by Dan Netzel
As a girl Dad, it’s very important to me to make sure my ladies are well equipped for the world they’re about to enter. That includes non-lethal and lethal force. They’re what we call life skills at our house.
While life skills are mandatory, making them fun is another thing entirely. What I find helpful is lowering the barrier to entry by making it easy to say yes.
I’m going to challenge your concept of a day shooting because the challenge is not based on who has tighter groups or faster splits. It’s based on how well the 2nd Amendment carries forward.
Some of you will likely have been shooting for decades, or perhaps it’s your first time taking your girlfriend with you. Great date idea, by the way! I want to help make this easier for you, and her, to have a good time by presenting my perspective. I’ve found it useful when others did the same for me. In fact, most of this is likely other people’s suggestions I adopted and think are my own.
Before we even get to the range, prepping for the trip is essential. We’re going to use modern psychology to our advantage. We’re going to break it down for dudes who want to take their spouses, daughters, sisters, or girlfriends shooting, AND make it memorable.
We’re doing this with intent. It’s already a part of our lives, something we’re passionate about, and something that we can share that could save their lives. It also gives them an understanding of why it’s important to spend $1,200 on a pistol. It helps them understand what it takes, why we do this as protectors, and why it takes so much time away from them, effort, and money to get it right. This gives them the information they need to support our decisions wholeheartedly. Because that support comes from experience and understanding. It solidifies in them the need for the 2nd Amendment and why it is such a foundational issue for free societies and the bedrock of a republic.
So Many Options!
My go-to for beginners is always .22 LR, silenced if I can get it. Starting out with a bolt gun and irons, then moving on from there to a 9mm handgun and/or PCC, all the way to the AR-15 and SR-25 pattern rifles. Progressively increasing both the challenge factor and the interest. The reason we start with .22 is the low recoil and the ease and abundance of ammo. It’s not quite a pellet gun, but you can start there if someone has had some seriously bad experiences or you’re in a country that hates you. This is actually where Airsoft shines. Find ammo that shoots well out of your particular piece and make sure to stock up on it for the trip.
The specific ammo I like to use most for this is as follows:
CCI Match 40 gr. .22 LR
Freedom Munitions 147 gr. Reman 9mm
Freedom Munitions 55 gr. Reman .223
The reasoning for this ammunition selection is to provide lower-recoil, cost-effective, accurate ammo to train and introduce with.
Tips
Once they get dialed in, start the shooting-gallery treatment. She’ll catch on quickly and want to improve her aim by tacking on more and more challenging targets. Make sure you have them set up.
When shooting pistol, grip is the biggest fundamental I see overlooked. A lot of ladies want to grab low on the grip instead of tucking the web of their hand high into the beavertail. Watch out for this.
Larger rifles will be a challenge, not because of the fear of recoil, but because of upper-body strength. A lot of ladies can’t shoot an AR off-handed, especially when we’re running lights, lasers, a can, and an angled forward grip. Upper-body strength differences matter. Toss a bipod on and shoot prone or from the bench.
Build the Nest
Comfort is king for a lot of ladies. It doesn’t matter if you have a tomboy (great job, by the way) or a girly-girl. Creating a comfortable environment will make it a memorable trip, in a positive way.
This may be overboard for some of you. Just give it a try once and see what happens.
Climate Control: It may not be the easiest thing to do depending on your budget, your weather, and all the other factors. Simple is best. If it’s cold, bring blankets and run the truck heater so there’s a warm spot to return to.
She may not want to shoot the whole time, but she may want to be with you the whole time. It can’t be understated how big of a win this is. Just go with it. If she wants to just hang out while you hammer steel, huge win! Ensure there’s a phone charger for her iPhone (how’d I guess, right?) and her favorite snacks and drinks in the car.
If it’s cold, make sure to bring her favorite drink in a thermos. It’ll double as a backup for you, too. Same if it’s blazing hot. Have the cooler ready with her favorites.
We’ve now attached several things to this trip:
Intentionality. Remember how she’s always telling you, “You feel distant,” or “We need to spend intentional time together”? Well, here you go! Full of thought and intention. “Honey, I want you to be safe out there, so let’s work on this together,” is the message you’re sending.
Time and effort. All told, the pre-game takes you about 20–30 real minutes if you plan it right. Throwing extra blankets from the camping setup in the truck, adding a cooler or thermos, and making sure you have snacks isn’t that high of a bar. You should probably spend a large chunk of it making the card (keep reading). What that 20–30 minutes buys is vastly more important. It’ll look like you spent hours figuring all this out and putting it together. That adds to your intention and effort metrics. Big time.
Making memories. This is a big one. It’s very true, too. You will, and they will be special.
Tangible Memories
Celebrate it with a card. No, I’m not kidding. If you make it special, it will be special. It doesn’t have to be crazy, just a cute card that says something about first times. You figure it out. Make one if you’re crafty. That’s my go-to!
Take her to eat, or shopping, afterward. Again, nothing crazy. Just something to celebrate the event. A unique necklace or earrings. I recommend increasing levels of rewards. My ladies get ice cream when they hit bullseyes. Ten yards with iron sights is the $0.99 soft serve at the local grocery store. Twenty-five yards is a pint of their choice. Fifty yards is fancy Baskin-Robbins ice cream. One hundred yards is this crazy thing called a Monthly Gooey. It’s bonkers!
The point is to make it fun, achievable, and a win for you both.
There’s a ton of girls out there who just want to hang out with you. If you’re lucky, they’ll be the most important ones in your life. Make the effort to make it special.
