High cost of renting a gun you are considering buying.

When you figure in insurance cost, inventory cost, electricity, heat (maybe just for the office), business license, employee cost, taxes and the myriad of other things the range owner has to pay for, you can begin to see why the cost of things are so high.

I have owned three businesses in my short, kinda wonderful life, and I am amazed at how many people have no idea what sort of expenses the business owner faces. (I am not implying you do not know, this is a general statement.)

How much of that $85 was for ammunition for the gun? Even if the range reloads their own, or uses reloaded ammo, it is going to cost you.

I guess I am lucky, I can afford to rent a gun like ISC does.
 
Wow, $85 is a lot. I'm a member of a "public" range. My annual fee is $300 for which I get unlimited range time, first in line privileges, the use of any gun on the rental board, and no requirement that I buy ammo from them. Of course, I DO buy lots of stuff from them in the course of the year including, on average, one or two guns, and tons of cleaning supplies but still, I consider it to be a bargain. And, they're nice folks to boot!

When I decided some time ago to branch out from my passion, revolvers, to semiautos, I tried every semiauto on their rental board before settling on a S & W 1911. That included several Glocks, a Springfield XD, a couple of S & W M & Ps in different calibers, a Kimber 9mm 1911, a Kimber 45 cal 1911, a Ruger SR9, and finally, the model Smith 1911 that I eventually ordered. All for my $300 annual fee. Not shabby.
 
I have a hard time believing that the friend was interested in a gun and PBP didn't have at least one in his collection. :-)

That does seem high for a rental. My range charges $8/half hour for the range, $8/half hour for the gun, and ~$20 for the box of ammo. Being a member gets rid of the range fee and sometimes they don't charge me for a rental if I don't end up putting very many rounds through it.

After renting several Glocks I determined that they just aren't for me. The Sig P239 I really thought I wanted got crossed of the list too. That would have been an expensive one. :eek: Another day I discovered that J and K frame revolvers fit my hand much better than L frames do. And a rental convinced me that I had to have a 1911. My wallet doesn't thank me for that but I sure love my 1911s!

So renting has served me well.
 
Shot at a range in CA some years back where they had a fixed rental fee that allowed you to shoot any of their rental guns as long as you used their ammo. So you could start with one, if you didn't like it, take it back to the counter and ask for another one. Pretty good idea for someone gun shopping.
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Same setup here. You pay $7 for a rental and their ammo. If you decide you want to try something different, you are free to swap it out. You only pay for additional ammunition.

If they have multiple guns you are interested in it's a great deal.

You may find one gun recoils much too harshly for your taste. Too often, I hear of or see folks buying guns then trading them, at a loss, because they can't handle them, they don't fit their hand properly, etc.
 
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That seems a little steep to me....

..... but they gotta make their money somehow.

"A range I frequent rents guns for $15 + you have to buy their ammo.
If you save your receipt, they give you the rental fee off the purchase of a gun from them as well as giving you a voucher for a free rental at the time of purchase."
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Those guys are marketing geniuses.
 
I've never rented a handgun. I've never seen any logical reason to rent one.

A good quality handgun will outperform most shooters ability to shoot it. So, all you really need to know is: 1) does it fit your hand(s) comfortably; 2) is it considered a good quality reliable weapon; 3) are you comfortable with the caliber and capacity of the weapon; and 4) if you plan to carry it is it concealable. You don't need to rent a gun to figure these things out.

You will learn to shoot and control your new gun through lots of practice, and you will conform to the charicterstics of the gun. For example, I purchased a Glock 17 many years ago. It does exactly what I need it to do and it has been my primary HD gun for many years. It is not the gun that I am most accurate with, but I am quite accurate with it at 25 feet and I have great control with this gun.

Had I rented it first before buying it and hinged my decision on how I performed with it on that one day, I would never have purchased it. I recall taking it to an indoor range, and moving the target 3/4 the length of the shooting lane and only getting about half of my shots on the paper (I use 12" diameter round targets). It felt "snappy" and the trigger had way too much travel for my liking. Over the years, I've learned how to properly shoot a Glock 17, and it works just fine for Home Defense.

IMHO, renting a gun that "feels great" the first time you shoot it, and then buying it simply because you like the way it feels is like buying candy and thinking it's good for you because it tastes great. There's more to a gun than how it feels the first time you shoot it, especially if you aren't a very experienced shooter.
 
You don't need to rent a gun to figure these things out.
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I disagree, strongly. There are things that DO NOT become apparent until you shoot. Multiply this several times if you are shooting anything with a level of recoil above the .45ACP. Guns move when they recoil and there is absolutely no way to anticipate exactly what it will do and how you will interact while standing at the counter. Buying a gun that fits trumps "conforming to its characteristics" every time.

That said, in the fifty or sixty handguns that I've owned, I've never rented before I bought. The result? Quite a few trades and sales of guns that didn't "fit".
 
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Pay for range time? Buy ammo at the range? Rent a gun? You gotta be kidding. Sounds like playing at something to me.

Just get off the fence and buy a gun. For that matter buy a few guns. If I thought I might want to own a "fill in the gun of your choice here", I would go buy it. Then I would go shoot it. If I didn't like it I wouldn't say, "Oh no, I bought a gun I don't like." I would simply keep it, continue to shoot it some if I felt like doing so and see what happens. Who knows, maybe it would sit around for a year or so and then I would decide I liked it. Or maybe not. If push comes to shove I can always sell it for what I've got in it because I don't over pay for guns.

