One day course on the fundamentals of defensive REVOLVER - June 5, 2020.

The FIRE Institute is doing a one-day fundamentals course for REVOLVER on June 5. The likely venue will be PMSC in N. Versailles, but that is not final. An enrollment from can be downloaded from the FIRE Institute web site. Course description and enrollment information follows.

PeteG
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ONE DAY INTRO TO HAND GUN TRAINING (Revolvers)
SUNDAY June 5, 2022

This course is designed as an introduction to formal firearms training, for people who have no prior formal instruction in the safe handling and proper use of handguns. It will be held at the Greater Pittsburgh Gun Club, 25 min. southwest of Pittsburgh.

This course was previously called *One Day Han Gun.* It usually involved only using semi-automatic pistols. However, many people currently own revolvers, and people who shoot often get a revolver for a spouse or girlfriend, and give them a couple of hours of informal shooting someplace. Instruction is better from non-family, and because there so many misconceptions about revolvers and their use, this particular session is devoted entirely to revolvers. Topics to be covered include:

Safety: Students will be exposed to four simple, universally accepted rules of gun safety which, if followed scrupulously, will prevent tragedies and embarrassments resulting from unintended discharges.

Gun Handling and Marksmanship: Safe loading and unloading, correct stance and grip, sight picture and basic marksmanship will be covered. We discuss and explain proper sight alignment, sight picture, trigger manipulation, and what are referred to as *follow through* and *reset.*

Shooting Drills: fire has been developed to permit a novice to gain experience with the concepts introduced in the program, and to experience a formal training environment. It is hard enough to be challenging, but not discouraging. (We have all been there.)

Equipment: The instructors will explain the advantages and disadvantages of a revolver as a defensive tool, and how to select a revolver, holster and ammunition that is appropriate to your individual needs. This will include a review of currently available revolvers, holsters and ammunition, and students will have the opportunity to examine and try out several different types of revolvers.

Cost: $75.00. This includes range fees, targets, range supplies and handouts. Students to provide their own firearm, ammunition, personal gear and meal.

Course format: Lecture (approximately 2 hrs.), and live-fire exercises (approximately 5 hrs.).

Instructor(s): The instructors and staff are FIRE Institute volunteers who have collectively accrued several thousand hours of formal training from experienced, professional firearms instructors. In addition to their personal firearms training, the Rangemaster/Instructor will be Peter Georgiades. Peter has attended several professional firearms instructor schools (as distinct from shooting courses), and worked under some of the most experienced instructors in the U.S.

Class size: Due to the imposition of a new range fee structure by the host club, we will need to have TEN people enroll in this course. If we do not have ten enrollees two weeks before the course, the course will be cancelled and your tuition will be refunded. Enrollment will be limited to EIGHTEEN students maximum.

Prerequisites: You must be at least 18 years old, and proof no criminal history is required. The credentialing process is explained on the FIRE Institute web site, and is not complicated.

For Details, Directions, Equipment Requirements and Enrollment Materials:
* Call: (412)370-9500. Leave your name and address, and materials will be mailed to you, OR
* Write to: FIRE Institute, 2130 Fox Way, Pittsburgh, PA 15203, and you will receive a packet by mail.
* Visit www.fireinstitute.org for more details.
* Subscribe to the PGH-training@ten.pairlist.net message board for information and announcements about this and other firearms training opportunities.

Equipment Requirements

The following equipment is REQUIRED, or you cannot participate in this course:

* Ear protection and eye protection. Shooting headphones or foamy ear plugs work.
* 100 rounds of ammunition.
* One *Speed Loader* or *speed strip* for reloading your revolver. If you do not know what these are, google them. They are not expensive.
* Pants that are held up with a STURDY BELT which is, capable of holding a holster up and in place. People have shown up with sweat pants, yoga pants and the like, which do not have a belt. This will not work. If in doubt, opt for jeans or cargo pants and a leather belt at least one inch deep.
* Holster. This should be a substantial holster which attaches firmly to a BELT, and holds the pistol firmly in place. The holster must be designed to cover the trigger and trigger guard of the firearm while it is in the holster. The holster must permit you to get a firm grip on the weapon with your strong-side (dominant) hand without removing the weapon from the holster. It must also be rigid enough to stay open when the weapon is drawn, so the weapon can be re-holstered with one hand only. Holsters with flaps that cover the weapon or straps which retain the weapon are not appropriate unless the flap or strap can be removed. Hand guns may not be carried anywhere except in a proper holster, exposed on the waist.
* Fluids to drink. Soft drinks or water. In June it could be hot, and dehydration impairs one*s ability to think and pay attention. Drinking fluids is therefore mandatory. No alcoholic beverages will be permitted on the range. No alcoholic beverages are permitted on the premises.
* Pencil and paper.

Weapons must be .38 caliber/9 mm., or larger. Hand guns in .22, .25, .32, .380, 7.62 x 19 and similar light calibers are generally ineffective to quickly stop an attack. If possible, we recommend that one takes their first course with a full-sized hand gun, where the distance from the rear sight to the front sight is at least 4.5 inches. *Snub-nosed* revolvers with 2-1/2 inch barrels are very difficult to use effectively, and therefore hard to learn on. But, given the nature of this course, they are permitted if one does not have access to any other revolver.

Revolvers should be serviceable and practical for concealed carry. Single action revolvers (*cowboy* guns) and derringers are impractical for this course.

The following equipment is RECOMMENDED. Although you may proceed in the course without these things, experience has shown they will enhance your experience:

* Camera. We know selfies are popular nowadays.
* Lunch and snacks. There are fast food restaurants eight minutes from the range, or bring your own.
* A folding chair or cooler upon which to sit during breaks.

If you do not already own a revolver or a holster, we recommend you borrow one for the course, rather than buying one. It is our experience that people make much better choices once they have been educated on the purpose and functions of various types of revolvers. Students will have the opportunity to handle and try out various different revolvers in different calibers at the course location. Loaning a hand gun to anyone over 21 (who is not legally prohibited from possessing one) is legal in Pa.

PLEASE TRANSPORT YOUR FIREARM TO THE COURSE UNLOADED.

*Buying a gun and thinking you are armed is like buying a piano and thinking you are a musician*
--- LTC Jeff Cooper (USMC, Ret.)