College Student in San Diego

[Keltron]

Hello everyone!

I've looked around the forums for a while and had an account, but I've never bothered to post anything! I'm a 21 year old college student in San Diego (originally from Ventura County) and I'm looking to purchase my first gun in the near future!

I know that this handgun has been discussed heavily, but the gun I'm most likely going for is the S&W Shield 9mm. The reason I am planning on buying this gun is because of its price for the performance, and the size. I have relatively small hands so I feel like that gun would be a good fit for me. The only thing that I have against it is that it does not have a light rail, but I can always just have a flashlight for low-light situations.

My only question is: Is it necessary to fill out a PFEC to purchase a handgun or is it optional? Also, I'm planning on taking the HSC this week, any tips? Is it fairly easy?

Thank you for all the support here and I look forward to learning more about handguns and owning a handgun in California!

Kelton

[purer00r]

Welcome to the forum!!!

[MontezumaBlackOut]

Read the HSC handbook once or twice and you'll be fine. Test is extremely easy. Enjoy the journey of discovery, take your time, go to a gun range and shoot different handguns to find out what fits for you. Don't be in a rush to make a decision because there are so many different nuances for every type of handgun. One is not necessarily better than another. I purchased my first and within a few months purchased another..., and so forth. Enjoy!

[bsg]

welcome to the forum.

[fighterpilot562]

Welcome

[steel30]

Welcome! You can buy a test book for .50 at Turner's if you want to study for HSC...or online for free.

[toddoo]

Welcome and grats on your first(soon) purchase.. The test is very easy and you should have no problem passing it without even studying for it. You should be fine, it is all pretty much common sense!

Good luck!

[den888]

Welcome!

[teg33]

Welcome

[MrExel17]

Welcome

[SURVIVOR619]

Welcome! East County SD here. I don't own a shield so can't help you out there. You might want to try before you buy. I don't have large hands and find I shoot medium sized framed guns better than smaller sized frames. YMMV.. You can rent a bunch of handguns at either of the two Discount Gun Marts, SDSU might be smack dab in the middle of the two. Santee DGM, however is a pistol range only so depending on the day you go might be easier to get a lane.

Good luck with your first purchase and be prepared for many more.

[katranch]

Hey Keltron, welcome to the forum.

The test has a lot of common sense questions but like said above, read the book. You can view the book on line. Go to Ca.Dept. of Justice, it is in the handgun section.

[SoldierLife7]

Welcome aboard!

[Deimos887]

Welcome!

[Cali Crash]

Welcome to the forum from NorCal! I took the HSC after reading the book like 5 times and got 100%, then the wife took it after only asking me a few questions and never reading the book and got 90%. It's easy to pass, just a few specifics you need to look for when you read the book. Good luck on your search for your first handgun, don't rule out a CZ. I was leaning towards a S&W and the wife was leaning towards a Glock and after renting almost one of everything in a 9mm we both picked CZ's. If you can find a P09 that'll be your best bang for your buck, but you'll have to SSE it. A basic cz75 is a great option but wot have the light rail like the P09, unless you went up to an SP-01. Anyways, I love my CZ's, so far everyone I've bought has been accurate and reliable out the box and there's great aftermarket upgrades available as well (to help fix the rough triggers they're known for).


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