just looked at each other and agreed. There's our answer. It's fun. And that's OK. (Importantly, don't ever feel GUILTY about it.) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
twix Posted October 20, 2003 Share Posted October 20, 2003 RTB, I'll jump in on the "what the heck am I doing" pity party 'cuz after todays mafch I feel the same way. 1, 2,3.. OK, party's over, let's practice a little so we can get better. Because really, even if we stink, what else is this much fun? And really, you are probably alot better than you think anyway, unless you have alot higher expectations than I. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SiG Lady Posted October 20, 2003 Share Posted October 20, 2003 Heck, I'd made the mistake of letting my expectations run amok, run roughshod over my known skills, and batter/slam/abuse my integrity. Cripes, we sure do beat up on ourselves when we want to excel. When all we need to do is be consistent, look for gradual improvement, excute with precision as best we can (and be conscious of it) and be professional. With a hefty dose of all that, we can't HELP but have fun. When shooting stops being fun, then we really HAVE done something wrong. Until then, we're probably doing most everything right. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Liota Posted October 20, 2003 Share Posted October 20, 2003 Pete, It sounds like she has a lot invested emotionally shooting in front of you and making a fool of herself. Perhaps after she has a gun that is hers and fits her, she can take an all female class or, if that's not available, a class with other beginners on her own. When I taught NRA First Steps classes in Hawaii, couples were highly encouraged not to shoot together during the class and in some cases, not allowed to. The women generally outperformed the men in that first session. After that, our egos tend to get involved just as much as men's do. L Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rhino Posted October 20, 2003 Share Posted October 20, 2003 RTB, I'll jump in on the "what the heck am I doing" pity party 'cuz after todays mafch I feel the same way. 1, 2,3.. OK, party's over, let's practice a little so we can get better. Because really, even if we stink, what else is this much fun? And really, you are probably alot better than you think anyway, unless you have alot higher expectations than I. And twix jumps in with the Tough Love™! As the resident expert in humiliation on the range, I know for a fact that It Just Doesn't Matter as long as you have fun. The original message is a case of someone not having fun, and that's key. Getting someone their own gun and rig really helps the fun factor! I'd go for a .22LR because they're so cheap to feed and so easy to shoot (which makes it easier to concentrate on the fundamentals of marksmanship). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Liota Posted October 20, 2003 Share Posted October 20, 2003 Rhino, Good point depending on how recoil sensitive she is and how uncomfortable she is with the gun at first. L Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PistolPete Posted October 21, 2003 Author Share Posted October 21, 2003 The problem is that shooting doesn't interest her which is fine but I was trying to get her "somewhat" interested in that she would go every few months or so. I was hoping that shooting at the fun shoot would have been better. We talked about it a bit last night and she doesn't want me buying her a gun. She thinks the idea that I will get the marvel .22 conversion for my SVI when i get it will be good enough. So hopefully when I get that she'll go back and actually have a decent time. My objective isn't to get her to go every week or anything just once in a great while would be great. Pete Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Liota Posted October 21, 2003 Share Posted October 21, 2003 Pete, Just talking as one of the females on this forum, at first shooting was uncomfortable for me. The guns were too heavy, too long, too unweildly. At one point, I almost dreaded going to the range. Now, much to Wakal's chagrin, I insist that the guns I shoot fit me. Sometimes it will take several times shooting it before I can figure out what was making me uncomfortable. Fortunately, I found that recoil is not one of them. Anyway, he and several others in the club work to make sure my guns fit and are comfortable for me and/or loan me theirs. I am sooooooooo lucky. L Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Skywalker Posted October 21, 2003 Share Posted October 21, 2003 Pete, I think, generally speaking, that you are trying to share your interests with your fiancee, which is a very good practice for life as a couple. Maybe she won't be interested in shooting, maybe she will, it's up to her and I'd suggest not to force her in any direction: she will decide on her own. What you can do, is trying to explain her that you're not trying to start her shooting because you like it and you think everyone shoud enjoy it since you do; instead you could explain her that the same pleasure you two can have staring at a sunset toghether, or watching a movie, or taking a long walk in the countryside at springtime, can be achieved doing other things togheter, provided you both are interested in that activity. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MBaneACP Posted October 21, 2003 Share Posted October 21, 2003 Pete-Dude; Don't EVER push! This is, I think, one of the lessons of my long-ago-shattered marriage, along with try being at home longer than one or two days a month. My current sweetie asked to go to the range and watch me shoot when we first started living together (about 10 years ago), watched, thought it was "interesting" and never mentioned going again. I ramped her up for a CCW a couple of years back, but still no interest in the competitive end of it. Out of the clear blue, a year ago, she announced that she'd like to try competition shooting, and could I let her try out a bunch of guns? She's still not up to match level yet (her game; her pace), but she went through an IDPA safety class and goes out to the range once or twice a week. Best thing I ever got was one of those Kimber aluminum .22s with a bunch of magazines. Not NEARLY as finicky as my .22 conversation units or my ancient, much-loved S&W 41, and the magazines are bullet-proof and designed to be dropped. I figure she'll run a couple of IDPA matches not-for-score with that gun, which she loves to shoot and shoots very well. I recently added a Kimber 9mm to the arsenal. On the last range trip, she noted that the 9mm "pretty much shoots like the .22." Yeah, it's an expensive way to do it, but what the hell...mo' guns is better than less guns! And a happy Spousal Unit? Priceless. Now maybe she'll let me drive her Mini Cooper. Michael B Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PistolPete Posted October 21, 2003 Author Share Posted October 21, 2003 I def. wouldn't push her into going. The last time she went was almost 2 years ago. I joke around about her going but never force her to go. She knows I enjoy it and she encourages me to go and get better. I just hope she can even enjoy it a little bit. We shall see... She already said she will go again so that is a great start. Pete Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Create an account or sign in to comment
You need to be a member in order to leave a comment
Create an account
Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!
Register a new accountSign in
Already have an account? Sign in here.
Sign In Now