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So my wife and I have lived here for just over two years and feel it's about time to get ourselves a gun. Unfortunately, neither of us know anything about a) purchasing a gun, b) storing a gun and keeping it from children, or c) using and caring for a gun.
We live up in NE Houston (Humble), but would be willing to drive a bit if necessary to deal with a good shop that sells and trains. Any suggestions? We really have no idea where to start.
negative. Carter's Country may have a large selection, but I guarantee they are not price competitive, not by a long shot.
First, you need to get some training. No reason to buy a gun, and then learn about guns in general. More than likely, you wont buy the right gun first time out. Search for gun ranges in your area, and call to ask about gun training. Tell them your situation, and Im sure they will have a program for you, with guns to rent while you learn. Do not take this lightly. If you arent used to guns, don't have one in your home around children until you train.
And when you do bring a gun into the home, secure it. You dont have to buy a safe, although that is never a bad idea. You can buy locks so that even if worst case scenario, your child gets access to your gun, he cannot harm himself, or anyone else with it. By the way, in my experience, those small safes that fit into your bedside drawer are not terribly secure, despite their popularity right now.
My advice is to work your way up slowly. Get trained on a .22 pistol. Become very familliar with the mechanics of firearm use on that, and then try a 9mm, .45, whatever. Eventually work your way up to a lower powered rifle, and eventuially a shotgun, which is probably the best option for home defense.
This will not be a cheap endeavor, but your families safety is worth it.
Please, please do not shoot a couple of times at a range, then buy a gun, load it, and then throw it in the top of your closet and forget about it. Again, your families safety, and the safety of your neighbors is worth the effort to become trained.
Many months from now, when you are ready to buy a gun, I recommend Tomball Pawn. Dont turn your nose up because its a pawn shop. They sell a ton of brand new guns, and have incredible pricing across the board. Good people. I will be so sad if/when Mike Emory retires or sells the place.
I see CC does have a range up there, forgot about that. Try them out for the training if they are close by. When you buy, please shop the price.
negative. Carter's Country may have a large selection, but I guarantee they are not price competitive, not by a long shot.
First, you need to get some training. No reason to buy a gun, and then learn about guns in general. More than likely, you wont buy the right gun first time out. Search for gun ranges in your area, and call to ask about gun training. Tell them your situation, and Im sure they will have a program for you, with guns to rent while you learn. Do not take this lightly. If you arent used to guns, don't have one in your home around children until you train.
And when you do bring a gun into the home, secure it. You dont have to buy a safe, although that is never a bad idea. You can buy locks so that even if worst case scenario, your child gets access to your gun, he cannot harm himself, or anyone else with it. By the way, in my experience, those small safes that fit into your bedside drawer are not terribly secure, despite their popularity right now.
My advice is to work your way up slowly. Get trained on a .22 pistol. Become very familliar with the mechanics of firearm use on that, and then try a 9mm, .45, whatever. Eventually work your way up to a lower powered rifle, and eventuially a shotgun, which is probably the best option for home defense.
This will not be a cheap endeavor, but your families safety is worth it.
Please, please do not shoot a couple of times at a range, then buy a gun, load it, and then throw it in the top of your closet and forget about it. Again, your families safety, and the safety of your neighbors is worth the effort to become trained.
Many months from now, when you are ready to buy a gun, I recommend Tomball Pawn. Dont turn your nose up because its a pawn shop. They sell a ton of brand new guns, and have incredible pricing across the board. Good people. I will be so sad if/when Mike Emory retires or sells the place.
I see CC does have a range up there, forgot about that. Try them out for the training if they are close by. When you buy, please shop the price.
+1000
Go get some gun safety training and THEN look for the type of gun you want and determine what you want it for. Carter's has lots of guns, but they're interested in the sale, not whether or not you'll shoot off your foot. Once you find the gun you want, go find a place where you can shoot that gun like the place (crap, I forget the name of the place) down in Webster or League City. They have the most popular hand guns and you can rent them and shoot their range.
negative. Carter's Country may have a large selection, but I guarantee they are not price competitive, not by a long shot.
First, you need to get some training. No reason to buy a gun, and then learn about guns in general. More than likely, you wont buy the right gun first time out. Search for gun ranges in your area, and call to ask about gun training. Tell them your situation, and Im sure they will have a program for you, with guns to rent while you learn. Do not take this lightly. If you arent used to guns, don't have one in your home around children until you train.
