How much does it cost to start shooting? The first-year number

Prices checked October 21, 2026. Every dollar figure below comes from the seller's, maker's, or agency's own page on that date. Prices move. Check the current number before you budget around it.

Most people who ask how much it costs to start shooting are really asking what the gun costs. That's the wrong number. The gun is a one-time purchase. The ammunition, the range time, and the training keep going, and in your first year they usually add up to more than the gun did.

This guide builds the first-year number line by line, using real Oregon prices, so you can see where the money goes before you spend any of it.

What actually goes into the first-year number?

Seven things, and only two of them are the gun and the paperwork:

The handgun
The background check
A safe way to store it
A class
Range time
Practice ammunition
A small amount of defensive ammunition, if home defense is part of why you're buying

Ear and eye protection belong on the list too. We left them out of the totals below because the price range is wide and the right pick depends on where you shoot. Our guide to ear and eye protection covers what to look for.

What does the gun itself cost?

Less than the rest of the year will.

Take one common budget 9mm. Ruger lists its Security-9 models at an MSRP of $389 to $439, depending on size and options. Plenty of popular handguns cost more than that, and some cost less.

For a wider reference point, a 2020 National Shooting Sports Foundation retailer survey put the average purchase transaction for first-time gun buyers at $594.95, for January through April of that year. That number is six years old and covers whatever those buyers bought, not just handguns, so treat it as a ballpark.

The more useful point is that a gun that fits your hand and runs reliably does not have to be expensive. Fit matters more than price, and how to tell whether a gun fits you is worth reading before you pick a model.

What does Oregon charge to buy one?

The state's part is small.

When you buy from a dealer in Oregon, the Oregon State Police run the background check through the Firearms Instant Check System, and the agency's own page says there is a $10.00 fee per transaction. The dealer may add fees of their own, so ask for the full out-the-door price at the counter.

You don't need a permit to purchase right now. Measure 114 would create one, but the Legislature's 2026 bill HB 4145, which became Oregon Laws 2026, chapter 120, says those provisions apply to firearm transfers conducted on or after January 1, 2028. That date could still change. Our Oregon buying guide walks through the whole process.

Does storage cost extra?

Yes, and in Oregon it isn't optional.

ORS 166.395 requires you to secure a firearm whenever it isn't carried by or under the control of you or someone you've authorized: with an engaged trigger or cable lock, in a locked container, or in a gun room. Under the same statute, a gun is not secured if the key or combination is readily available to someone you haven't authorized.

A trigger or cable lock is one of the options the statute names, and usually the least expensive. If you want something that holds the gun ready for home defense, you're looking at a quick-access lockbox. As one example, Vaultek's keypad Slider Series Essential lists at $169.99 to $279.99 on the maker's own store, depending on configuration.

Lockboxes vary a lot more than their prices suggest. Read our guide to gun safes and lockboxes before you choose one.

What does training cost?

A beginner class in the Portland area runs roughly $100 to $150.

Two current examples: Threat Dynamics in Tualatin lists its basic handgun class at $149.00 per person, and Northwest Defense Academy lists a combined Oregon concealed handgun course and basic pistol class at $100.00.

If one-on-one help suits you better, Threat Dynamics lists private instruction at $95.00 for an hour, not counting lane, targets, rentals, or ammunition (range rules and rates).

When money is tight, the class is the easiest line to cut. We'd cut it last. Licensed doesn't mean trained, and a few hours of good instruction early on saves you from paying for months of practicing the wrong thing.

What does range time cost?

At an indoor range, think of it as a cover charge each time you go.

The Place to Shoot in Portland charges non-members a range fee of $35 per person. Threat Dynamics charges $30.00 per lane, with no time limit unless there's a wait list, per its own rate page linked above.

If you're going to shoot regularly, look at memberships. The Place to Shoot lists a one-year membership at $100.00 for the first year and $50 to renew, on the same fee page. Members then pay $10 on Sundays and $15 Wednesday through Saturday.

Read the ammunition rules before you go. Both ranges charge something to inspect ammunition you bring from home: The Place to Shoot lists $5 per 50 rounds, and Threat Dynamics lists $10.00 for non-members.

How much does practice ammunition cost?

This is the line that grows.

As of October 21, 2026, IronScout's 9mm tracker put range and practice ammunition at a median of about $0.30 per round across the retailers it follows, and defensive hollow points at a median of about $0.91 per round.

At 30 cents, a 50-round box is about $15. Shoot one box a month and that's roughly $180 a year. Shoot two and it's $360. Our beginner's ammo guide explains which kind you need for which job.

Range trips aren't the only way to practice. Our dry-fire guide covers a kind of home practice worth learning from an instructor first.

So what's the first-year number?

Here are two illustrative budgets built only from the prices above. They're arithmetic, not quotes.

	Lean year	Steady year
Handgun (Ruger Security-9 MSRP)	$389	$439
Background check (OSP)	$10	$10
Storage (Vaultek keypad lockbox)	$170	$230
Class	$100	$149 + $95 private hour
Range fees	4 visits × $30 = $120	12 visits × $30 = $360
Practice ammo at $0.30/round	500 rounds = $150	1,500 rounds = $450
Defensive ammo at about $0.91/round	50 rounds ≈ $45	50 rounds ≈ $45
Concealed handgun license	—	$115
Total, before ear and eye protection	≈ $984	≈ $1,893

In both columns, the gun is less than half the total.

What about a concealed handgun license?

Only if you plan to carry. It's in the steady column above, not the lean one.

In Oregon, ORS 166.291 sets the fees for a new license at $15 to the State Police for the fingerprint check and $100 to the sheriff, with $75 to the sheriff for a renewal. The Multnomah County Sheriff's Office lists the same totals on its own page: $115.00 for a new application and $75.00 for a renewal.

ORS 166.291 also requires you to demonstrate competence with a handgun, and completing a qualifying handgun safety course is one of the ways it lists. That's one more reason the class is worth budgeting for. Our concealed handgun license guide covers the whole process.

Where do people overspend?

Upgrades before skills. New sights, triggers, and lights can wait until you know what you actually want changed.
A second gun before the first one is familiar. One gun you know well beats two you don't.
Defensive ammo for practice. At about three times the price per round, it's for the gun you keep ready, not the range.
Skipping the class to save $100. You'll spend it on ammunition practicing habits you'll have to unlearn.

Where should you not cut corners?

Storage and training. One is the law in Oregon, and the other is what makes the rest of the money worth spending.

The short version

In year one, budget roughly $1,000 for a lean start and closer to $1,900 if you shoot regularly and get a license.
The gun is usually less than half of that.
Ammo and range time keep going after the first year, so budget for them as a monthly cost, not a one-time one.
Storage is required by Oregon law. Keep the class in the budget even when you trim everything else.

If you'd like to try this before you buy anything, a training party lets you learn the basics with people you already know, so you can make the first purchase knowing what you're paying for.