At Review This Thing we do YouTube review videos on a lot of stuff - I mean A LOT. A while back I thought I might want to do a review on the best 9mm handgun for the female shooter. Okay, fine - I wanted to find a new one for me, too, but still.

Now, I do have some experience shooting handguns. I've had a Taurus GX4 for a year or so and have enjoyed shooting it, but I am far from an expert.

So while I started my search for my new handgun - I mean the best handgun for the female shooter - and compared options with Robbie, I realized something.

Everyone doesn't like the same thing. And just because I like a certain grip or style doesn't mean EVERY female will agree.

And THAT is where the fun began...

I got a few friends to try out all the 9mm options I had and then give me their reviews. I wasn't just looking for women who had been shooting all of their lives and could shoot the cap off of a root beer bottle. I wanted women with varying levels of experience.

So I talked a couple of my friends into taking an "Intro to Gun Safety and Shooting" class at Lewis Creek Shooting School.

It's no surprise that they had an absolute BLAST (pun intended).

First off, Dick Jones is an excellent teacher. He had personalized the class for us, so he taught them exactly what they needed to know and was able to focus fully on the three of us.  My friends learned a lot very quickly and did a great job.

And then it hit me!

Not only was this class just getting them over the hump of having no clue how to hold a handgun so they could help with my testing, but it was also an amazing experience for all of us.

Before our class, neither of my friends had ever shot a handgun. One of them had never shot a gun of any kind. They were a bit nervous about handling a gun and definitely didn’t feel confident with the idea of aiming and hitting a target.

As the class went on, it was pretty awesome watching them relax.

They became visibly more comfortable handling the pistol they had selected. As time passed, the anxious giggles and chair shifting turned into the happy laughter of accomplishment and confident shooting stances.

I was even more surprised by how it affected me.

Initially, I just wanted them to feel confident enough shooting to help me out with my comparison test. In years past, they had passively mentioned something about wanting to learn to shoot, but that’s about as far as it went.

But after going through the class with my friends, my perspective changed. Seeing them gain confidence AND actually begin to enjoy something they never thought they would was a boost of encouragement.

There really is something wonderful about it all.

I see the power in helping women learn to be confident and safe with handguns. I see the joy my friends experienced when they realized shooting isn’t as scary as they thought. And, I experienced the feeling of what it means to be part of helping other women achieve those things.

Sure, it was an unexpected consequence that bloomed from our 9mm testing. But, I’m excited to see where it leads!

Oh! And keep a watch here and on our YouTube channel because there will definitely be more reviews coming soon!

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