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(long) Took my CHL class Yesterday... Review

4K views 15 replies 11 participants last post by  TedBeau 
#1 ·
I was asked my one of my instructors to give a review of my experience and post it on this site, so here it is. First, the class was the cheapest price wise I've found in the state. I would have paid 4 times as much to go through this course.

I arrived at 7:00am at the church in Russellville AR where the class room would be held. The class was put on by the ARV Gun club, and I'll say first, this was a fine group of men. We checked in our weapons and took a seat in the class room, soon after I was greeted by Bob [HotGuns] (he was the one who referred me to this course, I met him on this site) He was one of the many instructors whom taught the course. Which was nice to listen to different people instead of one person lecturing the whole time :bier: I was the first one in the class to arrive which gave me a chance to talk to different members of this gun club, all of which were very easy people to talk to. After seeing all the NRA certified instructors, and seasoned NRA vets, I knew I was in Good Company.

The Class began with the syllabus of the course, which entailed going over the laws of carrying, what, when, why and how. This is one of the things I was looking forward to most, I walked into the class room wondering what a "justifiable threat" was, wondering where I can carry, all the questions of when is it ok to "defend" yourself or a third person, I had no clue. I left with all my questions answered, The instructor who gave this segment was seasoned in the world of "Law" and was very informative, yet stressing the issue of "You are hear because you have made a decision that you are willing to take another mans life if you are in fear for your own." That point was repeated over and over, for good reason, those who have already given thought to that issue and come to terms with it, nodded in agreement. And he challenged those who have not. Leaving I thought about that statement, and Just how IMPORTANT it is in the world of Conceal Carrying.

The next segment of the course went over Guns, how they worked, what made them fire, and different holster options as well as carry methods in vehicles. I will admit, this got a little old :icon_neutral: BUT that is only because I grew up with firearms, my whole family carries, and I spend alot of time sucking in information on this site. BUT I'm very glad this section was done, for this reason. Through out the class students would ask questions, most of which were good questions, then some asked questions that were "common logic" to myself. Thats when I realized there were people in the class which have never shot a weapon before, or were brand new to the world of firearms. So this segment was very needed, and very well done. They showed us different rounds that had been fired and recovered so people could get a feel of what bullets did. As well as models of walls that they had shot with various calibers of guns, so people could see just the pass through of these bullets. :hand10: Again, Very very informative. He Left us with this quote "Once the bullet is fired, you cant put it back in the barrel.

I was alittle nervous about the shooting part, I was going on no sleep the night before, and worried about shooting the .45 one handed, Bob assured me I would be just fine, soon I would Find out what he meant.

The Next person to speek was a LEO, a very outspoken man who brought a sense of presence with him when he spoke. He was an entertaining man, I Loved listening to him talk to us. He talked about how CCW holders and their relation to LEO's, what to do if stopped, what to do if the day comes that you have to use your CCW for protection. He drove to lines into our head, that which will never leave me. He told us what to say when a cop arrives on the scene of a shooting... "I was in fear of my Life" Cop respondeds "Why are their 18 brass shells at your feet?!" We respond "I shot till there was no longer a threat" He did an excellent job, it was nice to have an actual LEO there to talk to us. He covered a variety of topics all of which were much needed, and we needed to hear.

After taking a break to eat some doughnuts and grab a cup of coffee, Bob [Hotguns] went over the rules of the range, and gun handling and safety. And after hearing some of the questions the students asked I was VERY VERY VERY glad he did this :rofl: He talked about how to handle guns at the range and the course that we would be shooting.
Course 1:
Shoot 1-reload
1-reload
1-reload
2-reload
2-reload
3-reload
3-reload

Course 2
1-reload
1-reload
3-reload
3-reload
3-reload
6-reload
6-reload

Course 3
shoulder point of aim

1-reload
2-reload
3-reload
3-reload
6-reload
6-reload

Course 4
Rapid Fire

6-reload
6-reload
6-reload
6-reload

Dont quote me on the number of shots in some course's, thats what my memory gathered haha

