Complete Handgun Course For Beginners
Learn how to choose, safely handle, shoot, and maintain a handgun. No prior knowledge is required.
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This course will teach you everything you need to know to choose the proper handgun for your needs, safely and effectively shoot it, store it, and maintain it.
You will learn all of this through a series of short, concise videos that walk you through every detail, step-by-step.
This course is a good precursor to joining a gun club or taking a hands-on course.
Even proficient shooters can get a refresher on the fundamentals from this course.
Topics include:
- Handgun calibers and what they mean
- Learn the most popular calibers and how to choose one that's right for you.
- .44 Magnum, .357 Magnum, .38 Caliber, .40 S&W, and 9 mm
- Learn the most popular calibers and how to choose one that's right for you.
- The parts of a round of ammunition
- Bullet, primer, casing, powder, and how they function together to make the gun fire when you want it to
- How a handgun functions and the main parts of a semi-automatic handgun
- Learn about the magazine catch, de-cocking lever, trigger, hammer, sights, takedown lever, and when and how to use them
- Handgun actions
- Single-action and double-action, what do they mean, and why is it important to you?
- Major handgun types
- Revolvers and semi-automatics - which one fits your needs?
- Safe handling
- Learn why you must always treat a handgun as if it is loaded
- Finger straight and off the trigger
- Pointed in a safe direction
- Magazine well empty and slide locked back for semi-automatic handguns
- Learn why you must always treat a handgun as if it is loaded
- Sight alignment
- How to know when your sights are properly aligned
- Sight picture
- What to focus on when shooting (it's likely not what you think you should focus on)
- Breathing
- Taking in a natural but full breath, and slowly exhaling
- Pausing about 1/2 way through
- Squeezing the trigger
- Trigger squeeze
- Slowly press the trigger with your trigger finger when on target and ready to shoot
- Grip
- Firm grip that is out of the way of moving parts
- Stance
- Isosceles, Modified Weaver, or Modern Combat stance, which is right for you?
- Range etiquette
- Learn how to keep things safe at the range
- Handling malfunctions
- Stove pipe, failure to go into battery, double-feed - What do you do?
- Gun store etiquette
- Learn to keep things safe at the gun store
- Cleaning your handgun
- Learn how to keep your investment clean and functioning properly
- Maintaining your handgun
- How to store it and check for proper functioning
Your Instructor
Ted LeRoy is presently a Senior Information Security Consultant, providing a variety of information and physical security guidance to customers.
Prior to entering the Information Technology field, Ted retired from the U.S. Navy as a Master-at-Arms Chief Petty Officer. Master-at-Arms are the Navy's Military Police. He has three years supervisory patrol experience and six years investigative experience.
Ted earned the Expert Pistol medal with the .38, and .45 calibre and 9 mm handguns, and the Expert Rifle medal with the M-14 and M-16 rifles. He is also Combat Shotgun qualified. He received many hours of range and classroom instruction on small arms. Ted is an avid shooter and has maintained his shooting proficiency since retirement.
Relevant military schools include Navy Master-at-Arms Course, Military Police Investigator, Shipboard Security Officer Planning, Shipboard Security Engagement Tactics, Naval Physical Security and Law Enforcement Supervisor, Antiterrorism Train-the-Trainer Level II, Security First Responder, Chief Petty Officer Leadership, Drug Abuse Resistance Education (D.A.R.E.) Officer Training Course.
He completed an Associates Degree in Criminal Justice from the University of Phoenix, a Bachelor of Arts Degree in Liberal Arts with concentrations in Psychology and Sociology from USNY Regents College (now Excelsior College), and a Master of Science Degree in Information Technology from the Rochester Institute of Technology.
Information Technology certifications include Microsoft Certified Systems Engineer (MCSE), Certified Information Systems Security Professional (CISSP), and Certified Information Security Manager (CISM).