I quit buying factory ammo a long time ago. Too expensive and I like to work up my own loads. And it's a lot more fun IMO to shoot tin cans in the boonies than worry about other shooters at a pay range.
 
Compared to the cost of buying one you may not like later, the cost sounds pretty good to me. Buy one you don't like then try to sell it.
 
And it's a lot more fun IMO to shoot tin cans in the boonies than worry about other shooters at a pay range.
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Agreed but most folks don't have that luxury. I didn't for most of the first 32yrs of my life. Now I shoot on my own property and I surely don't take it for granted.
 
Real men shoot rats at the dump. :p

Don't have a dump? Start your own. Sort of like squirrel hunting without all of the trees in the way.

I've never rented a gun. When I see somebody with one I want to try I offer to measure their trigger pull with my Lyman digital guage.

John
 
I've rented a few guns, but I figured out pretty early on that buying the gun and then selling it later would actually be cheaper in the long run if I decided I wanted something else or that I didn't like the gun. I don't factor in the range fees or ammo costs, since they would (largely) be the same whether I owned the gun or rented it.

I keep records on how many times I've taken the guns out to shoot. Figuring about $10 per range visit per gun fired, I've more than broken even by owning my guns rather than renting them, plus they're mine and I can customize them as I see fit (and I can't rent a gun for self defense, either).
 
For new shooters I think renting guns is a good way to tell what they like in terms of controls, grip angles, feel of triggers, etc ......

The indoor range I shoot at is about $ 15 for a lane, $ 20 to rent any or all guns in the case ( they have about 50 guns - revolvers, DA, 1911's etc ) - and you do have to buy range ammo so assume $ 25 per box. So it does work out to about $ 60 per shooter .....

As shooters - myself and a lot of my friends help out a little when we see someone struggling at the range. Occasionally someone will be curious about what I'm shooting, or one of my buddies, and I usually have no problem letting them put a few rounds downrange. I did this recently with a friend that was buying a revolver in .357 mag / so I brought a 4" and a 6" to the range - let him test them a little ( both S&W ) .....and based on that he found a good used revolver and made his purchase.

The indoor range I'm a member at ( and it was about $ 750 to join ) - it allows me free rental of any gun in the rental case, I pay no lane use fees and they give me 4 targets per visit free. Overall, its a good deal - and I've used it to take rental guns out of the case for my grandkids to shoot, etc for guns they think are cool - that I choose not to own ( like a Glock )...
 
BigJimP said:
The indoor range I'm a member at ( and it was about $ 750 to join ) - it allows me free rental of any gun in the rental case, I pay no lane use fees and they give me 4 targets per visit free. Overall, its a good deal - and I've used it to take rental guns out of the case for my grandkids to shoot, etc for guns they think are cool - that I choose not to own ( like a Glock )...
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I was going to say that $750 was a bit steep (I paid $300 for my annual membership to my range), but the perks sound pretty nice--shoot any gun they have for free (do you have to buy their ammo to use in it?), and you don't have to clean them at the end of the day =)

If only they did that for my range...Mine is the NRA Headquarters Range, and practically in the same building is the National Firearms Museum (the range is under the parking deck/garage). Just think: I would go up to the museum, point at a gun, and say "I'd like to shoot that one tonight...". If only.
 
I use two different indoor ranges and both have rentals, though the details are a little different.

Neither range requires that you buy their ammo. They do require that you use new factory ammo. Home reloads are not permitted.

Range #1: http://www.thegunny.com/indoor-range-i-54.html
$15 lane fee plus $1ea for targets - I'd be paying this anyway so I don't factor it in.
$10 rental fee per gun. Most of their rental guns are used, so selection is limited and varys.

Range #2: http://www.coalcreekarmory.com/range.html
$15 lane fee plus $1ea for targets - I'd be paying this anyway so I don't factor it in.
$15 rental fee for every pistol they have in one caliber. Meaning I pay $15 and can use any 9mm they have. I pay another $15 to switch to .40 or .45 etc. They have an extensive list of rentals available. Rentals fees can be applied toward purchase of a new gun at that time only.
 
A good quality handgun will outperform most shooters ability to shoot it. So, all you really need to know is: 1) does it fit your hand(s) comfortably; 2) is it considered a good quality reliable weapon; 3) are you comfortable with the caliber and capacity of the weapon; and 4) if you plan to carry it is it concealable. You don't need to rent a gun to figure these things out.
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You're not looking at the whole picture. This works for you, I'm sure, but what about the guy or gal new to the gun world? What about the new father who only shot his dad's old shotgun and never shot a pistol? What about the senior who was just mugged and now wants a gun for SD but has arthritis and is recoil sensitive? How about the guy who finally convinced his wife to join him at the range but all his toys are the big ones? The list is endless. Many people can't go out and buy that cool gun they read the rave reviews on in a reputable magazine because they don't have $700 to feed a whim. Many people have to save for months to get the $300+ to buy a nice, used gun. Revolver or semi? 2" or 6"? .32 or .357 Magnum? There are a lot of choices to the novice so to say just go out and buy it and then get used to it is silly. There are a lot of newbies to the gun world who need to make informed decisions and if renting a gun works for them then that's a good thing. It doesn't mean everybody has to do it, just the ones that need some education before they buy one.
 
I'm lucky to have a range that also has a well stocked retail counter. If interested in buying a gun the retail counter will give you a free range pass to let you use a rental gun for free, free range time too. Ammo is not free though.

I wish their prices were better, but that will save $35 or so.
 
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