The Range Was beautiful ARVG is an amazing place to shoot. We arrived and left our guns in the cases pointing down range. We then were put in groups of 2 at a station. There were 40 people there and we all shot at the same time which was a sigh of relief. They continued to drive SAFETY safety SAFETY SAFETY into our heads and were very careful. After going over the range rules again we teamed up/ The team would take turns shooting- one person being the shooter, while the other served as a coach, the coach kept an eye on the person and made sure they were using that gun the safest way possible. We were teamed up with strangers, for a reason. Because we are more likely to respect someone we don't know than someone we do (Damn...These guys are good...and have thought of it all) We shot each course, clearing the line in between each segment, again safety safety safety. Once we finished we made our way to the building and there we were handed our packets for the license, we filled them out in the class room and turned them back in so they could review them to make sure we had made no mistakes, and if we did they informed us of them. We were handed them, in the envelope ready to send to the State Police. :hand10: Again Class A stuff here.

The shooting was in a relaxed environment, no one was out there measuring shot groups, they didn't pressure you at all... If you were a student with little experience Bob took them to the lower range and said he would stay their as long as it took to get these students shooting SAFELY and accurate.

The dedication of these Men and Women to help us through this course was amazing, they gave there time and effort to educate us. I learned alot of information that may just save my life one day, I made new friends and gained valuable insight I don't think you can gain from reading a website. I did'nt know how to shoot point-aim, I did'nt know how to shoot rapid fire accurately... I do now. I give this class an A+ Im not just saying that, It was an amazing course.

Thank you Again [HotGuns] I cant thank you enough. Any one in AR needing to take a CCW course, I highly recommend ARVGC Contact [HotGuns] for info.
 
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#3 ·
Nice review..
 
#4 ·
Some people ask and others brag about why or how their states do not require any classroom instruction or training to get a CHL,CCW,CWP,or whatever you call it,and that right there is a good reason,to become informed and to learn about all aspects of carrying a concealed handgun for self defense,and safe and proper weapon handling
 
#8 ·
Amen!

Kansas' requirements are similar to this, minimum 8 hours class time (not including shooting), I can't exactly remember the number of shots. Same boring dribble (for me) about which end of the gun the bullets come out, cleaning, blah blah.

We watched a video with Massad Ayoob and some famous New York policeman (I forget his name-go ahead flame me). It was a very good class but not as nice as the one posted here-but it was adequate.

What we lacked, and wish we would have had, was the LEO interaction. The instructors covered what to say and do when interacting or in the case of a shooting, but I think it would be great to have an actual LEO there.

There were only 4 :frown: in the class and was $100.00, yes I've seem them cheaper 150 miles away. But I'm glad I did it when I did.

Thanks for posting 45XDCCW, sounds like you had a great class.


Joker1
 
#7 ·
Sounds like it was well worth your time. Now you and those around you are a little safer.
Now take an extended course and get more training...classes make the difference in SD/HD.

Stay armed...get training and practice...stay safe!
 
#12 ·
45XDCCW, just a "for my own information" question, did the police officer who addressed part of the class happen to mention, "never talk to the police without an attorney present"? If not, can you tell us what he did tell you to do or say besides the couple of lines you've already stated?
Thanks.
 
#14 ·
We dont go over much in the way of legal details, it's more of what to do in a practical aspect. What to do, what not to do when getting stopped, what to expect if you have to shoot, when to fire in defense of a third person, when it may seem like you might be doing the right thing, but in reality you arent, we go over various scenarious and change a few facts that make for different outcomes, and we really try to make you think of things that you haven't before. Its things that you need to know and we try to make it enjoyable.

The legal jargon is taught by the Prosecutor, the man that you'll have to go face to face with in the event of a shoot.
 
#13 ·
What do you mean exactly? HotGuns since you normally give that segment of the course can you anwser havegunjoe's question?
 
#15 ·
Thanks Bob
 
#16 ·
Sounds like a really nice class.

The class I took was fair, but I do think there could have been more done to cover what to do if you have to draw and use your weapon. They covered general when you can/should draw, but of course there is no way to cover or even think of every possible scenario.
Also, it seemed that the prosecuter spent more time discussing what is legal and illegal "Before" you have your CPL. He spent 15-20 minutes covering transporting handguns in a vehicle without a CPL. In Michigan it all changes once you have the little green piece of paper anyways!

I am one of those that agrees that there should be a minimum required training before issuing a CPL. With Rights come Responsibilities. The class I took was good, but maybe could have been better. It sounds like the one the OP attended was very good.
 
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