NRA Basic Pistol Course -- a Review
Taught by: Cary "Buzz" Arney, Range Officer at Camp Atterbury Public Range
Date: 4/26/2008
The quick summary:
Lars and I took the Basic Pistol Course on Saturday morning at the DNR office located down the street from the Public Range at Camp Atterbury. It was taught by Buzz Arney, a certified NRA instructor and rifle aficionado for the better part of his life. This course is held every fourth Saturday at the Range, and it costs $100 per person to attend.
During the course we learned the various parts of revolver and semi-automatic pistols; the various parts and types of ammunition; how to use a pistol safely; how to operate a pistol; basic shooting fundamentals (position, grip, breath control, sight alignment, trigger squeeze, and follow-through); two-handed shooting positions; and (after we did some practical shooting) how to clean the guns.
Considering it was Buzz's second time ever teaching this particular course, he actually did a pretty decent job with it. One of the things that was in our pile of pamphlets was a book from the NRA titled "The Basics of Pistol Shooting." Unfortunately, Buzz read the first four chapters to us pretty much verbatim. When he stopped for a moment to explain something, it was very clear that he knew the material and was very familiar with the essentials of what the course taught. During those periods, he was very animated, and he was able to share the information in a way that made it relatable and memorable. However, when he was reading the book and having us highlight important information, I needed more coffee to keep me awake, especially as it caused him to repeatedly repeat what he had just said during one of his more animated moments.
It wasn't until the second part of the class that I really perked up and paid better attention. At that point, he wasn't happy with the layout of the given course (he didn't understand why they taught you how to clean your pistol before you shot it since you should clean it when you're done shooting anyway), so he started skipping around the book a little more. Rather than read to us line by line, he started giving us the course material in his own words, which actually made a lot more sense.
We were given a five minute break every hour, and we had a half hour break for lunch. As mentioned in my Pink Hats and Rose-Colored Glasses thread, we had about a 45 minute break during the practical shooting session in order to allow the dedication ceremony to take place. It started at 8:00 am, and we were released from the class around 4:15 pm. We received a frame-suitable certificate of completion as well as a patch saying we had completed the course.
Now for the overly-detailed version of my opinion of this specific course:
There were seven people total attending this course: Diane, who had never owned or shot a pistol in her life, but her husband (who passed away in January) had always owned and carried several; me and Lars, new enough to pistol shooting to need a few classes under our belts but have been to the range often enough that all the ROs know who we are; Darryl, a guy who wasn't really new to pistols, but had never had any formal training; Carol, a woman who wasn't new to guns in general, but was new enough to pistols that Buzz had gone shopping with her to help her pick out her revolver; a man who was familiar with rifles but still new to pistols; and a couple who had gone hunting quite a bit and was familiar with rifles and shotguns, but was brand new to pistols. So we were all fairly new to pistols in general, but some were newer than others.
I learned I have had some pretty decent informal instructors in Lars and the various people he's introduced me to (his friends Mike and Bob from his Ham Radio hobby, Fenway [also a Mike], and Jon [the former Army guy who sadly lives in Chicago]).
Learning the pistol and ammunition parts and types was interesting for me because it let me get a good look at revolvers (on the off-chance I ever *have* to shoot one, I can now), especially since the completely-new-to-firearms woman was sitting next to me and had one (still wrapped in the plastic in its box). Sitting next to her was actually a good thing for me, too. I was able to whisper to her some of the girls-only things I've figured out over the last couple of months (like, check out Cornered Cat).
The course also really reinforced basic safety rules that by now for me are "duh" moments. Seriously, the gun should be pointed down-range. When Buzz was going over this particular topic, he commented that he noticed women especially have a habit of pointing the gun where-ever they are talking instead of keeping the muzzle down-range. Acknowledging this was true, I whispered to the new woman that because of that peculiarity, I am developing the habit of setting the pistol down on the bench when talking to someone so I don't accidentally do that. (It's a by-product of talking with our hands too much.) He also covered some basic etiquette when looking at guns (in either a show-and-tell situation or when shopping for a new handgun), such as dropping the magazine and opening the slide or popping out the cylinder of a revolver, which was nice to have reiterated, although I've learned it from watching people so often the last few months.
