Point 1
Ladies shoot free at
the Bullseye on Mondays. Is there any interest in setting up a "league" night so that you all can get together and shoot? Talk amongst yourselves.
If you bring your own guns, ammo, targets, ear and eye pro you won't pay a dime. If you want to shoot THEIR guns you have to buy THEIR ammo. A good option is to rent several guns in the same calibre which would allow several of you to try out many pistol without breaking the bank. If the men were willing you could all bring several of "his" guns to the range and pass them around.
Point 2
I have long endorsed the classes at
Firearms Academy of Seattle esp for beginners but it seems they have recently changed (to me) their class lineup. Whereas FAS-1 used to be a 2 day (20 hr) course that included a day of shooting various revolvers and pistols the new line up cuts FAS-1 to one day and apparently doesn't include the grab and go table full of handguns.
Instead, they offer a
free 6 hour
Handgun Safety Seminar as a pre req for FAS-1. This class also does not include the table full of guns I have often mentioned.
While I do encourage you to take the Handgun Safety Seminar (hell, it's free) it doesn't help you in choosing a gun through test firing. After checking the other schools locally I find that your only option for test driving a variety of pistols is at a rental range (ala the Bullseye)
OR by organizing a similar event at an LCR or GF shoot. I also leave that planning to you.
Also, Kristine Jackson (a damn good instructor) is teaching women's classes at
The Marksman, $99 for a 4 hour intro to handguns course. That is also a hell of deal and a lot closer for most than is Onalaska.
Please, keep up with your learning and with your skills, you're a good group and I hope to soon continue where we left off.