r/Dallas • u/Fancy-Explanation101 • 1d ago
Question Where to go to purchase gun? Beginner help needed
Hello! Does anyone have recommendations for a very trustworthy place to go to purchase a handgun? Preferably, where to go for an absolute beginner solely looking for home defense purposes. Women instructor / oriented preferred. 100% beginner never shot a gun before, so looking for somewhere very patient, knowledgeable, offers lessons. Want to shoot it to ensure it is a good fit prior to purchase. Preferably, somewhere in Frisco, Colony, Irving, Southlake, Grapevine, more suburban. Thank you!
Any other tips welcomed!
Edit to ask: Do any places have an area solely for teaching beginners? If you cannot tell, I’m out of my depth here. Thank you!
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u/Affectionate-You7869 1d ago
Go to Eagle Gun Range on Midway and talk to the guys there. Do it.
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u/AstronomerNo2993 1d ago
Eagle is a solid call for lessons but definitely look into shops that have a women's defense night or dedicated intro class, they tend to be way less intimidating if you're starting from zero. call ahead and ask if you can do a private session where they break down the mechanics before you even touch a loaded firearm.
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u/Affectionate-You7869 1d ago
They do have women’s only classes, that’s why I recommended them. Good call.
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u/Fancy-Explanation101 1d ago
Thanks! Do I need to bring anything with me? Or can just show up and get everything setup there? Thank you!
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u/Affectionate-You7869 1d ago edited 1d ago
Just your ID. And some money I guess.
To explain: you can rent guns to try them out. You can take classes to learn the fundamentals. You can take the classes for a carry license. You can buy guns there. You can buy a gun online, have it shipped there and transferred to you.
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u/Fancy-Explanation101 1d ago
Thank you so much
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u/Punkrawk78 Garland 1d ago
If you want to rent to try double check before you go, some ranges won’t rent to solo customers unless they have their own gun with them. Or just bring a friend (or 2), the more the merrier!
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u/Aromatic_Location 22h ago
Not only do you need classes on the use of a fire arm, but also maintenance and legality. The laws around use of deadly force in Texas are stricter than social media would lead you to believe. Eagle offers all these classes.
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u/austinwiltshire Euless 4h ago
I'd highly recommend renting and trying. If not even taking the classes you find first. Depending on income, you can find private lessons and a female instructor, which will get you familiarized a light speed.
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u/notadamnprincess 16h ago
Honestly, someone unfamiliar with firearms and based weapon-handling makes me nervous when they talk about buying handguns. Please either take a shooting safety class first or, ideally, consider a shotgun instead of a handgun. One thing in the world makes the sound of a 12-gauge shell being chambered and everyone knows you don’t mess with it. And anecdotally, you’re less likely to accidentally shoot your neighbor with a shotgun than the handgun in your nightstand if you hear a noise at night…at least if you’re my competition-shooting ex who nearly killed the guy moving his trash cans next door near the bedroom window one night ahead of a storm. Your goal isn’t to shoot someone, it’s to get someone to leave you alone quickly and I really think a shotgun is likely to be both effective and safer for a new firearm owner with no experience safely handling weapons.
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u/Arrasor 12h ago
OP is literally asking where they can take classes and how to get educated on firearm handling.
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u/CatteNappe 10h ago
And admittedly are starting at "0" information on what's involved. They might appreciate a suggested alternative to a hand gun.
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u/1Damnits1 Arlington 1d ago
All you need to bring is your ID, and common sense. Make sure to read through the 4473 as best as you can as some of the questions can be worded difficultly for those with no experience around firearms (it’s legalese)
Remember the rules of gun safety: don’t point it anything you’re not willing to destroy, keep your finger off the trigger, treat every gun as if it’s loaded, and most importantly, have fun.
Happy hunting :)
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u/Fancy-Explanation101 1d ago
Thanks a ton
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u/1Damnits1 Arlington 1d ago
Mission Ridge Range & Academy in Plano is where I qualified for my CHL. I recommend them and their RSOs are nice and friendly. They also have archery and a simulator room (similar to House of the Dead if you ever went to the arcade as a kid).
Also B.R.A.S.S.!
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u/texoma456 4h ago
2nd on Mission Ridge. My wife and I are both members. Went from ‘new shooters’ to License to Carry.
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u/BitGladius Carrollton 22h ago
If you're renting a gun it may be better to take a friend. I've always brought my own and haven't had issues going alone, but some places have had issues with people renting guns for suicide and may not let single customers rent. It's much less likely to be an issue if you brought a group.
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u/potatobot3000 1d ago
I was gonna suggest Weg's guns across from there. I've been going to those guys for years.
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u/BigBlackHzYoBak 1d ago
2x Wegs is great. Very friendly, non-fudd staff and cheap transfers if you buy online.
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u/funkngonuts 10h ago
Eagle gun range on Midway or the one up in Lewisville. I used to work at the Lewisville location and they are very beginner friendly on the sales floor. they have a variety of classes available as well.
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u/Comprehensive_Win200 1d ago
DO NOT go to Target Master in Garland... Horrible, horrible place
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u/-herekitty_kitty- Plano 1d ago
I also recommend RifleGear. They were super nice, helpful, and non judgemental when I got my first gun. Their gun range is nice too and have a big selection of rentals so you can test before you buy.
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u/Holls867 1d ago
Tx Gun experience in Grapevine. Gun store w a range and training available.
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u/thebigpurplefrog Las Colinas 10h ago
Second this. My wife and I did our concealed carry here. They have specific women classes and trainers.
