Surprise for the Girlfriend

[SirRealism]

If you're dead set on making it a gift to help her get started, then get a .22. Ammo is cheap, variety is nearly limitless, and there's very little likelihood recoil aversion that will ruin it for subsequent trips.

Nobody doesn't like a .22. Even the large caliber snob authoring this post. So while it might not make it to the range every time, it will never be relegated to the back of the safe because it's not fun to shoot or she's afraid of it.

This sounds like some good advice. I can't imagine ever getting rid of a .22. (And you don't have one, yourself, right?)

The gift card is a good advice, as well, but IMO the only problem with it is that it has to eventually have a dollar amount attached to it, even if you don't explicitly say it. Depending on how long you've known her, she might weigh the price of each gun, especially as a gift. That can get tricky.

 

[ArcadiaGP]

So here's an update:

Took a lot of advice in this thread to heart. It was still a surprise, but it turned out to be a good one, and she knows that it can be changed.

Went with a Taurus PT92af 9mm. The 9mm will end up being much more affordable in the long run.

Turns out she really liked it. She's asking a ton of questions regarding safety and conditions, and she's already looking up YouTube videos on how to strip it down and re-assemble it. She's doing it pretty fast, too! She loves the all blued-steel of the Taurus, and the fact that it's not pink :P

She's not 100% on the idea of firing at an intruder, but I'm assuring her that she can't just shoot an intruder in the leg and think everything is fine. Center of mass, shoot until threat is no longer a threat, etc... I think if it came down to it, she'd be alright with that. Nothing that time and potential classes won't fix

We plan on going shooting either this or next weekend. She actually asked me how much an LTCH costs! All-in-all, I'd say a successful gift to a non-gun person on her way to becoming a gun person

 

[Bunnykid68]

I think buy her a gun and if she doesn't like it you keep it and go get her another one that she picks out. Win Win, everyone gets a new gun

 

[Plinkuh]

I think buy her a gun and if she doesn't like it you keep it and go get her another one that she picks out. Win Win, everyone gets a new gun

Looks like he did, and she liked it

 

[88GT]

So here's an update:

Took a lot of advice in this thread to heart. It was still a surprise, but it turned out to be a good one, and she knows that it can be changed.

Went with a Taurus PT92af 9mm. The 9mm will end up being much more affordable in the long run.

Turns out she really liked it. She's asking a ton of questions regarding safety and conditions, and she's already looking up YouTube videos on how to strip it down and re-assemble it. She's doing it pretty fast, too! She loves the all blued-steel of the Taurus, and the fact that it's not pink :P

She's not 100% on the idea of firing at an intruder, but I'm assuring her that she can't just shoot an intruder in the leg and think everything is fine. Center of mass, shoot until threat is no longer a threat, etc... I think if it came down to it, she'd be alright with that. Nothing that time and potential classes won't fix

We plan on going shooting either this or next weekend. She actually asked me how much an LTCH costs! All-in-all, I'd say a successful gift to a non-gun person on her way to becoming a gun person

Then you should have saved money and got her a baseball bat instead.

Where does such stupidity (yeah, I said it, but I see no other word for it, ) come from? She'd rather risk bodily harm or death than put the world out of its misery by removing a cancerous lesion?

 

[ArcadiaGP]

Then you should have saved money and got her a baseball bat instead.

Where does such stupidity (yeah, I said it, but I see no other word for it, ) come from? She'd rather risk bodily harm or death than put the world out of its misery by removing a cancerous lesion?

This is obviously a learning process. I'm in progress of converting a once non-gun person to being a gun person, something that anyone here should appreciate.

What she said was on day 1 of being a gun owner. Her day 1 progress involved learning the in's and outs, taking it apart and putting it together on her own, chambering and unloading back to safe, etc... I'd say that's pretty damn good progress for day 1.

When I first bought my gun, I wasn't ready to run out and shoot somebody. It was a learning process. Shortly after I knew how to safely operate the tool, I was prepared to do with it what must be done in any situation.

I'm confident that she will reach that point, if she hasn't already. Anyone in a life or death situation will do what should be done. She's not going to let herself die so that some scumbag can live. So, no, I wouldn't call it stupidity at this point.

 

[ArcadiaGP]

An update on this thread - We went to the range on Sunday. She really enjoyed it! She says that the PT92 was a perfect choice. She loves the recoil, the ease of assembly/cleaning, and feel of the gun. This was her first time shooting anything. After a couple of minutes, she was shooting my USP and my 1911 without problems!

I'm happy for her, and I'm very glad she enjoyed it. She now has SD ammo in the Taurus and it's on her nightstand. She gave me grief that my 1911 is so much harder to assemble than her Taurus :P

As a brand new gun owner and shooter, I think she's doing extremely well. She handled the range with flying colors.

 

[hootenholler]

been there done that with the 380 thing....been threw a .22, .38sp, 380, 9mm, and finally settled on a compact 1911 .45 and she likes that the best

 

[shooter521]

As a brand new gun owner and shooter, I think she's doing extremely well. She handled the range with flying colors.

Awesome to hear. Love it when a plan comes together!

 

[Jeremiah]

Op- where are you located? I have acess to several varieties an calibers.