And when you do bring a gun into the home, secure it. You dont have to buy a safe, although that is never a bad idea. You can buy locks so that even if worst case scenario, your child gets access to your gun, he cannot harm himself, or anyone else with it. By the way, in my experience, those small safes that fit into your bedside drawer are not terribly secure, despite their popularity right now.
My advice is to work your way up slowly. Get trained on a .22 pistol. Become very familliar with the mechanics of firearm use on that, and then try a 9mm, .45, whatever. Eventually work your way up to a lower powered rifle, and eventuially a shotgun, which is probably the best option for home defense.
This will not be a cheap endeavor, but your families safety is worth it.
Please, please do not shoot a couple of times at a range, then buy a gun, load it, and then throw it in the top of your closet and forget about it. Again, your families safety, and the safety of your neighbors is worth the effort to become trained.
Many months from now, when you are ready to buy a gun, I recommend Tomball Pawn. Dont turn your nose up because its a pawn shop. They sell a ton of brand new guns, and have incredible pricing across the board. Good people. I will be so sad if/when Mike Emory retires or sells the place.
I see CC does have a range up there, forgot about that. Try them out for the training if they are close by. When you buy, please shop the price.
I hadn't thought about getting training first... guess I assumed I had to have a gun to get trained with. Great advice. I've heard a lot of ads on the radio for Gander Mountain, and noticed that the location in Spring has a live range, a simulator, and offers a variety of classes. Has anyone taken one of these classes? I was looking at the Handgun Fundamentals class. I'm happy to spend the money if it's worth while, but given the price (x2 when I include my wife) I'd like a recommendation before I drop two Franklins on it.
I was looking at those biometric safes -- seems like it'd be secure and I'd have fast access (less than 5 seconds) with it sitting on my nightstand.
Are online prices generally better than the stores for these sorts of things? Is it worth the hassle? Are the chains (Gander Mountain, Sports Authority) typically more expensive than the local shops? So much to learn!
Carter country has a great selection but their price is high.
Agreed with what the others said, proper firearm handling and training is critical. Most of the gun ranges offer that service now. I think Thunder gun range is pretty close to you.
I looked at their website and they have a class for $25. I have not taken one but have taken a 1 on 1 class with Steve, and will not hesitate to recommend him. You can call and check if they can provide handgun for you and your wife during the class for additional cost.
In my opinion, The best way to find a handgun that is suitable for you and your wife is to try them out. Here is my suggestion, go to the bigger store like carter country, find a couple that feels good in your hands, then check out these ranges to see if they have them for rental.
Spring guns and ammo
Top Gun shooting range
Memorial Shooting Center
I would hate to spend a few hundred dollars on a gun that I don't feel comfortable shooting.
I bought my first handgun from Tomball pawn, their price is still the best around Houston. My personal experience with them was great, the sales guy knowing I was new to handgun, showed me how to disassemble and assemble the handgun I was buying, very cool. If you buy online, you will not get that type of service and you will not be able to check and touch the handgun before you buy it. With that said, since my purchase from Tomball pawn, I have not bought any more guns locally. I usually am able to find a gun cheaper online, even with shipping and transfer fee
Carter country has a great selection but their price is high.
Agreed with what the others said, proper firearm handling and training is critical. Most of the gun ranges offer that service now. I think Thunder gun range is pretty close to you.
I looked at their website and they have a class for $25. I have not taken one but have taken a 1 on 1 class with Steve, and will not hesitate to recommend him. You can call and check if they can provide handgun for you and your wife during the class for additional cost.
In my opinion, The best way to find a handgun that is suitable for you and your wife is to try them out. Here is my suggestion, go to the bigger store like carter country, find a couple that feels good in your hands, then check out these ranges to see if they have them for rental.
Spring guns and ammo
Top Gun shooting range
Memorial Shooting Center
I would hate to spend a few hundred dollars on a gun that I don't feel comfortable shooting.
I bought my first handgun from Tomball pawn, their price is still the best around Houston. My personal experience with them was great, the sales guy knowing I was new to handgun, showed me how to disassemble and assemble the handgun I was buying, very cool. If you buy online, you will not get that type of service and you will not be able to check and touch the handgun before you buy it. With that said, since my purchase from Tomball pawn, I have not bought any more guns locally. I usually am able to find a gun cheaper online, even with shipping and transfer fee
Good luck!
