The Different Types of Gun Training Available

Perhaps you've decided you want to learn how to shoot. Maybe you're an expert shooter, but it's been years since you've attended a class and wanted to brush up on your knowledge, and now you're looking for firearm training. A quick search online reveals a wealth of resources, courses, training, and more available, making it difficult to know where to start.

You probably have a few questions if you're reading this. Today, we'll dive into the different types of firearm training available at our Freedom Shooting Center.

Intro into Handguns (Intro to HG)

If you've never owned or fired a handgun, the first and most essential training is to sign up for our Intro Handgun course. Our Intro Handgun course provides the following:

• Fundamentals of firearm safety
• How to handle a handgun
• Functions of a handgun and its inner workings
• The four universal rules for firearm safety
• Stance and grip
• Sight alignment, sight picture, and trigger control

Our Handgun Intro course also meets all the requirements to obtain the Virginia Concealed Carry Permit. This course doesn't require you to have your own handgun and includes everything you need to begin training, such as a handgun, magazines, ammo, holster, belt, double mag pouch, eye and ear protection, and targets you'll use during the course. Students are always welcome to bring their gear or rent a different caliber at our Range Counter.

We also provide a Ladies-only Intro to Handguns class.

Intermediate Handgun

Int HG, or Intermediate Handgun glasses, introduces more engaging and challenging targets and various shooting positions. Int HG courses also dive into handling reloading, handgun malfunctions, and properly manipulating a handgun with one hand.

We require you to take our Introductory Handgun Course to sign up for this class. Unlike the Intro classes, we also request that you bring the following gear:

• Comfortable clothing and footwear
• A handgun
• At a minimum, 2 Magazines or Speed Loader, Moon Clip, or Speed Strip for Recolvers (3 preferred)
• A holster
• A magazine pound
• At minimum 100 rounds of ammunition (150 rounds preferred)
• Ear protection
• Eye protection

Advanced Handgun

The prerequisites to take an Advanced handgun class are Introductory HG and Intermediate HG. Once you meet the requirements, the Advanced Handgun class aims to introduce how to handle your gun using cover and concealment, teach you how to shoot while on the move, and handle low-light situations.

The gear requirements for Advanced HG are the exact requirements listed in our Intermediate HG class.

Handgun Practice

Once you've completed Introductory HG, Intermediate, and Advanced HG, our Handgun Practice class is the follow-up training needed for CCW (Concealed Carry Weapon). Handgun practice allows student shooters a refresher on everything they have learned and a chance to sharpen their skillset further. The gear requirements for Handgun Practice are identical to those for Intermediate HG classes.

Revolver

Revolver training class focuses on starting to become proficient with a revolver. The class covers the basics of revolver shooting, such as grip, how a revolver differs from a semi-auto handgun, sighting systems standard with the revolver, and shooting and reloading. For this class, we ask that you bring a revolver, at least two speed strips, speed loaders, or moon clips, although three is preferred, a holster, a magazine pouch, and at least 100 rounds of ammunition, 150 if possible. We also require you to wear and bring ear and eye protection.

Introductory, Intermediate, and Advanced Carbine

This course begins with a brief but precise discussion that compares shooting dynamically to other shooting disciplines. We then dive into covering shooting fundamentals and the difference between mindset and technique. Our professionals provide engaging feedback to shooters to assist them in speed, efficiency, and better shooting capabilities. The course also includes mount, stance, trigger control, how to transition your focus from target to sight of a weapon with speed, sight management, and how to handle fast-paced engagements from differing ready positions smoothly. We also cover how to manage and control recoil.

The gear requirements for Intro, Intermediate, and Advanced Carbine mirror the above requirements within the Intermediate Handgun class, with the difference that the students must bring an AR-style Carbine (.223/5.56)

• Intermediate Carbine – This class teaches students with the prerequisite Introductory carbine the skillset to further explore gun manipulations during different reload scenarios. It teaches students how to handle malfunctions and efficiency of target acquisition, not in the beginner's field of view. This class will also teach shooters how to solve reloading problems, the transition from carbine to handgun, further correctives for malfunctions, and problem-solving revolving around dynamic carbine operation.
• Advanced Carbine – This course takes the carbine skillset further by teaching shooters how to shoot while using cover, concealment, shooting on the move and low-light carbine usage. It also sets the basis to allow the shooter to make informed, improvised gun manipulation for solving issues that often occur with dynamic carbine operations. The student must complete Introductory and Intermediate carbine to quality for this class.

Defensive Shotgun and Defensive Carry

• Defensive Shotgun - This class requires you to bring either a pump action or semi-auto (though we prefer pump action) shotgun, a sling or pouch to reload from, ear and eye protection, and roughly 100 to 150 rounds of ammo, slugs only. The class begins with a detailed discussion outlining shooting disciplines and mindset versus technique. The training also covers different models of shotguns, the differing ammunitions, the mount, stance, operation, loading, changeovers, and the typical malfunctions a student may encounter with a gun.
• Defensive Carry – This course's prerequisite is our Introductory Handgun (conceal carry) class. Defensive carry further teaches a student how to carry with both responsibility and confidence. The workshop will demonstrate physical tactics to concealed carry, cover the mental aspects, and allow students to experience numerous methods of carrying and deploying firearms. This course does include a gun, should a student not have one of their own, ammunition, and holsters. The student should bring a light jacket or similar concealment garments.

Other Classes Available at Freedom Shooting Center

These classes do not necessarily involve firearms but are still exceptional courses for anyone to consider.

• Unarmed Self-Defense
• Home Defense
• Stop the Bleed
• CPR and AED

Feel free to visit our Classes webpage for more information about all our classes, including Ladies only versions of many of our courses, for safety and comfort.

As you can see, the different types of firearms training available at Freedom Shooting Center cover a wide range of needs from the beginner to the experienced shooter looking to keep their skills up to date. We at Freedom Outdoors hope that we've been able to help you understand what's accessible to you, and as always, if you're looking for the ideal firearm for any class, we've got you covered! Feel free to contact our experts for advice on which guns would be best for you or any questions.