What would you pay for an intro to pistol shooting class?

[Odin Bravo One]

Working with local LE, I’ve been asked to teach some CCW type courses for citizens under the banner of the area LE agencies.

The course is projected to be a couple (maybe 3) hours on a Friday evening, a full day (8-10 hours) Saturday, and a couple (2-4) hours review and a testing course of fire on a Sunday afternoon. The course will meet the requirements for obtaining a CHL, and each student will have a basic background check conducted prior to admission. This doesn’t add any work on my end, but will take someone’s time for running names and DOBs through NICS.

Our area is poor to say the least. Every child in the local schools gets free lunch because it would cost more to hire someone to take the money from students who don’t qualify for nutritional assistance than they would bring in. ~40 % of the local population lives below the poverty line.

Given the financial realities, and the fact that the target audience isn’t “gun people”, but rather people who are considering buying and/or carrying a gun for defense, we’re looking at cost:benefit ratios, and trying to come up with a number that is affordable and appropriate to the circumstances.

Round count will very likely be less than 150 rounds total, with 25 of those fired as part of the testing process. I’m also considering providing ammo and rolling that into the cost. This is a not-for-profit endeavor, and local LE is providingn the range and training facilities, conducting background checks, advertising, and providing some insurance. Our LLC will provide the training materials and additional insurance for our staff on top of what the City/County provide.

What would you pay for 16 hours of basic firearms training with (and without) ammunition? What about a rental firearm? (To keep it simple it would most likely be a Glock 19 across the board).

[vcdgrips]

Going rate here in MO is 70 to 99 for an 8 hr class with perhaps another 10.00 for the gun rental based on memory and a quick interwebs search. Typically, the student is asked to bring the ammo for the rental gun.

Given that 150 rds of is going to cost somebody 20-30.00 per student, 5.00 in student materials plus misc., you have 35.00ish min. in real costs per student right off the bat.
Even if you are not for profit, given that you are giving 16 hours of instruction, anything under 99.99 would be an absolute bargain. I am really considering the economics of your stated demographic.


I myself would easily pay 150.00 for something like this all day long, particularly if I had some idea as to your training background, experience etc.

[Casual Friday]

The 8hr basic pistol class at the local range here is $149, 2 day is $279 with no rental or ammo provided. They have no trouble selling out classes after mass shootings. During peace time, there is always spots available the day of. We're a middle/upper middle class area and that is predominantly who fills the seats.

[scw2]

I agree with what vcdgrips mentioned above. I had to take a CCW class to apply for a permit last year, and prices were in the $70-100 range for an 8 hour class. The level of instruction frankly sucked, and it was a waste of time except for the fact it was a requirement to get my permit. Rental for a pistol was $10 I believe, with ammo provided by the student. I also agree on the pricing for 9mm being in the $20-30 range.

If you take the $70 price I paid for my class, and add $30 for ammo + rental, I'd say the students would be getting a very good price at $100 or less for a random CCW class of questionable value. For the quality of class that you'd be putting on, which happens to be twice as long, $100 or less would be a steal.

[jc000]

I worked somewhere running a 5hr (4hr classroom / 1hr range) basic pistol / CCW class for $125. In our affluent neck of the woods there didn’t seem to be any issues with keeping the classes filled.

Being sympathetic to people without a lot of disposable income, it would be great to see more intro courses in the $50-75 range. Is it possible that 16 hrs of instruction may be too much for people who are at the start of their firearms exposure? This may help minimize the costs. Also what is the expectation regarding class size?

I think if you could possibly pare the class down to less than 8 hours and keep costs under $100 that would be reasonable but in my opinion (as a cheap ass) if you could make something workable with a $50 cost, plus $10 rental / $10 box of ammo, you’d appeal to a broader pool of people.

Dealing with a good number of new shooters myself, I’ve seen that it’s hard for people without a lot of firearms exposure to see the value in training. Anything that could be done to make the process smooth and painless should be considered, IMO.

