How to get the wife interested in shooting???

[ROCKET20_GINSU]

My wife did not warm up to shooting and firearms in general until I started showing her the world of competitive shooter, specifically USPSA pistol. She was really drawn to the idea of competition and shooting as a sport and gave. Prior to competitive shooting she saw guns as a strictly violent affair.

+1 on the .22 lr and taking her out to pick what she wants. The M&P 15-22 is a pretty good place to start looking. Also consider having someone else "teach" her, sometimes it can be difficult to take instruction from someone very close to you. And finally, find a way to empirically show her improvement.

Good luck, I can tell you that the getting my wife to share the sport of shooting with me was extremely rewarding.

GU

[Vic303]

It's also possible she might like SASS. There seem to be a lot of women participating in both the shooting events and the mock-life-in -the-1800's side of things. Plus who doesn't love a nice lever gun??

[GitmoSmoke]

I suggested to my wife that she read the cornered cat, and it worked very well for her. A website that is written by a woman who was anti-gun and now is a firearms self defence instructor. It answered a lot of questions my wife had on her schedule, and in a manner that was easy for her to understand.
http://corneredcat.com/

[TacticalTaco]

Take her to dinner, but before you go to dinner, stop at the range and say she has to put 100 rds down range before lobster.

[khc3]

You must be a newly-wed, LOL.

Shooting is "Me" time.

[D Golden]

My first wife was like that,little to no interest in shooting or self defense for that matter. New wife had interest and potential, just needed training to bring it out of her. We started with my Ruger 22`s, pistol & rifle went all the way up to 12 ga. & 7.62x51 just to familiarize her with these weapons in case she needed to use them in an emergency. What works for her given her stature is a 30M1 carbine and a S&W MP9c.

[MechEng]

To expand upon what khc3 said. Why the hell would you want to get your wife interested in shooting?

In all seriousness, just take her shooting and let her shoot several different firearms. She will either be in-to-it or not…or some level of interest in between.

[ST911]

Sometimes, removing the male variable helps. Even the most well-intentioned significant other can sometimes be the problem.

Contact your state outdoor/wildlife enforcement agency to see what ladies-specific organizations and activities there might be. Contact them for particular information about educational opportunities in the shooting sports.

A good example is Becoming and Outdoors Woman, which often has firearms related events. On this page are links to the BOW program in each state: http://www.uwsp.edu/cnr/bow/

The Second Amendment Sisters organization sponsors events as well, and can be found in many states: http://www.2asisters.org/

Also, check in with your local sporting goods retailer to see what may be posted on their bulletin boards.

In the end, she may not be interested. That's okay. Teach her how to safely handle a gun she may unexpectedly find or encounter, and let her decide where to go from there.

[Cowtown44]

I asked this same question in another forum about 2 years ago. Here's how I/we approached it and what happened. First of all, I decided that I would not be a trainer, only an advisor. I don't have enough experience or patience to be a trainer. I told my wife that I was buying a handgun and she need to attend a safety class with me. This was non-negotiable as she needed to be able to safely handle the pistol.

We signed up for a basic safety class at a local range. The class happened to be taught by a women but I don't think that made any difference. It was a structured classroom experience with about an hour's worth of range time with .22 revolvers and semi-autos. Immediately after the class, she said, "that was fun!". At this point, I seized the opportunity to have her sit down IMMEDIATELY and take the handgun safety test (a pre-requisite for handgun purchase here). The test is basic, common sense and she easily passed. With her new confidence in gun handling and safety, I suggested we go upstairs to the sales shop to "look around".

Open flood gates and check books!

I asked one of the salesman to help her out with choosing a handgun. I didn't chime in much on the selection process as 1) I didn't know much about handgun options for women at the time and 2) it needed to be her choice. She ended up getting a S&W .38 revolver with a 1 7/8" barrel. I know, I know this is the classic exchange between the gun salesmen and new women shooters. "Here little lady, you need a light weight revolver. You know, something you can handle". Anyway, that's what she thought she wanted so we went with it.

We waited the 10 days until she could pick up the revolver. We immediately went downstairs to the range for some shooting. This was almost her last day of shooting. At this point in her shooting career, the recoil of the airweight was too much. I have to admit, it is not much fun to shoot after about 50 rounds. Time for another gun.

We went back upstairs and she bought a S&W 317 22LR revolver. She used the 22LR revolver for several months to learn sight picture and trigger control. The .38 would always go to the range for about 20-40 rounds of shooting. Over time, with improvements in stance and grip, the .38 became a little more manageable for her to shoot but still not "fun".

Time for a rifle.

I signed us up for an Appleseed and bought a couple of 10/22 (with added tech sight irons) as a cheap introduction to rifle marksmanship. We had a good time at the course and after she became relatively proficient with irons, I bought a little rimfire Leupold scope for the 10/22. This added alot to the fun of the rifle as she could take it out farther and see what she was hitting. It also taught her about stable shooting positions and further taught her about trigger manipulation.

Need more training.

I decided I needed basic pistol training so I signed us up for defensive handgun I at Thunder Ranch. I just signed us up, made all the arrangements and told her she'd been signed up for a class. Oh, and she now needed at least a 9mm semi-auto, so she better start renting them at the range and pick the one that felt the best. She ended up picking a full size XD in 9mm. Simultaneously, I bought her a Sig P226 as a present but I did not give it to her until she had the XD. She immediately fell in love with the look, feel and functionality of the Sig and this is the gun she uses today. We had a fantastic learning experience at Thunder Ranch and I highly recommend it if you ever get the opportunity.

Let's go shoot shotguns!

We went out to shoot some trap/skeet/sporting clays. She got an O/U Citori 20g for these shooting sports. This has been the hardest area for her to learn as the targets are moving fast and she hasn't fully developed those skills yet. We stopped shooting the shotgun until I can find a competent instructor for these clay sports. Maybe this spring/summer.

Current status.

We both shot our first IDPA match last Sunday and loved it. We're hooked. We plan to shoot IPSIC as well. Both of us prefer more action and movement versus the static range. We are signed up for another basic handgun course this fall and an advanced handgun and urban rifle course in 2012.

[P2000]

You must be a newly-wed, LOL.

Shooting is "Me" time.

Ha! You caught me...

Really I know she won't ever become my shooting buddy. I just want her to be proficient, be exposed to shooting in general, and posses the skill to defend herself at home if ever needed. In order to do these things I think she has to take at least a limited interest.

She comes from a family that has no idea what violence looks like, never locks their doors, thinks that no one needs a gun, and her sister has said in the past "a gun will only make an out of control situation worse". She knows better because of what I have shown her, but doesn't act on it....yet...