One Day Handgun Clinic

[TonyF]

One Day Handgun Clinic

Introduction To Handgun Basics

Course Date

August 19, 2007
Sunday 9am - 5pm

Location
Pitcairn-Monroeville Sportsmen's Club

This course is designed for people who have no prior formal instruction in the safe handling and use of handguns. It will be held at the Pitcairn-Monroeville Sportsmen's Club, 25 minutes east of Pittsburgh in North Versailles Township. Topics to be covered include:

Safety: Students will be exposed to four universally accepted rules of gun safety which, if followed scrupulously, will prevent unintended discharges.

Gun Handling and Shooting: Safe loading and unloading, correct stance and grip and basic marksmanship techniques are taught. These include proper sight alignment, sight picture, and trigger manipulation.

Shooting Drills: A course of fire has been developed to permit a novice shooter to gain experience with the concepts introduced in the program. We believe a beginning shooter will find this challenging and educational.

Equipment: The instructors will explain how to select a handgun, holster and ammunition, so your equipment fits your hand and your individual needs. This will include a review of currently available handguns, holsters and ammunition. Students will have the opportunity to examine and try out several different types of handguns.

Cost $45.00: This includes range fees, targets, range supplies and handouts. Students to provide their own ammunition, personal gear and meals. There are no discounts applicable to this course.

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, each of the course staff have attended firearms instructor schools run by professional instructors, including Jim Crews (Marksman's Enterprise) and Giles Stock (Rangemaster, Gunsite Academy).

Class size: Enrollment will be limited to ten students.

Prerequisites: No prerequisites other than the minimum age limit of 18 years old. Proof of no criminal history is required. Please read through our Credentialing documentation and download an Enrollment form.

Deadlines for Enrollment: Applications must be received at least one week prior to the first day of class. If there are not at least four students enrolled one week before the class starts, the class will be cancelled, you will be notified, and all tuition will be promptly refunded. Within 14 days (two weeks) of the class date tuition payment becomes non-refundable.

There is certain equipment which is REQUIRED in every course. One may not proceed in the course without the following:

Ear protection and Eye protection.

Cap or hat with baseball-style bill. This is to prevent ejected brass from another shooter's pistol from falling between your eyewear and your eye, burning you. It is important gear.

Firearm, clean and zeroed.

At least three magazines or speed loaders. We prefer you have three, in case one malfunctions during the course.

Magazine holster or pouch which is worn on your belt, on your support ("weak hand") side. BDU pockets do not work well.

200 Rounds of "Ball" Ammunition. We recommend students use one brand of ammunition throughout the course. Different brands and loads of ammunition can significantly affect the "zero" of your firearm. We also suggest students avoid the very cheapest ammunition and reloads. While "match grade" ammunition would be a waste of money, your investment in this course does justify the use of reasonably consistent ammunition. No incendiary, tracer, armor piercing, or other exotic ammunition is permitted.

A good quality holster. The holster should be an "open topped" type, worn on the hip. No shoulder holsters, "cross-draw" holsters or "pocket holsters" are allowed. The holster must be of such a type that re-holstering can be accomplished with one hand. Note that nylon or cloth holsters will often close up while the weapon is in use, requiring two hands to re-holster (one to hold the gun and the other to push the top of the holster open).

There is other equipment that is not required, but which we know from experience will enhance your experience of the course. We therefore recommend you bring the following:

Soft drinks or water to drink while down on the range. There is no water on the range itself, and the Club house is too far to run back and forth. No alcohol of any kind is to be consumed within eight hours of the start of any course session or at any time during the course.

Rain gear. The course proceeds rain or shine.

Back-up handgun. A second handgun is also a good idea, if you own or can borrow one. Firearms do break, and we cannot stop the course to make repairs. Even if we had time, parts may not be available, and many repairs cannot be accomplished in the field.

Please note:

Wear substantial shoes and "work clothes", denim jeans or fatigues.

Please transport your handgun to the range in UNLOADED condition.

Please e-mail tony@fireinstitute.org or call 412.310.7838 for course details or if you have any questions.

[TonyF]

One slot left in this class.

[TonyF]

We still have one slot left in this class.

[Mtbkski]

Tony, Would like to get the betterhalf to one of your courses. But the one on the 19th is bad timing with us moving, school starting, blah, blah, blah.

Anyway, how often do you hold a class like this. And do you ever hold women speicific classes. Thanks in advance.

[TonyF]

Tony, Would like to get the betterhalf to one of your courses. But the one on the 19th is bad timing with us moving, school starting, blah, blah, blah.

Anyway, how often do you hold a class like this. And do you ever hold women speicific classes. Thanks in advance.

This is the last one for the year. I was contemplating scheduling another but with the other classes on our schedule the balance of the year and my work schedule the prospects for another one day class in 2007 are slim.

We have considered offering a "ladies only" class but to tell you the truth I'm not convinced there would be enough interest. We have an idea that some women may be apprehensive about formal training because on the surface it does appear to be a male dominated activity.

However, we don't run our courses using gutter language and those who have attended can attest to that as fact. And it's certainly not a boot camp nor are we drill instructors.

We've had women in our classes, ranging in age from 20 something to 60 something in the one day and three day classes and we've never received any negative feedback regarding instructor conduct and behavior. And we wouldn't tolerate inappropriate behavior on the part of the students either.

[Justin]

I wish I could make this, but this is the only day this month that the better half has planned for me. Looks like I'll be signing up for the first one of '08

[TonyF]

Class is full.