New to guns

[snap-dragon]

Hi ladies,

I am completely new to guns, as a matter of fact I have never even held one. With the way things are going in this country and particularly in CA I have decided to finally join the 'dark side'.

Over the past week or so I have read, researched, made notes...you name it.

What concerns me at this point is the repeated anti-woman bias at stores, shooting ranges and even here on CALGUNS.NET, that I read so much about. Is it really that bad? I haven't noticed much here, to be honest, but since there is obviously a need for a ladies forum, I must not have dug deep enough yet.

My problem is that I honestly don't know anybody who owns guns, so I will most likely venture out to the stores/ranges on my own since my hubby is so busy. Do you have any suggestions how to best go about finding the right gun in my situation? I'd like to take a basic gun class and eventually try out a bunch of different weapons. Is Fieldtime in Stanton my best starting point (I live near UCI)?

[movie zombie]

hi, Snap!
i hesitate to even begin on this topic....
yes, it is "that bad". even here on calguns.

re gun stores: i found i had to be vocal and assertive, "excuse me but i was here before that gentleman...."
i find that many talk down to you thinking they're being helpful and giving useful info.
some shops are more woman friendly than others. there is a shop up here in mountain view, Eddy's, that i highly recommend.
poke around here in the LF and you'll find lots of recommendations made to men looking for info re what gun and what training for women in their lives.
lots of good info in those threads.
also, call a range and ask about women's groups, etc.
most importantly, don't give up!
i applaud you for doing this yourself! only you will know what fits your hand in the store, and only you will know what fits your hand when you fire it. they are not always the same. also, you want this to be fun. you can start will a lower calibre and your next gun can be a higher calibre. nothing wrong with starting with a .22.
again, welcome. let us know if you have other questions after you've poked around a bit ..... oh, and stay out of OT until you get more familiar with the website. there are some leg humpers and there are some that just don't like women.

[LCU1670]

Sometimes you can take courses and rent a gun for the course to check it out. See if you have any local gun clubs, ours has a ladies club, so you can meet other lady shooters and maybe discuss or even try various weapons.

[Steyrlp10]

Hello Snap

Coyote Point will hold a beginners' class for basic pistol in April for ladies (San Mateo County) for women such as yourself who have no experience or little knowledge of handguns.

It may be a bit of travel for you, but I thought you might like to know that the outdoor range is offering this option to help.

Best of luck to you!

[BonnieB]

My experience of gun stores is if you hold your American Express Platinum card in your hand, you can get plenty of attention Really, I've done it. I also often wear pink, just to stand out from the crowd, so my salesman can find me.

But seriously, gun stores are places to stand up tall, speak up, look like you're serious and hold your ground. They do tend to be boys' clubs, so I make sure they know I'm paying customer and not a looky-lou wasting their time. This is your time to assert your self, in the nicest possible way.

One gun store I use is always just swamped, every day, all day. I walk in, catch the eye of my favorite salesman and say "find me when you're free". He knows I'm going to buy a gun and he does come and get me when he's ready. I have plenty of time, I never buy guns unless I really have time to handle them.

I haven't seen any anti-woman bias on ranges, in fact I've been actively welcomed and am addressed by name at the ones I use. In both, almost always 25-33% women on weekends.

There is occasionally some static from guys on Calguns. The Women's Forum is always safe and decent. We mob offending little boys and have the mods cast them out. And we welcome grown up men who know how to be civil. But for heaven's sake, stay out of the "off topic" forum at first. It's a sewer, until you get confident enough to laugh at it.

You're doing the right thing. Just ignore anything that looks like bias. Simply ignore it and stand your ground. And if a gun store isn't smart enough to recognize a paying customer, take your money elsewhere. You may have to try a few ranges or stores til you find ones you like.

If you need help figuring out what gun to buy, we can help. We have tons of info. And don't let anyone tell you that you can't handle a large caliber. We have 5' 90 lb women here who shoot .45 Glocks without blinking. This is truly a time when size doesn't matter.

If UCI is UC in Irvine, I can put you in touch with one of the Calguns Community Coordinators near there. You'll get plenty of help and encouragement from them, really. They can tell you when shoots are going to happen, introduce you to people, steer you to good gun stores, you name it.

[snap-dragon]

Thank you all for the good advise. I've been active in many male-dominated forums over the years and have NEVER encountered any sexist attitudes. Not that I couldn't handle it, it's just not what I expected here. No biggie.

Yes, Bonnie, I'm in the Irvine area. So far I checked the websites of all the ranges I could find in the area and a bit further out and haven't found any ladies group classes other than general woman's safety. At OC Indoor Range they offered a private lesson with 30-day range access and 3-5 gun rental for a decent price. I'll definitely give the others a call and ask. Or, if someone can steer me the right way...much appreciated.

