Myth Busted!

When a woman walks into your store and asks to look at handguns, what’s your first thought, really? Do you immediately look toward the 9mms or .380s? Have you ever seen a woman’s eyes light up as she walks up to the counter and sees a Magnum Research Desert Eagle?

Of course, it’s prudent to stock various calibers and maintain a good supply of those products most common to your clientele. However, what about larger-caliber handguns for women?

Personal Experience

Since I was a youngster, I’ve been shooting handguns and have always been more confident and a better shot with those of larger caliber. I visited with Jeff Byrne, who owns Cabin Fever Sporting Goods in Victoria, Minn.

“People who can start from a smaller caliber and learn good form, then progress to larger caliber tend to be more confident,” he suggested. “Like anything, if you grow up doing it, and hopefully somebody teaches you how to do it correctly, it becomes easier to do.”

In my case, at 5 years old, my dad started me out with an airgun. As I got older, I progressed to a .22, then a .380, later a .45 LC and so on. As my skills advanced, I learned yes, there is recoil, but more importantly, form matters with firearms.

A word of advice: If you don’t have a range or instructors at your shop, have a good rapport with a few you can confidently recommend to your customers.

Training With The Big Guns

As a Christmas gift to ourselves last year, my husband and I scheduled a training day with Olympian and 3-Gun Champion, Lanny Barnes. The goal of the day was to be more proficient drawing our guns. I have several guns I carry, but brought two for the day’s lessons. I started with my SIG SAUER P365 9mm, then transitioned to my Kimber Ultra Carry .45.

Lanny and I walked through dry-fire scenarios with the P365. I worked on rapid presentation of my gun from beneath the layers of clothing I’d donned on a cold January day.

With my draw and presentation of the gun up to par, we moved to live-fire drills. My shots with the 9mm were in an erratic pattern on the target. Lanny upped the intensity, adding a shot timer and attacker scenarios to the training, and my shots settled into a better group.

Next, I pulled out the Kimber and proceeded with the same training maneuvers we had with the SIG. I’ve had other instructors question the .45 and wondered if Lanny had doubts about the larger caliber, too. Thoughts of someone of her stature watching me with one of my favorite handguns caused anxiety.

When we went to the live-fire drills, I did just that — I drilled the target with all of my shots.
“You’re much more confident with the .45,” Lanny observed. The shots felt great.

In my conversation with Byrne, he likened shooting larger calibers to driving a supercar.

“It’s no different than someone liking a lot of horsepower in a car they drive,” he reasoned. “It sure is nice when you put the pedal down, and when that car moves — you feel the energy.”

He’s spot on, and I’m probably not the only woman to think so when shooting these larger guns.

Beyond Range Time

I, too, use a handgun for hunting, and per hunting regulations, I must use a high-energy round. I’ve primarily hunted with .45 and 10mm for bear, cougar and hogs. During these expeditions, all of my shots have been within 30 yards.

As a regional representative for Safari Club International, I stumbled upon renowned handgun hunter Pamela Atwood. She came to large-caliber handguns after many mountain hunts packing a .375 rifle up and down elevation changes. She started shooting a friend’s .454 Casull. The new gun made for less weight and a body sling made it easier for her to tote.

“Now I use a leather gun case to carry it up the mountain, and I can also use the gun case as a pad to rest my gun,” Atwood shared.

She continued, “Handguns have to be held out in front of you until you see the largest amount of light through the scope. I always take my first shot off a rest. I carry a backpack, and I will toss it over a rock or a tree branch to make my first shot count.”

Relationships With Custom Shops

Today, Atwood has two primary handguns, a .454 Casull with a fixed 4X scope for dangerous game, and a custom RPM .30 Merrill with a 2.5-8X scope. The late Jim Rock, Sr., a long-range silhouette shooter who later took up hunting, designed the handgun with a smaller grip, making it easier for Atwood to handle. Since then, she’s taken animals around the world with a handgun.

Grips and braces are other options for your store. Haus of Arms Owner Marty Ebbinghaus shared, “We’ve enlisted the help of handgun hunters to help us design custom grip sets.”

The retailer builds loop grips that reduce recoil and help a shooter hold steady with their hands fully extended while looking through their handgun scope.

“The loop has revolutionized handgun hunting, especially for older shooters. We’ve had handgun hunters tell us they haven’t been able to handgun hunt for whatever physical reason, and now they’re back in the game,” said Ebbinghaus.

Haus of Arms works with other custom shops for jeweling, color case hardening and other customizations. These strategic initiatives have given their shop a unique advantage.

Your shop may want to carry muzzlebrakes, suppressors and other recoil-reducing devices or enlist the help of someone like Ken Kelly of Mag-na-port. The company builds custom barrels and is renowned for its laser-smooth barrel porting on carry and hunting guns. In forging a relationship with someone like Kelly, your shop can provide a service to your customers by facilitating the shipping to have their barrels ported.

Mistakes Myths Create

Obviously everyone has different preferences, and serving the needs and wants of your customers is all part and parcel of being a successful business owner. But when assumptions are made — and permeate into sales and marketing strategies — it only leads to missed opportunities and frustrated (read: lost) customers.

So when a woman walks up to your counter and expresses an interest in a large-caliber handgun, have faith she knows what she’s talking about. Chances are listening and providing her exceptional service will increase the odds of repeat visits.

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