NRA Pistol Instructor Course

[locke_n_load]

Hello everyone, I am taking my Pistol Instructor Course this weekend, and I am confident in my gun safety and shooting, especially with mag loading pistols. However, I am not very familiar with DA or SA revolvers. I plan on watching some videos online for the operation of these weapons (loading, unloading, etc.), but do I need to go the range tomorrow and rent some revolver's to get time with them, or will my instructor go over this information in detail? Any help is appreciated. Thanks.

[Skiprr]

Hands-on experience is always helpful, but it won't be necessary for the course. In my instructor's course a number of years ago, we never fired revolvers at the range; can't say that you will not this weekend, but I didn't.

Of more importance to the course is identification of revolver parts (frame, cylinder, trigger guard, back and front straps, ejector and ejector rod, etc.), and operation (loading, cocking, uncocking, unloading, cleaning, etc.). If you plan to do some refresher instructional videos about single- and double -action revolvers, you should be fine.

[sjfcontrol]

FYI -- You'll get in trouble if you call them "weapons" in class -- they're guns or firearms.

[mloamiller]

Going to the range isn't necessary, but you definitely need to know how to load/unload both SA and DA revolvers and different types of semi-autos. When I took my class, we did go over this in class, but we did the "proficiency demonstration" (not shooting, just loading/unloading) first. It had been years since I had handled a revolver and almost completely flubbed the SA revolver. I was expecting to go over it in class before the demonstration, and was quite surprised when it was the other way around.

[misterlarry]

You will be fine. The purpose of the course is for you to learn what you need to know. The NRA has been teaching courses for a long time and their course subject material is very good.

[BCGlocker]

Just saw this, I had similar experience when I took the class.

[Scott B.]

The NRA courses are only as good as the instructor. And, it is Basic Pistol. It's not tactical anything.

A good attitude will get you far with NRA instructors courses.

Don't worry about the SA pistols. Watch a video on unloading one and you'll be golden.

...and remember, for malfunction drills to WAIT 30 SECONDS. Your immediate tap-rack-bang instinct will get you. I kept repeating '30 seconds' in my head, right up until I was presented with the malfunction and it went right out the window

[Skiprr]

locke_n_load: Just dawned on me to mention this. The last update from NRA Training was February 10 and it addressed the new, blended curriculum for the "NRA Basics of Pistol Shooting" course, scheduled to be released "on or about February 17." There will be a transitional period through mid-May where folks can still teach the older format. After that, it will only be permissible to teach the blended format.

Since the new blended curriculum was not published when your course was set, you will undoubtedly be taking the older format. The Basic Pistol course Student Packets in the older format will not be available after February. The new format is a Phase 1, completed online, and a Phase 2 which is completed in the class. That Phase 2 lesson plan has been available for review on the instructors' website, but not available in printed form.

I'm sure your instructor will address this in detail, including what it means to your ability to teach the course. But if it isn't discussed in depth, I'd recommend asking all the questions you feel you need to in order to understand the ramifications.

[locke_n_load]

Thanks everyone. I'll watch some videos when I get home this evening to prepare.
And thanks for the 30 second wait tip. It will be hard to remember since I don't know anyone that actually does that.
Yes, mine is definitely the old format (nothing upfront to do, other than a questionnaire).

[misterlarry]

The NRA courses are only as good as the instructor. And, it is Basic Pistol. It's not tactical anything.

A good attitude will get you far with NRA instructors courses.

Don't worry about the SA pistols. Watch a video on unloading one and you'll be golden.

...and remember, for malfunction drills to WAIT 30 SECONDS. Your immediate tap-rack-bang instinct will get you. I kept repeating '30 seconds' in my head, right up until I was presented with the malfunction and it went right out the window

Couldn't agree more Scott, but that is because we both had the same awesome instructors. The 30 second wait for a misfire/hang fire and use of the word "weapon" likely catch everyone during their first NRA Instructors course.

[BCGlocker]

locke_n_load: Just dawned on me to mention this. The last update from NRA Training was February 10 and it addressed the new, blended curriculum for the "NRA Basics of Pistol Shooting" course, scheduled to be released "on or about February 17." There will be a transitional period through mid-May where folks can still teach the older format. After that, it will only be permissible to teach the blended format.

Since the new blended curriculum was not published when your course was set, you will undoubtedly be taking the older format. The Basic Pistol course Student Packets in the older format will not be available after February. The new format is a Phase 1, completed online, and a Phase 2 which is completed in the class. That Phase 2 lesson plan has been available for review on the instructors' website, but not available in printed form.

I'm sure your instructor will address this in detail, including what it means to your ability to teach the course. But if it isn't discussed in depth, I'd recommend asking all the questions you feel you need to in order to understand the ramifications.

I hope the new revised course will be more practical less PC (like no mention of a pistol being a weapon).

[locke_n_load]

locke_n_load: Just dawned on me to mention this. The last update from NRA Training was February 10 and it addressed the new, blended curriculum for the "NRA Basics of Pistol Shooting" course, scheduled to be released "on or about February 17." There will be a transitional period through mid-May where folks can still teach the older format. After that, it will only be permissible to teach the blended format.

Since the new blended curriculum was not published when your course was set, you will undoubtedly be taking the older format. The Basic Pistol course Student Packets in the older format will not be available after February. The new format is a Phase 1, completed online, and a Phase 2 which is completed in the class. That Phase 2 lesson plan has been available for review on the instructors' website, but not available in printed form.

I'm sure your instructor will address this in detail, including what it means to your ability to teach the course. But if it isn't discussed in depth, I'd recommend asking all the questions you feel you need to in order to understand the ramifications.

I hope the new revised course will be more practical less PC (like no mention of a pistol being a weapon).

Still very PC. Mention of "W" got you yelled at. Hard habit to break after saying it for 28 years.
BIT was a good waste of time. The rest of the information was semi-useful.
We were a transition class - the elearning/phase II stuff was only partially available. We were taught what we would be teaching, but did not get to take the electronic part of the class that our students will be taking.
Do not agree that you should not use your slide stop to release the slide. Hard habit to break on the range.
Had people on the range who could not qualify with their own weapons and had to borrow .22s. I don't agree with that practice (for instructors).
It did help show me that I need to go and rent a few pistols with more features than my glocks - decockers, external safeties, etc. so that I can effectively use them myself (to help a student who may have that weapon).

[misterlarry]

I personally don't have an issue with the NRA aversion to the use of the descriptor "weapon", mainly because of the intended target audience of a basic pistol course. You will find that most of your students will have both fears and myth beliefs that you will have to overcome in order to be effective. If we were giving refresher courses for Marines, everyone would expect and fully understand the word "weapon" and the context that it would and should be used in. These are assumptions that cannot be made with the general non-shooting public or beginning shooter.

Our commitment as an NRA Instructor is to always portray the organization and its goals in a positive light while we teach the knowledge, skills, and attitude necessary for our students to safely choose, maintain, and use a handgun.

While I have reduced my use of the word weapon, even with experienced shooters and friends, I still have a hard time calling anything that is not an artillery piece, a "gun". I have adjusted by using "handgun" the most to generally describe pistols and revolvers. Just mho.

[locke_n_load]

I did learn some good stuff.
I was doing the class in order to get my LTC instructor cert, but after taking the NRA instructor class, I think I will try to teach some NRA classes too - get people into shooting safely. I am probably biased after shooting since childhood and should adjust my mindset to think about teaching people who have not been around "firearms" (I typed weapons first here haha) that much.
I have to find some revolvers now (maybe after my tax return gets here).
Thanks Larry.