Smaller doesn’t mean easier
I’ve got my credentials from the NRA to teach students, but it wasn’t for any financial gain or to be a full time teacher. The real reason I got into training was because of all of the bad instruction I’ve witnessed from untrained teachers. I’ve seen guys show up with their girlfriends and basicall load up a handgun to full capacity and begin their first experiences on the firing line by telling them to “rack the slide”. I believe I’ve seen that type of firearm instruction one too many times, and I believe i’ve seen it atleast 3 times. The female has her finger on the trigger while she fearfully tries to pull back on the slide and sometimes instantly jams the gun. The first time I saw this happen there were shooters on a firing line on both sides and I just stood there shaking my head. Not only are we going to see an accident about to happen, but this girls first experience wasn’t going to be a good one. I know now to be more assertive and speak up when I see stuff like that, but luckily there were no major mishaps.
Every other time I saw the same type of behavior I spoke up and got involved. I’m not going to bash women because I’ve gone shooting with plenty of females that were shooting up to 600yds with 308 rifles so don’t think I’m trying to say that women can’t handle recoil. I’m not one to say that you have to start a new shooter out on a 22LR pistol, just don’t load it up to full capacity the first time someone is pulling the trigger. I had a Kahr MK40 with 2 Kahr magazines with me and a Beretta 96. I asked a friends girlfriend which gun looked like it had more recoil and she thought the Beretta 96 did. I told her that if she was afraid of recoil at first, that the bigger gun actually kicked less and the smaller firearm, more. She started out shooting a Smith & Wesson Model 19 with 38 Specials and worked her way up to a 1911 that day, and I could tell by the smile on her face that she wasn’t afraid of shooting firearms.