I struggled a little when we got to the shooting fundamentals and positions, though. Again, he was teaching from the book, so I'll give him some leniency here, but I became very much aware that he was more familiar with rifles and shotguns than he was with pistols. The basic shooting stance that the course covers is square on with the target with your arms out in front of you (from what I understand is your basic Isosceles stance, based on other sites I've read). Buzz made the comment that women have a tendency to lean back, as though they are trying to get as far away from the gun as possible, and that we shouldn't do that. I can relate to that; I've done it. I tried standing his way while we were in the classroom, but at one point, I naturally fell into the way I have been standing at the range, which is a slightly modified version of the Weaver stance: turned slightly with my right foot behind me. This happened about the same time he was commenting on women leaning back, so I asked him if I had to stand that way, or if I could stand turned slightly because it actually kept me more balanced and I wasn't as inclined to lean back. I'm guessing that is actually a valid reason for women leaning back as well; we don't have the upper body strength men do, and the slightly-turned position makes me less top-heavy. That's a bad way of saying it since I'm not really *that* top-heavy naturally, but it's how I feel about it once you add the weight of a pistol in your hands. It's easier to balance the weight of the gun out in front of me by having my foot slightly behind me. He countered that it would mess up my natural sight picture, but allowed that I should stand how I was most comfortable shooting. During the practical shooting, though, I really did try to do the straight on shoulder-width apart stance thing. It was a lot easier with the bench rest, which again reaffirms my balance issue belief.
I also challenged Buzz on how to hold a pistol. I think this actually shows where he's more comfortable with a revolver than a semi-auto. He showed us how the pistol should fit into the V of our right hand (great), then wrap our left hand around the right (yep), with the left thumb covering the right thumb (uh...what?). I showed him that I had been trained differently (both thumbs straight out, right on top, left on bottom, neither covering the other, so I could hit the slide lock/release easily) and that it was difficult for me to try to do it otherwise. He said, "Alright, if that's how you've been trained," and moved on to Lars. I glanced down at the book and noticed it said on page 71 "Semi-automatic shooters should rest the right thumb on top of the left thumb." and on the next page it even has a photo of the exact way I was holding it. So I underlined the sentence and listened as he explained that the most important thing with your grip is that you do it exactly the same way every time. So I nodded and continued doing it the same way I have every time.
He was also a big supporter of shooting with both eyes open (as is the book). My eyes are seriously screwy (near-sighted in my left eye, far-sighted in my right eye), so shooting with both eyes open is difficult for me since I usually end up with two (sometimes three) targets instead of one and three or four rear sight dots when there should only be two, when I focus all of my attention on the pretty green front sight dot (I have to admit, this is where shooting the AR-15 was actually easier for me than the pistol. Both eyes open. Got it.). My screwy vision and multiple dots kind of make it difficult to get things lined up. However, I can acknowledge it really is better if I shoot with both eyes open, so I really tried to do this. The lesson I learned during the practical shooting: I shoot about six inches lower with both eyes open. I need to work on that.
He did a good job of covering the required material per the course instructions. As I said, he made it clear several times that he knows the material well (most of it from his own experiences, even, not necessarily how he was taught to teach it). Some constructive criticism, though: 1) When he was demonstrating how to operate a slide, or load a bullet, or whatever needed to be demonstrated, he consistently turned his back on half the class. I was fortunate enough to be sitting in full view of everything he did, but I could see the couple across the room from me get frustrated, and they did ask him a couple of times to repeat his demonstration for them. 2) By the end of the class, he was clearly only teaching to the women who were completely new to guns. Unfortunately, it was the end of the class I needed most help with, and my DH was purposely trying not to help me (under the dogma that what I learn for myself, I'll remember better. *grumbles about the rightness of that statement*). This was the gun-cleaning portion of the class. He had mentioned that he doesn't always field strip his guns when he sits down to clean them; he only does that 3 or 4 times a year. But I honestly don't see how I can clean my gun effectively and not field strip it. In fact, Lars already had his completely taken apart by the time Buzz got his cleaning kit out. (By the way... I seriously need to get a cleaning snake... that tool is AWESOME. It's like cheating!) Then, Buzz spent all his time helping Diane go through her gun. Understandable, considering she'd never owned, fired, or even touched one before, but at the same time, the rest of us were left to figure out what to clean, how to clean it, and all the other stuff that goes with it. If forced to, I could probably do it on my own, but in all honesty, I've only cleaned my own weapon a handful of times and still get confused how to put everything back together once I get it all apart.
All in all, I give this course a thumbs up, in the hope that Buzz's teaching style will improve as he develops more of a routine of covering the material.
