I am seeking advice on purchasing my first handgun and a lady’s perceptive on concealed carry is what I found when I interviewed Mary, the newest member to the Buchheit’s family at the House Springs store. She was passionate about matching the right instrument for the novice pistol purchaser. Set up for success is her motto!
She is extremely knowledgeable concerning firearms. The one piece of advice she repeated often during our conversation is the importance of getting training. Successful ownership of any firearm for protection or hunting starts with instruction in proper shooting fundamentals. Mary recommended that everyone new to firearms go to an NRA approved shooting range and complete firearms training.
Mary informed me that even seasoned rifle and shotgun marksmen aren’t immediately proficient when learning how to shoot a pistol. Why? For one thing, when you shoot a rifle, you have four points of contact: 2 hands, shoulder and chin. With a pistol, you only have 2 points of contact, just your 2 hands.
Mary stated what turns women off from handguns is the recoil. Husbands and boyfriends hand them a heavy 38 or 45 that has a recoil with a kick from a mule and then they laugh and think it’s funny when their sweethearts walk away, some to never pick up a gun again. So she suggests that for some, it might be better to take private lessons.
Mary recommends starting with a 22 caliber. This is a Ruger 22/45 Lite. They are accurate, have little to no recoil and ammo is relatively cheap which will equal more practice time at the range. She suggests going with a longer barrel as the longer the barrel the easier it is to shoot.
Here Mary is showing me the proper way to hold a gun by wrapping both hands properly around the weapon.
Mary was emphatic about learning trigger discipline. That means that you never get close to the trigger until you are ready to put a hole in a target or an intruder. It all boils down to one thing, learning to keep your finger off that little curved thingy until you are ready to shoot. This prevents the “I shot myself in the foot” stories. Trigger discipline needs to go beyond conscious effort, it must become second nature. This is what Mary means by proper training and practice. Trigger discipline needs to be practiced and driven home until it becomes a natural reflex no matter what gun you pick up. It must be permanently committed to muscle memory.
Another great tip from Mary was putting a drop of bright colored finger nail polish on the end site to help you locate your target or use the Crimson Trace 1 Opt site.
I really enjoyed my time with someone who had such great insights into the special challenges that may face an older woman looking for her first handgun. Buchheit carries everything I need when I am ready to make that selection. I’m looking forward to interviewing more of the friendly Buchheit staff. Thank you Mary! Hope this was helpful. Be blessed! Anne May
