# CCW Class Advice??



## sambeaux

Hi,
Anyone have any advice on how to prepare or what to expect from a CCW class? I'll be taking one in the next couple of weeks, so any words of wisdom would be greatly appreciated. 
Thanks!


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## Todd

Every class and instructor is different. Only two pieces of advice.

1) Go in with eyes and ears open and mouth shut. Don't be one of those guys who has to argue with the instructor about everything. There's one in every class, don't be that guy. And don't waste class time with a million "What if" questions. One or two, OK. More than that, see the instructor on a break or after the class. 

2) Have fun.


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## submoa

The only thing I can add to Todd's wise advice is make sure the course provides an NRA certificate on completion. This is required for your carry permit in most states.


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## Todd

submoa said:


> The only thing I can add to Todd's wise advice is make sure the course provides an NRA certificate on completion. This is required for your carry permit in most states.


An add on to that is to make sure you make copies of the certificate you get. Here in NC we have to turn in our original. When I applied for my FL license, I had to call up the Sheriff's office to pull the certificate and make a copy then drive into Raleigh to pick them up. Would have saved myself a couple hours of time if I had the foresight to have had copies on hand.


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## sambeaux

Thanks for the quick replies & good advice!
According to the flyer I picked up at the range last night, it does provide an NRA certificate as well as notary, photo, etc., so all I have to do (I think) is get fingerprinted & mail in everything with the appropriate fees.

This might be a silly question, but how important is accuracy in qualifying for a CCW? I ask because I would like to use the P3AT since that is what I will be carrying the most (it's pretty hot & sticky down here), but after my first attempt with it last night, I've got a good bit of practicing to do before I'm as accurate as with my 9mm's.


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## Todd

sambeaux said:


> Thanks for the quick replies & good advice!
> According to the flyer I picked up at the range last night, it does provide an NRA certificate as well as notary, photo, etc., so all I have to do (I think) is get fingerprinted & mail in everything with the appropriate fees.
> 
> This might be a silly question, but how important is accuracy in qualifying for a CCW? I ask because I would like to use the P3AT since that is what I will be carrying the most (it's pretty hot & sticky down here), but after my first attempt with it last night, I've got a good bit of practicing to do before I'm as accurate as with my 9mm's.


Not sure what the requirements are as each state is different. You would probably be better off to talk to someone at the range. That being said, accuracy with your CCW gun pretty important. I'm sure that if you ever had to pull your gun and fire, any bystanders would appreciate you being able to hit your target accurately as well. :mrgreen:


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## fivehourfrenzy

Get a good night's sleep the night before and drink some coffee before you go in. I think about half of our class fell asleep during the hour-long video. Todd's advice is good...go in with an attitude to learn, not to argue or teach. Hopefully your instructor will be a wise guy like mine was. He's a local firefighter and made fun of cops all the time because he works with them. It was pretty funny.

"Well, you take the same test to be a firefighter or a cop. If you do well on the test, you get to be a firefighter. If you don't do well on the test, you get to be a cop." Just innocent humor, but he kept the class fun.

Make sure your gun is cleaned and oiled before you go in, and if you start talking to the people sitting next to you and are checking each other's guns out, be sure to drop the mag and lock the slide open whenever handing your gun to someone else...just common firearm courtesy (and safety).

Oh yeah, and don't show up 20 minutes late wearing your gun in a cheap thigh holster that's almost down to your knee. Yes, we had a guy do that. And don't go pointing your gun at people...some goofy ******* decided to go pointing his beat-up .357 mag at people when we were waiting to go into the shooting range and was quickly reprimanded. Then, he missed the target about five times from seven yards (not the black silouhette part, but the whole sheet of paper).


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## sambeaux

So I guess I'll leave the face paint & Rambo headband at home! 
And I think I'll be getting in some extra practice.
Thanks for all the good advice!


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## JohnnyFlake

Like most have already said, get a good nights sleep! Pay attention, stay awake and don't get into any negatives with the instructor or especially with another student!

I don't know if the requirements differ from state to state, but know your weapon. You'll be required to shoot three groups of 10 rounds. Your allowed sixty seconds to complete each group. Two groups will be strong handed, however, one groups will be weak handed. In other words if you are right handed, you'll end up shooting two 10 round groups with your right hand, one close, about 3 meters and one at about seven meters. You will be required to shoot one 10 round group with your left hand. That is always at the shorter distance.

Many people go to the CCW Class and were never aware that they would be required to shoot with their weak hand.


