Wednesday, June 13, 2012

Review: NRA Basic Pistol Class

NRA Basic Pistol Class

Taken: early November.

Level:                    Entry level.

Lecture:         (5)   Solid 4-5 hours providing a good grounding in: safety, operating mechanisms of firearms, basic grip, basic stance, basic sighting, transporting firearms, basic legal precautions, cleaning, storage, and care of handguns.

Range:          (5)   A full afternoon of gun handling time. Each shooter has a personal coach to ensure a smooth experience. Shooters tried both revolver and semi-automatic pistols. Between 100-150 rounds fired.

Materials:      (5)   Nice full color spiral bound booklet in addition to slide handouts. The writing is easy to read and concise, and a solid index encourages use as a reference manual.

Equipment:    (4)   A decent assortment of handguns available to try. Ammunition provided. All are in .22lr caliber. No higher calibers available.

Value:            (5)   Tuition was $75. An excellent value for everything that was included.

Recommended For: Anyone who would like a solid course in the very basics of handguns. Acceptable for shooters with a bit of prior experience, although not too much. Could be overwhelming for someone who has never touched a gun before or has trepidations about firearms.

Total Score: 24/25  (96% for those who prefer things that way)

Opinion: I took this course with perhaps a bit too much experience under my belt already but I still found it useful, especially as a skill builder. 
The one on one coaching during the range time really made it beneficial to me. The coaching was encouraging and not too high pressure.
I would have liked to see a heavier caliber handgun available for trying at the end of the day. .22lr is great for introducing firearms, but it might be nice to offer the opportunity of a larger gun, just so students can see what it feels like to fire a .45, .38 snubby, or a 9mm.
The lecture is definately aimed at students new to firearms. Comments from a rather timid new shooter indicated that the lecture seemed overwhelming, it was her first time in the same room as a gun, but by the end everything fell into place and she felt better about things.
Again: Not a concealed carry course. Nor particularly a personal defense course; this one is just for an intro.

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