Thanks for the suggestions. Quick question on gun types though -- can you shoot shotguns at any of the indoor ranges, or do you have to go to the skeet and trap ranges? I'm still trying to decide whether we'd be better suited with a handgun or a 20 gauge and would ideally find a place that'll let me shoot both.
I guess my thinking is that if I get a handgun I'd probably feel a lot better getting a semi-automatic, since I've heard revolvers are much more dangerous with kids around (I'd obviously buy a safe and keep it locked, but even still it seems most young kids would lack the strength to operate the slide). I'm also a little gun-shy (see what I did there?) with a semi-auto because they look like they'd be more difficult to master, to aim, the clean, to assemble, etc than a shotgun. I've been shotgun / rifle shooting a few times en route to my Eagle Scout and feel like my wife and I could get the shotgun thing down a lot faster.
Thanks for the suggestions. Quick question on gun types though -- can you shoot shotguns at any of the indoor ranges, or do you have to go to the skeet and trap ranges? I'm still trying to decide whether we'd be better suited with a handgun or a 20 gauge and would ideally find a place that'll let me shoot both.
I guess my thinking is that if I get a handgun I'd probably feel a lot better getting a semi-automatic, since I've heard revolvers are much more dangerous with kids around (I'd obviously buy a safe and keep it locked, but even still it seems most young kids would lack the strength to operate the slide). I'm also a little gun-shy (see what I did there?) with a semi-auto because they look like they'd be more difficult to master, to aim, the clean, to assemble, etc than a shotgun. I've been shotgun / rifle shooting a few times en route to my Eagle Scout and feel like my wife and I could get the shotgun thing down a lot faster.
I have not tried shotgun before, so not sure if they allowed it in indoor range. I know they have shotgun range at Hotwells range and American Shooting Center.
If you are trying to decide between shotgun or handgun, check out this try and buy program from hotwells range.
Those biometric safes are exactly the ones I was referring to. Plenty of you tube videos of them opening up if you drop them, etc. Videos of three year olds opening them...
Look. I know people want instant access to a gun because they have watched too many movies. In my honest opinion, I think you are better off with the guns fully secure in a real safe. past that, your childrens ages will dictate what else you keep around. My son is ten months old, so i have a semi auto in my bedside table, but without a bullet in the chamber. He doesnt play in our room much, and virtually never when he isnt in sight. There is simply zero chance he can hurt himself with it, past dropping it on his foot.
Once he gets a little older, Ill probably hide it on a high shelf in our closet. Im 6'6", so if i keep ladders no where in sight, I think Ill be ok. maybe keep the gun without the magazine in. Then once he is old enough to actually operate the gun, Im sorry, but I will probably choose to have all guns in the safe, and just keep a Louisville slugger next to the bed unless those bedside safes make some serious improvements. Keep the safe in your master closet, and get a digital lock. You can have a gun in hand in ten seconds probably.
Again, this is all crazy hypothetical. Houston is a very safe place, despite what you see posted on the internet.
Speaking to your point on pricing, it just depends on the gun. Sometimes, you can save 20-40$(or more if you try to nit pick by choosing a 1911 race gun) on a pistol by ordering online, and paying alocal dealer to transfer it to you. But it just all depends. You can easily get caught up in the idea of penny pinching, and waste money too. You will never get cheated buying a new gun at Tomball Pawn, period.
If you go with a shotgun, get a 12 ga. its not that bad. If you want a 20 ga because you are scared of a 12, maybe you should stick with a handgun. There are plenty of low recoil shells that are still great home defense shells for a 12 ga. I use Hornady 12ga 2.75" 00Buck part no: 86240. relatively low recoil, fantastic pattern for home defense.
Im also against revolvers for people new to guns because the triggers are relatively hard to pull, throwing accuracy, and particularly, accuracy under stress completely out the window. Id recommend a striker fired gun with a manual safety. Springfield xd45, Ruger SR9, etc. Some gun stores may try to sell you a Smith and Wesson Sigma. They are very cheap, and can be reliable, but they have horrible triggers. Stay away.
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) with a semi-auto because they look like they'd be more difficult to master, to aim, the clean, to assemble, etc than a shotgun. I've been shotgun / rifle shooting a few times en route to my Eagle Scout and feel like my wife and I could get the shotgun thing down a lot faster.
