Clueless in Bakersfield CA

[somesleepyguy]

Greetings everyone! I'm looking to purchase my first handgun and don't know how to go about it.

How do I get my license? Where do I go? What do I bring? How long should I expect the process to take?

What kind of gun do I get? What caliber? What brand? Which offers the best balance of affordability and reliability? How much should I expect to pay? Will I be able to perform basic maintenance myself?

Where do I purchase the gun? Who will give me the best price? Can I trust a used firearm? I only know of one place here in Bakersfield; the range on Mohawk and Rosedale. Where else can I go? Do any vendors offer a free class with purchase? Do any vendors allow you to try out a weapon before shelling out a few hundred bucks?

If I go with a used weapon (and I probably will), how do I go about it? How can I tell that the weapon has been well maintained? How can I tell that the seller isn't planning on robbing me AT GUNPOINT?

Let's say I have a gun. Where can I shoot the darn thing without having to pay a fee to a firing range? What do I need to think about when transporting a firearm?

That's all I got for now. I've looked at a glock 19 and am leaning towards that even though I was not loving the $600 price tag. I'm told that the 9mm has the stopping power to be used for self defense and the ammo is fairly affordable which is great since I'll be shooting at inanimate objects that are not attacking me more often than not.

Again, I'm currently living in Bakersfield and would appreciate advice from anyone and if you know of anything specific to Kern county, please let me know.

My apologies for asking y'all to answer these same questions over and over again. I was browsing your forums for a good fifteen minutes before I gave up and decided to ask. Thank you in advance for your time and advice.

[numpty]

[Dr Rockso]

How do I get my license? Where do I go? What do I bring? How long should I expect the process to take?

Go to a gun store. Bring an ID and a separate proof of residency document with your address on it (specifics here http://oag.ca.gov/firearms/resprf). You will need to acquire a handgun safety certificate, which means you need to pass a simple written test to prove that you're not completely brain dead with regards to firearm safety. Everything covered is in this document http://ag.ca.gov/firearms/forms/pdf/hscsg.pdf

The only time-consuming part of the process is the 10-day wait, which applies to any firearm purchase.

What kind of gun do I get? What caliber? What brand? Which offers the best balance of affordability and reliability? How much should I expect to pay? Will I be able to perform basic maintenance myself?

Mentally rephrase all of those questions to be about vehicles instead of guns. Not such easy answers, but I'd encourage you to browse the handguns forum here and generally read as much as possible. You should expect to spend at least $500 for a decent centerfire handgun.

Where do I purchase the gun? Who will give me the best price? Can I trust a used firearm? I only know of one place here in Bakersfield; the range on Mohawk and Rosedale. Where else can I go? Do any vendors offer a free class with purchase? Do any vendors allow you to try out a weapon before shelling out a few hundred bucks?

The only shop I know of off the top of my head is http://www.tenpercentfirearms.com

Wes, the owner, is an active member here and has a very good reputation. Ask around about classes for beginners in your area.

Some ranges rent firearms as well, which can be a great way to try out a variety of handguns before you buy. Be warned that as a suicide prevention measure many ranges will not rent to individuals who come in by themselves without bringing their own gun. Call ahead, and you may need to bring a friend with you.

If I go with a used weapon (and I probably will), how do I go about it? How can I tell that the weapon has been well maintained? How can I tell that the seller isn't planning on robbing me AT GUNPOINT?

First off, private party sales for handguns (and most rifles and shotguns) must be conducted at a gun store anyway, so the mugging scenario is unlikely. The gun store must charge you a fee of no more than $35, and both seller and buyer must be present. That said, if you don't know anything about guns I'd be cautious buying something used from a private party. Your local shops will probably have some used inventory or consignment sales.

Let's say I have a gun. Where can I shoot the darn thing without having to pay a fee to a firing range? What do I need to think about when transporting a firearm?

I'd imagine that there are more opportunities for shooting on public land in your neck of the woods compared to mine, but in general ranges are worth it IMO.

That's all I got for now. I've looked at a glock 19 and am leaning towards that even though I was not loving the $600 price tag. I'm told that the 9mm has the stopping power to be used for self defense and the ammo is fairly affordable which is great since I'll be shooting at inanimate objects that are not attacking me more often than not.

You should probably expect to spend about that much for a decent quality handgun in California. I think a 9mm polymer-framed striker-fired pistol like the Glock 19 or the M&P 9mm is a great choice for a first handgun.

[Deimos887]

^ lol.

Being as youre a complete newbie. First off, "What caliber should I get?" ...is incorrect terminology, although widely abused by even veteran/experienced shooters. The correct term is "cartridge"... i.e.: A Glock 19 is chambered for the 9x19mm cartridge.

Caliber is simply the diameter of the bullet in inches. The .380 acp and .357sig cartridges are also loaded with 9mm (.355" caliber) bullets.

Just fyi.

As for most of the rest of your questions, theyre all subjective from one person to the next. Rent some handguns at a local indoor range and decide for yourself. What works for me may not work for you.

Guns are expensive, shooting them even more so... get used to it

[Deimos887]

+1 to everything Dr Rockso said btw

[cudakidd]

Ken at Valley Gun is great to deal with, honest and helpful. 10 Percent Firearms is NOT in Bakersfield, its in Taft! Quite a drive to get to from Bako.

