I just purchased a new shield 9 last week, I haven't had a chance to shoot it at the range yet. I'm going to a CCW class this Saturday, they do have guns (.22 pistols) for you to rent when doing your shooting test portion, or should I take my new shield and use that? I have shot guns before, not many pistols, I know the 9 will have more kick than a .22, not that I can't handle it. Just wondering thoughts on this. The class instructor said I could bring my own weapon and box of ammo, or spend another $20 to use their gun and ammo. I picked up a box of 100 rounds at wally world for $19.

Use what you're gonna carry. It's a better idea to get familiar with your gun before you shoot for "points".

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M&P's and K Frames Pleeze!

I'd recommend buying another 200 rounds and heading to the range beforehand just to start gaining familiarization with it and pistols in general.

To answer your question, though, I think you should shoot your shield for the test.

Either way, get to the range with your Shield before you go to the class. Do you know what the shooting test is like? If so, do a dry run of the same test before you go. When I took my CCW class, I did dry runs of the test on 3 range trips first. The tests are usually not too hard, so trying it out in advance will give you more confidence. I agree with others that it's better to test with what you intend to carry.

There is just no way I can get range time before Saturday with my schedule this week. When I signed up for the class I planned on using whatever they had, then kind of a last minute thing I bought the shield last week. I have to go tonight to the damn Trans-Siberian Orchestra the wife got tickets for to keep her happy. UGHHH.

I am going to disagree. If you haven't shot a pistol much, you will learn good habits easier with a 22. I think that would be a place to start.

As a CHL instructor, PLEASE don't show up at the range with a gun you never shot before, certainly not a small defense centerfire. The rental .22 costs no more than a box of 9mm ammo.

I too have M&P .22 loaners. I learned the hard way how inept and DANGEROUS some people with no training or experience can be, bought a M&P .22 and put some additional training into the course for people who needed to use it.

Don't know about NC, but OK state course is not designed for people who never shot a handgun. The shooting part is simply to demonstrate proficiency and safety in putting rounds downrange.
Instructors have had to add in more basic training due to some students expecting to be "trained" in handgun shooting.

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Science plus Art

I see what you're saying. I am all about gun safety, and know how to handle a pistol, I have heard from a couple friends that went to this course, they've seen people in there that have NEVER even touched a firearm before and even one that was asked to leave when she could not even hit marks on a 3 yard target. Those people scare me. I may have some time Friday night since the range in my town is open till 8pm to get over there and put some rounds through it.

My opinion - shoot the range's .22.
Why?
The Shield is new in the box, never broken in, no idea of the sight alignment, no idea that it will run like a top out of the box, short sight radius for a new shooter, to name a few.

i'm on the "use the .22" bandwagon as well. As a newer shooter I found the jump to the 9c (from my .22) took a good bit of practice, work on form/grip, and patience to get comfortable (and fairly accurate) with it. I would not have taken any testing with it if I had no experience using it as it's more then just the recoil that is different....
The .22 will be more forgiving, I'd say if that is accepted then use it for now and then work on the Shield to get proficient enough to carry. Good luck!

Side note, i've seen TSO maybe 6 times over the years, the show doesnt disappoint.

Good advice! If no chance to shoot it before the class, by all means do the rental .22 deal. After the class you'll have plenty of opportunity to get proficient with your Shield.

Be safe and enjoy!

Thanks for the replies. I will just rent their .22, buy more ammo for mine and start hitting the range with it. On another ?, with the M&P bodyguard, laser or no laser? The shield will be #1 home defense gun for now (till I buy more), but when I get my CCW permit, I'm wanting the .380 for more pocket carry, jacket/vest carry when on my motorcycle. The bodyguard will fit nicely in the vest pocket.

You gotta keep momma happy or you won't have to worry about it!!

I can't believe they allow .22s - I am so used to our requirements here with a minimum of .32 caliber, and I have never seen anyone show up with less than a .380 or a .38.

And I agree, do not take that test with a gun you have not practiced with. No matter how easy the test might be one can still fail.

I have already advised other instructors to not put up with people who cannot shoot, the CHL test and class is not for learning how to shoot.

***GRJ***

A happy wife is a happy life, gotta remember that!

I would definitely agree with renting the .22 for the test, and shooting some rounds. Down here in Tampa, I took the CCW Class while attending the gun show. After the instructional part of the course, we went to the range to shoot and the "test" was to pickup his .22, fire ONE round at the target which was 3 yards away and put the gun back down.

