Well, took and passed my Canadian Firearms Safety Course (unrestricted) here in Ottawa this weekend. Great course, great instructor, learned alot.
Funny thing, though. After handling all those firearms, I'm even more convinced now than before that I want to stick with black powder muzzleloading (I already own two flintlocks for which I cast my own roundballs and cut my own patches). Well, maybe I'll get myself a caplock, so I can shoot Pyrodex sometimes.
Guess I'm stuck in the past.
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wildwindom
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Muzzleloading is great fun! From all my guns, I shoot my muzzleloaders the most. There's something about concocting your own loads and tinkering to find the best load for your rifle.
Mind you, the only weapons I shoot more is my Exomag and PSE compound bow.
Mind you, the only weapons I shoot more is my Exomag and PSE compound bow.
Pete
The great outdoors is where I want to be.
The great outdoors is where I want to be.
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(THE BLUE STAR)
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Howard
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pat p,
Like the A.W. said, read the written part over a few times and you'll do well on the written part. I got every answer right and all I did was pay attention to the things the instructor emphasized and then studied them.
The practical is harder because you have to respond to questions/commands from the instructor with proper (that means SAFE) firearm handling techniques. Whenever he asks you to pick up a rifle, PROVE it safe. Whatever he asks you to do in between, always remember to PROVE it safe before you put it down again. Always point the muzzle in the safest direction and always leave your PROVED firearm on the bench with the action open. I lost a point for failing to check whether the safety was on after I had PROVED a shotgun following a cross-the-fence exercise (the safety was on because I had put it on at the beginning of the exercise, but I lost the point for forgetting to check part way through the exercise, when I picked the gun up again).
If you're comfortable with it, talk the instructor through what you're doing (example: I'm observing the chamber, now I'm verifying the feeding path/magazine, now I'm examining the bore, etc.) That way there will be no mistaking that you're doing what is required.
Really, I think the only way you could fail the practical is if you have a bunch of safe handling violations, particularly those that involve unsafe muzzle direction. Just don't point whatever firearm you're handling at anyone, particularly the instructor. It's supposed to be an automatic failure.
Read the book over a few times, practice using the firearms actions and doing your ACTS and PROVE (assume every firearm is loaded, control the direction of the muzzle, finger off the trigger and outside the trigger guard, see that the firearms is unloaded, etc.) during the numerous classroom breaks, and you'll do fine.
Best of luck.
Like the A.W. said, read the written part over a few times and you'll do well on the written part. I got every answer right and all I did was pay attention to the things the instructor emphasized and then studied them.
The practical is harder because you have to respond to questions/commands from the instructor with proper (that means SAFE) firearm handling techniques. Whenever he asks you to pick up a rifle, PROVE it safe. Whatever he asks you to do in between, always remember to PROVE it safe before you put it down again. Always point the muzzle in the safest direction and always leave your PROVED firearm on the bench with the action open. I lost a point for failing to check whether the safety was on after I had PROVED a shotgun following a cross-the-fence exercise (the safety was on because I had put it on at the beginning of the exercise, but I lost the point for forgetting to check part way through the exercise, when I picked the gun up again).
If you're comfortable with it, talk the instructor through what you're doing (example: I'm observing the chamber, now I'm verifying the feeding path/magazine, now I'm examining the bore, etc.) That way there will be no mistaking that you're doing what is required.
Really, I think the only way you could fail the practical is if you have a bunch of safe handling violations, particularly those that involve unsafe muzzle direction. Just don't point whatever firearm you're handling at anyone, particularly the instructor. It's supposed to be an automatic failure.
Read the book over a few times, practice using the firearms actions and doing your ACTS and PROVE (assume every firearm is loaded, control the direction of the muzzle, finger off the trigger and outside the trigger guard, see that the firearms is unloaded, etc.) during the numerous classroom breaks, and you'll do fine.
Best of luck.