Posted: 7/19/2026 8:19:04 AM EDT
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Has anybody been to the class work is sending me. Iv had the state level instructor cert for 5 years but they now want me to have the NRA cert as well. Is the class any good. What is the shooting test at the end of the class? Iv heard that its both hard and that its a nothing test. |
Peter had been right, always right; the power to cause pain is the only power that matters, the power to kill and destroy, because if you can't kill then you are always subject to those who can, and nothing and no one will ever save you.”
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I took the class some 20 years ago. The criteria to even begin the class was a 90 on the shooting test The logic was something like how can you instruct others on how to shoot if you couldn’t shoot. It wasn’t hard, as it was similar to most le qualifications. You just needed a higher score to start the instructor class. My class had two correction guys that had Glock 23’s, first time seeing a Glock. The triggers were such that I couldn’t pull them. Imagine a 50 lb trigger. They failed out within the first day. Turns out they were bone dry. Never liked glocks from that day forward . I had a mossberg pump fall apart after 125 shots, never liked mossbergs after that either It’s a good class and at the time showed things like decision making shooting using slides etc Sort of like a fats machine before there were fats machines |
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I attended one many years ago...MANY years...mostly about safety, range use and safety...Only a little bit about shooting, but I would hope in the years since I attended they have improved their curriculum. The basic police academy at Oregon's police academy (DPSST) had a much better basic curriculum designed by Major Bill Garland..that man could sure teach and run a program. I had the utmost respect for his ability to design a course that presumed the student had never even held a pistol before and turn the majority of them into acceptable firearm carrying police officers. He was a great teacher and fine fellow to boot. |
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It’s been a long time since I’ve been. There used to be a lot of classroom time on how to instruct. The shooting part is simple enough to pass, especially if you are already instructing. It’s also hard enough to wash out the people who show up unprepared. If you take the classes for other disciplines, they are mostly the same format in the classroom, with the range portion changed to emphasize that particular subject. |
Distinguished
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Originally Posted By rock71: It’s been a long time since I’ve been. There used to be a lot of classroom time on how to instruct. The shooting part is simple enough to pass, especially if you are already instructing. It’s also hard enough to wash out the people who show up unprepared. If you take the classes for other disciplines, they are mostly the same format in the classroom, with the range portion changed to emphasize that particular subject. Its nice to hear about the classroom time I got picked for the instructor slot because I'm that guy. I once shot our state qual head shots only because I was bored. I shoot USPSA. So they sent me to classes about how to shoot and I did learn a few things but what I have not gotten is much on how to instruct other than watching the instructors at the classes I have gone to. Originally Posted By GrizzlyAdams: You’ll see some real winners in there and you’ll ask yourself how the heck did this guy get to be an instructor? Sadly this I was at the Glock MOS Instructor workshop last month and all I have to say about some of the students is how do they let you teach people. |
Peter had been right, always right; the power to cause pain is the only power that matters, the power to kill and destroy, because if you can't kill then you are always subject to those who can, and nothing and no one will ever save you.”
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Originally Posted By Genin: I attended one many years ago...MANY years...mostly about safety, range use and safety...Only a little bit about shooting, but I would hope in the years since I attended they have improved their curriculum. The basic police academy at Oregon's police academy (DPSST) had a much better basic curriculum designed by Major Bill Garland..that man could sure teach and run a program. I had the utmost respect for his ability to design a course that presumed the student had never even held a pistol before and turn the majority of them into acceptable firearm carrying police officers. He was a great teacher and fine fellow to boot. And he was funny as hell to boot. (Not to recruits though). He admitted one day that the eye box on the DPSST target was the size it was because he had a calculator that size, so he traced it…. Viola- new state standard target! |
a loaded gun won’t set you free, so you say…
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Originally Posted By blueinterceptor: I took the class some 20 years ago. The criteria to even begin the class was a 90 on the shooting test The logic was something like how can you instruct others on how to shoot if you couldn’t shoot. It wasn’t hard, as it was similar to most le qualifications. You just needed a higher score to start the instructor class. My class had two correction guys that had Glock 23’s, first time seeing a Glock. The triggers were such that I couldn’t pull them. Imagine a 50 lb trigger. They failed out within the first day. Turns out they were bone dry. Never liked glocks from that day forward . I had a mossberg pump fall apart after 125 shots, never liked mossbergs after that either It’s a good class and at the time showed things like decision making shooting using slides etc Sort of like a fats machine before there were fats machines Any agency sending folks to any instructor level class with a brand new to them platform is criminally stupid. What a waste of training slots. |
a loaded gun won’t set you free, so you say…
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I can’t comment on the NRA LE handgun course, as I did state classes for that. Am only an NRA patrol rifle instructor technically. I actually need to get some training hours in so I can renew soon. My guess is that is will be decent enough. Their LE stuff is leaps and bounds above the pay to play regular instructor classes that the average person can attend. A lot of the regular “certified NRA instructors” are comcerning to say the least, while only some of the LE level ones are! |
a loaded gun won’t set you free, so you say…
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I just did NRA Patrol Rifle Instructor for the 3rd or 4th time. 24 years of instructing, USPSA shooter for many years including multiple National matches and doing decent at them in Production division. After the first day they pretty much just left me alone, and at the end when we had a group project to design and run a drill I was basically told walk away during the debrief as I was the only one that could provide the answers they asked. It is a basic instructor course and if you are competent and have a basic idea of instruction you are a thousand times ahead of the game. Best part is I shot Tula the entire week and during the zeroing exercise my groups were substantially better than the remainder of the class. The classes are stupid easy, and if you have done any dry fire and some live training you will be just fine. Edited to add. I guess I should I have looked to see who originally posted. You will be fine Robert, you will make the rest of the class look like fools. I won’t have to do this crap any more as this Saturday is my last day in LE, retiring early due to shit leadership and bureaucracy with my agency. |
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LE firearms instructor since 2007. Multiple Fed agency certifications as well as FLETC. I went to the NRA LE "Tactical shooting instructor" class, the "patrol rifle instructor" class, and the "Handgun instructor" class. This was in 2016 and 2018. My agency paid for all 3 classes. It was a complete waste of time and money. They were all VERY basic classes, that were more of a training class for students more than an instructor level class. As a basic level class, they were pretty good. Decent amount of trigger time in all three classes, but not a lot of "how to be a better instructor". Class size was kept small which was nice. Everyone in my classes was already an instructor for their respective agency. I don't think anyone picked up anything new, and there was more than a couple things they were teaching which was outdated. I hope they have updated their curriculum and methods since then. It was very big on safety, which is good, but it lacked in instructor methods. I would say if you were a brand new instructor with no formal teaching experience or have never been to any instructor development class, you will not walk out of the NRA courses being a good instructor... If you agency is paying the fare, enjoy it, take notes, and then look for better LE specific instructor courses. |
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Originally Posted By zen_grasshopper: I won’t have to do this crap any more as this Saturday is my last day in LE, retiring early due to shit leadership and bureaucracy with my agency. Congratulations on retirement. Im looking forward to April 1st 2032 when it will be my turn. |
Peter had been right, always right; the power to cause pain is the only power that matters, the power to kill and destroy, because if you can't kill then you are always subject to those who can, and nothing and no one will ever save you.”