Suppressed Handgun for Qualification

[FuzzyLollipop]

I plan on FINALLY getting my CHL soon and I wanted to qualify with my suppressed FNX45 with an RMR. I want to use this gun because I shoot the best with it. Does anyone know if there are any restrictions to using a holo sight or a suppressor for the shooting portion?

[Glockster]

Lasers/dots or other forms of additional or optional sighting and/or "optical enhancers" are prohibited by the state for use while qualifying.

I myself don't know about suppressors.

[Pawpaw]

Also, don't worry about your accuracy. The test is so easy, you could easily pass with minute-of-barn-door accuracy.

[CleverNickname]

I want to use this gun because I shoot the best with it.

A more cynical person than I might think you just want to be the center of attention during the shooting portion of the class.

You're not going to be carrying the gun suppressed, so why shoot the test with it suppressed? Shoot the test with whatever gun you will be carrying.

[TVGuy]

Welcome to the forum.

No for the sight, as mentioned before. I don't know if the suppressor is a no-go, but it's unnecessary. The test is very easy.

[AJSully421]

The CHL test in embarrassingly easy.

You could grab the nastiest, rustiest, old revolver for any pawn shop in this state and pass the CHL qual with it... so long as you could get it to go bang 50 times.

If I were the instructor, I'd tell you to unscrew that suppressor and test without it. My first class I was told, in no uncertain terms, that DPS rules are that you cannot use any sort of optic or laser (optics on pistols was more rare then). My first qual was with a Beretta 92 with a lasergrip and the instructor about had a fit making sure that master switch was turned off and he told me he had better not see a red dot dancing around over there... and then he said I should ditch that thing and get a 1911... and then he called me a young whipper snapper... true story. (Maybe not that last part)

Second time was with a bone stock G17 (My carry gun).

You aren't going to impress anyone with your shooting ability, even with a 250/250 score. I know, I have done it twice... no one cares.

What else do you have that you could qualify with?

[TVGuy]

You aren't going to impress anyone with your shooting ability, even with a 250/250 score. I know, I have done it twice... no one cares.

You make a very good point here. The range where I last qualified kind of mumbled my score (249) said "passed" loudly and then crumpled the target and put it in the trash with 19 others.

Frankly, they don't want anyone knowing your score...They see it as a potential liability thing if in the future you are in the position that you have to use your pistol to defend yourself.

"He was a crack shot, why couldn't he have shot the robber in the leg" or "He hit the bystander because he was a terrible shot, he just barely passed his CHL test and shouldn't have been carrying"

There are a multitude of problems that could be brought up by this.

[Abraham]

I'll chime in: Even if you're a mediocre shot, you'll pass...

[Jago668]

You could pass it using a slingshot to send the rounds downrange. My lady friend is getting her chl, testing either this Saturday or next (have to love when work interferes). She hadn't shot anything in over a decade when we first went to the range and she scored around a 203 if memory serves. Now you can fail it, I watched an older guy with a snub nose 38 score a 101 after the 3 and 7 yard sections. Making it impossible to pass even if he got the last 10 rounds all in the 5 point section. I don't know how long it had been since he had shot, but his pistol was doing figure 8's in the air basically. He shot the target holder once at the 3 yard line. This was for armed security re-qualification, but it is the same course of fire as the chl.

So if you have any kind of control over your pistol you will pass. You might get a good shooting for someone standing next to you on the firing line, but as others have said the schools aren't going to make a big deal of it. When I got mine they called us up separately to tell us our scores. So you didn't even know if other people had passed or failed, much less their scores, unless the person told you themselves.

[mojo84]

What would be the purpose or advantage of using a suppressor? Do you believe it helps with accuracy? If so, how?

[Setxjeff]

To me the hardest part of the test was waiting for the target to settle down between shots. Being only held at the top the close shots made the paper wave backwards almost flat from my neighbors pistol? It did not sound any different but it had lots of muzzle blast on my target.

[Texsquatch]

So, I'm guessing someone who owns a suppressor is an experienced shooter. And I'm guessing most experienced shooters could qualify with anything that goes bang. I'm also guessing anyone who wants to qualify with a suppressor is showing off.

Is this the part where we guess "troll" and move on?

[FuzzyLollipop]

Not a troll. I was contemplating using it as the suppressor drastically reduces muzzle blast and imo allows for quicker follow up shots. I was mostly curious about what was or was not allowed as my research didn't provide a definitive answer on using an RMR equipped pistol. Thanks for the replies and I will just use a different gun for the shooting portion. The test seems super easy and I was wrongly looking at it more as a range trip than as a shooting proficiency test that is to be taken seriously. I AM NOT saying that I don't take my responsibility of having a chl and carrying daily seriously, just the qualification. Thanks again

[n5wd]

If you were coming to me for your qualification, i'd let you use the supressor, and we'd have the "now, just why did you want to qualify that way? You're not planning to carry that way are you?" talk. Then I'd probably ask if I could try it out, and did you bring any extra ammo...

As others have said, DPS says you can't use any sighting help, but it doesn't say that you can't use a supressor.

[The Annoyed Man]

Not a troll. I was contemplating using it as the suppressor drastically reduces muzzle blast and imo allows for quicker follow up shots. I was mostly curious about what was or was not allowed as my research didn't provide a definitive answer on using an RMR equipped pistol. Thanks for the replies and I will just use a different gun for the shooting portion. The test seems super easy and I was wrongly looking at it more as a range trip than as a shooting proficiency test that is to be taken seriously. I AM NOT saying that I don't take my responsibility of having a chl and carrying daily seriously, just the qualification. Thanks again

"Quicker follow up shots" will not be an issue during the qualification. You'll be given enough time for each string of shots to EASILY shoot all shots in the time allotted, pretty much with any gun. Suppressors are cool (I have one on the way for one of my rifles), but believe me, you won't need it for the qual, and you'll just draw unwanted attention to yourself. Really.