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Weaponcraft

shanebelanger

Accomplished Advocate
Joined
Aug 25, 2009
Messages
667
Location
Freeport, Maine, United States
Hey guys, I would just like to tell you about a class that Forrest and I took this weekend at Weaponcraft. www.weaponcrafttraining.com This class qualifies you to get your permit to carry a concealed firearm.

First, I would just like to say that Forrest and I completely blended in for this so that we wouldn't get treated any differently than any other student.

The class was instructed by 2 former Marines who are now Police Officers. (One was SWAT)

The class began at approx. 7:45am and was built for the beginner, as well as the more advanced alike. We began with the bare basics, the parts of a handgun and moved into firearms safety. For some of us, this was a refresher although it wasn't boring. The instructors controlled the class well, without being overwhelming and never once did they make you feel like they were better than you as so many firearm instructors tend to do. We were all issued dummy rounds and went over reloading, as well as different firearm handling positions ie the "low-ready".

Next we went over a fairly comprehensive law review. This was informative and well planned out. The instructors would also answer any question that people had. After the law review we broke for lunch and were told to meet up at the range.

This is where the real fun began. On the range, there were 3 instructors for right around 12 people, so the ratio was 4 students per every 1 instructor which is actually quite good. The instructors maintained safety at all times and kept things moving at a great pace. It was never too fast, and never too slow. If you needed individual attention there were enough instructors for you to be able to receive all that was necessary to make this experience worth your while. We began with the basics, trigger control, as well as where the trigger on our firearm would reset.

After we were familiar with our own firearm we were ran through some drills that were quite entertaining. Of course, this is only the basic handgun course and thus there was no moving and shooting involved. That is offered in their more advanced classes. Towards the end of the shooting portion the "fun" targets came out and we were told to fire center of mass beginning from 40M and moving in from there until we were within 5M. This showed people their marksmanship limits.

Overall I would definitely refer a friend to this course in a heartbeat. You fire 300 rounds and get an instructors help at any point you would like it. This is definitely the course to take if you are looking to A) get your permit to carry concealed or B) receive firearm training/get familiar with your firearm.

And remember!! ** MOCA ** members get a DISCOUNT! :)
 

boyscout399

Regular Member
Joined
May 23, 2008
Messages
905
Location
Lyman, Maine
Sounds awesome. What was the cost of that course? Was ammo provided in that cost or did you have to bring your own/buy it there?
 

ep0k

Regular Member
Joined
May 21, 2010
Messages
273
Location
Wiscasset, Maine, USA
HG01 is normally $175. Members get a discount (just tell them you were referred through MOCA). Ammo is not included but their prices are very reasonable and they'll do bulk orders (was offered 3,000 rounds of .380 auto for $330)
 

boyscout399

Regular Member
Joined
May 23, 2008
Messages
905
Location
Lyman, Maine
HG01 is normally $175. Members get a discount (just tell them you were referred through MOCA). Ammo is not included but their prices are very reasonable and they'll do bulk orders (was offered 3,000 rounds of .380 auto for $330)

Wow, that's a really decent price for such an in depth course. And $330/3000 for .380 is like really cheap! are you sure it wasn't 1000 rounds for $330? The cheapest I can find .380 ball for is $269/1000 and that's for crappy Russian surplus.
 

ep0k

Regular Member
Joined
May 21, 2010
Messages
273
Location
Wiscasset, Maine, USA
Wow, that's a really decent price for such an in depth course. And $330/3000 for .380 is like really cheap! are you sure it wasn't 1000 rounds for $330? The cheapest I can find .380 ball for is $269/1000 and that's for crappy Russian surplus.

No joke, that was for 3000 rounds. Unfortunately I no longer need it as my .380 decided to **** the bed on the range and I'm disinclined to fix it.

So I just ordered one of these...

http://www.hk-usa.com/civilian_products/hk45c_general.asp
 

boyscout399

Regular Member
Joined
May 23, 2008
Messages
905
Location
Lyman, Maine
No joke, that was for 3000 rounds. Unfortunately I no longer need it as my .380 decided to **** the bed on the range and I'm disinclined to fix it.

