handgun training

[MrsTuesday]

I am looking for some handgun training for myself and my mother-in-law. I have some firearms experience, my mother-in-law has very little. I am leaning toward a women's only class in hopes of helping her comfort level. I have seen only a couple of training classes listed so far and was hoping for a few more suggestions as well as any personal recommendations as far as which classes were liked/disliked, instructors who taught women well, etc.
We are in the central Indiana (Indianapolis, Martinsville, Brown County) area.

 

[Captain Morgan]

I can't really help with your specific questions, but scroll down a bit farther on the front page of the site and you'll see numerous sections for different training companies that support the forum. There are several threads in each subforum and links to each training companies websites for more info on each. I'm sure someone will be along shortly to give you more specific answers, but this should get you started in the right direction. Welcome to INGO

 

[Coach]

I can help you with the type of training you desire, and we can do privately rather than in a formal class. Check out my website and some things posted about me here on the forum. Then shoot me an email and we can find a time.

www.brightfirearmstraining.com

 

[NIFT]

While we do not, at this time, schedule regular women-only classes, a very large portion of our guests are ladies--frequently, ladies outnumber men; plus, one of our staff instructors is, very definitely, a lady: Charlene Aldridge, NRA Certified Instructor and NRA Range Safety Officer.

We have done, and will continue to do, ladies-only classes on a case-by-case group basis.

We have been highly intentional--and successful--about making our classes very woman friendly. Almost without exception, ladies who come to our classes leave with broad smiles and can't wait to get out and shoot some more. That happened just last Saturday with a delightful, but somewhat hesitant, young lady attending with her boyfriend. She ended up shooting some truly fine groups, with the last two shots of the day taking out the X, and that is some really good shooting!

Please go here: Indiana Firearms Training and do some browsing. I think you will see just how woman-friendly we are, and we look forward to serving you.

 

[tyr1toby]

Tyr 1 Training Corp is holding a Basic handgun class on Jan 19 Near Michigan City but it is just over the state line in Michigan. If you want any further info please feel free to contact me to discuss any training needs.

 

[Jackson]

If you can answer a couple questions we can direct you to an appropriate training class:

1. What kind of experience does your MIL have? Is she comfortable operating the firearm on her own or has she never touched one?

2. How far are you willing to travel?

3. Would you be interested in one-on-one instruction or do you want a larger class?

4. Do you both have your own firearms to take to the class? What are they?

5. Tell us about your experience with firearms, too.

 

[cedartop]

If you can answer a couple questions we can direct you to an appropriate training class:

1. What kind of experience does your MIL have? Is she comfortable operating the firearm on her own or has she never touched one?

2. How far are you willing to travel?

3. Would you be interested in one-on-one instruction or do you want a larger class?

4. Do you both have your own firearms to take to the class? What are they?

5. Tell us about your experience with firearms, too.

Somebody like Jackson will steer you right. The rest of us mean well, but will all try to sell you our training.

 

[Jackson]

Somebody like Jackson will steer you right. The rest of us mean well, but will all try to sell you our training.

These type of threads always turn in to a series of sales pitches. Its good that we have so many good and willing trainers in Indiana. At the same time though, when someone comes on asking for a recommendation for training its good to get a good feel for their needs before telling them where to go.

In this case with the mother-in-law having almost no experience (not having any more details than we do), it sounds like an NRA Basic Pistol or equivalent type course may be appropriate. Something that will baby-step through the safety, vocabulary, and various types of firearms and introduce considerations for selection and use. It is also possible that the MIL does not yet own a pistol. So a course that provides trainer pistols may be required.

Private instruction may also be appropriate. It would certainly be more focused. It is also possible the lack of structure and fluid curriculum would cause the session to focus more on shooting fundamentals and less on general firearm knowledge that would be presented in a structured basic course. That is not to say it would be a bad thing or a good thing. That could not be evaluated without knowing more about the goals and aspirations of the prospective students, their current level of knowlege, and their real needs.

For this reason, I try to keep up to speed on the trainers in my area and those who travel through the state. I enjoy helping people determine their needs and directing them to the appropriate starting place to meet their goals.

