I like Colt Semi-auto handguns, a lot. During the mid 70’s I purchased a Colt Gold Cup, Combat Commander, two Government Models, one blue and one nickel and a .22 conversion unit which I eventually mounted on a dedicated frame.

One day my wife asked me; “Why do you have so many guns that are the same and what’s the big deal with the guns anyway?”

I proceeded to explain to her the difference between the five guns (I couldn’t really explain why I had two identical High Standard Sentinel revolvers). It’s not that she objected to the guns, she just didn’t understand the fascination I had for the different guns I owned.

As to “What’s the big deal” I invited her to go with me the next time I went shooting.

When we arrived at my favorite shooting location we set up on a table that someone had constructed out in the middle of nowhere. This table was an old door that had been attached to four-4x4’s that had been put in the ground. Someone had actually gone to the trouble of digging post holes and placing the 4x4’s in the holes and nailed the door to it. It was nice until some nimrod decided to shoot the door to pieces.

I started her off with a .22 High Standard Supermatic Trophy. I showed her how to load the magazine, safety on and off, mag release, and instructed her in the safety rules, you know, the basic stuff: don’t shoot me, don’t shoot yourself. I shot a couple of cans of cheap beer, a ten pound block of ice and a watermelon so she could get an idea what a bullet, even a small one would do to an object.

As a side note, it was rather impressive to see what a .44 magnum round will do to a block of ice. You get shaved ice.

She shot the .22 for a while and then asked what was next. She proceeded to shoot the Colt Detective Special, the S&W M-66 with .38’s and .357’s, the Government Model and the Gold Cup. Up to that point she decided that she rather liked the Colts. “So, what’s next?” she asked.

Now, keep in mind that my wife weighed at most 105 lbs., so I was concerned about letting her shoot the .44’s but she wanted to try them. I loaded the Super Blackhawk with .44 specials before moving up to the magnums and the M-29 and the Automag. I fired a few rounds so she would see what kind of recoil to expect and I told her to hold on to the gun and don’t drop it.

After shooting a few rounds from one gun she would ask: OK, what’s next?”

My wife seemed to be gratified that she was able to hit the targets. She listened to my instruction and attempted to put everything I had told her into her shooting.

One type of target I set up were a series of balloons. We found that these reactionary targets were fun to shoot. Balloons are an especially good target for beginners as the balloons instantly disappear when hit. It tends to reinforce the novice shooters confidence.

After we had shot several hundred rounds and were finished for the day she stated that she enjoyed the Colts but liked the Automag the most. It was a big, two-handed gun but the recoil was manageable.

During the drive home she looked at me and said: “OK, I get it.”

I never had to go shooting alone after that.