I am just browsing now.  I dont know where I will be this summer.  Just depends on what I do for work.  I am hoping to take a carbine and/or pistol course.  Money will be tight so I cant afford some uber tacticool $1500 course but would still like to find a solid one.

What worries me is that a lot of the instructors/classes/courses I have looked at have different levels.  Before you can take level 2 you need to do level 1.  Level 1 always seems to have the description "we will cover basic firearm saftey, maintenace, cleaning, and marksmanship".  They then have prices of $150+.  I'm not saying that I wouldnt benefit from one like this I just dont want to spend $150 to go learn how to dissasemble my firearms and then be told the basics of shooting.  Maybe if it were a $60 course but I cant justify hundreds of dollars on stuff I have learned and known for years.

Im good at standing/kneeling/sitting/laying in one spot and shooting, but I want to advance myself to the next level and dont want to teach myself bad techniques.

If I were in Utah I will be anywhere from SLC to the Idaho Border.
If I were in Idaho I will be around CDA or Boise.
If I were in Montana I will be around Billings or Bozeman.

Anyone have input?

 
Pretty much any instructor is going to require you to take their basic level class to establish your level.


I take a few courses throughout the year from http://practicalfirearmstraining.com/ Pat and the crew are great.

I understand that, and I would benefit from a good instructor led basics class.
I just want to make sure its not a $150 class where I sit there for 6 hours and watch power points on how to clean and how to be safe then we go out and shoot 150 rounds at a paper target and they say good or bad.  

Maybe its just the way PFT describes their classes but to me they look/sound solid.  They say where they are putting emphasis.

Here is a class description for another place I saw


This class isnt cheap and to me it just sounds like a waste of money, but maybe it is better than it sounds?

Then the next class they offer, the one I am interested in is this

That sounds better to me but for both of those classes I am looking at spending more than PFT's Defensive Handgun I.  I just want the most bang for my buck

Wy not one of the magpul classes in Wyoming?

Not any good carbine classes in the Bitterroot valley here in western MT.  Keep looking.

If in Idaho, check out Trinity Defense.
Advertises via facebook.

That company is in the Twin Falls, Rupert, Kimberely, Hailey area.

Check out Arrowhead.

Former team mate of mine; just check out the instructor page.

Hopefully he's nicer to his paying customers than he was to us!

He still does overseas work so I don't know about his schedule.

Deliberate dynamics is just outside Logan, UT.

Thanks all I will look into those

Consider Front Sight, Nv.  It is outside your travel range; however, you can find a Life Membership there for few hundred, this would allow you to take all the classes they offer.

Something to consider is that a lot of instructors will travel. Most of them will also offer you a free training slot if you organize the course and it meets an agreed upon minimum sign up number. I would suggest researching the instructor and training you want, discuss it with friends and your local range to see if the interest is there and then contact the instructor to see what you can set up. With a moderate amount of leg work on your end- you can save a good amount of money.