[rcbusmc24]

Down here in NC I just paid 75 bucks for a 8 hour CCH permit class that had the minimum 30 round course of fire and written test in order to qualify for my NC permit as my new orders have me staying here in Lejeune and not making my way back up to Quantico or Chesapeake as I had hoped (at least they didn't send me back to CA....). This did not include the cost of the box of ammo but did include range fees, target, NC CCH booklet and Cert cost. There is a outfit down here that runs a Concealed carry development course that I have done a few times and it runs 250 for a two day class, ammo not included. Other than the Marines stationed here, this area is pretty economically depressed as well, with minimum wage and just above jobs being the norm in the area, It is hard to fill a class here, even at a low cost, but I would like to think that offering loaner pistols, ammo and everything else would be a value add for those attending. As for me, I would pay (and have before) a premium for a concealed carry class taught by a knowledgable individual that stays framed in the realities of civilian concealed carry, knowledgably covers legal issues and considerations, actively discourages derp... and has a instructor who demonstrated commitment to student improvement during the course.

Here in NC the class is a requirement to get a permit, but most of the classes are literally permit mills..... the guy teaching mine was defiantly into it for the 75 bucks per student he was getting paid and while he had to follow the provided NC course material his asides were particularly cringe worthy. Most are going to look for the cheapest class they can find though, because all they want is the certificate number to put on their permit application. If this is a not for profit endeavor then perhaps add up the cost of providing the training, targets and ammo, add a percentage to that number and see how many bites you get... I, and most members of this board would probably pay way more for a Sean M carry class that your average gun owner though simply cause we already know the value of what we would be getting.

[Robinson]

Similar to what someone else mentioned, I'm wondering if a 6-8 hour intro class for say $75 with ammo might make sense. Or maybe $50 and they bring their own ammo.

But if a 16-hour class has already been decided on in order to make room for ample lecture time and scoring for evaluation then $150 is more than fair, in fact generous.

[LSP552]

In Louisiana, basic CCW training was basically 9.5 hrs and costs were around $125.

Up here in RI, much more effluent, classes are about $100 for 4 -5 hrs.

It sounds like you are proving much more than would be required as a state minimum for the license. The attendees are extremely fortunate!

Sounds like maybe the local price point might be around $150 -$200? I’d personally pay more, on top of ammo cost. Not sure what Glock rental costs are.

PM inbound.

[Gewehr3]

I have a friend that teaches a course like you describe in a similar rural area. He charges $50 per 8 hr. course. Students bring their own supplies. Also, the local Sheriff's Dept. offers a similar course for $75 a day.

I applaud you for your efforts.

[Totem Polar]

Sean, for 2 to 2.5 day shooting classes with reputable folks having even remotely near your level of operational experience , the real market value back here in the PacNW seems to run from 400-650 or so for 2.5/20hrs, depending largely on materials (up to and including sims, range set up, or junker cars with fresh glass to shoot from within).

On the other hand, a basic 1-day 8-5 CCW with qual—but BYOgat and ammo—is pretty much represented (and sewn up) by these guys that I believe you might know, here:

http://www.centertargetsports.com/co...ed-ccw-cts-300

A quick look at their offerings gives you an idea of regional pricing. You know the Cd’A area; cars can be anything from junker trucks from the fringes with no tabs to mint ‘63 split window ‘vettes or 488 Ferraris, so it’s all over the map, economically.

From what it sounds like, your neighbors can’t afford you and you know it, so thanks for giving back. I’d strongly suggest condensing down to two days and either lengthening the Friday leg a couple of hours, or just doing Sat/Sun at 8per. It’s not just the dough that working class folks have trouble sparing—three days away from life/work/family/dependents/etc is an exponentially harder sell than a weekend.

Everyone has an opinion, and mine is to keep it to no more than 16 on two days with a probable local market friends and family price of roughly 100/day including student supplies, but not counting your life experience which you are clearly supplying pro bono. Adjust from there as needed to fill seats. Even with the sponsorship intent, anything less than 2 benjamins for 16hours including rental and rounds is a total givaway. Doesn’t mean that you shouldn’t do it for less, but folks need to appreciate it, especially including supplies. That’s a crazy good opportunity for folks.

Seriously though, a class that spans across three calendar days is that year’s vacation for many people (including me, since I blocked out booking work for 2.5+ to take another run at ECQC including craft whiskey and hosting a free-range Canadian in a few weeks, because, everyone needs a vacation).

For an intermediate version of a 2.5 with you, I’d expect to do 4-5 bills depending upon set up, and bring a bucket of my own loaded mags and kit.

FWIW. Sounds like a great opportunity for your local peeps. Let us know how it evolves, if you would.