Tag: Washoe County Regional Shooting Facility
Wednesday, June 8th, 2011
I received an email from Jenny Teague of the League of Lethal Ladies letting me know that the league has died. The email included a lot of useful information, so I’m posting it here for you all to see. I only went to one LLL after work shooting event, but I had a lot of fun there. I got the opportunity to try things I wouldn’t have otherwise, such as shooting at a playing card, bowling pins, or clay pigeons. Anyway… on with the email:
This is just a note to everyone that the League of Lethal Ladies has been officially disbanded as an organization with the State of Nevada. That just means we no longer are recognized by the state as a non-profit organization. That doesn’t mean you can’t get together to shoot or meet monthly if you want. In fact, I highly encourage those of you who have got together for shoots to keep doing so. This is the most current email listing of everyone in the organization. Feel free to try and set up shooting dates still. Also, if you are interested in other organizations to join and shoot at, I highly recommend Stillwater Firearms Association in Fallon and Western Nevada Pistol League in Reno. If you join Stillwater, please tell Elynda Long, their president, I sent you. She’ll see to it you get the VIP treatment because they love having ladies join there. Thank you to everyone who helped out with the League, whether with paperwork and organization, hosting League nights, or just attending League Nights and shoots. It was a fun run while it lasted.
The website and facebook page will be removed soon, but here’s some links from there. If you enjoy posts on shooting and safety, you can always sign up to like the facebook pages of The Women’s Shooting Academy or Women’s Safety Academy to get Vicki’s up to date info on classes, tips, and newsletters, or The Gunslinging Housewife for my product reviews, tips, crafts and recipes.
Thank you to Vicki for originally collecting a list of students who wanted to get together and shoot more. Without her originally, there never would have been a League. Even though there is no more League, doesn’t mean to say you’re not all Leathal Ladies. You all shoot. You all won’t put up with garbage. You are all amazing!
Finally, here’s some shooting resources for you to continue your love of the sport:
GOOD PLACES TO SHOOT:
Ranges
Washoe County Shooting Facility
21555 Pyramid Way, Reno, NV (775) 475-2991
City of Carson Rifle and Pistol Range
4000 Flint Dr, Carson City, NV (775) 887-2262
Capital City Gun Club – Carson City, NV
3590 Arrowhead Drive, Carson City, NV (775) 882-9904
Sage Hill Clay Sports – Reno, NV
7370 Desert Way, Reno, NV(775) 851-1123
Bureau of Land Management (BLM)
Derby Dam
Hwy 80 off exit 36 Derby Dam
PLACES NOT TO SHOOT:
Congested Area Maps
Interactive Congested Area Map
Washoe County Sheriff’s Department Congested Area Map
SHOOTING CLUBS & ASSOCIATIONS:
Stillwater Firearms Association
A Nevada non profit organization dedicated to promoting public interest and skill in the use of small guns and firearms; providing proper training and education in the use of firearms; promoting public interest and skill in the sport of target shooting; and promoting healthy and social recreation for the members of the organization as well as for the public at large.
Western Nevada Pistol League
A practical pistol shooting club featuring USPSA, IDPA, and Steel Challenge matches.
Palomino Valley Gun Club
Supporting competitive rifle endeavors and promoting firearms marksmanship and safety.
SHOOTING RULES & REGULATIONS:
International Defensive Pistol Association (IDPA)
United States Practical Shooting Association (USPSA)
International Confederation of Revolver Enthusiasts (ICORE)
Tags: 2nd Ammendment, Activism, Female Shooters, Girls and Guns, guns, Leage of Lethal Ladies, shooting, shooting ranges, Washoe County Regional Shooting Facility
Posted in Activism | No Comments »
Wednesday, March 23rd, 2011
After I got home from completing my addon at the Washoe County Regional Shooting Facility under the direction of Armed and Safe on Saturday afternoon, Gary from Safe Shot called me. He heard I was in earlier in the day and that I had a complaint about the steep pricing and addon drama. I didn’t ask for him to call; he took it upon himself. I applaud him for that because good customer service is hard to find, especially it seems at times hard to find at Safe Shot .
