Why Women Should Join A Shooting League

Reposted from Rounds and Roses,

Why should women join a local shooting league?

Posted on February 2, 2012 by CathiBray@RoundsandRoses

 

Well, the simple answer to the title question is: Some women don’t go to the bathroom alone in a restaurant; what makes anyone think they would go shoot by themselves?

In fact, many women do shoot by themselves when necessary, but being the social creatures that we are, it’s just much more fun to go with other women.

And after a basic instructional class, I think a league is one of the most important things new women shooters can do, because it helps to keep you in the practice loop. As busy as everyone is these days, it is sometimes hard to set aside the time to go to the range; so being part of a league has many benefits, some of which are:

1. There is usually a fee to join the league, and if we are going to pay for something, we usually are more likely to do it.
2. There is accountability from having a certain day and time to be at the range.
3. It’s an easy way to find other women who like to shoot and who might join you at other times.
4. You can get help with issues you are having, or give help to someone who is just starting out.

I’ve been to the range many times lately, where I’ve seen a woman shooting with a few men and have approached her to talk about our women’s events. Every time, she has been thrilled to find out there are other ladies who like to shoot and fun events to join in on.

So check with your local range to see if there are women’s leagues already there, but if not, think about starting one yourself. There are many leagues around that have “franchised” to areas outside their own and will be more than happy to help you get started. Let me know if you need some suggestions.

And if you have been a member of a league, please leave a comment and let us know why you joined and what you got out of it.
See you at the range!

SHOT Show Day 3

Finally getting caught up and back in the land of working technology!

A quick follow up on Day 2.  John (my hubby aka my photographer and handler… keeping me organized and on time this week, thank you babe) made the rounds while I was networking and found some great stuff.  Most of it was more optics and rifles, but John is a huge Danner Boots fan, his favorite while in the Marine Corp and still today.  John thought it would be a great product for us girls and went to check it out.  The 2012 Fall line that was displayed with several options and the best part is they have a woman’s line that is sized and made specifically for us.  I contacted the Danner Rep so maybe we can add them as a vendor partner in the future.  Keep your fingers crossed. 

A highlight of the day was interviewing Tori and Randi from Team Glock.  Check back soon for a special blog post and hear about what gear they like, tips they have and their take on women in the firearms industry. 

I started Day 3 an hour or so late, I decided to sleep in.  Next year we are for sure taking a team from A Girl and A Gun to divide and conquer!  Today was spent in the lower level aka “the dungeon”.  Sooo much stuff to see, we only got half way done in between interviews and networking.  Here are my favorite things from today:

Mack’s Shooters Protection- A line of disposable and re-useable ear plugs.  They have several different options including lines for women and youth, storage options for keeping ear plugs with you on the go.  They also carry a lens wipe that is anti-fog, anti-static and anti-streak.  I will be carrying this product in the very near future!

I came across another company, Joy Enterprises USA offering self-defense tools, but this stuff was really different and worth a closer look, and will be something I will be promoting.  I requested the instructor program which is an online course to learn how the products work, how to explain them to others and integrate the products into your everyday life.  The Fury Pepper Strike has impact points on both ends with pepper spray at the flick of a switch.  The Griffin Grip is a concealed pressure point device that is worn like a ring.  The pressure point makes a huge difference when you smack away hands trying to grab you or striking an attackers head and face.  When the Rep demoed the product on my hand, it got my attention immediately.  To round out this selection of tools is the Kubba kicz.  You just insert in the shoe laces on top of the tongue.  If you are attacked you now have tools to kick and jab at the legs and arms… private parts… of an attacker with your feet and make it really count!   There is a disclaimer on the product that if you strike other areas of the body (i.e. head) it may require you to justify deadly force.  Holy Moly, these products changes everything about what tools you utilize, especially for the youth market that can’t have knives and guns due to campus restrictions or age.  5 Stars!

Kick-eez are recoil pads you can add to your rifles and shotguns to help absorb the sting in your shoulder.  It also helps the stock fit better in your shoulder by increasing the surface area you can contact with.  Giving special props for them coming out with a pink option, and the rep told me I was the second person to ask for purple… so more color choices may be available in the future.  Regardless, this product is worth a look if you need help finding the sweet spot in your shoulder with the long guns. 

Viridian is green dot system, which is much easier to see in the day time than the traditional red dots.  They are debuting a new line of laser/light combo that will be available in the spring.  The on/off buttons are flush on the light, so instead of flicking a switch or pressing your thumb forward, you push with the side of your thumb or trigger finger.  I was working my grip turning on the different settings and I was able to keep more contact on the gun and it was easy to relearn the muscle memory.  When I am ready to invest in a new light, this will be my top choice. 

www.Niteize.com has an array of products… where to start!  They say it is organization with a twist, I really encourage you to visit the site and check out all the cool stuff they have for just about every kind of product you can think of for organization of odd stuff.  In short they have twisty ties from 3-32 inches, S-biners for key chains all the way to bike hooks, safety light systems, even products for dogs like a glowing flying disc.

Bar-sto precision machine www.Barsto.com makes aftermarket barrels for about 8 major manufacturers.  What is the purpose?  Glad you asked!  If you would like to achieve a better “barrel to slide fit”, or to replace a polyagonal barrel to allow you to use lead bullets.  It will also improve your accuracy because it just a better barrel overall. 

I was really digging’ the Bridgford Pocket Sandwiches.  I can say that everything we tasted was really good and wasn’t like eating cardboard.  Perfect for emergency and disaster relief planning, I am going to add them to our bug out bags we keep in the vehicles.  About 300 calories per sandwich, 41 carbs, 11 proteins.  Not bad!  Call Richard Mueller at 312-520-8311 or email at rmueller@bridgford.com 

Gun Tote’n Mamas had a fabulous display.  I stopped to say hi and give some hugs but they were so busy, we agreed to catch up after the show.  Right now we can order bags via Bang Bang Boutique with a discount for AG & AG members.  (Met Kimberly from Bang Bang Boutique, what a doll!  Love the products she is finding, make sure you keep an eye on her sight)

We are getting into our gun cleaning with a passion, and I really liked this complete kit from GunMasters.  Winchester has a private label in red and black... wonder if we could get them made in purple?  It is a long shot but I still love their products.

Finishing out my finds for today is Randolph Engineering, Shooting Glasses Specialist.  They are optometrists by trade and have developed light weight and flexible frames.  Lens can be made for prescription and non-prescription, and from what I heard, each pair comes with 3 sets of lens, choose your colors!  Check out Kim Rhode, renowned medalist, who proudly wears these shooting glasses.  $220-$350 price range for the pair I saw demoed.