Finished the NRA Basic Pistol Instructor's Course today...

[The Annoyed Man]

I assume this is where I would post this.....

Anyway, my son and I took the NRA Basic Pistol Instructor's Course over the weekend, and we just wrapped it up a bit ago and I just got home. It was a very interesting class. The sessions were Friday from 6-10 pm, Saturday from 8am-4pm, and today (Sunday) from 8am-12pm. It was held at the Grand Prairie Gun Club and taught by a very knowledgeable NRA Training Counselor and his peers at the club.

Over the years, my son and I have brought quite a few novice shooters to the range for their first time shooting, and taught them gun safety and shooting techniques. The good news, after having completed the Instructor's course, is that we haven't been doing anything wrong or developed any bad training habits that would negatively affect the other person's safety habits or shooting skills. That said, the NRA course will considerably enhance how we go about it in the future.

The cost was very reasonable, with $13.50 going to the NRA for various fees, and $65.00 going to the gun club's Hunter Education Committee. They have both a NRA Basic Rifle class and a NRA RSO class coming up in the next few months which I plan to also take. I've been a long time shooter and firearms enthusiast, but this is the first time (other than my CHL) that I've ever taken any kind of formal instruction class related to firearms, and I'm glad I did. I would recommend this class to anybody who, like me, intentionally reaches out to non-shooters to get them interested in shooting and firearms.

[Keith B]

+1. I was also there with TAM and Son of TAM, and it was a very good course. Took my Range Safety Officer certification from these gentlemen too. They are a great bunch of guys with a wealth of knowledge!!

[Skiprr]

Next step is to see if you can volunteer to help an experienced NRA instructor teach a basic pistol course...maybe a couple of times. It’s illuminating to see the curriculum taught real-time, in that group dynamic with real first-time students. It’s less the classroom material than the gun-handling portions—both classroom and range—that’s so interesting.

Besides, I have a feelin’ you’d be a positively jammin’ instructor.

IMHO, the NRA courses are, collectively, the best value for the money out there. I haven’t met an NRA instructor yet who charged excessively for the courses, and when you look at the amount of instruction time to other avenues of professional instruction, it works out to be dirt cheap by comparison.

At one point Charles and TraCoun were planning to package a whole “new to CHL” evolution of training that started with NRA Basic Pistol first, then the CHL course, then NRA Personal Protection Inside the Home and Personal Protection Outside the Home , basic and advanced, during the wait for plastic...’course, that was when getting plastic in 60 days was considered to be really fast!

I think they did, in fact, teach a few of those “packages,” but what a superb idea, IMHO, for a new CHLer who isn’t already a highly-experienced handgunner. The Basic Pistol course is a minimum of eight hours, including some range time. The Personal Protection Inside the Home is also an eight-hour course with about 100 rounds on the range. The Protection Outside the Home, Level 1, is nine hours of classroom work plus about 100 rounds at the range, and Level 2 is an additional minimum of five hours on the range.

Under development is a new NRA course titled “NRA Defensive Pistol,” and that may be ideal when it becomes available.

I believe TraCoun (http://www.argenttraining.com/) still offers these at PSC in packaged bundle pricing, but without the CHL course. Some instructors charge more than TraCoun, but even so you end up with over 30 hours of professional instruction—that’s four days’ worth—for somewhere in the neighborhood of $350. By comparison, the last two-day defensive handgun course I took was $575.

It’s a great value and, if you choose, you can then go on to take the NRA instructor’s courses in those disciplines. Even if you seldom teach a formal NRA class, the more certified instructors the better.

Good on ya TAM, and The Annoyed Scion.

[WildBill]

I took my CHL with Tom Estep. Well after I got my CHL I took the PPIH and Level 1 and 2 PPOH classes with Charles and Tracoun. They are indeed a bargain for the money. Since I am an experienced shooter, Charles advised me not to take the basic pistol class. Part of my continuing CHL education also includes Mr. Cotton's famous Deadly Force Seminar, which I have attended four times.