He told me that he didn’t know he charged me more than MSRP for the revolver when he sold it to me the day before and that he couldn’t fix that. The store paid more because it bought the revolver before Smith & Wesson dropped the price. The price drop happened recently, about six weeks before. To make up for the price gouge and the confusion about the addon, he couldn’t offer cash money, but he could offer some perks.
GB and I will enjoy at our next trip to Safe Shot :
- Range fee waivers (2 @ $10)
- Free box of ammo (2 @ about $30)
- Free target (2 @ $2)
That’s a total of $84 in perks. It makes me feel better about the overpaid $30 and the mix-up about the addon. The only catch is that we go to redeem this offer on a day when Gary is working, or with his approval on a day he’s not working. This is to avoid any further chaos. I didn’t get this in writing and I’m kind of worried that when I go to use this offer, it will have disappeared somehow. I guess I’ll cross that bridge when/if I get there. This mistrust really shows how the service at Safe Shot has messed with my feelings towards them. I used to love them. I shot a gun for the first time at their range and that experience changed my life. I also purchased my first firearm from them. I hope that with good staff like Gary, the image of Safe Shot can be turned around.
For now, while Safe Shot can suck at times, Gary seems like an ethical, helpful guy who cares about customer service. He doesn’t earn commission, so he doesn’t benefit from me saying this, but it’s my advice that if anyone is going to buy a gun at Safe Shot , they should buy it through Gary. The rest of the staff seems confused, untrained and hampered in providing customer service by the owner and the owner seems rude and uncaring.
It’s my advice to the owner of Safe Shot that he should make himself scarce on the sales floor and let his staff and customers interact with competent management in his stead. He should focus on running this business from behind the scenes since his people skills are sorely lacking. Not everyone is cut out for retail; perhaps he should stick to the things he is cut out for. Maybe he’s good at the accounting/paperwork aspect of the business? I donno. But get that man off of the sales floor!
Anyway. I’m glad Gary called and I’m crossing my fingers about a successful Safe Shot range trip for GB and I sometime soon.
Tags: Armed and Safe, CCW, concealed carry, firearms, Girls and Guns, gun ownership, guns, Safe Shot, Washoe County Regional Shooting Facility
Posted in Concealed Carry, Shopping | No Comments »
Saturday, March 19th, 2011
- Armed and Safe does business right.
- I am more comfortable shooting the Smith & Wesson Bodyguard revolver than I am my Bersa Thunder 9, even with more difficult to use sights and a crazy trigger-pull. because the revolver fits my hands.
- I didn’t feel as grungy after shooting a revolver than I do after shooting semi-autos. What’s up with that?
- I can pick up a brand new gun of a type I’m not overly familiar with, remove its tags at the range, shoot five lethal shots with it, adjust myself and then shoot more accurate subsequent shots. Cool!
Tags: Armed and Safe, concealed carry, Female Shooters, Girls and Guns, guns, revolvers, Smith & Wesson, Washoe County Regional Shooting Facility
Posted in Concealed Carry, Range Time, Running the Gun | No Comments »
Friday, March 18th, 2011
When I took my CCW class, I was in a tough spot in life. My not-so-nice ex-husband and I had recently separated and he had made some threats against me. Additionally, he left me with a lot of debt. I had a need for self-defense and no money to make that happen. I couldn’t even pay rent on my own. But GB helped me out by letting me borrow his Bersa Thunder .380 as a carry gun for me and Armed and Safe allowed me to take their CCW class for free through a scholarship for a female shooters made by an American soldier.
I knew Armed and Safe would help me with an addon just like they helped me to get my original permit, so after I left Safe Shot on Saturday disappointed that I couldn’t qualify there, I called Armed and Safe. Allan Main answered my call on his cell phone. He was out at the range setting up for a CCW class to qualify. He told me if I got my happy butt to the range before 1:45 p.m. that day, he’d qualify me right there. No range fee, no target fee, no fancy ammo. Just $5. Nice.
I had my range gear in the car with me as I was driving away from Safe Shot: eyes, ears and revolver. I stopped off at Sportsman’s Warehouse to pick up some ammo and then I floored it out to the Washoe County Regional Shooting Facility. Allan and Kelly Main of Armed and Safe had arranged for private use of a range to the left of the range I normally shoot at when I patronize this facility. It was a nice range; reminded me of the bay we used at the Sacramento Appleseed held at the Sacramento Valley Shooting Center.