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## Black Metal

wow the Utah requirements are kind of a joke compaired to what everyone posting has said. I would have called my class more a a seminar :anim_lol:
all we did was talk about some what ifs went over different styles of guns, safe ways to carry them and shot 6 rds from the weapon we brought with us. accuracy was not a factor at all. there was now test involved. In all it was a 4 hour class and it did not issue an nra cert because you aren't required one here. I beleive they called it a firearms firmiliarity course. after the course I signed up for a begining tactics class to make up for all the information that i had been left with out


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## Wyatt

sambeaux said:


> This might be a silly question, but how important is accuracy in qualifying for a CCW? I ask because I would like to use the P3AT since that is what I will be carrying the most (it's pretty hot & sticky down here), but after my first attempt with it last night, I've got a good bit of practicing to do before I'm as accurate as with my 9mm's.


As Todd said, check your local laws. But it only stands to reason that you would need to have a certain amount of accuracy to qualify, so assuming you don't have to qualify separately for each gun you wish to carry then I'd use the one you are most accurate with to qualify.

In California, where the CCW laws are pretty strict, you are allowed up to three guns to be attached to your permit and you can only carry those guns. They must be submitted for inspection to the Sheriff armory and approved. But, though I'm not 100% sure, I don't think you have to qualify separately with each gun.


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## fivehourfrenzy

Our live firing test was a joke. We had to hit a silouhette from seven yards with 11 out of 20 rounds. The size of the silouhette resembled a 300-pound person. And yes, we had several people have to retake the firing test because they couldn't keep 11 rounds on the black. Some people even missed the entire sheet of paper. I honestly don't know how that's possible. If you can't hit a 3x5' piece of paper from seven yards, you don't need to be carrying a gun.


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## JohnnyFlake

Things are a bit stricter here in Nevada. If this is your first CCW, the class is about 9 to 10 hours long, however, that includes two 30 minute breaks and an hour for lunch, so it's actually about 7 hours long. 

Your allowed to qualify with up to 3 guns during the class. There is no limit to the number of guns you can qualify with. You can set up an appointment with the range, then come in and qualify with up to 5 guns at a time. It cost $15 per gun and they supply the ammo. You shoot 30 rounds, in 3 groups of 10, at the same target. Two groups at 3 meters, and one group at 7 meters. You shoot at an upper torso silhouette target. You must score a minimum of 200 points, out of a possible 300, to qualify with each gun. 

You can only carry guns that you have qualified with, and you can only carry a maximum of two guns on your person, at any given time.


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## sambeaux

Well, I registered for the class today & was able to get a little info on the class here in Louisiana. Like Nevada, it's a 10 hour class. But there is no restriction on which gun. From what I understand, once I qualify I can carry any legal handgun. Which I find a little strange since LA & NV are reciprocal! I still intend on qualifying with the gun I will actually carry the most; I even ordered a Crimson laser sight today for the P3AT. Especially since 2 of the 3 tests are shooting from the hip (or there abouts) and from the chest. Which I've always wanted to try at the range but figured it was a no no...


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## gmaske

It seems that every state is a bit diffrent. We did some strong hand and weak hand shooting from 3 yards out to about 10 yards. I got the feeling that the instructor was more interested that we understood how our pistols worked and our ability to handle them than anything. You could qualify with a .22 and carry a .50! No restrictions. I don't understand that crap anyway. If you're good enough to pass with one gun you would think you'd be smart enough to learn how to shoot anything else you might carry. Maybe I'm cutting my fellow man to much slack though judging from what I see on the Highways.:smt119


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## fivehourfrenzy

I thought it would've been funny to bring my scoped P22 for the live firing, but I wanted to be realistic about it. Sheesh, that was back when I had the P99c. That was over six months ago!


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## Marcus99

I took the class four years ago with my father when I was a kid. He needed it for his Class A LTC and I took it just for general knowledge. I still have all the itinery and papers they gave me in the folder and it ran from 7 in the morning to 6 at night, so it was long (lunch was only 30 minutes!). The class was called the NRA Basic Pistol Course, and I believe all the instructors were in some form of law enforcement. They were all pretty friendly except for one of them (I think there were four in total) who was really into the class and was pretty strict, but in the end when we all used the .22 Walthers they had to test accuracy he let us each take a shot from his pistol which was a .40 S&W. I remember this because my father hit the bullseye with it and he was a horrible shot at the time, haha.

Honestly though, if you like guns and learning about them you shouldn't mind the class at all. I found it really interesting then and I was only 14 and didn't have any permit to really look forward to, so it should be even better for you.


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