Review: NRA Women on Target

NRA Women on Target Course

Taken: mid July.

Level:                    Beginner, entry, never handled a gun before.

Lecture:         (4)   Solid 3+- hours providing a good grounding in safety, operating mechanisms of firearms, and some very basic fundamentals of sight picture and alignment, grip, and the like. The lecture portion could have used a little more time.

Range:          (5)   A full afternoon of gun handling time. Each shooter has a personal coach to ensure a smooth experience. Shooters rotated stations, allowing them to try many types of guns.

Materials:      (3)  Ours were photocopied handouts. They served the purpose but are not conducive to flipping through at a later date.

Equipment:    (5)   A very nice assortment of firearms available to try. Ammunition provided. All are in .22lr caliber, although at the end of the afternoon a .38 special revolver was brought out for anyone interested.

Value:            (5)   Tuition was $10. An excellent value for everything that was included.

Recommended For: Women who have never handled a gun before, or have not done so in many, many years. If you've shot in the past, you may want to consider another course.

Total Score: 22/25  (88% for those who prefer things that way)

Opinion: Back when I took it, it was exactly the right thing for me. I wanted to handle as many different firearms as possible and this class provided that opportunity. The environment was very safety conscious but otherwise relaxed and low key. A good introductory experience for first time firearm handlers. If you want to introduce your damsel to shooting, this isn't a bad option, especially since she won't be intimidated by the pistol champ at the next bench.

Oh yeah: This is not a self defense course by any means. It's simply an introduction to firearms. Concealed carry doesn't come up.