The Real Cost Of Quality Firearms Training

The Cost of Training

If you’re looking to expand your gun education, one of the first things to do is find a high quality class. Once you’ve determined who you want to learn from, you might have gotten a little sticker shock at the price of the class, and wondered why it seems so expensive. After all, $400 or $500 for a weekend is a lot of money. Why does it cost so much?

Many of the classes that command these types of fees are taught by traveling instructors who have been invited because of local interest in their particular expertise. With their limited time, some of the cost is a simple function of supply and demand.

The author teaching a 2014 class halfway across the country from home

But regardless of whether the instructor is a famous name brought in to town for a special training event or an experienced local trainer, class fees are a partial representation of the time they have invested into becoming qualified to teach their material. This is particularly true as you move into a more specialized, more advanced subject matter.

In order to learn both the material they are teaching you and how to teach it well, an instructor has generally invested significant time and money into their own training. If you ask, they will probably be happy to provide you with a resume that outlines what can be hundreds or even thousands of hours of formal training under a number of other instructors and through a variety of firearms schools and academies.

Bruce Gray passing on lessons learned from decades shooting at a high level

If the class you’re interested in is available only from one instructor or a small group of them, the price also reflects the time spent in developing the class curriculum. If you’ve ever had to give a presentation or prepare a speech, you know that it takes far longer to plan what to talk about and show than to actually do it. In addition to considering topics to cover, range time is needed to test drills and exercises.

The drill may be simple, but developing it can take time and a lot of ammo

And that's just the background! There are also many costs that go into the actual class. While some instructors ask that students pay range fees separately, many roll those into the tuition. At some ranges, full-day rentals can run into the several hundreds of dollars.

There are also travel costs to be taken into consideration, and may include an extra night or two in a hotel than what students will need, in order to ensure that travel snags don’t prevent a late arrival or an early departure. The plane fare or gas, rental car, and hotel rooms add up to a significant portion of the expenses an instructor pays before paying themselves.

Helpers might be necessary for larger classes

Those costs might not be just for the main person standing up in front of the class, too. Depending on the size of the class and what it covers, you might also have assistant instructors or line officers to provide extra coaching or safety. In some cases, they’ll be local or not have to travel as far to the hosting range, but they are likely paid for their time as staff along with having their expenses reimbursed.

Finally, the targets you shoot, the handouts you get, and even the ammunition used to demo drills and skills add up, along with any demo articles that might come along for show and tell. Individually, they do not cost a lot but they are still part of what an instructor is out of pocket for to teach a class.

Concealed carry purses and blue guns for a class demonstration

So as you can see, the fees you pay for quality, professional firearms training cover a lot more than the time someone spends standing in front of you in a classroom or on a range. In return, you’re getting the benefit of the instructor’s background, experience, and skill as a teacher in a specialty subject. Seems like a better deal now, doesn’t it?

Editor's Note:

Here at Gun Carrier, we strongly believe in education. All of our writers have been formally trained, and/or teach in some capacity. It is never a good idea to become complacent in anything, and this compounded for firearms. If you can afford it, get yourself some good training because your very life could depend on it. Let us know in the comments below: The who, what, where, when, and why you took your last class. Then, make sure you like Gun Carrier's Facebook page.