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Before heading out to get certified as a new Handgun Instructor I was making calls to our local gun ranges to ask if they will let me use their range to qualify my students (not for free ofcourse) and every range that I spoke with told me "NO"

So here is the big question for all those that are new instructors, or for those of you that have been doing this for a while:

So we now how our Certificate...how else can we qualify our students if we don't have a range? sounds pointless to be certified...if you can't properly run your business.


Any thoughts out there???

Please email me...I appreciate your time!

Justin, in Cypress Texas

email: armamerica@gmail.com


P.S...If I owned my own range, I would let others rent it out...that's money in my pocket...IDK

I gave up and have let my certification lapse. I found nothing but major resistance and a bit of hostility everywhere I inquired. I think has to do with a very limited market with slim profit margins which makes established instructors very territorial. Ranges already have affiliated instructors who ate going to be very protective of their market. I don't really blame them but it does make getting started very difficult if you don't already have a relationship with a range.

Good luck...I gave up. My sons Boy Scout council needs a certified RSO. My wife who is a den leader has voluntered me so I'm going to go that route I think.

hello out there...

Another question...does anyone know of any Instructor friendly ranges here in Houston?

jk

I am so glad I haven't had that experience!! The owner of the range I have been going to has been super supportive--not only does he know that I am taking multiple instructor classes--when he has a class he thinks I would enjoy or should take, he is sure to tell me about it!

You said you were making calls--are these ranges you have been to? Do they know you from "Adam"--or are you just someone on the phone that they don't know? That may be the issue!

Some ideas:
1. work with a range you already have a relationship with.
2. buy or lease some land and build your own private range.
3. buy or lease some land and build a range with other instructors.
4. buy or lease some land and build a range to rent to other instructors.

Maybe I'm strange but this is something I would have considered before getting certified as an instructor, and not just for CHL. If I was thinking of becoming a CFI and doing flying lessons, I would make sure I had an airplane or two lined up that I could rent for lessons - or I would apply for a job at a flight school or FBO that has airplanes.

I haven't had this problem. All have been open and supportive... for a price. Only one has flat refused me... Hot Wells.

I've only asked at one in Houston, the one closest to me. Shiloh Indoor will allow you to qualify students. They charge a flat fee per student, (reasonable--a buck or two more than just a normal "range fee"), and they provide the B-27 target for you.

I've helped another instructor run students there, and it's just fine--they gave us bays right together, and let us have at it.

Now finding a venue to hold the actual class has been a bit more of a challenge. so far I've only done one class, it was for a couple, and i did it in their home.

...think "who has a classroom situation that I can trade with?" a church might let you use a meeting room...if the pastor got his class free...so might an insurance agent...any company who trains people...

I'm WAY out here in El Paso and something that worked for me is the MARY KAY ladies... If you can find the place where the local Mary Kay Cosmetics ladies actually get trained and meet every so often and offer them free Basic Pistol or CHL courses, you'll hit paydirt! I taught the senior instructor and a few of the other staff the CHL Course for free and took the rest of the ladies out for a Basic Pistol Course for free and I get to use their classroom for free. Might be a good idea to get started off of out there. Just another tip....

Art

Keep in mind nothing says you have to use an official range. Know farmer Joe who has a burm around his tank? Anyone with private property who might want to make a few bucks? Take some portable stands and there ya go.

goheeled wrote:I haven't had this problem. All have been open and supportive... for a price. Only one has flat refused me... Hot Wells.

So Goheeled, where have you been going to qual your students? Im in the instructor course now. Not sure if I'm even going to get real serious about teaching but just seeing how it is out there in "the jungle".
Oh if you ever need any help you can send me a message. I live in the area and have a couple weeks off at a time so I can definitely help every once in a while. I can give you my email and you can get in contact that way too. If you dont want any help I understand that too. Just throwing it out there.

I was a Marksmanship Coach in the Corps and wanted to give this a shot since I had the spare time and money.
I also thought I might be able to make a few extra dollars while doing something interesting and helpful for the public.

Now I need to know if anyone has any ideas on a public or private range that allows qualification and perhaps also classroom use for outside instructors south of Fort Worth or Arlington. I called one private range and the owner has so far not returned my calls. I had a place and it didn't pan out for things that sure shake a person's faith in the goodness of some people. I guess that is for the best I found out early. Any ideas anyone?


Edit; I did hear from the range mentioned above. They were sincerely very polite but are not interested at this time in having CHL classes/instructors there. Perhaps sometime in the future. It's a nice facility there from what I have heard and the owner offers a tactical training program I might even be interested in for myself. I did not feel from our conversation that they are trying to keep instructors out, just aren't into offering CHL classes currently. Hopefully, that will change.

I'm just wondering why many folks that decide to get their instructor's certification don't investigate and find a place that will let them hold their shooting qualification before getting the instructor's certificate? It would seem to me like having a place to shoot would be critical to my ability hold a CHL class.

C-dub wrote:I'm just wondering why many folks that decide to get their instructor's certification don't investigate and find a place that will let them hold their shooting qualification before getting the instructor's certificate? It would seem to me like having a place to shoot would be critical to my ability hold a CHL class.

I had several people the last day of our class telling me they had no idea where to teach and what was I going to do. When I started telling them of places they could check (ie, restaurants, community centers, hotel conference rooms, board meeting rooms of real estate offices, etc) they were like "Oh, never thought of those." A few said they had decided not to bother teaching at all. After a week of investing time and money...

Has the market already been saturated and there are too many CHL instructors now? Always wonder how much lower the CHL classes can go down as each year they seem to drop lower and lower. I'm also starting to see a lot more "tractical" shooting (pistols/carbine) instructors out there now too.