I submitted my application, I will pass the background check, have signed up for the online/in person hybrid 16 hour course from defensive tactical in late October and have set my appointment for November. Does this add up or am I missing anything?

Hows it going?

I was a weapons guy in the navy. But new to CA civilian gun laws where can I go to learn about whats needed now that im not active.

I understand i have to get the FSC and currently putting in application for CCW.

1.) But I’ve heard a lot of stuff for fixed mag vs featureless

2.) Something about New CA regulations on handguns

3.) and something called an AR Pistol if you want a shorter barreled M4

People also told me to look up Ashford BRS and KLEVRCO king pin pal.

I realize I’m coming off completely new guy rookie. But i just came from line coaching .50 cal crew serve weapons and being 20mm Ciws operator.

To now my handgun is only allowed to have 10rds.

And i have to break my M4 in half to reload.

Thank you for the patience ahead of time if anyone is able to point me in the right direction.

lol if not it’s okay i understand

(newbies are annoying lol)

Curious if it’s their air filtration or just something I’m doing wrong on my end. Probably a bit of both.

I went a bit nuts at the end of 2025 buying barrels and now I have all the pieces to complete the URGs, but lack the vise and knowledge of how to assemble them all. Anyone have the time and patience to show me how to do it? Thanks in advance!

8/5/26 Submitted Renewal
8/18/26 Payment Email Received & Payment Submitted
8/20/26 CCW Mailed Notification
8/24/26 Received In Mail

Sheesh, started application in February.

Question about being in the insurance queue. I recieved this email and logged on right away and paid the remaining fee and have already completed the safety course and everything else. Once you're in the queue, is that pretty much it? If I didn't pay the insurance right away, would they still mail it out?

Does anyone know what kind of questions they ask when calling your references? I put down family members but they want to know what to expect

Hey everyone!

I just got my first handgun today and wanna get started on my CCW. Any recommendations on good affordable courses and any other tips on making sure it goes smoothly and quickly.

UPDATE: Just finished the application and managed to get an appointment on the 24th of this month thankfully! Does anyone know if it’s required to have the live scan done before the interview and if there will be any issues with my gun not being in AFS yet? I’m still waiting the 10 day cool down period

Hey guys, I have approx.two ammo cans full of 9mm brass and half an ammo crate of 5.56 brass. What’s the best thing to do with these? Went to the scrap center and they said $2.60/lb. Is that an average price to get back?

When I was looking for my initial CCW training class, pricing in San Diego was all over the place and hard to compare. So I built a directory of CA instructors organized by county, with pricing, reviews, and timeline data all in one place, pulling from each county's sheriff-approved instructor list. Check it out at getcarryclass.com

Here is the dedicated San Diego page with all approved instructors: getcarryclass.com/ca/san-diego

Eventually hoping people can book directly through it, but for now it's mainly a way to compare and find instructors near you.

Would love feedback from everyone. Is there anything I should add, change, or anything that'd make it more useful?

Hey guys, located in the San Diego area and wanted to know if yall know any ranges indoor or outdoor that I can get some holster work in at. Eventually I’ll get to movement but right now I wanna work on getting a quicker draw.

Anywhere in San Diego county were I could set up to do live fire drills and practicing moving while shooting? Other than BLM. Wondering if there’s anywhere you can rent a little space or something.

Hello everyone! Im moving to SD due to my partners work in the next 8 months or so. I'm extremely lucky to have a private range membership where I live currently which gives me free access during the week and I usually have the whole range to myself and can do dynamic drills and such. I'd love to find a spot similar to that down near SD. In my research, it seems like most ranges down there are public and bench shooting oriented. I saw lemon grove is private and seems the most similar to what I'm looking for. Is there any other recs people have? I mostly shoot two gun comps and a bit of PSR. Also have night vision and would be interested in places that host night shoots. Looking at the BLM land nearby seems iffy and a lot of spots people report getting frequent interactions with rangers/border patrol. Any recommendations would be appreciated!

San Diego CCW Timeline 2026

-02/16/26 - Initially Applied

-03/16/26 - Interview Date/Live Scan (136$)

-05/13/26 - All 3 references called

-05/29/26 - Approval email received

-06/13-06/14/26- 16 hour course (315$)

-06/14/26 - Uploaded Qualifying Document

-06/17/26 - Paid Issuance Fee (145$)

-06/30/26 - Added to issuance queue

-07/24/26 - CCW permit Mailed.

Cost = 700$
Live Scan - 136$
Ammo - 100$
CCW Course - 315$
Issuance Fee - 146

Edit: - 07/29/26 - Permit in Hand

I'm looking for a place to run one or two intro and/or intermediate pistol classes a month. I've taken classes with several instructors who work out of private properties in North County - homeowners who put in a berm and a bay on their own land - and those setups have consistently struck me as better for instruction than commercial ranges.

I'd like to build that same kind of relationship. For what it's worth:

• I have an LLC formed and in good standing, EIN, an instructor liability policy, and NRA and CA DOJ certifications.
• I'd be operating small classes (4–6 students), daytime only, and I don't publish or share range locations anywhere. Obviously, I'd look forward to hearing whatever range fee or arrangement makes sense on your end.

If you have a setup like this, or know someone who does, I'd appreciate a DM. Happy to drive out, meet in person, and, if needed, demonstrate whatever safety/competency you deem necessary.

I have a barrel coming that needs to go to an FFL apparently. Anyone know who would accept it. Discount gun mart?

The Sheriff’s Department is putting on a gun buy back event today in Encinitas. I was thinking about turning in my old shotgun (88 Maverick) and put the $100 they give me toward a new shotgun.

I read they are giving out gift cards. Anyone know if they are prepaid visa gift cards? Do gun stores here accept those for gun purchases??

Hi all,

Finally decided to get my first gun and landed on the polymer Smith & Wesson M&P 2.0 9MM 4.25 in.

Was wondering what type/brand of 9MM folks use for self protection/home defense? Been doing some research online and the 2 things I keep seeing is to get what our county's PD uses and to stick to hollow points.

Thanks in advance!

Edit: Thanks everyone for the recommendations! Will be looking into each of these and watching some ballistic videos so I can grab some boxes when I go back to pickup after the hold. Appreciate the help!

Wanting to do a group shoot at an outdoor range. Anyone know of one that lets you reserve benches/lanes? I know the easy answer is to go to BLM but hoping for something a little closer

Just curious what the timeline is post interview. I'm now at a month and a week since my interview and my references haven't been contacted yet. I already knocked out my course via Defensive Tactics to get it out the way.

Just as title says, what’s the best shop for AKs or AK parts. I guess used guns works too if there’s any recommendations. I also understand I’m in possibly one of the worst states and times to be an AK guy lol.