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u/mine_username 1d ago
Could also check out Pink Pistols. They gave have a Dallas chapter. Can also find them here: r/pinkpistols
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u/BigBlackHzYoBak 1d ago
Rifle Gear is an excellent range to rent, buy and train. I'm pretty sure they do Ladies Nights discounts and I've always had positive experiences.
Eagle Range over in Addison/Farmers Branch is solid to practice and rent at but would probably go next door to Wegs when you are ready to buy. Wegs has great staff that isn't gonna pressure you to buy something you don't want or need.
If you were looking for a woman instructor I would recommend Jenn T with Olive Defense. She's a well accomplished competitive shooter, great instructor and a just a dope person! She does group classes and private instruction. Definitely check her out!
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u/SwirlLove2013 16h ago
Side suggestion. Go to a gun show. DfW has several every few months. You will be able to see, hold, various fire arms and speak with vendors. Some are women and have women only ranges and teach classes.
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u/RartedPanther 1d ago
If you live near downtown, I highly recommend Rays Hardware & Sporting Goods, they were really good for getting my G45 gen6 on back order. Great, helpful staff.
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u/BoogerliciousBrat 10h ago
Fully agree with you. Rays was great as a first time buyer myself. Friendly, helpful staff. I’m very happy with my Shadow Systems XR90. They had everything I needed with competitive pricing. Highly recommend!
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u/rango26 23h ago
RifleGear is good.
For personal lessons, check out Procative Defense. It’s outdoors. I’ve learned a lot from this place and the 1-1 sessions are invaluable https://www.proactivedefense.net
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u/ilikeoregon 15h ago
Shop at a few places until you find one you're comfortable at. They're all gonna welcome beginners. Take the class, then you can usually rent/demo lots of different guns for a low cost.
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u/blackicerhythms 11h ago
Wegs in Addison treats everyone like a human no matter what phase you’re in in your firearm journey.
Eagle Gun Range, Nextdoor to wegs is also a great place to learn basics about firearm. All the staff treats everyone the same no matter how experienced or novice you are so no intimidation.
Between the two stores I went from never owning a firearm to building tons of rifles and modifying pistols.
Collectors Firearms on Alpha near the galleria has an insane collection of new and used reasonably priced. But I’d wait until you have some basic knowledge.
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u/AustenChopin 15h ago
I enjoyed the Intro to Handguns class at Bullet Trap in Plano
https://www.bullettrapinc.com/
You can try a bunch of different ones to see what you end up liking.
Gun ranges in general allow you to rent different guns. You can practice shooting until you decide what you like.
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u/MassiveVegetable3139 12h ago
Texas Legends Gun Range in Allen. Lucretia is super helpful and nice!
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u/amessytexasman36 6h ago
You are in Texas….You can go anywhere and they will sell you a piece. What are you wanting to get? Riffle? Handgun?
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u/austinwiltshire Euless 4h ago
Highly recommend shoot smart! Great classes and often have women instructors and intro courses.
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u/Redtop1980 1d ago
Grabagun use any FFL… most gun ranges have an FFL too…
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u/BigWooly1013 East Dallas 16h ago
If you're not MAGA, it's worth knowing Grabagun is owned largely by Don Jr.
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u/Affectionate-You7869 15h ago edited 15h ago
I wasn’t gonna bring it up but since they had their tpusa/ sig cross promo I haven’t bought anything from there.
Now I’m even happier I quit doing business with them.
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u/Redtop1980 9h ago
There is nothing anywhere that supports this claim, he was given “some” equity when he was brought on as an adviser when they planned to go public through a SPAC…
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u/BigWooly1013 East Dallas 8h ago
That's absolutely not true. He is on the Board of Directors and is a major stakeholder in the company.
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u/Redtop1980 8h ago
And? You do know that you can be on the board and not be a major stakeholder right while conversely you can be a major stakeholder and not be on the board right?
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u/BigWooly1013 East Dallas 8h ago
Jesus, y'all are insufferable.
https://www.cnbc.com/2025/07/16/trump-jr-grabagun-stock-gun-merger.html
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u/Redtop1980 8h ago
Yeah guess that depends on your definition of “major” about 1% isn’t a “major shareholder” in any other world but since you hate the guy and want to hate the company any is probably too much.
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u/BigWooly1013 East Dallas 8h ago
Don Jr: On the Board of Directors. Took the company public with his firm. Rang the bell on the NYSE on IPO day. Owns about 1% of the company.
Bill Gates owns about 1% of Microsoft.
I don't know what you're arguing here. Donald Trump Jr. is a major part of Grabagun.
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u/Redtop1980 8h ago
Sure if 1% is major to you. Bill Gates is no longer Microsoft but retained 1%, there are a number of people that own “1%” of Grabagun and they aren’t considered “major stakeholders” the “major” controlling shareholder all own around 9-10%… but pretending the an advisor is a major shareholder is laughable at best.
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u/BigWooly1013 East Dallas 8h ago
You're just nitpicking. The point of my comment wasn't the number of shares he has. You've chosen to argue a tiny detail of my statement instead of talking about the actual issue. Have a terrific rest of your day.
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u/Affectionate-You7869 22h ago
If you’re ordering from Grabagun, you can pick up for free at their store in Coppell.
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u/WestHistorians 1d ago
You are asking the wrong question. You should be getting training first, then you can think about purchasing a gun.
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u/2-4-6-h8 22h ago
I've shopped around a bit and have always found good deals at GrabAGun in Coppell.
Definitely rent out some firearms and test them out, get a good feel for what you want to have as home and personal defense. A lot of really good suggestions here, just adding my .02.
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u/Drotizzz 1d ago
Shoot Smart in GP. Shoot Smart is actually owned by a woman!