Tag Archives: ammunition

No Boys Allowed

Posted on by Melissa

So the Colorado Springs chapter of A Girl and A Gun women’s shooting league officially launched last night, and it was an incredible experience! I walked into the clubhouse at the Pikes Peak Gun club (a little late) and about 15 women had shown up for some sisterly shooting. I had never been in the presence of so many like-minded women. There were women of all experience levels, some who had never shot before, all the way up to one of our facilitators, who is a competitor, as is the creator of the club. We even had a few young ladies with us, too. So in the clubhouse, we listened to the creator of the league and the two facilitators of the Colorado Springs chapter talk about the history of A Girl and A Gun. The creator of the club had only started it about a year and a half ago, and she already has over 40 chapters all over the country! The cool thing is that our chapter was the first to launch outside of Texas.

So after our history lesson, we went though a quick safety briefing, then the ladies announced we were going to shoot steel. All of the experienced shooters started cheering, including myself. I’ve said it before, but I LOVE shooting steel! It is so satisfying; you know right away if you hit your target without waiting for a cease-fire and walking down to your targets. I was there mainly as a Range Safety Officer and an instructor, but I had to have my fun, too. The four of us roamed the firing line, watching the ladies shoot to make sure everyone was being safe, and offering tips. That’s one of the best parts of being with all these women instead of being on a line full of men. When I offer advice, the women take it! Some men look at me and don’t take me seriously, and therefore, don’t listen to me when I try to give advice. Don’t get me wrong, if I see a gross safety violation, man or woman, they don’t have any choice but to listen to me!

After most of the ladies had their fill of shooting, I got my turn and tossed some lead down range. I don’t know if it was all the good juju from being around all these women, but I was just ON. It was a constant ting, ting, ting as I shot the target. Made me feel all warm and fuzzy!

After everyone was done for the day, we went back to the clubhouse for cake. We all hung out for a little while, talking about our experiences, and just generally enjoying the camaraderie.

A Girl and A Gun will hold “Girls Night Out” every Wednesday at the Pikes Peak Gun club from 6-8pm. You don’t have to be a member, and you don’t have to have a gun to come out and have a good time. I’ll be there most Wednesdays working as RSO and instructor, so stop by and get some “group therapy!”

If you’d like to see some pictures from our first Girls Night Out, check out A Girl and A Gun’s facebook page.

Gun Selection: Ladies Choice!

Posted on by Melissa

When a woman goes to buy her first gun, she usually tries to get the advice of her boyfriend/husband/father, because she assumes they know what is best for her. More often than not, I see men suggesting a gun that they think would be right. This is admirable, but misguided. Buying a gun is like buying a mattress. No one else can tell you what you need in a mattress; you know what you need to feel comfortable. It’s a very personal decision, and you should try it out before you buy. It’s the same with a gun; no one can tell you what would be the most comfortable for you, and I would highly suggest you try out a gun before you buy it if you can.

There are several factors you should consider. The first thing you need to decide is how you are going to use it. Is it for sport or for personal protection? If it’s for personal protection, is it for your home, car, or to carry on your person? Answer these questions first, and then you can move on to the next considerations.

Your next consideration is if you want a revolver or a semi-automatic. If your gun is for self-protection, your best bet is probably a revolver. Revolvers don’t take a lot to operate, and when you’re in a high-stress situation like defending yourself, the less you have to think about, the better. Semi-automatics have a magazine to worry about. You have to make sure the slide is racked so you have a round in the chamber. You also may have a safety that you have to make sure is in the “fire” position. Revolvers are pretty much point-and-click.

Something to also consider is caliber. I’ve heard so many men who say you need “knock-down power” so you have to go with a large caliber. This is not necessarily true. What you must realize is the larger the caliber, the stronger the kick. If you’re not comfortable with the recoil of your pistol, you most likely will not practice. Practice is more important that “knock-down power.” If you practice with a .22 caliber, which has very little recoil, but you can place your shots exactly where you want them, you will probably stop the threat. However, it may take more shots to stop the threat. What I want to stress is that you don’t have to get a .45 caliber that you’re afraid to shoot to stop the threat.

The last thing I think you should consider is size. I’ve seen so many women get a gun that is small and cute. The smaller the pistol, the less mass it has to absorb the recoil. Smaller guns can be pretty painful to shoot! Large pistols will have less recoil, but can you conceal it comfortably if you are carrying it on your person? Or will it add a bunch of extra weight to your purse? Look for something in the middle, but also make sure it is comfortable in your hand. I have shot pistols that are the same size, but the grips were different, so one was a little uncomfortable for me.

I can’t stress enough to try before you buy. There are a lot of ranges that will let you rent guns, and some will let you try several out in one session. If you don’t have access to a range like this, ask your friends if you can try out their guns. Most guns are pretty expensive these days, so be sure before you drop the cash!

From gun-shy to zombie slayer!

Posted on by Melissa

          As a gun enthusiast, one of my favorite activities is to go to the range. There are people out there who love guns, talk about guns constantly, know every gun manufacturer, model, and every type of ammunition out there, but they never go shooting! I may not know everything about every gun ever made, but I go to the range as often as I can to practice my skills. I also love to share my skills with others. I take a friend with me when I go, since shooting is so much more fun with friends!

          There was one time back in November when I had just returned from Frontsight Firearms Training Institute, and I wanted to practice the new skills I had learned. I was going to go with a friend, but she backed out at the last minute. The day before I was going to go to the range, I went out to lunch with another friend that used to work with me. She is a French expatriate who just got her US citizenship in 2010. We were chatting, and I told her I was going to go to the range the next day. She got all excited, and asked if she could come with me. I was happy to have the company, so I told her of course. I told her it was very fitting, and we could celebrate her first full year of citizenship by exercising her 2nd amendment right. She had never even touched a gun before, so I told her exactly how to dress (no v-neck shirts since women have natural hot-brass catchers on our chests) and that I’d pick her up the next day.

            We decided to go to lunch before we drove the hour to go to the range. At lunch, she was telling me how excited she was to finally shoot a gun. She told me that growing up in France, where guns are very restricted, she was always told that guns are evil, guns kill people, etc. So she actually had a fear of guns because of the how she was raised. So I asked her, if she was afraid of them, then why did she want to go shooting with me. She said that every time I talked about guns and shooting at work, I always talk with so much passion, and she could tell how much I love it. I was floored. I didn’t realize my idle chit-chat was so impactful.

            So we got down the range, I gave her a mini safety lesson. I set her up on a Ruger Mark III, which is a .22 pistol. It’s a great gun to start a brand new shooter on because it is so easy and fun to shoot. I started her out on an 8 inch round circle, and she had a great time with it. I could tell she was getting a little bored, so I’d prepared. I brought my Springfield subcompact XD 9mm. I warned her that that little gun has a pretty good kick. The first time she shot it, she jumped back about a foot! But after the initial shock, she got used to it and had a blast (pun intended, haha!). She was doing really well; she was shooting within a 3 inch circle. Then I brought out the zombie targets. These zombie targets are so much fun; they are splatter targets, so you can see where you’re hitting. So we had a great time killing our zombies! I told her she had to shoot him in the head, since that’s the only way to kill a zombie, and by golly she hit him in the head! When we were done, I took some pictures of her with her “kill” and sent her home with her target. She was so proud of herself; she said she was going to hang it up in her bedroom.

            She and I have been friends for several years, but now I have yet another shooting buddy, and I’m sure you can all agree with me on this: you can NEVER have enough shooting buddies!