Idaho Women’s Only Beginner Pistol Class

Idaho Women’s Only Pistol Class Workshop Series

These beginner-level classes are designed for ladies with limited firearms experience. The workshop is taught by a nationally recognized female instructor and explores women-specific firearm concepts (sorry, guys…you’re not allowed!). 

When attending the Idaho Women’s Only Beginner Pistol Class, Students learn safe gun handling, maintenance, and shooting in a casual environment. This course uses hands-on instruction, visual presentations, expert lectures, and fun range drills to enhance the learning experience—instruction by certified Level 1 Firearms Training experts and qualified guest instructors.

Flattery is the best form of a compliment – we are very flattered other instructors are riding on our original “Women’s Only” class concepts. Our “Women’s Only” class is taught by a Nationally Recognized Female Instructor. No men, no husband-wife teams, no excuses or “unique” approaches to teaching this course. Only the BEST in women-only instructing is taught by our nationally recognized female instructor.

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Idaho Women’s Only Beginner Pistol Class Curriculum

Idaho Women’s Only Beginner Pistol Class – Types of Firearms Actions

Our class will discuss the various firearm actions available to women in today’s marketplace. Firearm actions are among the most important deciding factors when choosing a firearm for sport or personal defense.

Firearm actions behave differently between revolvers and pistols. While they all share common components, some are more difficult than others to operate. During class, we will discuss these options in great depth to determine if a firearm will be carried for concealed purposes, their plusses and minuses, and the correct manner in which they will be stored and carried.

The Single-Action Revolver

The “action” refers to what will happen when the trigger is pressed in a rearward fashion towards the handle. For the single-action revolver, the trigger is essentially useless when the hammer of the revolver is in its original resting (or forward) position. No matter how much the trigger is pressed the gun will not fire.

When placed into the “firing position”, meaning, the hammer has been pulled completely to the rear, then, and only then can the revolver fire a round. This is mage possible because the process of pulling the hammer to the rear activates or “sets” the trigger to release the hammer when pressed. Hence the action is referred to as a “single-action” because the trigger can only perform one action, releasing the hammer for firing.

(See our training calendar for times and locations near you.)

The Five Essential Steps in the Firing Process

There are five essential steps in firing a firearm:

1. Loading: The process of loading the correct ammunition into the gun. Before any firearm can be shot, ammunition must be placed into the cylinder of a revolver or the magazine of a semi-automatic pistol. Revolvers have many chambers depending on the size of ammunition they are designed to hold. This means ammunition must be placed into these chambers individually. Semi-automatic pistols utilize magazines to hold ammunition in place before shooting. Semi-automatics have only one chamber, part of the barrel in which cartridges enter during the firing cycle.
2. Cocking: Regardless of its design, all firearms must be placed in a firing state before being used. For the single-action revolver, the hammer must be pulled rearward while listening for two clicks before it is ready to be shot. Some double-action revolvers will cock themselves during the trigger pull preparing for the firing sequence. double-action-only revolvers cannot be cocked manually, therefore they cock themselves as the trigger pulls. Semi-automatic pistols, like many revolvers, can be manually cocked for the firing process. Striker-fired semi-automatics must have their slides manually manipulated to place a cartridge into the chamber to be considered cocked.
3. Shooting: Pressing the trigger allows the firing pin to strike the cartridge, which expels the bullet.
4. Decocking: Decocking is the opposite of the cocking process. It is the action or actions to render the firearm in a non-shooting state. Each firearm has its process for the decoding phase. Revolvers and semi-automatic pistols can be decocked by simply lowering the hammer back to its starting point. While some semi-automatics have a mechanism that will decock the gun for you and generally acts as a safety.
5. Unloading: Unloading a firearm is the reverse of loading. For single-action revolvers, the hammer must be pulled back to the first click, which allows the cylinder to rotate freely during the unloading process. Double-action and double-action-only revolvers require you to press the cylinder release button allowing the cylinder to fall freely away from the gun’s frame. Semi-automatic pistols must have their magazines removed from their magazine well. Semi-automatic pistols also require a second step – clearing the chamber. This is accomplished by working the slide several times to ensure no ammunition is left in the gun. As a final step, the chamber should be physically examined to ensure no ammunition is present.

