My NRA Defensive Pistol Course Experience

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John_in_Longview
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My NRA Defensive Pistol Course Experience

Post by John_in_Longview »

This was the first non-license related firearm course I have taken. The focus of the course was how to properly draw your pistol from a concealed holster and hit a target 3, 5, or 7 yards away. We spent about two hours in the class room and then four on the range. We were told exactly how many rounds to load in each magazine, when to chamber a round, etc.

The instructor told us he was going to use a timer to add a stress element to the shooting. In most cases, we had four seconds to draw and put two rounds in the target. I had an added element of stress with the older (70ish) , frail gentleman to my left. His pistol of choice was a snub-nose .357 revolver. He thought full magnum rounds wouldn't be a problem for the 200 rounds we were scheduled to fire. The first exercise was to draw and fire one round in the target. He loaded four(!) in the cylinder and proceeded to fire all four. After that, he complained the pistol was hurting his hand. The instructors quickly switched his ammo to .38 special. (He bought it all there, so they just did an exchange.) He had trouble keeping his finger off the trigger and keeping it straight enough not to stress me.

After a few more exercises, his pistol started to fail to fire b/c the cylinder was out of alignment. The instructors would fix the problem and he would continue. I had just fired a round in our current exercise when the feeling of being stung by a few bees covered my right hand. His pistol's cylinder was out of alignment just enough to create a back spray. I ended up needing minor first aid. For some reason the range didn't restock their first aid kit before our course, so I had to wait for bandages to be brought down from the main building.

Someone further down the line did something unsafe with her pistol that upset her enough to cry. After that round of shooting, the instructor decided the group was too fatigued to continue shooting, so we didn't get to finish all the training exercises nor did we get to take the shooting test to "complete" the course rather than just be "attenders".
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Rod
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Re: My NRA Defensive Pistol Course Experience

Post by Rod »

I think I'd ask for any money back, citing the above reasons. I'd then talk to the principal instructor about the failure of the course. If he seems to be frustrated at what happened, go over what should have been done differently in your opinion. If, at any stage, he blows you off, report him to the NRA because they do NOT need instructors like that.
one can be a Democrat, or one can choose to be an American.
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randy
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Re: My NRA Defensive Pistol Course Experience

Post by randy »

+1 to what Rod said.

IMNSHO the proper response to a student not able to perform the stated tasks safely is to pull them from the range, allow the other students to complete the course of fire, and then provide some remedial instruction for the individual involved.

Not keeping finger off the trigger until firing would be an automatic UNSAT if I was acting as a range master. (but you guys already knew I was prick).
...even before I read MHI, my response to seeing a poster for the stars of the latest Twilight movies was "I see 2 targets and a collaborator".
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First Shirt
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Re: My NRA Defensive Pistol Course Experience

Post by First Shirt »

randy wrote:(but you guys already knew I was prick).

Well, let's just say we suspected it. :D
But there ain't many troubles that a man caint fix, with seven hundred dollars and a thirty ought six."
Lindy Cooper Wisdom
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Netpackrat
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Re: My NRA Defensive Pistol Course Experience

Post by Netpackrat »

First Shirt wrote:
randy wrote:(but you guys already knew I was prick).
Well, let's just say we suspected it. :D
He can't be that big of a prick; I'm still here after all.
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First Shirt
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Re: My NRA Defensive Pistol Course Experience

Post by First Shirt »

Netpackrat wrote:
First Shirt wrote:
randy wrote:(but you guys already knew I was prick).
Well, let's just say we suspected it. :D
He can't be that big of a prick; I'm still here after all.
So am I, but I suspect that it's the Air Farce umbrella that keeps me covered;
But there ain't many troubles that a man caint fix, with seven hundred dollars and a thirty ought six."
Lindy Cooper Wisdom
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SoupOrMan
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Re: My NRA Defensive Pistol Course Experience

Post by SoupOrMan »

200 rounds of .357 Magnum out of a snubbie? With a dodgy cylinder? And a dodgy shooter? Nope. Nopenopenope. I'd set the old guy aside along with crying girl in the lobby coffee room of the main building and let everyone else finish.

I've fired a box of Black Hills .357 Magnum 158gr JHP through my 649 before to make sure I could if I had to. I will never do that again unless I have to. (And I will never fire Remington Green Box 125gr JSP through my 649 if it acts like it did in my levergun. I was surprised by the bruise to say the least.)
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John_in_Longview
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Re: My NRA Defensive Pistol Course Experience

Post by John_in_Longview »

I have talked to a few of us who have received our certificates for the course and they all say "completed" rather than "attended". My guess is that was done so we wouldn't ask for a refund or for an opportunity to complete the course on their dime. Pretty confident we won't be scheduling any future training with them.
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MiddleAgedKen
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Re: My NRA Defensive Pistol Course Experience

Post by MiddleAgedKen »

From your description, it sounds like the course was below the minimum daily requirement of RSO-ness.
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slowpoke
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Re: My NRA Defensive Pistol Course Experience

Post by slowpoke »

I bet the 38s they gave him weren’t wad cutter either. :evil:
Didn’t they cover equipment failure procedures and safety procedures/consequences during the classroom portion?
"Islam delenda est" Aesop
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