Before exiting the car, I applied my eyes and ears, grabbed my gear and then bee-lined for the firing line. I checked in with an assistant of Kelly. I didn’t catch his name, and that’s a shame, because he was awesome. He bellied me up to the firing line, eyeballed my gun and told me a few things about it and revolvers in general. He revealed to me that he himself conceal carries a revolver. Good times.
Allan and Kelly both came over and checked out my new toy. I showed Kelly the laser (which I didn’t use to qualify; it’s not visible in daylight) and Allan showed me his sights on his revolver. The gentleman who was supervising me showed me his too: his front sight was painted with bright red nail polish. Nice!
On my revolver, the sights are black on black and set very close together both horizontally and vertically. This coupled with what I read online that my gun tended to shoot high and off to the side due to the insane trigger-pull on it inspiring people to drag wood or jerk the trigger meant I needed to be careful. So when the line was hot, I paid close attention to my trigger discipline. My first five shots were all high of my target, but they were grouped nicely, so I just had to work on my sight alignment and sight picture a little bit more. This was my first time shooting this gun, so I had to get used to it and I did. My next shots were right on.
Kelly surveyed my work and proclaimed me “qualified.” She filled out the paperwork and I signed it. Then, I gave her the quoted $5, plus a $5 tip for all of the help she and her two coworkers had provided. As we wrapped things up at the range, the rest of the class participants headed back to Scheels where their class was taking place and I went back home.
Grinning like an idiot.
Armed and Safe saved the day.
Tags: appleseed, Bersa, CCW, concealed carry, Female Shooters, firearms, Gear, gender, Girls and Guns, guns, revolvers, Safe Shot, Smith & Wesson, Sportsman's Warehouse, Washoe County Regional Shooting Facility
Posted in Appleseed, Concealed Carry, Range Time, Running the Gun | No Comments »
Friday, November 5th, 2010
Just an FYI– Safe Shot Indoor Range here in Reno, Nevada is offering a free CCW class with any handgun purchase. The student still has to pay for range fees and purchase special indoor use ammunition from Safe Shot, but it’s cheaper than the course, range time and ammo all three together. Taking the class here in town is also more convenient than taking classes from other companies which have you drive out to the Washoe County Regional Shooting Facility or to BLM land to qualify.
(I took my class from Armed and Safe. A bit of a drive, but they were awesome).
I’ve not taken any of Safe Shot‘s classes, but I have purchased two guns from them. One they had for sale cheaper than anywhere else and the other was slightly more, so if you do decide to shop with them, be sure to research local prices!
Tags: CCW, concealed carry, guns, Safe Shot, Washoe County Regional Shooting Facility
Posted in Uncategorized | No Comments »
Tuesday, September 14th, 2010
At the Gun Bloggers Rendezvous, my mind was on guns the entire time, obviously. I shopped for firearms at Cabela’s on our guided tour. They have a couple of cases of used handguns and I found the cutest little Kel-Tec with laser for $299. The first thing I thought of when I saw it was how nicely it would carry and conceal in one of my Discreet Carry holsters. In either the Cleavage Holster or the LadyBUG holster the Kel-Tec would sit really easily and comfortably. I can carry GB’s Bersa in those two holsters as well, but the handgun in general is considerably larger and the Bersa’s handle is a chunky-monkey. Cabela’s set off daydreams of Kel-Tecs which escalated at the range.
The Smallest Minority let me shoot his little Kel-Tec. He keeps it in a pocket holster that once tucked in the pocket of his jeans looks like nothing at all, or gives a faint line appearing like a wallet would print. But again, looking at it and holding it, I think I already have the perfect holster for it. To double check, I went out to my car and grabbed one of the Discreet Carry holsters. It fit like a dream!
Unfortunately, the Kel-Tec didn’t quite fit my hands and shoot like a dream. I felt like I’d need a mag with a pinky finger rest to help me better grip the handle of the Kel-Tec. I didn’t feel I had a secure hold on it using only my first and second fingers. The gun also recoiled more than my Bersa. Not too much that it hurt, not too much that I’d drop it or anything, but it jumped around enough that I wondered about my accuracy. Although, the Cabela’s model had lasers on it so in a self-defense situation I could follow the laser with my eye to see how the recoil is affecting my aim.
