Need some range info for SF area

[b18rexracer]

Hey guys I have a cousin that live in SF. He is an admitted democrat liberal and belives in an AW ban. All of which I'm working to change. Through education I have already gained ground on the AW issue.. But I digress.....

He wants to purchase his first handgun for home defense. I suggested he find a range that has rental to try out several calibers and manufactures to see what feels comfortable for him to shoot. But where is a decent range that has rentals? Yes I realize I can google range names but I want to find one where the employees are good with new gun owners and won't feed him a bunch of BS that he doesn't need right now.

Who can point me in the right direction?

Thanks

-Ben

[Fxd650]

Jackson arms in SSF. But to rent a gun he needs to be with another person. They won't rent to individuals.

[Fxd650]

P.S. This is where I bought my first gun.

[mike415stone]

They wont rent to individuals because A few years back some dip stick rented a gun and blew his brains out on the firing line. That was before they moved to their new location

[GunNut666]

Jackson arms as stated above, Reeds and target masters all do rentals

[Fxd650]

Yes mike. I know. Didn't think it was relevant in this thread.

[b18rexracer]

Well guess that's a good reason. I was wondering as it sounded odd.

So Jackson arms, Reeds and Target Masters.

I'll pass that along. Thank you!

[hardcore4sure]

Jackson Arms also has firearms training classes, which is recommended if he isn't familiar with guns and wants to become safe and proficient enough to actually be effective if the need arises.

[FourT6and2]

There's also Bullseye in San Rafael. They have a larger, and better, selection of rentals than Jackson Arms.

[hardcore4sure]

Bullseye is crazy expensive. Over retail for some of their handguns.

Reed's has the largest selection of rentals.

Jackson Arms will require a safe gun handling demo if he's never shot before. They have a $50 intro class that includes a 22 and some ammo.

Personally I don't see the point of someone with no experience in handling firearms renting a bunch of guns they don't know how to hold or shoot to see which ones feels right.

This^^^^

[osis32]

Jackson would probably be his best bet.

[SonofWWIIDI]

Jackson arms in SSF. But to rent a gun he needs to be with another person. They won't rent to individuals.

I live near and shoot at reeds often. It's a decent range with little FUD and misinfo compared to some places I've been. Not saying it doesn't happen, just don't hear it as much there.

I am not a fan of target masters. The few times I've been there, it seemed unsafe. Lots of folks with poor safety skills. At least that is what I noticed. Might be differs for others.

Never been to Jackson arms, so no opinion.

They wont rent to individuals because A few years back some dip stick rented a gun and blew his brains out on the firing line. That was before they moved to their new location

I believe that most places now have that same policy due to that very reason. IIIRC the same thing happened at reeds some years ago. Additionally, reeds (don't know about the others) will not rent to groups (2+) who don't have any firearms handling experience. At least one person in the group must have experience.

[FourT6and2]

Bullseye is crazy expensive. Over retail for some of their handguns.

Doesn't mean you can't go shoot and see what gun you like the best. It's not like you're holden to that place when you want to buy one...

Personally I don't see the point of someone with no experience in handling firearms renting a bunch of guns they don't know how to hold or shoot to see which ones feels right.

It's exactly what I did when I bought my first gun. I went to my local indoor range/store and rented every handgun they had. You learn really quickly what you like and what you don't. You don't need experience "handling" a gun. That's what the rentals are for. This isn't like learning to drive a stick or something. You point it down range and pull the trigger. It's not hard. Sure I wasn't an amazing shot. But after shooting every common semi-auto pistol out there, you pick it up just fine.

The very first gun I ever shot in my life was an Sig P220 .45. The next one was an HK45, then a Glock, M&P, 1911, FN45, and so on. After about 5 months of hitting the range once a week and renting, I decided on a 1911. It's been about 5-6 years now and I regret nothing.

[osis32]

Technically by that method you could just go to the gun store and buy whatever feels best out of everything you hold. Before I knew what I liked and what I really wanted I thought Sig was the best. Now my Sig hardly ever gets shot. Honestly if I were only going to have one gun for self defense it would probably be an xd45 tactical. It's solid easy to operate easy to field strip and has a great natural point of aim.

[NorCalFocus]

It's exactly what I did when I bought my first gun. I went to my local indoor range/store and rented every handgun they had. You learn really quickly what you like and what you don't. You don't need experience "handling" a gun. That's what the rentals are for. This isn't like learning to drive a stick or something. You point it down range and pull the trigger. It's not hard. Sure I wasn't an amazing shot. But after shooting every common semi-auto pistol out there, you pick it up just fine.

The very first gun I ever shot in my life was an Sig P220 .45. The next one was an HK45, then a Glock, M&P, 1911, FN45, and so on. After about 5 months of hitting the range once a week and renting, I decided on a 1911. It's been about 5-6 years now and I regret nothing.

I'm also guessing you weren't a anti trying to be converted either though?

Someone that already has a hate, fear, or both of guns picking up a gun for the first time without training or someone they know and trust helping them, is likely not going to end well for them.