Need Gun Store Recommendation

[chunger]

Hello,

Sorry to post such a rudimentary question, but for some reason the search function was not working on the site right now for me.

My brother in law just had a scary incident last night where a couple of intruders who just robbed a convenience store nearby were trying to force their way into his house. He was on the phone with police while manually barricading the back door. He was not impressed in the least with the 1 hour response time. Everyone is OK, but the perps were never caught.

Needless to say, he wants to get a gun. I want to recommend him to a gun store in the LA area that has consistently reasonable prices and great customer service. I've also let him know that he and his wife should seek out training to familiarize themselves with running the gun and recommended the May 3rd introductory defensive pistol class and women's defensive pistol class by Suarez International as a local option. As there is a strong possibility he will have to carry a child and manipulate doors while using the gun, I've suggested a handgun 1st.

I am in Norcal, so I am not familiar with the "good guys" to do business with down south. Please let me know where I an direct them. I didn't want him to have to find a seller online, find a local FFL, mail the FFL paperwork to the online dealer, buy gun from out of state dealer, have the gun shipped to the FFL, go to the FFL and pay transfer fees, take HSC test, go back to FFL after 10 days, go home with gun. While that was fine for me to save a couple bucks on my 1st purchase, I think he's better off having a local store walk him through the process.

[Black Majik]

Rettings in Culver City has the best selection in LA. Their CS is hit or miss, but he's bound to find a gun that'll fit him in that store.

https://www.retting.com

[saxman]

Tactical Response is doing their fighting pistol class down there later in the year. Tell him to take it. Even if he takes other training first, tell him to take it.

[apbrian112]

i've shopped at martin b retting (great selection, good prices, but go when they're not busy) or turner's (only when they have a sale). i'd suggest telling him to look on here (classifieds) to find a used pistol, lots of great deals here.

most ranges will have some sort of basic "firearms safety" class. it's good for people who have never handled a pistol before although not as all-inclusive as a basic pistol defense class, which will show you how to move, shoot, reload under stressful situations.

[Casual Observer]

If he's a novice with firearms and is only looking for a gun for home defense, I'd suggest a shotgun.

Turner's usually has some good deals on Remington 870s.

[bear308]

I've also let him know that he and his wife should seek out training to familiarize themselves with running the gun and recommended the May 3rd introductory defensive pistol class and women's defensive pistol class by Suarez International as a local option.

Suarez, as in the guy that has students hold targets for other students? Is that the best idea for anyone, let alone a brand new shooter?

I've had good luck actually at turndogs, but really he just needs to shop around. You will always have shops that piss some people off and other people love.

A class is a great idea, but a basic class is probably a good idea before going into the testicular stuff. Once they're ready for the high end go with ITTS, http://www.internationaltactical.com/index.asp. You can't get any better as far as the local folks go.

[BONECUTTER]

Tell them to contact Greg at http://www.firearmstraining.com/

He holds basic handgun classes at Burro in LA. The basic does have defensive shooting...rapid fire...double taps...ect.

Class is $70.00 per person.

No gun needed. "Smith & Wesson 38 special (revolver) with a four-inch barrel will be provided at no charge (equipment reservation is required)"

At the end of the class he will let them take the HSC test and give them the cards so all they have to do is go shopping.

Plus he gives good pointers on what they should look for.

Nice guy, great intructors ...and female friendly. (Female Instructor) and the last class I took had about 40% females.

[What Just Happened?]

+1 to Greg.

Not sure on what you consider 'LA', but if he's near Orange County, Ade's is awesome.

[jaybyrd724]

http://www.calguns.net/calgunforum/showthread.php?t=94671&highlight=jaybyrd724

[chunger]

I've not personally taken class with Gabe, but I am in AMOK!, and the people I train with speak very highly of him as a person and his material in the realm of progressive firearms training. These people do not give out their endorsement lightly.

The course May 3 is described as a beginner's introductory course, and I trust it will be as advertised. . (suitable for complete beginners). I've met Corinna Coplin who is the staff instructor teaching the women's course. No issues with her abilities or integrity. I will certainly look into the other local options suggested here.