That being said, I am sure all of the people who have commented so far would be excellent resources. I've met 3 of them personally, and trained with two of them either as a student, or as a classmate, or both. We are fortunate to have a lot of training talent in our state.

 

[VERT]

Two choices close to Brown County.

1) Hoosier Hills has training courses. Craig hosts ladies only courses as well. Find them at Hoosier Hills Rifle and Pistol Club

2) Another good choice is NRA Basic Pistol and Personal Protection in the Home. These courses are introductory and like NIFT said attended by a lot of women. Find those classes at NRAInstructors.org - Portal for NRA certified Instructors, NRA Education and Training. Craig, Gordon and I will be hosting courses in March and September near Columbus. But I noticed many other courses being available.

Private instruction is another great option.

 

[MrsTuesday]

In response to Jackson's questions (Sorry, I'm still trying to figure this all out and the "quote" thing is confusing me.):
1) My mother in law has shot a handgun maybe once. She did not have a good reaction (literally threw the gun in the air). But she is now interested in learning more and trying again. She would not be comfortable on her own.
2) I am willing to travel within about an hour radius of Indianapolis or Martinsville, which opens quite a bit of territory. Columbus, Bloomington, any parts of Indy are all well within my travel area.
3) Upon discussion with my husband and others, I have a group of 8 people now interested in a class, so we could form our own small class easily.
4) I have a Keltec P3AT that I could use. My mother in law does not, but could borrow one if that is an issue.
5) I am by no means an expert - not even close. But my husband and I have been shooting with our children (rifles) for the last 5 years. In the last year I have begun shooting pistols a little more. I have a basic understanding of them, can shoot relatively proficiently but have no formal training and certainly make many mistakes. I still have to think through everything I do. I want to be sure I don't begin developing habits that are poor as I'm starting to practice more.

Thanks to all who have responded. I'm researching all the suggestions given thus far.

 

[Jackson]

In response to Jackson's questions (Sorry, I'm still trying to figure this all out and the "quote" thing is confusing me.):
1) My mother in law has shot a handgun maybe once. She did not have a good reaction (literally threw the gun in the air). But she is now interested in learning more and trying again. She would not be comfortable on her own.
2) I am willing to travel within about an hour radius of Indianapolis or Martinsville, which opens quite a bit of territory. Columbus, Bloomington, any parts of Indy are all well within my travel area.
3) Upon discussion with my husband and others, I have a group of 8 people now interested in a class, so we could form our own small class easily.
4) I have a Keltec P3AT that I could use. My mother in law does not, but could borrow one if that is an issue.
5) I am by no means an expert - not even close. But my husband and I have been shooting with our children (rifles) for the last 5 years. In the last year I have begun shooting pistols a little more. I have a basic understanding of them, can shoot relatively proficiently but have no formal training and certainly make many mistakes. I still have to think through everything I do. I want to be sure I don't begin developing habits that are poor as I'm starting to practice more.

Thanks to all who have responded. I'm researching all the suggestions given thus far.

I think you and your MIL need different things. It sounds like MIL is very uncomfortable with shooting altogether and putting her in to a class full of people with mixed skills may make her uncomfortable. It also sounds like she may need significant individual attention and a slow-paced range session with a .22 pistol. You could look to an NRA Basic Pistol class, as it may be sufficiently slow paced. However, with her complete lack of comfort, it may be better to get some one-on-one time with someone like Coach who could go at her pace and help her become more comfortable.

Because you are already comfortable shooting, you have many more workable options. If your primary interest is personal defense, you could look to defensive pistol classes hosted by any of the above instructors. I would probably skip NRA Basic Pistol and move to someone's Intro to Defensive Pistol type course. You could look at ACT, Bright Firearms Training (Coach), or the Boone County Sheriff's Department. I am not familiar with Hoosier Hills, but it may be a good option as well. The Boone County Sheriff's Intro to Defensive Pistol course is one I commonly recommend to people seeking their first defensive course. All of these are within the area you mentioned.