Your first handgun purchase is determined by what you want it for, Glocks are great like Hammers, they go bang with great regularity. I would actually suggest a 22 to start with for plinking and basic gun use. THEN move up to what caliber you are comfortable with. That way you are building a basic gun battery. And Everyone should have at least one 22 pistol.

Five Dogs range is great to start shooting at. A safe controlled environment. Shoot all day for a very small fee ($10) and no chance of being hassled by Landowners, LEOs, etc. http://www.5dogsrange.com/

Craig Powers offers a Basic Handgun class for a very reasonable price. It would be very useful to you to learn the right way to safely shoot before you get any bad habits http://www.powerssecuritytraining.com/

Hope this helps...

[sholling]

+1 to everything Dr Rockso said except the claim that you need to spend $500+ to get a decent handgun. If all you need it for is home defense and target practice then you can pick up a brand new Smith & Wesson SD9 VE or SD40 VE for $370-400 plus tax and $30 state transfer fee. It's not fancy but it's very-very reliable, fits most hands well, and comes with a no-nonsense lifetime warranty. I highly recommend buying brand new for your first handgun rather than chancing buying someone else's problem. Save the used gun bargain hunting until you know far more about what to look for.

I would avoid a .22 for now because ammo is all but impossible to find, and a 9mm pistol is a great platform to learn on, and unlike .22 it's effective for self defense.

[Jimmybacon43]

Dr. Rockso did a great job of explaining the whole process.

As far as what type of gun and caliber you should get, it depends totally on what you're going to use it for.

It sounds like you want a handgun primarily for self defense, and in that case the Glock 19 is a great choice. I would stick with 9mm Semi-autos as a newbie, there are plenty of good ones out there.

Glock 17 or 19
-Springfield XD9
-Smith and Wesson M&P 9
-Ruger SR9

^^Those are all great choices and they all basically do the same thing. The Ruger is a little bit cheaper than the rest. There are also some low cost handguns out there that are fairly decent

-Smith and Wesson SD9
-FMK 9C1

As for not wanting to pay a fee to the range.....shooting is expensive. You'll pay more for ammo than you will for range fees. Shooting ranges are convenient and offer a safe controlled environment for a beginning shooter.

I would also say that if you are completely new to firearms and handguns, know the four safety rules of shooting:
1. Treat every gun as if it is loaded
2. Do not point the gun at anything you don't want to shoot or kill
3. Keep your finger off the trigger until you are ready to fire
4. Be sure of your target and what is behind it

Also understand how to use your specific semi-auto safely. You need to understand that a handgun can fire the 1 round in the chamber even if the magazine is not inserted. You should understand how to load and completely unload a semi-auto handgun (This should be covered in your handgun safety certificate, the people at the gun store will probably show you).

As for maintenance, there are good cleaning kits out there that aren't that expensive. $35-$40 or so. Sometimes even less. Cleaning a handgun isn't that hard. There are also good youtube videos that demonstrate how to clean a specific type of handgun. There should also be specific instructions on how to clean and lubricate your pistol in the manual.

With all that said, welcome to the shooting community, and be safe.

[Mayor McRifle]

Find a good gun shop in your area. They'll be able to help you out. If you don't get all your questions answered, or if you otherwise don't get all the help you need, find another gun shop. Just be honest about where you're at experiencewise and what you're looking for, and then ask for their advice. The biggest mistake I see inexperienced shooters make is walking into a gunshop and acting like they already know everything.

[Trgt]

Lots of good advice above!

A local store/range here does a safe handgun class (NRA class) that covers a bunch of the first timer questions and includes range time trying about 8 different 9mm guns so you can see difference steel vs polymer, single action vs double action, etc, and see if you have initial preference. I'd contact all your local indoor ranges, especially those that rent guns, and see if they have a similar class.

Glock 17 is nice, not expensive (used or new), super reliable, and gets you out. If you decide to sell/upgrade, there's a good market and following for Glock, it's easy to buy/sell.

I agree 9mm first as most affordable centerfire cartridge; you'll pull your hair out looking for .22 if you are just starting now.

[Sailormilan2]

I can't add much to what has previously been stated about the requirements. But, I will say this about 2nd Amendment Sports.
The only nice thing I can say about 2nd Ammendment Shooting Sports at Mohawk and Rosedale is that they have lots of guns. Having said that, I find their staff can be rude and disrespectful. After the last two visits by my sons and my self, we will not be going back there for anything.
There is another indoor range at Old Boys on Jomani Dr. off Allen Rd in Bakersfield. (12556 Jomani Dr, Bakersfield, CA 93312
(661) 587-4457).
Valley Guns has lots of guns, and Ken and his staff are knowledgeable.

[madsend81]

I second the suggestion from Trgt to find an NRA Basic Pistol class. You can take the class before you buy a handgun. They will go over the differences between the various platforms (semi vs revolver) and you will learn how to safely handle and shoot them under the guidance of a trained instructor.

9mm is a good full sized cartridge to start with, but 22LR is a good round to learn on too. Ammo for 22LR can be found, it's just at prices that most of us don't want to pay for right at this moment. Even at inflated prices, 22LR is still cheaper than 9mm.