[GMG]

Not a lady, but told my better half about the NRA WOT (women on target) at a local range. She asked if I would sign her up For $20 she was able to shoot a .22 pistol a .22 rifle. She was stoked. I'm sure there is a range in your area that provides the same thing. Highly recommended for a new shooter.

The pistol and rifle were provided as well as the ammo at no charge.

[movie zombie]

and try out both revolvers and semi-autos.
i really like revolvers!
but i also have several semi-autos as well.....
did any of us mention that there is no such thing as having just owing one pistol/rifle?!
its addictive!

[snap-dragon]

GMG, I just looked that up (thank you for the idea) on women.nra.org. There are 26 clinics scheduled for 2013, but none of them in the OC, LA area. Unless not everything is listed there?

Oh, and thank you for your service

[snap-dragon]

Haha, movie zombie...that's what I'm worried about. I tend to collect things too. But thanks for the advise regarding revolvers, I'll check them out too.

[M1A_Girl]

Hi Snap, welcome to the gun community. I was once in your position not too long ago. Everybody on here gives good advice, and yes the best thing you can do is try out different guns. Even if it cost you $100 at the range to try say five guns, its better than putting out $500 plus for a gun you never tried and learn that its not for you. Been there done that. Don't let somebody tell you what gun is for you, because only you know that. You aren't to far from me. Good luck on the hunt, if you need anything just ask.

[zombiescanlearn]

Not a lady but would like to help.

Do your research before you go into a gun store. This forum is a great source. You'll find many helpful gun owners who are willing to share their experience with you.

Take a class, two or three. Be a competent gun owner. Check out the announcements for classes here in this forum as well. I personally like The Academy of St. Crispian and the Way of the Gun. Both are former military guys who are great teachers. Very respectful people and very excited about their craft as all teachers should be.

Good luck and welcome to the community, you'll find many nice people here.

[movie zombie]

re revolvers: stay away from light/air weight guns! men with big meaty hands used to shooting, well, even they complain about the "kick" when firing one. how do i know? because i did and i almost did not pick up another hand gun! i fired the dang thing with either .38 or .357 [don't remember which] and i thought my god if all handguns are going to feel like that then this is just not for me. luckily, i dug up my courage and told myself to give it another go but with a different hand gun.......i tried out many different revolvers that day and settled on a smith and wesson model 60 stainless steel snubbie. she's a sweetie! i like this one so much i swore at one point i was going to get it in the 3 inch and 5 inch barrel versions.........still might.

my first semi-auto pistol was a Colt Officers' Mark IV Model 80 .45acp purchased from another calgunner some years ago. fits my hand and being metal absorbs recoil.

and if you're wondering about racking the slide: many women find they cannot rely on hand strength alone. youtube has many video's on women with guns and techniques for people with little upper body strength and/or weak hands.

and its worth poking around here: http://www.corneredcat.com/

one thing i attempted to do was to try and keep all my firearms at the same caliber: .38/.357. in that way i wouldn't have to buy and store ammo of many different calibers...................good in theory but i failed! it was a valiant effort on my part as i even bought a lever rifle in .38/.357........ but the more i learned the more i found there were guns i was lusting after in other calibers and if i had handled them in a gun store the lust factor just increased. many of my "i must have this gun" were now off list and only available as PPT. but luck was with me and i think i got the last one on that list last september.

yes, it is addictive......or i'm obsessive.....or both! there are worse things in life.

[BadKitty]

snap-dragon,

I commend you for your interest in purchasing your first gun. Right on!

One of the things I am proud of is the day I decided to buy a gun, on my own initiative and with my own money. After deciding what I wanted to buy, I strode into the gun store and made the deal....all by myself, no male help required. Some months later, I went and bought a second gun...because I can.

I agree that you do have to have a fair bit of confidence when going to purchase a gun. Do NOT let the salesperson try to persuade you to purchase something more expensive or a brand and model you don't like or want. It's ok to not be knowledgeable about all brands and models....and salespeople will try and sell you on their personal favorites which may not be right for you. Just be well-spoken, confident and assertive.

It helps to know which gun you want prior to going to make a deal. You can figure this out by reading up on some of the threads here to see what you might be interested in (semi-automatic, revolver, rifle, etc). Then you can rent one for the afternoon at the range or go with someone who will let you shoot theirs for a bit. After trying a few out, you can figure out which one you want to buy and then find a shop which will get you a good deal.

If you're willing to make the drive down to Oceanside, I'd be happy to let you try out my Glock 19 (9mm semi-automatic) or my Ruger Mark III (.22, target pistol...super easy to shoot).


BK

[movie zombie]

amen re the Ruger Mark III!
male friend has one and tried it: could not believe how accurate i was with the thing having not shot one before!

Good to see you, BadKitty!