The best firearms training I know of has been with Babes with Bullets (but only for women). Kay Miculek and Lisa Munson are some fine instructors, and my wife came back from camp with some serious skills + demanded a 1.5 lb. trigger job on her 1911. I may suggest my wife's sister go to that in October in Mesa AZ, and he buy her whatever gun she wants afterwards with the warning that it'll probably be expensive

[Cato]

Rettings, Culver City

Definately Rettings, Culver City. Like it has been said DON'T GO WHEN ITS BUSY!! That means forget about going on the weekends. They just get too busy and the clerks get stressed. If he wants a good buying experience, go in the morning on the weekdays. In SoCal there is no better selection; he can even special order anything they don't have in stock. Since he isn't a gun guy, I'd recommend a new .38 SW +P revolver. They are cheap, reliable, easy to operate, and effective.

[HowardW56]

Hello,

Sorry to post such a rudimentary question, but for some reason the search function was not working on the site right now for me.

My brother in law just had a scary incident last night where a couple of intruders who just robbed a convenience store nearby were trying to force their way into his house. He was on the phone with police while manually barricading the back door. He was not impressed in the least with the 1 hour response time. Everyone is OK, but the perps were never caught.

Needless to say, he wants to get a gun. I want to recommend him to a gun store in the LA area that has consistently reasonable prices and great customer service. I've also let him know that he and his wife should seek out training to familiarize themselves with running the gun and recommended the May 3rd introductory defensive pistol class and women's defensive pistol class by Suarez International as a local option. As there is a strong possibility he will have to carry a child and manipulate doors while using the gun, I've suggested a handgun 1st.

I am in Norcal, so I am not familiar with the "good guys" to do business with down south. Please let me know where I an direct them. I didn't want him to have to find a seller online, find a local FFL, mail the FFL paperwork to the online dealer, buy gun from out of state dealer, have the gun shipped to the FFL, go to the FFL and pay transfer fees, take HSC test, go back to FFL after 10 days, go home with gun. While that was fine for me to save a couple bucks on my 1st purchase, I think he's better off having a local store walk him through the process.

Send him to sharpshooter.... He can train there, try rentals and buy whatever he is comfortable with. There are classes offered there too.

[M I K]

Don't forget if your friend is an Honorably Discharged Vet, he does not need a HSC.

[Equalizer2]

Don't forget if your friend is an Honorably Discharged Vet, he does not need a HSC.

Sorry,but this is no longer true. The exemption was changed to (Retired Military only)

[chunger]

Thanks for the links and advise!

It seems the search function is back to it's normal operation on the forums. I have spent some time several months ago showing my brother in law how to load, unload, and check a handgun. I've also spent some time talking to him about gun safety and showing him how to safely draw from a holster (by the numbers), and reload.

Then, took him to the local IPSC practice to do some safe shooting at the 10 yard line, and run through a stage slowly. He had a ton of fun, so he's not a complete complete newbie to handguns and shows an interest in learning. It's just that up until now, it was a sortof novel entertainment item only. .. or, I was the one in the family who was the "paranoid nut-job" for spending my time/money inside shooting sports. Now, the issue has been brought very close to home for him, and while I primarily see shooting as a fun recreational activity, it is fundamentally an important part of family safety.

Even still, I recommended a class because for me, a solid 4 days of structured training and repetition was extremely helpful in the beginning to get me comfortable and get some rudimentary skills worked in. My wife has offered to go with her sister to Babes with Bullets this September in Des Moines Iowa. She is eager to find any excuse possible to go play again with the girls there. If I allow this to continue, she will certainly be able to beat me soundly on the IPSC range. I will continue to search for training opportunities in the LA area for my brother in law. I'm hoping to get them on the right track soon with training and equipment.

After calling several shops in the area today, I've come to the conclusion that good customer service and good pricing are mutually exclusive inside California. I've recommended he purchase from an online dealer and use Ammo Bros. in Cerritos to do his FFL transfer as they seemed well reviewed here, OLL friendly (not applicable here, but I like to support OLL friendly establishments), were friendly and responsive on the phone with me, and conveniently located for him. I've steered him towards 3 guns in particular to look into out of the vast and confusing array of options in the $450 price range:

Glock 17 or 19
Smith and Wesson M&P 9
Springfield XD 9

9mm being because ammo is a bit more reasonable cost-wise for initial training and because it will quite possibly be a shared gun between him and his wife. This will also put him in decent shape for production division in IPSC or IDPA if he should choose to play the game.