Learn to Shoot Academy
FAQ
What Do I Need to Bring with Me?
It depends on what you are wanting to learn and how. We can provide everything for a nominal fee (Free for Youth ages 10-17 with a paying adult). If you have your own firearms, great! You will need to bring 50-100 rounds of ammunition. If you want to use ours, that's fine too. All participants must wear eye and ear protection during all live fire activities. You can bring your own, or we can supply ear plugs and safety glasses. If you wear glasses, they will work as your shooting glasses in most cases, same for sunglasses. Our range is outdoors, so wear the proper clothing for the conditions. The Rifle/Pistol Range is sheltered. Our classroom is heated and air conditioned. If you are taking a shotgun/wingshooting course, you may want to bring sun screen as you will be out in the sun at times. If your course or lesson falls over a meal time, you have the option of bringing your own meal or snacks or we will take a break to let you go get something. NRA Courses are time specific, so break and meal times will be taken into account.
I'm totally new to guns. What can I expect?
That's what we expect most of the time and that's what we are here for. First of all, this is a friendly setting. It is family friendly and not a "boot camp". We don't expect you to know anything and honestly, often times that is better when it comes to firearms instruction. People with "experience" often show up with bad and unsafe habits. We will tell you everything you need to do when you arrive or when you set up your appointment. We will send you and email ahead of the course letting you know all the details. Always feel free to ask questions and never feel like you "Should already know". Our focus will always be Safety first and then learning in a relaxed atmosphere. Shooting should be fun!
Guns "kick"! How will I handle that?
It is true...Pretty much all guns have some sort of recoil or "kick". Proper technique will help alleviate the effects of much of the recoil. We use .22 caliber handguns and rifles for our NRA Courses which have a minimal recoil. We have found over the years teaching both youth and adults, that developing proper technique with a low recoil .22 caliber gun, translates into good technique when shooting center fire guns that have much more recoil. For the Shotguns, there is always more recoil. For our NRA courses and Shotgun instruction we have 20 gauge semi-auto shotguns available that help reduce the felt recoil and we suggest using lower recoil shells for those courses. That is something we can discuss when you set up your course or before it begins. We do suggest that smaller individuals consider this in their decisions to take the shotgun courses, however, we have kids in our youth program that are very small and handle shotgun recoil very well with good technique. Don't let fear of Recoil ruin your day!
Do the NRA Courses count as a Conceal Carry Class?
The simple answer is NO... However, if you live in Virginia, they require the NRA Basic Pistol Course as part of their Conceal Carry Permit Requirements. North Carolina, we require that you take a NC Department of Justice approved course. Our NRA Basic Pistol Class or an NRA First Shots Pistol Class is an excellent way to prepare for a NC CCH class if you are totally new to firearms, especially handguns. We also offer NC CCH Classes that include basic handgun instruction.
My 10 year old wants to go hunting...I didn't grow up in a hunting family...I don't know where to start. Can you help?
Absolutely...In fact we can help in many ways. Give us a call and we'll figure out what it is you want to learn to do and we can design a custom package just for you and your family. Better yet, it will be free for kids 10-17 accompanied by a paying adult. We even have a club that kids can join and learn to shoot for absolutely free...go to www.tcyouthshootingsports.org for more information.
I don't own a gun, I don't know what to purchase and where to start...Can you help me?
Perfect...Use ours! Whether you are looking for a handgun, rifle or shotgun...heck even a Muzzleloader, we have guns that you can use and try out. We have examples of most types of gun actions.(Semi-Autos, Revolvers, etc.) Our handguns and rifles are .22 caliber rimfire, but are representative of centerfire handguns and rifles and we believe are the best way to learn proper shooting technique which will translate to heavier recoil centerfire guns. There is a nominal fee (basically the cost for the ammunition) to use our guns as part of your training. We know from experience, that it is sometimes best to shoot a few different actions before deciding what suits you best, whether it is a pistol, rifle or shotgun...we have you covered.