I shot a .45 caliber handgun and revolver at the same time I shot the little Kel-Tec. These firearms shot more smoothly. No kicking or snapping. It’d be easier to be more accurate of a shot with a gun that didn’t move between shots and the larger caliber is a defensive advantage as well. Disadvantage: how to carry a larger caliber carry gun comfortably.
In a Cleavage Holster or a LadyBUG type holster, the Bersa is as big as I dare to go. In waist band and out of waist band carry with the Bersa have been uncomfortable and not very concealable for me so far. Having a larger caliber handgun would only increase that problem. Hmm. What to conceal carry? Big, accurate, stopping power hard and uncomfortable to conceal or smaller, less accurate, less stopping power easy and comfortable to conceal.
I’m going to stick with my Bersa for now, due to financial constraints. But in the future, I think I’ll go smaller. A Kel-Tec or similar sized gun has its drawbacks, but I’ll be more likely to carry the smaller caliber handgun than the larger one and the big gun I leave at home won’t be any help to me in an emergency.
Tags: Bersa, Cabela's, CCW, concealed carry, Defensive Carry, Female Shooters, firearms, Girls and Guns, Gun Bloggers Rendezvous, Personal Safety, self defense, shooting, shooting range, Washoe County Regional Shooting Facility
Posted in Gun Bloggers Rendezvous | 6 Comments »
Tuesday, September 14th, 2010
On September 10th, 2010, I went to the Washoe County Regional Shooting Facility for some fun range time with the Gun Bloggers Rendezvous participants. I’ve already posted about my experiences there. Here are the pictures of the boys who were with me at the range and their (many) toys:
Did you see any female gun bloggers in there? I only spotted KeeWee, Lori the Ruger rep and Aunt Bea.
Tags: Female Shooters, firearms, Girls and Guns, guns, rifles, shooting, shooting range, Washoe County Regional Shooting Facility
Posted in Gun Bloggers Rendezvous | 4 Comments »
Tuesday, September 14th, 2010
My alarm went off at 7:00 a.m., later than it goes off on a workday Friday, but still entirely too early. Meeting new people and traipsing all over Cabela’s before ditching dinner and conversation for college courses apparently can make one very sleepy! But, as we all repeated to ourselves over the course of the rendezvous, in the words of Mr. Completely, “if you’re not exhausted by the end of Gun Blogger Rendezvous, you’re not doing it right.”
After the pep talk, I got out of bed and got ready. The agenda for today says:
Friday, September 10th.
- 8:30 a.m. NRA Sponsored Breakfast and Rachel Parsons in the “Silver Baron B” Hospitality room of the Silver Legacy.
- 9:30 a.m. Leave the Silver Legacy Hospitality room to car pool up and head out to the Washoe County Regional Shooting Facility for rifle and pistol target shooting out to 900 yards.
- 10:15 a.m – 2 p.m. At the range.
- 3 p.m. – Major Announcement at the Silver Legacy Hospitality room.
- 3 p.m. – 5:45 p.m. Show-N-Tell at the Silver Legacy Hospitality room.
- 6 p.m. Leave the Silver Legacy Hospitality room to go to the ground floor to Gecko’s BBQ Restaurant for dinner.
- Friday Evening until midnight: Refreshments and conversation at the Silver Legacy Hospitality room. Bring your own refreshments and munchies.
What a full day! At least we’ll start it out right with a hardy breakfast courtesy of the NRA. Too bad there wasn’t any NRA at the NRA breakfast! Poor Rachel became so ill she had to go to the emergency room and so wasn’t able to attend the delicious breakfast that she and the NRA provided to us. And thank goodness for this breakfast because after it, we drove up to the range and stayed there all through lunch!
It was worth forgoing food, though. Shooting always is, but this was an exceptional shooting experience because it involved shooting enthusiasts from all over the United States and their toys. As a new shooter, and one on a tight budget, I’ve only shot a handful of handguns and rifles. I was like a kid in a candy store at the range.