So I just ordered one of these...

http://www.hk-usa.com/civilian_products/hk45c_general.asp

NICE. I have the HK45 full size and LOVE it. Extremely soft shooting and accurate. HK45c gets awesome reviews as well. Todd Green is doing a test at http://pistol-training.com/ on the HK45 and went 34000 rounds before his first malfunction. Simply an incredible pistol.
 

Maine CWP Training

Regular Member
Joined
Jul 12, 2010
Messages
463
Location
Harrison
MOCA members have been offered a 10% discount on all NRA certified courses at Maine CWP Training and an annual membership to Western Maine Fish & Game. Our Personal Protection in the Home course is discounted to $108.00. Includes three hours of law and range time.
 

whole9yards

New member
Joined
Sep 14, 2010
Messages
5
Location
Maine
MOCA members have been offered a 10% discount on all NRA certified courses at Maine CWP Training and an annual membership to Western Maine Fish & Game. Our Personal Protection in the Home course is discounted to $108.00. Includes three hours of law and range time.

I've taken NRA Basic Pistol (at Waterford Fish and Game)(CORRECTED) and the NRA Personal Protection in the Home. The combination of those two doesn't come close to Weaponcraft's Basic Handgun/Concealed Carry. The Weaponcraft course was really a defensive shooting class with basic safety, law review, 300-350 rounds of shooting technique, effects of stress. It was the stress shooting techniques taught by SWAT operators/Maine Criminal Justice Academy instructors that sealed it for me. And no attitude; very relaxed but focused learning environment.
 
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misstrixey

New member
Joined
Sep 26, 2010
Messages
1
Location
Maine
I took the Weaponcraft HG01 course and I thought it was fantastic! The instructor I had was knowledgeable and patient and calm (I was a little nervous). I thought the first half of the course as going to be boring because it was classroom time, but it wasn't! The instructors presented very interesting information in a dynamic way and we spent half that time practicing dry fire, drawing and holstering. I didn't know before I took this course how important muscle memory is to shooting, but having the time to practice drawing, etc. really helped me when we went out on the range. During the second half of the class (outside shooting) we started very close to the targets so I got a chance to build my confidence with shooting. We gradually moved farther away from the targets, so I was continually challenged. There were 13 other people in my class and everyone seemed to be having a great time. There were 3 instructors so I felt like I had lots of personal attention. HG01 was an excellent course and I highly recommend anyone take it. I was one of the newbees in the class, but there were a few people who had lots of shooting experience and they seemed to really enjoy and get a lot out of the class, too.

A few weeks ago I went to Weaponcraft's "Girls with Gun" free event. It was great! We went through stations that addressed different topics. I especially liked the legal topics station. The instructor (Dan?) is so funny, but also knowledgeable and serious about the topic. We also got to shoot all kinds of different firearms including a rifle. I really liked the the glocks. I have small hands and the glock we used was the right size for me. All of this was free (including the ammo) and we even got a cute t-shirt! It was such an awesome event.
 

ep0k

Regular Member
Joined
May 21, 2010
Messages
273
Location
Wiscasset, Maine, USA
I need to make a correction, the price I was quoted for .380 was actually for 1000 rounds, not 3000. Still a hell of a deal though.
 

crdonov

Regular Member
Joined
May 16, 2010
Messages
463
Location
south portland, Maine, USA
Hey guys, I would just like to tell you about a class that Forrest and I took this weekend at Weaponcraft. www.weaponcrafttraining.com This class qualifies you to get your permit to carry a concealed firearm.

First, I would just like to say that Forrest and I completely blended in for this so that we wouldn't get treated any differently than any other student.

The class was instructed by 2 former Marines who are now Police Officers. (One was SWAT)

The class began at approx. 7:45am and was built for the beginner, as well as the more advanced alike. We began with the bare basics, the parts of a handgun and moved into firearms safety. For some of us, this was a refresher although it wasn't boring. The instructors controlled the class well, without being overwhelming and never once did they make you feel like they were better than you as so many firearm instructors tend to do. We were all issued dummy rounds and went over reloading, as well as different firearm handling positions ie the "low-ready".

Next we went over a fairly comprehensive law review. This was informative and well planned out. The instructors would also answer any question that people had. After the law review we broke for lunch and were told to meet up at the range.

