I’ve poked around a bit, and I see that it’s possible (in the state of Michigan, at least) to rent guns/buy ammunition. What kind of instruction/certification, if any, would be needed prior to my handling of a firearm on a range?
What kind of fees would I be looking at? One web site lists the rental of a pistol for $10.00 an hour. How much does ammo cost? Would I have to rent some space in the firing range too?
I can’t imagine they’d just hand me a clip and a pistol and let me go shoot. So what kind of expenses should I expect for them to teach me proper handling/safety/etc.? How long will it take to complete these lessons?
I am a complete novice. I don’t think I’ve ever even seen a gun that wasn’t in the possession of military/police personnel, much less handled one.
Yes, I am bored today. And no, I am not taking this lightly in the least.
First gun I ever shot was a Glock 17. Went to the local range, picked what I wanted to shoot and was handed gun and ammo. I did have eye and ear protection but was a total novice. I worked out myself what to do but I am sure the staff will help you if you ask.
You will need:
eye protection-shop goggles or shooting glasses
ear protection-earplugs or shooting muffs
long sleeve shirt-shell casings are HOT!!
baseball cap- ditto
Ammo costs are variable
.22 rimfire is cheap and a good choice for a beginner
The range might sell you reloaded ammo for their range guns.
In my experiance guys who work at gun shops love nothing more than demonstrating safe and effective gun usage so go in there and tell them what you told us. Nobody is going to laugh at you or tell you to go home. Just say
“Hi, I’ve never shot a gun before, and I saw that you rent firearms. I’d like to do so, what you do need from me, what are the costs and when can we get started?”
Hope you have some free time in your schedule for the answers.
Yep, just find the nearest local range and ask away - they’ll tell you everything you need to get started. Many ranges offer basic safety training classes that include some shooting, so that might be something worthwhile to look into. Otherwise, just ask for some help getting started, and they’ll more than likely be quite happy to oblige you. After all, they have a business interest in selling you lots and lots of ammunition down the road.
And like runner pat said, .22LR is great for a beginner . There is a vast array of rifles and handguns that fire this cartridge, it has very low recoil, and it’s dirt cheap, so you can afford to put a lot of rounds downrange while you’re getting the hang of shooting.
Ammo cost range from approx $9 for a box of 50 rounds in 9MM to maybe $30 a box of 50 in .500 S&W. Prices at your local range might be lower if they are selling reloads.
As suggested above .22 rimfire is a good place to start.
I’ve been shooting at one of the gun ranges near Ann Arbor. I’m looking on the Google map and, while I can’t be 100% certain, it looks like it was Mill Creek Sport Indoor Gun Range in Dexter, MI. You don’t need to have anything special to shoot. You can just walk in there, rent a couple of guns, buy some ammo, get some eye and ear protection, and shoot away. Oh, and buy some targets, of course. There are strict rules in a range, so be sure to know what they are before you go in to shoot. Preferably, bring a friend who has gone along or tell one of the guys at the store and they should help you out. Last time we went there, it cost something like $100 for two of us to rent 3 pistols and enough ammo to entertain us for, I dunno, 45 minutes or so.
I’m not really an avid shooter, but the few times I’ve been out, it was really easy and did not require me to have any equipment or anything I couldn’t just get at the range.
It helps immensely if you’re an attractive female. They will practically fall all over each other to help you. Cracks me up every time I see it. Guys who work at gun stores and ranges will fawn all over any woman who asks for help.
Guys who work in gun shops spend most of their business hours around other guys who look like guys who work in gun shops. Not too many attractive females in that bunch.
True. But even if you aren’t, you can be confident of receiving good help if you adopt the right attitude - something along the lines of “Shooting has always appealed to me but I’m a complete novice, so I figured asking the advice of an expert would be the right way to start.”
Don’t do it you fool. About a month and a half ago I got the same itch you did. And I scratched it. Hard. Not only did I end up buying myself two pistols and getting my 12 year old son hooked but I also got my CCW. For the sake of your free time, sanity and wallet don’t do it.
[QUOTE=Washoe]
It helps immensely if you’re an attractive female./QUOTE]Actually, this was my girlfriend’s idea. I should check her records to be sure, but I’m nearly certain that she’s an attractive female. I’ll be sure to let her do all the talking.
Thanks for all the advice. It looks like we’re gonna go give this a shot (ahem) tomorrow.
You don’t “shoot” guns, you “fire” guns. Shooting a gun would mean placing a gun about 20 yards away while taking a different gun in your hands and attempting to hit the previous gun while you “fire” the latter gun.
But, yeah, these guys and gals are right. Just go to a range, explain your experience, and let them lead you. Your problem won’t be getting instruction. It will be walking out the door while the guy yaps your ear off about his family, his guns, his first gun, his dog, his wife that wouldn’t let him keep a gun in the house, his dad…
Sounds like me with motorcycle gear now that I finally bought a bike. I’m not sure which is more expensive, but at least the cold weather curbs my bike enthusiasm for a bit.
Yeah, sorry for the delay. Busy weekend. We took a trip over to Westland and fired 150 rounds split between us.
The staff was plenty helpful. We filled out one form each, and they asked us what we wanted to shoot. Not knowing the first thing about firearms, we asked for a suggestion. They gave us a revolver and a pistol each of .22 caliber (apologies if I sound like a noob with the lingo). A worker took us out to our lane and showed us how to load and hold each gun. The revolver felt like a BB gun. It was very light, and there wasn’t much recoil. The pistol’s recoil was the same, but it had a little more weight to it, and it was definitely more fun to fire. Using double action (I think that’s what he called it) on the revolver had a marked effect on my accuracy.
We both wanted to try something a bit more powerful, so GF went up to the desk where they gave her a 9mm and a box of rounds. Damn, that thing was LOUD. And the recoil…I felt like I didn’t have very good control of it. My marksmanship was better with the .22, but I felt pretty good about myself overall.
I hear about 9mm’s all the time, so I figured it would be a pretty easy gun to fire. It was much more powerful than I anticipated. I can’t imagine what larger pistols must feel like. One revolver looked like it must have weighed 20 lbs. It was a fucking cannon.
GF enjoyed it less than I did, but we both had fun. I’ll probably go back sometime in the future.
Thanks for all the help and advice, everyone.
ETA: We went to a casino last night. I told GF that after firing some guns and gambling, all we need to do is go to a strip club to complete the weekend trifecta. She didn’t fall for it.
Actually, 9mm is pretty mild. You get used to it. I went to an indoor range one lunchtime with a coworker. He had a .38 Special, and I had my Ruger Blackhawk in .45 Long Colt. I didn’t think much of the Ruger’s recoil, as I’d been shooting it for a while. He thought it was a cannon and said it had too much recoil. So don’t give up on 9mm.
I’m heading to Reno next month. Hoping to find a place to rent an MP-5 (submachine gun).
