Never A Victim
Marksman
Gun Handling 101. Bright Firearms Training. 11/11/2015 Avon, Indiana
This is a course review for Gun Handing 101 taught by Bright Firearms Training at Parabellum Indoor Range in Avon, Indiana. This course was instructed by Aron Bright and was 2 hours in length. The cost of this course was $50.00. Gear used was a Glock 19 with XS Big Dot sights, NSR LLC-4 holster, and 3 Glock 19 magazines.
The idea of taking a local “101” level course had been on my mind for a while. I’ve taken beginner handgun courses from local instructors in the past and was left very unsatisfied. The idea of an “entry” level firearms course breeds itself to treating the students like they are a walking liability. Not allowing loaded guns anywhere except the firing line, low round count, and “unload, show clear” were commonplace in my experience with these type of courses.
Gun Handling 101 was a breath of fresh air.
When I arrived, I was met by Aron who asked me if I had all of the required equipment. He then told me to go to the range and load my handgun and come back out for the classroom portion. I was very happy to hear this, as other entry level handgun courses do not allow loaded handguns until you are literally about to shoot. There were two other students, both of which had a low level of handgun training. I was again happy to later discover that all of us learned something from this course, regardless of our pre-existing levels of training.
The teaching points and subject matter covered was a little different than I had come to expect taking firearms training courses over the years. We started sitting in the lobby of the gun store and the first topic covered was how to clear a malfunction. Aron’s logic behind this was that if you encounter a stoppage at the range, you will know how to clear it no matter if it happens on the first round or the 100[SUP]th[/SUP]. That makes sense. At times it was difficult to hear what Aron was talking about because we were so close to the live fire indoor range. I later discovered a very professional classroom that I felt would have been a better place to go over some of these topics. Aside from that, I also felt the order of the subject matter taught left a little to be desired. Draw stroke was covered next but sight alignment and sight picture was very briefly covered. With two practically brand new shooters, I felt a visual aid and further explanation of what a sight picture should look like should have been a foundation of the classroom portion.
We found ourselves going to the range relatively quickly, often before all of the classroom instruction was completed. Two different times we had to walk back into the lobby area to be taught a new technique or to get further clarification from Aron. This was when it became evident to me that a little more time in the classroom before hitting the range would have been helpful and gave the class a little better “flow.” Once we were shooting, the instruction was very good. It didn’t take long for me to figure out that Aron has a heavy background in competition shooting. Emphasis was placed on speed just as much as accuracy. While I was at a higher level than the other two students, Aron did a great job of challenging me to try new things, as well as work on basic shooting concepts with the other students. There were plenty of things we did on the range that made me glad I had spent a few hours taking this course. We shot over 100 rounds and even ran drills on multiple target engagement-something you don’t usually see in an entry level course. It was clear that Aron wanted every student in the course to learn something, regardless of skill level.
After we left the range, we went to the classroom to go over any last minute questions. Aron was very willing to stay and talk about anything gun related. I was very happy with this course and I can honestly say it is the only Indianapolis area beginner course (as of the time I write this review) that I can recommend. The overall “feel” of the class is something new shooters need to experience. What a lot of firearms instructors fail to understand is that when you get a new shooter, you often only have one chance to make an impression. Most new shooters buy a gun and think one training class is enough. It is the job of the instructor to motivate or otherwise inspire a new gun owner that one class isn’t enough. In fact, it’s just the beginning. Carrying or even owning a firearm isn’t a passive process, it’s an active lifestyle that needs constant revision to ensure you know how to protect yourself and those around you. Gun Handling 101 achieved the goal of bridging the gap between the new shooter and taking that next step in your firearms training experience.
This is a course review for Gun Handing 101 taught by Bright Firearms Training at Parabellum Indoor Range in Avon, Indiana. This course was instructed by Aron Bright and was 2 hours in length. The cost of this course was $50.00. Gear used was a Glock 19 with XS Big Dot sights, NSR LLC-4 holster, and 3 Glock 19 magazines.
The idea of taking a local “101” level course had been on my mind for a while. I’ve taken beginner handgun courses from local instructors in the past and was left very unsatisfied. The idea of an “entry” level firearms course breeds itself to treating the students like they are a walking liability. Not allowing loaded guns anywhere except the firing line, low round count, and “unload, show clear” were commonplace in my experience with these type of courses.
Gun Handling 101 was a breath of fresh air.
When I arrived, I was met by Aron who asked me if I had all of the required equipment. He then told me to go to the range and load my handgun and come back out for the classroom portion. I was very happy to hear this, as other entry level handgun courses do not allow loaded handguns until you are literally about to shoot. There were two other students, both of which had a low level of handgun training. I was again happy to later discover that all of us learned something from this course, regardless of our pre-existing levels of training.
The teaching points and subject matter covered was a little different than I had come to expect taking firearms training courses over the years. We started sitting in the lobby of the gun store and the first topic covered was how to clear a malfunction. Aron’s logic behind this was that if you encounter a stoppage at the range, you will know how to clear it no matter if it happens on the first round or the 100[SUP]th[/SUP]. That makes sense. At times it was difficult to hear what Aron was talking about because we were so close to the live fire indoor range. I later discovered a very professional classroom that I felt would have been a better place to go over some of these topics. Aside from that, I also felt the order of the subject matter taught left a little to be desired. Draw stroke was covered next but sight alignment and sight picture was very briefly covered. With two practically brand new shooters, I felt a visual aid and further explanation of what a sight picture should look like should have been a foundation of the classroom portion.
We found ourselves going to the range relatively quickly, often before all of the classroom instruction was completed. Two different times we had to walk back into the lobby area to be taught a new technique or to get further clarification from Aron. This was when it became evident to me that a little more time in the classroom before hitting the range would have been helpful and gave the class a little better “flow.” Once we were shooting, the instruction was very good. It didn’t take long for me to figure out that Aron has a heavy background in competition shooting. Emphasis was placed on speed just as much as accuracy. While I was at a higher level than the other two students, Aron did a great job of challenging me to try new things, as well as work on basic shooting concepts with the other students. There were plenty of things we did on the range that made me glad I had spent a few hours taking this course. We shot over 100 rounds and even ran drills on multiple target engagement-something you don’t usually see in an entry level course. It was clear that Aron wanted every student in the course to learn something, regardless of skill level.
After we left the range, we went to the classroom to go over any last minute questions. Aron was very willing to stay and talk about anything gun related. I was very happy with this course and I can honestly say it is the only Indianapolis area beginner course (as of the time I write this review) that I can recommend. The overall “feel” of the class is something new shooters need to experience. What a lot of firearms instructors fail to understand is that when you get a new shooter, you often only have one chance to make an impression. Most new shooters buy a gun and think one training class is enough. It is the job of the instructor to motivate or otherwise inspire a new gun owner that one class isn’t enough. In fact, it’s just the beginning. Carrying or even owning a firearm isn’t a passive process, it’s an active lifestyle that needs constant revision to ensure you know how to protect yourself and those around you. Gun Handling 101 achieved the goal of bridging the gap between the new shooter and taking that next step in your firearms training experience.
