I’ve been instructing firearms classes for years and I have also been a student of firearms instruction for an even longer time. I’ve been fortunate to have taken classes from some very talented instructors and I been in classes where the instructors literally knew less than the students. As my involvement in firearms instruction increased, I became even more aware of the need for easy to understand, comprehensive personal instruction, and a corresponding curriculum to support that need. I chose to teach the NRA family of courses and I now hold numerous instructor and coach certifications. Overall, these are the best and most well rounded courses one can take without spending thousands on one of the high end gun schools.

Now the NRA is taking the next step in helping students learn about firearms, their uses, and the need to ALWAYS be safe. The new blended learning system is now operational and I am really excited about putting it into practice. The first course in the blended learning system is the NRA Basics of Pistol Shooting. Here’s how it works.

Students will take the course in two phases. Phase One is an online course that will take about 6 hours to complete. At the end of the course the student will take a test to evaluate their progress. When they pass, then it is on to Phase Two which I’ll describe in a moment. I’ve have thoroughly studied the new online lessons and find them to be extremely valuable for everyone, new shooter or seasoned veteran, who wants to learn about handguns and their use. The lessons are well organized, logical, and are available 24/7 for the student to study and complete at their own pace. The lessons take anywhere from about 5 minutes up to about 20 minutes each to complete. Review questions at the end of each lesson test the student’s understanding of the material presented. Only after correctly answering the questions can the student move on to the next topic. When finished with the course, the student can print a certificate and enroll in a Phase Two session. The NRA online portion of the course is $ 60.00 and includes a hardcover handbook that is mailed to the student. It’s a great value.

Phase Two of the course is where I, or certified instructors like me, come in. We host a short classroom session and then the range portion of the course. What I really love about this new blended learning system is having more time to work with students at the range and the fact that students have much more time to digest the information that is presented to them. It is really a great system and I’m looking forward the expansion of blended learning into other NRA courses I offer.

One of the niceties of the blended learning system is the ability of the student to choose an instructor and Phase Two range session just about anywhere the class is taught. I recently relocated to Broadwater County and I’m now a proud member of the Broadwater Rod and Gun Club. This terrific club has an indoor pistol range and classroom. We have taught pistol classes for years and we are now upgrading to NRA classes. In addition to the Phase Two class we include a lecture on Montana law concerning firearms and concealed carry. I’ve scheduled two Phase Two courses in the near future, the first on June 11, 2016, and the second on July 16, 2016. We’ve kept the cost down to a low $ 40.00, making the total cost of both classes, Phase One and Phase Two, just $ 100.00. In addition, we are offering the NRA Personal Protection in the Home course on June 5, 2016 for $ 100.00. This is a great course for those who want to protect themselves and their families on the Homefront. Finally, I’m really excited to offer the NRA Defensive Pistol Course on June 12, 2016. This is a new concealed carry course now being offered by the NRA and qualified certified instructors. Cost for this course is $ 125.00. If you would like more information or wish to enroll in these courses, here’s links:

• http://www.nrainstructors.org/CourseCatalog.aspx
• http://www.nrainstructors.org/Search.aspx

If you wish to enroll in the Personal Protection in the Home or Defensive pistol courses, you will need to contact me as there are some simple prerequisites for entry into the classes. Just drop me an email at guncoach@gmail.com or use the contact form at www.guncoach.net.

These are great courses that will make you a safer, more accurate, and knowledgeable pistol owner.

Be safe and good shooting.
Colonel Smoothbore