[snatchel]

WildBill, where can I find info on Mr. Cotton's Deady Force Seminars? I would definately be interested in attending, depending on when/where it is. A lot of stars would have to line up-- location has to be close because affording a hotel is out of the question. And it would have to fall between school semesters. Hmm. Unless someone here would rent a couch in their home to me. LOL

[The Annoyed Man]

Skiprr, I actually took the class at Crossfire's urging. She said that they needed additional certified instructors because demand has outstripped their ability to provide. So initially, I'm going to be working some of their classes, probably alongside Keith B.

[KaiserB]

Basic Pistol is a great course and there is a fair demand for basic and foundational skills. I started my NRA instructor journey about 18 months ago with Basic Rifle, I added Basic Pistol and PP Inside the Home. The NRA has some great material (with a few exceptions for PC content), and the classes are easy teach.

[WildBill]

Skiprr, I actually took the class at Crossfire's urging. She said that they needed additional certified instructors because demand has outstripped their ability to provide. So initially, I'm going to be working some of their classes, probably alongside Keith B.

I must apologize. It was the Basic Pistol class, not the instructor's course that I was speaking about. I did take the NRA Basic Pistol Class many moons ago.

[WildBill]

WildBill, where can I find info on Mr. Cotton's Deady Force Seminars? I would definately be interested in attending, depending on when/where it is. A lot of stars would have to line up-- location has to be close because affording a hotel is out of the question. And it would have to fall between school semesters. Hmm. Unless someone here would rent a couch in their home to me. LOL

Charles usually posts the locations and dates of his seminars. Check out the Texas Firearms Coalition website [TFC Seminars] for more details. https://www.texasfirearmscoalition.com/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

[BrianSW99]

Congratulations! I've been wanting to do some of the NRA instructor certificates. Decided to work on the CHL instructor cert first. I'll have to check them out when I'm ready for some of the NRA instructor classes.

[dicion]

Anyone know of anyone doing these kinds of courses in the Houston Area? Preferrably around NW Houston/Cypress? Either the Instructor's or the Actual Basic Pistol/Rifle/Shotgun courses.

Personally, I'd love to get instructor certified in some of these, plus I'd actually be excited to take the course! =D
I'm sure someone's going to probably say PSC, but sorry, Pearland is a little bit far from Cypress for me :(

[The Annoyed Man]

Congratulations! I've been wanting to do some of the NRA instructor certificates. Decided to work on the CHL instructor cert first. I'll have to check them out when I'm ready for some of the NRA instructor classes.

I want to tackle the CHL Instructor class maybe next year.

[The Annoyed Man]

Anyone know of anyone doing these kinds of courses in the Houston Area? Preferrably around NW Houston/Cypress? Either the Instructor's or the Actual Basic Pistol/Rifle/Shotgun courses.

Personally, I'd love to get instructor certified in some of these, plus I'd actually be excited to take the course! =D
I'm sure someone's going to probably say PSC, but sorry, Pearland is a little bit far from Cypress for me :(

I'll bet you can find information on the NRA's website. When you submit your paperwork at the end of the instructor's course, there is a Y/N question on one of the forms as to whether or not you want to be added to their referral list for your area. My instructor/counselor actually had himself removed from the list because he was averaging 30 phone calls a day from referrals, and it was interfering with his job.

[OldCannon]

Skiprr, I actually took the class at Crossfire's urging. She said that they needed additional certified instructors because demand has outstripped their ability to provide. So initially, I'm going to be working some of their classes, probably alongside Keith B.

Congrats on your certification, TAM! I'm kinda bummed...I have several NRA certifications, but I don't have the infrastructure where people need instructors. I just don't have the time to invest to build up my own business. In Washington, I worked with a range that handled all the logistics - classroom, signups, materials. I'd just check out the instructional pistols or rifles from the armory and away I'd go.

Clearly I was spoiled