First, I started out with The Packing Rat‘s delicious collection of toys. In his sexy range bag, with seemingly unlimited pockets, which he won at last year’s Gun Blogger Rendezvous, he held a seemingly unlimited number of handguns. But I didn’t shoot any of those. Instead, I shot two of the three long guns that decorated his shooting bench. He asked me which would I like to shoot first. I said I wasn’t sure and asked the guys around me for advice. The Smallest Minority asked if I was recoil sensitive. I didn’t know if I was or not. I had shot GB’sMosin-Nagant M-44 Carabine rifle and my Mosin-Nagant 91/30 sucessfully, so he suggested I go ahead and try The Packing Rat‘s M1A. Boy am I glad I did. That thing was fun to shoot. It did kick more than my 91/30, but it was more comfortable to hold onto, so it all balanced out.
The second of The Packing Rat‘s firearms I man-handled was an AR. It was fun and easy to shoot and was very light. I understand why many people take them to Appleseeds.
Also at our range escapades, I shot a firearm chambered in .45 for the first time and a revolver for the first time as well, thanks to The Smallest Minority and to D.W. Shooting the revolver was nice, but my short little fingers couldn’t reach the trigger when firing it double-action, so I had to cock the hammer between each shot to use the revolver single-action instead. It was very comfortable and fun to shoot. This experience has me pondering the possibility of getting qualified to conceal carry a revolver and now that I know that larger caliber handguns can be shot comfortably, my options are wider open than they ever have been before.
I used two pistols with red-dot type sights on them. First, I shot Joe’s Crabby Shack’s .22 target pistol. It had a Leupold sighting system on it which projected a small, red triangle on a glass lens, letting you see on the target exactly where you were going to hit. I had fun shooting it, but I didn’t see the red triangle like I was supposed to. Then, I shot Keewee’s Hi Standard highly customized target pistol equipped with C-More sights. Now that was awesome. I could see the little dot and I knew exactly where each shot was going. I shot the tightest group I have ever shot. Thanks little sights. Now I’m craving you.
Tags: CCW, concealed carry, Female Shooters, firearms, Gear, Girls and Guns, guns, Mosin-Nagant, NRA, rifles, shooting, shooting range, Washoe County Regional Shooting Facility
Posted in Gun Bloggers Rendezvous | 4 Comments »
Tuesday, August 10th, 2010
Part II
Goal: Getting me shooting.
GB didn’t plan on taking me to an empty, indoor range, staffed by a female range officer for my first range experience, but it worked out that way. And I’m glad it did. The range officer was able to give us her undivided attention as I learned how to maneuver a loaded gun. GB was very patient and kind with me. The cool selection of targets and the closeness of the targets really made a difference for me. If he had taken me to one of the other two ranges we’ve shot at since for my first time, I’m not sure I would have taken to guns as well as I did. They’re dirty and full of trash, noisy, windy, full of men and their big toys, sell cheap and ugly targets, the target stands are far away from the shooting line, etc. What a great first time this trip was! It was so perfect, it’s nearly a romantic experience for me looking back on it.
From there, GB accompanied me to two other outdoor ranges. He always babysat me and made sure I didn’t feel scared, alone, frustrated, stupid and more importantly, didn’t do anything unsafe. He was always willing to pack it in and go when I had had enough, even though inside he wanted to shoot longer. But by making sure each of my experiences shooting were positive ones, even at a sacrifice for him, he was making a smart long-term investment in building me into a range buddy.
The final step in winning me over to shooting was when I decided to go to an Appleseed. I had to break in my two new Appleseed guns and GB and I didn’t have any days off together between then and the shoot, so I had to go to the range alone. I knew what I was doing, I had my gear, I knew when to ask for help from the range master. I knew guns. I knew shooting. Awesome! Then Appleseed itself polished me off as a shooter. Now I didn’t outshoot any of the experienced shooters there, but I did keep up. I did improve. I handled my gun and my gear solo.
Lying three days in the Nevada dirt from dawn till dusk with my rifle was the most intimate shooting experience I could have possibly had. That Monday sunset marked a transformation in my life. Although I did not score Rifleman, I became a Rifleman.
Tags: appleseed, Carson City Rifle and Pistol Range, guns, Marlin, Mosin-Nagant, Rifleman, Safe Shot, shooting, shooting range, Washoe County Regional Shooting Facility
Posted in Appleseed | No Comments »
