What do I do with the wife

[blaise]

After all these years of my wifes indifference to guns she has conceded that bad things can happen to good people. She has agreed to learn how to shoot. The sp101 i figure is the best gun i have for her to learn with. My question is i always stress safety but i thought that maybe she should shoot at least one round [ 38. spl ] without hearing protection so that in a non training situation she would know what to expect. My fear is that the report may discourage her . Any comments appreciated.

[DefensiveCarry.com]

[rabywk]

I would never advise shooting without hearing protection. If she needs to use the gun in self defense then she probably will not even hear it anyway because her adrenaline will be pumping away.

Don't mess with your hearing unless you have no other choice. This is not a common training practice. I did shoot a lot when I was a kid (without protection) and my ears ring all the time. DON'T DO IT!!!!!!!!!!

[P95Carry]

I would not expose anyone to unprotected noise from choice. If any of us has to resort to using a piece for SD the sound aspect is probably the last thing we need worry about!

I think yes the sound may be off-putting - certainly at an initial stage. If later she chooses to ''try it out'' that's not so bad, her choice - still not wise tho.

Let her do some dry fire on the SP first then - one shot at a time SA ... if she does OK with that then move to DA practice. Good luck and glad she seems to have seen the light.

[jpedone76]

Always wear hearing protection. I often warn my wife that is she ever has to use her .357 be prepared to hear ringing for a few days.

[pgrass101]

I would not let her shoot without hearing protection. In an emergency I doubt she would relaize how loud it is at the time.

[vic2367]

i agree,,,Always wear hearing protection

[1911NM]

+ eleventy hundred on the hearing protection. I shot way too much without in my callow youth, and am paying for it with marked hearing loss in both ears, and constant ringing to the point of drowning out some sounds I can barely hear. Never, ever will hit the bang switch without hearing protection unless it's an emergency situation.

[xd.40sub]

if you want to keep her interested the definetly do not have her try it out without proper safety equipment. she needs your help with feeling safe in the use of firearms. I would even get ahold of a .22 for her first couple times and work your way up to the intimidating rounds after she gets used to it. but never without hearing protection

[Musketeer]

What did you say? I can't hear you.

I have hearing problems from a bad work enviorment but not shootign where I always wore protection (I did at work too but it was REALLY loud). There will be enough go juice in her at the time of a shooting that the noise will not be the main issue. Have her keep the ears on.

[Gunner69]

There is only one weapon in my safe that I will shoot w/o hearing protection and do it all day long... Well 2 if you count my air rifle... The other one has this nifty little black tube on the front.

[tk4878]

I think she may get the idea of how loud guns are even with hearing protection. I don't see any benefit of hearing gun fire without hearing protection. Also, it sounds as if she may be a little reluctant about guns. Don't scare her away. Now is not the time to show her EVERYTHING either. She will get overwhelmed.
Go soft and slow. Be patient and generous with praise. Your first lesson may just be showing her the unloaded gun and letting her practice loading and unloading. If she is ever in a situation where she will have to pull the trigger, she won't hear how loud the gun is if she is really scared. Remember, she will need to rely on her training so make sure she has a solid foundation!
If she is one of those "ladies don't get dirty" women, take along hand wipes so she can clean up. Tell her to wear a hat so the wind doesn't blow her hair in her face and for sun protection. Tell her to put some insect repellant on. Have drinks and snacks in the car in case you stay long and she wants something. I thought I would throw this in because I have heard some "horror" stories from a few women. You may do some of this already. Good luck to both of you.

[retsupt99]

NEVER shoot without wearing protection for both the eyes and ears. Would you try hitting something with your car, not wearing a seatbelt, just to see the difference?

[Tom G]

Give her the hearing protection. You don't want to turn her off the first time out.

[Npete7381]

I'll repeat what everyone else is saying...definitely wear hearing protection. A couple of weeks ago I was out shooting my 1911 and I somehow managed to pull one of my earplugs out without noticing between shots (must have turned my head and caught the string attached to the earplugs). After the next shot I thought I was gonna be deaf in my right ear. That is the first time I have actually felt pain in response to a loud noise, so it's definitely not something I would reccommend trying just to see how loud it is.

[PaulG]

NEVER, NEVER shoot without hearing protection.

Hearing damage is cummulative. Each extremely loud noise causes at least some minor hearing damage.

Take it from one who has constant ringing in his ears: don't risk it!