The woman in front of me at the range picked up the .22, fired and missed the target completely. He hands her a certificate of completion and tells her to put her name on it. I'm thinking This is unbelievable, this woman is gonna be somewhere in the streets in this town, legally carrying a gun, and can't shoot a lick.

I got my certificate, and took another class before submitting my package. I wanted to ensure that I had some idea of what I was doing when carrying my EDC. I guess some "instructors" are only in it for the money.

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YNC(AW) USN '72-'93

My MIL bought a BG with laser (because it had a laser). I find it extremely distracting trying to keep that dot in the target so, for defensive scenarios, I'd say no laser. That being said, it can be a fantastic training tool. You will never learn as much about trigger control as you will when learning to steady the dot. It is nice for dry fire too. Buy one with it. You don't have to turn it on. JMO

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JR
SD40VE and Shield 9

I also agree. Qualify with the .22 and then go shoot the hell out of your Shield.

I don't think it's a good idea to take an new, untried gun to a class.

You have other people milling around, the instructor watching you, time pressure, etc.

It could, worst case, create a safety hazard.

The time to try a new gun is when you are by yourself and can take all the time you want with no pressure.

I would use my own firearm. There is nothing like knowing your own gun.

I see no reason for a laser on a CCW. If you are so far from your target that you need a laser, you most likely can walk away from the situation.

Don't rule out carrying the Shield as a CCW, it is so easy to conceal, but I find it to large to be a pocket gun. If you plan to ever carry the Shield or the Bodyguard in a holster, you might want to think about ordering one now, the lead time can be long on quality holsters.

[IMG]S&W Shield 003cf3 by Jerry Jaynes, on Flickr[/IMG]

I think you are taking this too "lightly" ....

Shooting a .22 pistol that you rent is NOTHING like shooting your own Shield. I thought the whole idea of getting "certified" for a license is showing that you know your weapon and can use it effectively and safely.

No rimfire pistols are allowed for CCW certifications in my own state, and I think for good reason. Nothing wrong with practice using a .22 .... but you mostly need to get to know your own carry weapon FIRST.
You may find that the Shield you bought might be a bit on the tight side out of the box . Operating it accurately and quickly will not be the same as a rimfire pistol.

Just saying.... YMMV

It seems a bit premature to say you need to shoot the new-in-box, never fired Shield as "your" gun. I do not believe it is "your gun" until you learn it's characteristics, sighting, faults, and strengths. The only rounds through that new-in-box were tests on a testing bank. My Shield is now reliable. But the first 100+ rounds were plagued by FTB, jams, FTE, just a morass of failures, and a trip back to the homeland. Not the norm, but a possibility.

I shot my test with a 9mm PT92 that a friend loaned me, after spending a day at the range with it. There was concern about my arthritis. After 100 rounds, I knew where it shot, so I adjusted. Then I shot another 100, and thought I might make it. I missed 2 points on the test with it. I went back to my service .45 that had not been fired in 25 years, and after a heavy cleaning, shot a perfect score. That was "my gun". But I spent years with it, qualifying again, again, and again.

I bought a new S&W 22 compact, and first day at the range put everything on target. I would have qualified in the first 50 rounds with a perfect score.

I disagree strongly with CCW permits that qualify with a .22, but even more those that have no test at all. Given that the OP has the option of doing it the easy way, rather than taking the risks of modern "quality control" of a NIB weapon, I would kick his butt if he took the hard route presented. BUT ...

I would feel like a personal promise (to myself) to re-qualify in a few weeks or months with the Shield before ever actually carrying would be a minimum requirement in a .22 state. When you spend a good number of days at the range, you'll make friends with someone who knows the plan and can run through the tests with a $1 B27 target. I do it often. Cost? After the guns are locked away, buy me a Jack on the rocks.

Not all concealed carry classes/requirements are the same. In my class the mandate is that you demonstrate the safe operation of the gun, not marksmanship.

I've had students that were very poor shots and a couple that were good. All of them were able to put shots on target though and that's good enough for the county requirements.

The class is not designed to teach marksmanship. There's just not enough time. We have to cover the law and that takes time and is complicated enough. I do encourage the students to come back for pure marksmanship training though. I've had a couple take me up on that and they are glad they did.