Taught by: Cary "Buzz" Arney, Range Officer at Camp Atterbury Public Range
Date: 4/26/2008
The quick summary:
Lars and I took the Basic Pistol Course on Saturday morning at the DNR office located down the street from the Public Range at Camp Atterbury. It was taught by Buzz Arney, a certified NRA instructor and rifle aficionado for the better part of his life. This course is held every fourth Saturday at the Range, and it costs $100 per person to attend.
During the course we learned the various parts of revolver and semi-automatic pistols; the various parts and types of ammunition; how to use a pistol safely; how to operate a pistol; basic shooting fundamentals (position, grip, breath control, sight alignment, trigger squeeze, and follow-through); two-handed shooting positions; and (after we did some practical shooting) how to clean the guns.
Considering it was Buzz's second time ever teaching this particular course, he actually did a pretty decent job with it. One of the things that was in our pile of pamphlets was a book from the NRA titled "The Basics of Pistol Shooting." Unfortunately, Buzz read the first four chapters to us pretty much verbatim. When he stopped for a moment to explain something, it was very clear that he knew the material and was very familiar with the essentials of what the course taught. During those periods, he was very animated, and he was able to share the information in a way that made it relatable and memorable. However, when he was reading the book and having us highlight important information, I needed more coffee to keep me awake, especially as it caused him to repeatedly repeat what he had just said during one of his more animated moments.
It wasn't until the second part of the class that I really perked up and paid better attention. At that point, he wasn't happy with the layout of the given course (he didn't understand why they taught you how to clean your pistol before you shot it since you should clean it when you're done shooting anyway), so he started skipping around the book a little more. Rather than read to us line by line, he started giving us the course material in his own words, which actually made a lot more sense.
We were given a five minute break every hour, and we had a half hour break for lunch. As mentioned in my Pink Hats and Rose-Colored Glasses thread, we had about a 45 minute break during the practical shooting session in order to allow the dedication ceremony to take place. It started at 8:00 am, and we were released from the class around 4:15 pm. We received a frame-suitable certificate of completion as well as a patch saying we had completed the course.
Now for the overly-detailed version of my opinion of this specific course:
There were seven people total attending this course: Diane, who had never owned or shot a pistol in her life, but her husband (who passed away in January) had always owned and carried several; me and Lars, new enough to pistol shooting to need a few classes under our belts but have been to the range often enough that all the ROs know who we are; Darryl, a guy who wasn't really new to pistols, but had never had any formal training; Carol, a woman who wasn't new to guns in general, but was new enough to pistols that Buzz had gone shopping with her to help her pick out her revolver; a man who was familiar with rifles but still new to pistols; and a couple who had gone hunting quite a bit and was familiar with rifles and shotguns, but was brand new to pistols. So we were all fairly new to pistols in general, but some were newer than others.
I learned I have had some pretty decent informal instructors in Lars and the various people he's introduced me to (his friends Mike and Bob from his Ham Radio hobby, Fenway [also a Mike], and Jon [the former Army guy who sadly lives in Chicago]).
Learning the pistol and ammunition parts and types was interesting for me because it let me get a good look at revolvers (on the off-chance I ever *have* to shoot one, I can now), especially since the completely-new-to-firearms woman was sitting next to me and had one (still wrapped in the plastic in its box). Sitting next to her was actually a good thing for me, too. I was able to whisper to her some of the girls-only things I've figured out over the last couple of months (like, check out Cornered Cat).
The course also really reinforced basic safety rules that by now for me are "duh" moments. Seriously, the gun should be pointed down-range. When Buzz was going over this particular topic, he commented that he noticed women especially have a habit of pointing the gun where-ever they are talking instead of keeping the muzzle down-range. Acknowledging this was true, I whispered to the new woman that because of that peculiarity, I am developing the habit of setting the pistol down on the bench when talking to someone so I don't accidentally do that. (It's a by-product of talking with our hands too much.) He also covered some basic etiquette when looking at guns (in either a show-and-tell situation or when shopping for a new handgun), such as dropping the magazine and opening the slide or popping out the cylinder of a revolver, which was nice to have reiterated, although I've learned it from watching people so often the last few months.