If your interest are less about defensive shooting and you are interested in specifically working marksmanship, you probably wont beat a round of private instruction with Coach or someone similar. The individual attention will allow him to really diagnose and provide feedback. However, if you want to take a group of people to learn the basics of defensive shooting and gun handling, any of the above classes would work for you. I would look to get MIL up to speed individually before dropping her in to a defensive pistol class. And private instruction is probably the best approach for her.

By the way, Welcome to INGO. Please come back and tell us about your experiences regardless of who you go with.

 

[downrange72]

In response to Jackson's questions (Sorry, I'm still trying to figure this all out and the "quote" thing is confusing me.):
1) My mother in law has shot a handgun maybe once. She did not have a good reaction (literally threw the gun in the air). But she is now interested in learning more and trying again. She would not be comfortable on her own.
2) I am willing to travel within about an hour radius of Indianapolis or Martinsville, which opens quite a bit of territory. Columbus, Bloomington, any parts of Indy are all well within my travel area.
3) Upon discussion with my husband and others, I have a group of 8 people now interested in a class, so we could form our own small class easily.
4) I have a Keltec P3AT that I could use. My mother in law does not, but could borrow one if that is an issue.
5) I am by no means an expert - not even close. But my husband and I have been shooting with our children (rifles) for the last 5 years. In the last year I have begun shooting pistols a little more. I have a basic understanding of them, can shoot relatively proficiently but have no formal training and certainly make many mistakes. I still have to think through everything I do. I want to be sure I don't begin developing habits that are poor as I'm starting to practice more.

Thanks to all who have responded. I'm researching all the suggestions given thus far.

I really just needed to quote this to show that even I can do it

Jackson is not steering you wrong here. ACT (rhino, obijohn), BFT (Coach), I can vouch for personally. Boone County fills up quick. I currently do not have the website, but I believe they only teach a couple of beginning defensive pistols each year.

Welcome aboard

 

[Jackson]

I currently do not have the website, but

My post had links to each instructor's websites.

 

[downrange72]

My post had links to each instructor's websites.

I was posting from my phone . It isn't user friendly (for me anyway).

 

[Momof6]

I think you and your MIL need different things. It sounds like MIL is very uncomfortable with shooting altogether and putting her in to a class full of people with mixed skills may make her uncomfortable. It also sounds like she may need significant individual attention and a slow-paced range session with a .22 pistol. You could look to an NRA Basic Pistol class, as it may be sufficiently slow paced. However, with her complete lack of comfort, it may be better to get some one-on-one time with someone like Coach who could go at her pace and help her become more comfortable.

Because you are already comfortable shooting, you have many more workable options. If your primary interest is personal defense, you could look to defensive pistol classes hosted by any of the above instructors. I would probably skip NRA Basic Pistol and move to someone's Intro to Defensive Pistol type course. You could look at ACT, Bright Firearms Training (Coach), or the Boone County Sheriff's Department. I am not familiar with Hoosier Hills, but it may be a good option as well. The Boone County Sheriff's Intro to Defensive Pistol course is one I commonly recommend to people seeking their first defensive course. All of these are within the area you mentioned.

If your interest are less about defensive shooting and you are interested in specifically working marksmanship, you probably wont beat a round of private instruction with Coach or someone similar. The individual attention will allow him to really diagnose and provide feedback. However, if you want to take a group of people to learn the basics of defensive shooting and gun handling, any of the above classes would work for you. I would look to get MIL up to speed individually before dropping her in to a defensive pistol class. And private instruction is probably the best approach for her.

By the way, Welcome to INGO. Please come back and tell us about your experiences regardless of who you go with.

Thank you, thank you, thank you. Though not intended for me, this tells me exactly what I needed to know as well.

 

[Jackson]

Thank you, thank you, thank you. Though not intended for me, this tells me exactly what I needed to know as well.

Glad I could help.!

 

[inccwchris]

If you are out near Acton, Indiana, or Indianapolis, I would be able to help you out with that. I have a Basic Pistol Class in March out at the Custom Cop Corporation building or if you are interested I also offer a couple different one on one courses.