So, for the OP, I too recommend the .22 rental. The Shield trigger can be tough to learn. You don't want to learn while qualifying.

What is the course of fire or shooting requirements?

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Freedom isn't free.

[quote=Jaysq;138227949]I see no reason for a laser on a CCW. If you are so far from your target that you need a laser, you most likely can walk away from the situation.

[quote]

I would second that advice. I would not bet my life or legal expenses on laser for a gun that only meant to be for SD/close quarters personal protection weapon/BUG.

I put "24/7 big dot" for the fast target acquisition on my Shield. Not a perfect range sights ( not meant to be) but 1.5" grouping from 7 yards is possible out of 30 rounds (have 4 mags/30rds total load) with 3-5 shots discarded. Actually I had more than few times groupings as tight as 0.5" from 7 yards out of 8 rounds

After the 8 hour class time portion, the shooting is to get 20 out of 30 in 3, 5 and 7 yard targets. I'm going to the range on Sunday to finally run some rounds through the shield. I plan on at least once a month going and getting proficient with that and any other pistols I get.

I do plan on using the shield as my everyday concealed carry gun. I want to also get the m&p bodyguard for when I'm on the motorcycle, wearing shorts, to me it would be easier to carry in my vest or jacket than having the shield on my waist

Well, I'm going to disagree with the majority here. Clean the Shield, take it to the class and shoot it and qualify with it. You'll be fine.

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Army veteran, NRA Life Member

Lot's of sound advice here....but the main issue that's being ignored is the "artificial" constraints of having to either use a .22 or a gun you've never shot, because you MUST take the course at this time.

I'd move heaven and earth to reschedule your class, and spend more time at the range with your Shield...and perhaps even get some qualified instruction since you're not apparently an experienced pistol shooter.

JMHO....YMMV

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Peace Thru Superior Firepower

If you think that lasers are only for longer shots, then you don't fully understand what a laser is for.

I don't generally care for lasers on handguns. However, they do have their place. That is far off the subject though and we can discuss it in another thread.

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Freedom isn't free.

Well I completed my CCW course today. I was the first one there this morning at 7:20am, the guy holds the course at his house, the private range is down the street. Since I got there early, I talked to him about my situation and concern having a new, never yet fired gun. He said to use it, I would be fine. There was about 41 of us in the class, he asked the class who had experience with handguns and those that didnt have as much or none would be in the last group, which I put myself in only because of the new gun. The 3 yard line he wanted us to shoot one handed with our body turned sideways, all 10 of my rounds were directly in the center of the target with over half through the same hole, my 5 yard were all center with a couple in the next ring, and last 10 rounds were just a little more spread out but mostly in center. Love how it shoots and feels, my very last round jammed as it entered the chamber, had to force slide back against wood post. Looked like the round had a dimple on it keeping it from fully entering chamber. Gonna clean and lube it tonight and hit the range tomorrow. Thanks for all the feedback on this and opinions. Looking forward to putting many rounds throgh this.

Glad your instructor encouraged you to use the Shield. I see no reason to rent a .22 when you have your own gun to use - especially when it's the one you will be carrying.

I think you'll be more than happy with your Shield, and the Bodyguard .380 when you get it. They both fill my cc needs very well.

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Stay protected my friends.

Congrats on qualifying with an unfamiliar gun. I know you'll enjoy carrying it. I've been carrying mine a while, both IWB and pocket (in cargo shorts). Of late, I'm using "The Treadstone" by Overwatch Holsters. The owner is a member of this forum (Pastureofmuppets) and is a great guy to deal with. The product has been sweet, giving me a secure, comfortable carry.


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

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JR
SD40VE and Shield 9

That is my target from yesterday at my ccw class. 30 rounds total.

That'd slow down most attackers.


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JR
SD40VE and Shield 9

Congrats on completing your ccw class. I was going to chime in and say use your shield because you had no experience with the 22 either. Anyway, looks like you did well.

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Ostendo non Ostendo

By the way, check out MTR Custom Leather for your holster. He is local to NC, down around Asheboro somewhere. He makes good products. I use his dual carry model for my shield.

