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Thread: AAR NRA LE Handgun Instructor Hoquiam WA 5/12-5/16/2014

  1. #1
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    AAR NRA LE Handgun Instructor Hoquiam WA 5/12-5/16/2014

    I recently had the pleasure of taking my first LE firearms instructor course from the NRA. This one is focused on the handgun and was held in Hoquiam Washington. The tuition for the course was $595 and required 1200 rounds of ammo, 800 for your primary gun and 400 for you off duty/concealed gun. One thing they did not mention, is if you want to actually be certified then you also need to be a member of the NRA. While I believe that everyone that enjoys firearms should be a member about half of the class had to sign up upon class completion. The NRA cert is good for 3 years. After that time you must "recert" which requires you to have taken 24 hours of instruction and pay a $30 fee to remain an instructor.

    This course was taught by Jeff Hall. He is a retired Alaska State trooper and Vietnam vet. Though I hadn't heard of him as a trainer previously, I did recognize him from the Sniper: Deadliest encounters show I had watched on the history channel (his piece starts at 1:55 in the video below). He also has his own training company, Force Options.

    http://www.forceoptions.net/about.php



    The class consisted of roughly 44 hours of training, which was a combination of both classroom and range drills. The classroom presentations consisted of Handgun Marksmanship fundamentals, Handgun Handling techniques, Coaching techniques, Firearms Safety and Range Organization, NRA programs, Prep and Construction of Lesson plans, Legal outline, and Developing and Conducting Practical Range Training. There was also a great course on how to create your own live fire FATS simulator with Power point, a projector and a large reflective surface. We were also required to give a presentation on the last day of class on how to perform a firearms related task, i.e. I did mine on Type II malfunctions and how to clear them.

    Range work consisted of Coach/Shooter Drills, Multiple concealed carry drills, Support hand shooting and weapon manipulation, One handed shooting, Moving while shooting, Multiple targets, trigger reset and Immediate action drills. We also constantly tested zero and accuracy with one whole drills.

    By the end of the class I felt very confident in my coaching ability and my shooting ability. While the schools specifically say they are not a shooting school as you should already be a good shooter, it is always nice to see how you stack up against LEOs outside of your department. Because our class was a bit more advanced than most we ended up with a decent amount of ammo left. Even with this fact I felt that I shot enough in this class and was glad to have ammo for my own practicing. The one thing I will say is I would recommend taking an LE only class. While we only had one private security guy in the class, he was our only "Delbert" and nearly put a bullet through his ass and/or leg while doing concealed carry drills. While I understand there are some squared away guys in the private sector and a lot of "Delberts" in the LE sector, all of the LE guys in the class were squared away.

    I would definitely take another NRA class in the future, especially if it was taught by Jeff. I feel like the cost vs. training you get from the NRA schools makes them well worth it.

  2. #2
    Thanks for the review. Does the 24 hours of instruction to recert have to come from the NRA, or is it simply 24 hours of firearms instruction? There is an NRA patrol rifle instructor class in my area later in the year, and I am trying to decide between it and another option.
    I had an ER nurse in a class. I noticed she kept taking all head shots. Her response when asked why, "'I've seen too many people who have been shot in the chest putting up a fight in the ER." Point taken.

  3. #3
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    Quote Originally Posted by jlw View Post
    Thanks for the review. Does the 24 hours of instruction to recert have to come from the NRA, or is it simply 24 hours of firearms instruction? There is an NRA patrol rifle instructor class in my area later in the year, and I am trying to decide between it and another option.
    In a nutshell- 24hrs of virtually anything that's credible. Up to 8hrs of armorer training. You can't use your agency in-service training for continuing ed, but attending an outside agency's event qualifies. They're pretty easy to work with. You'll have no trouble keeping your cred by just doing what you're already doing.

    The details- http://le.nra.org/training/recertification.aspx
    الدهون القاع الفتيات لك جعل العالم هزاز جولة الذهاب

  4. #4
    Jeff Hall is a good friend and a STELLAR instructor. I actually met him while he was AI'ing for Mark Fricke at an NRA LEAD Instructor course. If Mark or Jeff are teaching the class, I can guarantee it will be a solid course. They are not "shooting" classes, they are to mint L/E instructors, and in this regard they are a bargain.
    Just a Hairy Special Snowflake supply clerk with no field experience, shooting an Asymetric carbine as a Try Hard. Snarky and easily butt hurt. Favorite animal is the Cape Buffalo....likely indicative of a personality disorder.
    "If I had a grandpa, he would look like Delbert Belton".

  5. #5
    Quote Originally Posted by Skintop911 View Post
    In a nutshell- 24hrs of virtually anything that's credible. Up to 8hrs of armorer training. You can't use your agency in-service training for continuing ed, but attending an outside agency's event qualifies. They're pretty easy to work with. You'll have no trouble keeping your cred by just doing what you're already doing.

    The details- http://le.nra.org/training/recertification.aspx
    Thanks for the info. That requirement will be easy enough to achieve.

    Now I have to decide between 40 hours/$595/sleeping-in-my-own-bed-every-night or 24 hours/$180/+3-nights-in-a-hotel.
    I had an ER nurse in a class. I noticed she kept taking all head shots. Her response when asked why, "'I've seen too many people who have been shot in the chest putting up a fight in the ER." Point taken.

  6. #6
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    Nyeti,

    Totally agree about Jeff. Though the class isn't supposed to be a shooting class, Jeff threw in some great stuff and I feel like I came out a better shooter as well. Not sure if Jeff teaches elsewhere for the NRA but I am pretty sure he does all of their WA classes as he is based out of their now. I really want to take Jeff's Designated Marksmen class...

    Quote Originally Posted by nyeti View Post
    Jeff Hall is a good friend and a STELLAR instructor. I actually met him while he was AI'ing for Mark Fricke at an NRA LEAD Instructor course. If Mark or Jeff are teaching the class, I can guarantee it will be a solid course. They are not "shooting" classes, they are to mint L/E instructors, and in this regard they are a bargain.

  7. #7
    Without a doubt, you do shooting in the class, and especially with guys like Mark and Jeff. I only pointed it out because I have seen folks deride the classes as not being high speed enough on the shooting side. The goal of the course is to ensure that the instructors can both shoot and properly instruct line cops to shoot and develop safe and efficient range programs that are street applicable. Shooting is a big part, but is not the main goal.
    Just a Hairy Special Snowflake supply clerk with no field experience, shooting an Asymetric carbine as a Try Hard. Snarky and easily butt hurt. Favorite animal is the Cape Buffalo....likely indicative of a personality disorder.
    "If I had a grandpa, he would look like Delbert Belton".

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