This is where the real fun began. On the range, there were 3 instructors for right around 12 people, so the ratio was 4 students per every 1 instructor which is actually quite good. The instructors maintained safety at all times and kept things moving at a great pace. It was never too fast, and never too slow. If you needed individual attention there were enough instructors for you to be able to receive all that was necessary to make this experience worth your while. We began with the basics, trigger control, as well as where the trigger on our firearm would reset.

After we were familiar with our own firearm we were ran through some drills that were quite entertaining. Of course, this is only the basic handgun course and thus there was no moving and shooting involved. That is offered in their more advanced classes. Towards the end of the shooting portion the "fun" targets came out and we were told to fire center of mass beginning from 40M and moving in from there until we were within 5M. This showed people their marksmanship limits.

Overall I would definitely refer a friend to this course in a heartbeat. You fire 300 rounds and get an instructors help at any point you would like it. This is definitely the course to take if you are looking to A) get your permit to carry concealed or B) receive firearm training/get familiar with your firearm.

And remember!! ** MOCA ** members get a DISCOUNT! :)

sounds like you and forrest had a good time.

xd-over
 

shanebelanger

Accomplished Advocate
Joined
Aug 25, 2009
Messages
667
Location
Freeport, Maine, United States
just wandering is weaponcraft a sponsor for moca? still trying to raise the money to be a life time member.

xd-over

Weaponcraft is not affiliated with MOCA. Forrest and I simply happened to take their class after looking at all the firearms training facilities in the area. We felt like they were a better fit then the others. We just wanted to state what our personal experiences were and nothing more.

We have placed a link to Weaponcraft on our homepage for anyone that is looking for more training in the use of their firearms. MOCA does not condone any one firearm training company over any other, but it is the personal opinion of myself, not MOCA that Weaponcraft currently offers a superior course than any I have taken in the past.
 

shanebelanger

Accomplished Advocate
Joined
Aug 25, 2009
Messages
667
Location
Freeport, Maine, United States
yea ive heard of weaponscrafters. have a friend who went to the ccw class. i thought about going but its too far for me when i can just get classes from these guys right in sanford http://www.conceptsforpersonalprotection.org/

they have some upcoming ccw classes as well.

I am not familiar with them, but a quick view of their website and they state that they have no live fire in their CCW class. So in my opinion, I would give Weaponcraft the nod.
 

crdonov

Regular Member
Joined
May 16, 2010
Messages
463
Location
south portland, Maine, USA
Weaponcraft is not affiliated with MOCA. Forrest and I simply happened to take their class after looking at all the firearms training facilities in the area. We felt like they were a better fit then the others. We just wanted to state what our personal experiences were and nothing more.

We have placed a link to Weaponcraft on our homepage for anyone that is looking for more training in the use of their firearms. MOCA does not condone any one firearm training company over any other, but it is the personal opinion of myself, not MOCA that Weaponcraft currently offers a superior course than any I have taken in the past.

wasnt what i meant. just wandering if they gave you any money, to help out paying for website. so basicaly free advertisement.

xd-over
 
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whole9yards

New member
Joined
Sep 14, 2010
Messages
5
Location
Maine
Whole9ards When did you take the class there?
I could be wrong on the club by name.(9/28 CORRECTION:Waterford Fish and Game) The club was in North Waterford on the road to Norway from Albany by Papoose Pond Campground. It has been a while. Instructor (basic pistol at Waterford (corrected) Fish and Game) was a guy who had been a member there many years, lived on Paradise Hill in Bethel, was a forester and a Maine Guide very good instructor. Jeff Weinstein taught my Personal Protection in the Home class in Yarmouth. Not ranking on instructors in my original post, but the personal value of the courses I took to my survival should I have a life threatening encounter. NRA is (in my humble opinion) a bit lame in it's real-world application. They (NRA instructors) correct you if you call it a weapon, the NRA believes it should be called a firearm, NOT a weapon. That's just plain too much concern for PC for something life and death. I've also taken training from Blackwater USA and Sig Academy. Weaponcraft is on par with those guys for sure and right here in Southern Maine.
 
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