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Ostendo non Ostendo

I think in order to attend a CCW permit class the first thing to do is make sure every student has had some sort of experience with a pistol prier to even taking the class. There was an older couple, (late 60 range) she tells me at the shooting line that's the first time she has ever held a gun, I had to show her where the mag release button was......3 TIMES! Her husband loaded the .22 round backwards in his, both were class rental guns. Another guy I talked to while others were shooting, he just bought his .45 the night before and never shot a pistol before, rifles only. Never cleaned or lubed and never loaded a mag. Kind of scary to see these types of people there. I have shot semi-auto and revolver pistols in the past, just never owned any, so I will call myself a beginner. But at least I learned about my own gun, took it down, cleaned and lubed it up and got to know it first hand. That's all I got to say about that. (forest gump voice)

Going to the CCW Class is NOT the right time to figure out how the weapon functions or shoots. Put the class on hold, go to a local RANGE, shoot and shoot more. I will never forget the days of going to quarterly weapons training, I always picked the most far or right lane so it would eliminate at least one person to my right or left. I just purchased a SW MP 9 Shield, even with some knowledge of weapons, 20 years in the military, I cannot imagine showing up to the range and never fired the weapon, BAD IDEA!!!

Congratulations on your CHL and your new Shield. Still loving mine.

The CCW class I attended here in Mass was 8 hours of classroom instruction (6 students), then one at a time to the range with 2 instructors behind each person. We couldn't bring our own firearms. It wasn't as much about accuracy as about safe handling of the firearm. A lot of time was spent in discussing how not to accept a firearm unless it had been demonstrated to be unloaded and could be verified to be unloaded by each student. Then proper loading of the mag, inserting and putting into battery, while keeping the barrel pointed in a safe direction. Each student had to do all this with a semi-auto .22 and a semi-auto .45. The instructors worked with each student until everyone could do this safely. It was time-consuming but we all learned from the mistakes of the others.
Hitting a 1 foot square target at 3 yds was all that was required.

My personal opinion is a .22 should not be allowed for a CCW test as very few if any of the students are actually going to carry one. You should take the test with a gun you are going to carry. When I took my CCW qualification there were several using .22 target pistols with red dots sights. I shot a 5" 1911 .45 with 230 ball ammo.

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H Richard
SWCA1967 SWHF244

I too first qualified with a 1911 and generally out shoot everyone there. However, you have to ask yourself, "What is the purpose of the shooting portion of the class?"

CA law does not require a shooting qualification. It only requires a class on gun safety and the law concerning using deadly force. When I teach my class, I don't care what gun they use. I do care that they demonstrate competency, but most of all, safety. If they can safely send the rounds down range, and keep them on the target, they qualify.

Remember, most classes of this nature are not teaching marksmanship. If you want to learn marksmanship, I have other classes. There simply isn't enough time in the day to teach quality marksmanship and gun safety and the law. My goal is to give my students enough encouragement that they will seek out more training on their own. I don't care where they get that training and I will gladly direct them to any one of several good instructors near me; I just hope they get it.

So, I have no issue with using a rented .22LR for this class. Save the real gun for real training on using it.

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Freedom isn't free.

When I took my CPL class (with 50 others) the instructor allowed nothing smaller than 38 special for the shooting portion.

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Stay protected my friends.

The allowable caliber and type are generally different - depends on the state.

In Florida it was one shot from 38 special, aiming in general direction of the target - that's all that required.

I understand these classes are not intended for marksmanship of a gun, but you SHOULD at least be familiar with a basic revolver and semi auto pistol to carry, let alone take the class. It's scary seeing people like that in the class. I may have never owned a semi auto, but did have a small .32 revolver, have shot many 9mm M&P's, .40's, AR's. Have a good Thanksgiving everyone, and be safe.

I hate always being right. It is a burden that I must carry with dignity.

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Army veteran, NRA Life Member

Then your instructor was not following the law. Here are the training requirements for Florida: Acceptable Training Documentation / Concealed Weapon License / Licensing / Divisions & Offices / Home - Florida Department of Agriculture & Consumer Services While there are many different forms of training they will accept, including a DD 214, the one thing all those trainings have in common is shooting far more than one shot.

I have heard of instructors, who are supposedly certified by the NRA, teaching the NRA Basic Pistol Course in half an hour. Anyone who's done that is a fraud and should have their credentials removed.

That's enough about that. The bottom line is, any training acceptable to the state of Florida will require more than one shot. Instructors that administer training courses like you describe make us all look bad. And, no, one shot from a .38SPL does not meet the Florida requirement.

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Freedom isn't free.