I struggled a little when we got to the shooting fundamentals and positions, though. Again, he was teaching from the book, so I'll give him some leniency here, but I became very much aware that he was more familiar with rifles and shotguns than he was with pistols. The basic shooting stance that the course covers is square on with the target with your arms out in front of you (from what I understand is your basic Isosceles stance, based on other sites I've read). Buzz made the comment that women have a tendency to lean back, as though they are trying to get as far away from the gun as possible, and that we shouldn't do that. I can relate to that; I've done it. I tried standing his way while we were in the classroom, but at one point, I naturally fell into the way I have been standing at the range, which is a slightly modified version of the Weaver stance: turned slightly with my right foot behind me. This happened about the same time he was commenting on women leaning back, so I asked him if I had to stand that way, or if I could stand turned slightly because it actually kept me more balanced and I wasn't as inclined to lean back. I'm guessing that is actually a valid reason for women leaning back as well; we don't have the upper body strength men do, and the slightly-turned position makes me less top-heavy. That's a bad way of saying it since I'm not really *that* top-heavy naturally, but it's how I feel about it once you add the weight of a pistol in your hands. It's easier to balance the weight of the gun out in front of me by having my foot slightly behind me. He countered that it would mess up my natural sight picture, but allowed that I should stand how I was most comfortable shooting. During the practical shooting, though, I really did try to do the straight on shoulder-width apart stance thing. It was a lot easier with the bench rest, which again reaffirms my balance issue belief.
I also challenged Buzz on how to hold a pistol. I think this actually shows where he's more comfortable with a revolver than a semi-auto. He showed us how the pistol should fit into the V of our right hand (great), then wrap our left hand around the right (yep), with the left thumb covering the right thumb (uh...what?). I showed him that I had been trained differently (both thumbs straight out, right on top, left on bottom, neither covering the other, so I could hit the slide lock/release easily) and that it was difficult for me to try to do it otherwise. He said, "Alright, if that's how you've been trained," and moved on to Lars. I glanced down at the book and noticed it said on page 71 "Semi-automatic shooters should rest the right thumb on top of the left thumb." and on the next page it even has a photo of the exact way I was holding it. So I underlined the sentence and listened as he explained that the most important thing with your grip is that you do it exactly the same way every time. So I nodded and continued doing it the same way I have every time.
He was also a big supporter of shooting with both eyes open (as is the book). My eyes are seriously screwy (near-sighted in my left eye, far-sighted in my right eye), so shooting with both eyes open is difficult for me since I usually end up with two (sometimes three) targets instead of one and three or four rear sight dots when there should only be two, when I focus all of my attention on the pretty green front sight dot (I have to admit, this is where shooting the AR-15 was actually easier for me than the pistol. Both eyes open. Got it.). My screwy vision and multiple dots kind of make it difficult to get things lined up. However, I can acknowledge it really is better if I shoot with both eyes open, so I really tried to do this. The lesson I learned during the practical shooting: I shoot about six inches lower with both eyes open. I need to work on that.
He did a good job of covering the required material per the course instructions. As I said, he made it clear several times that he knows the material well (most of it from his own experiences, even, not necessarily how he was taught to teach it). Some constructive criticism, though: 1) When he was demonstrating how to operate a slide, or load a bullet, or whatever needed to be demonstrated, he consistently turned his back on half the class. I was fortunate enough to be sitting in full view of everything he did, but I could see the couple across the room from me get frustrated, and they did ask him a couple of times to repeat his demonstration for them. 2) By the end of the class, he was clearly only teaching to the women who were completely new to guns. Unfortunately, it was the end of the class I needed most help with, and my DH was purposely trying not to help me (under the dogma that what I learn for myself, I'll remember better. *grumbles about the rightness of that statement*). This was the gun-cleaning portion of the class. He had mentioned that he doesn't always field strip his guns when he sits down to clean them; he only does that 3 or 4 times a year. But I honestly don't see how I can clean my gun effectively and not field strip it. In fact, Lars already had his completely taken apart by the time Buzz got his cleaning kit out. (By the way... I seriously need to get a cleaning snake... that tool is AWESOME. It's like cheating!) Then, Buzz spent all his time helping Diane go through her gun. Understandable, considering she'd never owned, fired, or even touched one before, but at the same time, the rest of us were left to figure out what to clean, how to clean it, and all the other stuff that goes with it. If forced to, I could probably do it on my own, but in all honesty, I've only cleaned my own weapon a handful of times and still get confused how to put everything back together once I get it all apart.
All in all, I give this course a thumbs up, in the hope that Buzz's teaching style will improve as he develops more of a routine of covering the material.
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