Current events, goings-on in Delaware and anything else of interest here.
 #2532  by stephpd
 
Just got back from Miller's. We just went looking since money is a little tight right now.

First gun that gets her interest is the Walther PPK. :D
Nice gun. Stainless steel in a matte finish.

She tried a few other guns. Salesperson pulls out a few Bersa Thunders. As well as a S&W .357 snub nose.

One thing I noticed is that she has a problem racking the slide on the semi auto's. She also had a hard time pulling the trigger on the revolvers.

Guess I'll have to unload the 9mm and let her practice. She definitly needs to build up strength in her arms.

But it's a start! :D

My union finally signed a 3 year contract. We've been without a contract for 1 1/2 years.
Hopefully the City will be quick in getting out my retroactive check. I should be getting a few thousand. What better way then buying a new gun. ;)
 #2540  by Wynder
 
My wife has a hard time with the slide as well.

I see people like Dave, with some of his weapons, they push the slide back from the muzzle of the gun. I don't know if that's because his recoil spring is well worn in or what, but I certainly can't do that with MY XD.

Is it just me, or does anyone else find pushing the slide back from the muzzle slightly scary? I see people like Todd Jarrett do it and I'm just like, "Man... one small slip and OUCH."
 #2543  by LordJim
 
One thing I noticed is that she has a problem racking the slide on the semi auto's.
That's just an issue of practice. I'm guessing that right now that she's not overly familiar with the operation of the weapon and is being delicate. Once she learns the appropriate amount of force to apply she'll look like a natural.
She also had a hard time pulling the trigger on the revolvers.
Revolvers require a strong pull when going from completely de-cocked to cocked to fired. That trigger pull is nothing if you start with the hammer back. Of course that's not necessarily realistic in a self defense situation. On the other hand, in that same SD situation she'll manage to work that gun just fine and won't have (or remember) any issues with trigger weight/pull.

-
Jim
 #2544  by myopicvisionary
 
Did you try X-Ring Supply?

For those who have trouble racking the slide:
Hold pistol in right hand (this is for a rightie) as normal.
Rotate wrist to the left so the magazine is horizontal.
Grasp rear of slide with left hand.
Keep both arms extended out in front with elbows locked.
Rotate both arms at the shoulders, to the right.
Left arm will retract slide.
Release slide when fully to the rear, do NOT ride the slide forward.

If it is still difficult, try cocking the hammer first.
 #2548  by stephpd
 
I didn't get down to X-ring today. I mostly wanted to see what type of gun she might be interested in. Semi-auto or revolver. But I did notice that she had problems with both. Probably from never holding a handgun before and not being familiar with the strength required to operate them. I'm sure she will get better with practice.

I'm leaning more towards the Walther PPK for her. Nice small gun in .380
The .357 was to large for her hands. She had problems with getting her finger on the trigger. Maybe a smalller frame like just a .38 might work. Don't want to get anything smaller then .38

She's in the livingroom right now practicing racking the slide on my 9mm. She's starting to get the hang of it. She thinks The Judge is too big but it will give her some practice with a double action trigger.
I have to get on her frequently for having her finger on the trigger.I'm trying to make it fun and not yell but she has no idea of the 4 rules.

But just getting her to handle the guns is a big step for her.

Baby steps.
 #2550  by Sprat
 
Steve

your wife is welcome to shoot my walther PP or my Makarov! the Mak has a great punch and is a slightly stronger round then the 380. My PP is a 32 acp but I use Magtech round nose which is designed to come close to the standard 380 rd.

anything is better than nothing

sprat
 #2552  by stephpd
 
Sprat wrote:Steve

your wife is welcome to shoot my walther PP or my Makarov! the Mak has a great punch and is a slightly stronger round then the 380. My PP is a 32 acp but I use Magtech round nose which is designed to come close to the standard 380 rd.

anything is better than nothing

sprat
Thanks for the offer! I thought I remembered you bringing it to the first meeting. Told the wife you have one. It is the first gun she pointed to and with the stailess slide I have no problems with getting her that style.

Not sure when I'll be able to get both of us to the range. We work different shifts right now. This is the first day in a month that we were both home and awake. She wanted to go for a ride on the bike and I had to stop at work to pick up my check. We left a little early and I decided to at least get her to one of the gun shops just to she what she might like.

I'm pretty sure that if we get to the range she will enjoy putting holes in paper.

At least seeing others, especially Carmen, with guns and nobody going nuts goes a long way to converting her. She works for a temp agency as a nurse and ends up in some bad areas. I'll probably pay for the gun and she will have to come up with the money for the CCDW.

But she's starting to see the need for self protection. And that is a big step. Watching her play with my unloaded guns is fun to watch. :D
 #2553  by stephpd
 
myopicvisionary wrote:Did you try X-Ring Supply?

For those who have trouble racking the slide:
Hold pistol in right hand (this is for a rightie) as normal.
Rotate wrist to the left so the magazine is horizontal.
Grasp rear of slide with left hand.
Keep both arms extended out in front with elbows locked.
Rotate both arms at the shoulders, to the right.
Left arm will retract slide.
Release slide when fully to the rear, do NOT ride the slide forward.

If it is still difficult, try cocking the hammer first.


I'll get her to try it that way. I've been trying to get her to use it like a sling shot, pointing downward slightly and using a rotation towards the right. She's also trying an over hand grip on the slide but her wrist has more of a problem that way. But at least she's trying.

My guns don't have a visible hammer so that won't work with this gun.

It does help her with the revolver though. Single action and her hand is steady. Double action and the revolver takes a nose dive. She's getting better at cocking the hammer with her thumb. But I'd like if she could be steady with double action.

She's also practicing just keeping her finger off the trigger. Finger off the trigger is a biggie. Just holding the gun for minutes at a time and finger off the trigger. I have to get on her for where she's pointing it too. We will have to do this for quite some time before she ever gets a loaded gun. :D
 #2556  by LordJim
 
Maybe a smalller frame like just a .38 might work. Don't want to get anything smaller then .38
I shot a pocket size .38 a while back, it was not a pleasant experience. In the smaller sizes that round has a LOT of kick and can be difficult to control. It could have been my larger hands trying to handle a tiny gun. YMMV.

-
Jim
 #2561  by stephpd
 
LordJim wrote:
Maybe a smalller frame like just a .38 might work. Don't want to get anything smaller then .38
I shot a pocket size .38 a while back, it was not a pleasant experience. In the smaller sizes that round has a LOT of kick and can be difficult to control. It could have been my larger hands trying to handle a tiny gun. YMMV.

-
Jim
I think that it may be more that I'm excited that she's taking an interest and I'm watching real closely to see if she is having any problems. The trip to the gun store is probably the first time she ever held a handgun. So when she didn't know how or how much force to use I noticed. Same with pulling the trigger on the revolver. Gun really took a nose dive.

I watched her last night and she spent a few hours handling two of my guns and she did improve significantly. I try impressing her of the rules as I see them happening. Stop pointing the gun at or even anywhere in my direction, finger off the trigger, guns are always loaded. These are deadly toys.

By the end of the night she was just holding the gun for ten minutes, finger off the trigger and repeating the line my instructor told me.
"I'm practicing!" :D

With me reading the recent Supreme Court ruling and watching her play.
All in all a good day!