Understanding Ammunition

Idaho Women’s Only Beginner Pistol Class – Ammunition Basics

.25 ACP

See our training calendar for times and locations near you.

Caring and Cleaning Your Pistol

Rounding out our Idaho Women’s Only Beginner Pistol Class class is a lesson in caring for and maintaining your pistol for a lifetime of enjoyment. Your primary needs when considering a gun cleaning kit are:

• Cloth Patches – Used to apply and remove cleaning solvents.
• Cleaning Rods and Attachments – Used to hold patches when cleaning your gun.
• Bore Brush – Used to clear left-over debris in the barrel and chamber(s)
• Bore Tips for Patches – Another method to push patches down the barrel.
• Small Brush – Used for getting into those small crevices.
• Gun Cleaner and Oil – Some cleaning options include an all-in-one approach
• Soft Cloth – To wipe off excess oil.

Each tool helps clean and maintain your pistol for a lifetime. We suggest purchasing a multi-gun cleaning kit right at the beginning of your journey. Why? Because if you own one gun, you’ll own more as you buy additional firearms for different uses.

While there is no “set” maintenance schedule, most firearm manufacturers recommend you clean your pistol after each visit to the range. Some instructors will tell you if you own a Glock, you only need to clean it after 1,000 rounds of ammunition have been shot. Other, more sensible instructors will recommend you clean your firearm a minimum of every three months (3) to ensure it is well-oiled, clean, and ready for use if you need it.

This is a Two Day Course!

Why is this a 2-day course? Our Idaho Women’s Only Beginner Pistol Class is the best training you will receive in Idaho. Anyone can show you how to load, shoot, and unload a gun – there’s much more to proper training. There are no shortcuts in learning how to own and use a pistol properly.

We train using the latest Modern Gun Training Techniques, ensuring you will know everything you need to know by the end of class. We want you to be completely trained when handling a firearm.

Indoor ranges in Idaho do not accommodate outside instructors, which makes no sense – we are bringing them, customers! We have chosen to utilize one of the several outdoor ranges in the Treasure Valley that, like us bring customers. Indoor ranges are loud, really loud. You cannot hear the instructor while training and are extremely restrictive with what we can teach.

Outdoor ranges provide freedom of teaching without the loud distraction you experience when training in an indoor range. We can take our time training – there’s no rush – you’re not paying a lot of money per hour, students can hear us, there are little to no distractions, and there’s no need to rush you through the skill-building portion of the class. You learn in a safe, comfortable, and fairly quiet environment.

Outdoor ranges are extremely hot or cold in the late afternoons, distracting new students from concentrating. By shooting early in the morning the following day, students are fresh and ready to train for their new shooting skills.

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NO LIVE AMMUNITION IN THE CLASSROOM

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Safety First

Safety is always the primary concern when handling and storing a firearm. Depending on the circumstances, these two topics are mutually vital for the responsible Idaho gun owner to follow.

When handling a firearm in Idaho, the following safe gun-handling rules must always be observed:

1. Keep the Firearm Pointed in a Safe Direction at all times. Some training academies will state the number one rule is always to treat the gun as if it is loaded. This is an obvious and unnecessary statement. By pointing the gun in a safe direction when you are handling it, you are treating it as if it is loaded.
2. Keep Firearms Unloaded Until Ready for Use. Your firearm does not need to be loaded if it is not in use. It is best practice to keep your ammunition stored in a separate safe away from your firearm, so the two are never accessible simultaneously. While there are times when the firearm should be loaded, such as carrying for personal protection, the general rule of having it unloaded applies to most circumstances.
3. Keep Your Finger Off the trigger. Modern firearms, even older ones, will not discharge a bullet unless the firearm is prepared for firing and the trigger is pressed. By keeping your finger high on the frame while handling a firearm, there is no chance the firearm will discharge itself. Even if it were to discharge, no one and nothing would get damaged because of rule number one.
4. Know Your Target and Beyond: It is very important to know what’s behind your target, whether at an indoor or outdoor range. Bullets can travel over a mile, others even more. It is your responsibility where that bullet impacts no matter the situation. Be sure your bullet will not hit an innocent person or someone’s property.
5. No Drugs, alcohol, nor cannabis are allowed at the range. If the training instructor suspects use, you will be asked to leave the class and accept a failure without rescheduling options.

Benefits of Continual Training