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My younger cousin turns 21 this Wednesday, the 12th of May. So, he called me the other night around 11:30 p.m.

He wants to get his CHL. His parents have decided to pay for the cost of the class and a few rounds of shooting so he can familiarize himself with one of my pistolas, and then he's going to take the class soon.

I was honored when he called me and asked for my advice, as far as telling his parents his plans, and getting him ready for the class. Today I'm going to go check the class scheduling for the next few weeks, and let him know his options.

Hopefully this weekend, we will be able to hit the range and get him started on the right road. Then, if all goes well, we'll hit up some guns stores and gun shows while we wait for his plastic to arrive. Let him get some exposure with a variety of different makes and models of handguns and let him see what he wants to start out with.

And then, between you, me and the wall.....I'm considering paying for half of his handgun, whatever he picks. He's a young college student trying to balance work and school, so I think any way I could help would be great.

Anyways, just wanted to brag on him a little bit; I asked him to tell me why he thinks he needs it, and he listed off all the right reasons. Not that I had any doubts about him or his motivation.

That's great and you have every reason to brag a little.

Your cousin will have an advantage over most new CHLers by being mentored by someone
such as yourself who has experience and the resources of this forum.

As a matter of fact, he should join this forum.

USA1 wrote:That's great and you have every reason to brag a little.

Your cousin will have an advantage over most new CHLers by being mentored by someone
such as yourself who has experience and the resources of this forum.

As a matter of fact, he should join this forum.

+1 to everything USA1 said.

He will learn a lot from being around here. I sure know I have! I was in his same boat. I had already decided before 21 that I was getting my CHL, it was a tough wait but well worth it.

Wow, wish I had my Instructor certification already. Sounds like a perfect student - an eager young man, doing this for the right reasons, with support of his relatives to guide him before and after class.

Bravo to you both (and his parents)

Thanks guys...I'll open him up to the forum in short order. I know that just browsing around on here I have found the answers to many questions before I ever had to ask them. Very handy place to visit.

His parents were actually more receptive to the idea than I had thought they would be. I know my parents were firmly against it when I brought it up, but I explained why I felt the need for it, and after a while they came around. Of course, I got mine last year, and I havent lived with my parents in 5 years.

Either way, thanks for the kind words guys.

Awesome! Get him watching the forum NOW so he learns correctly from the get-go!

Congratulations NTexas_V-Star! You have every right to be proud of him! And he should realize how fortunate he is to have a dedicated mentor like you to help him on his journey!

joe817 wrote:Congratulations NTexas_V-Star! You have every right to be proud of him! And he should realize how fortunate he is to have a dedicated mentor like you to help him on his journey!

Thanks dude! Today is his bday....and he's got 2 finals to take, lol. Then his friends are throwing him a party, which I'm not partaking of.

Tomorrow or the next day, I'm meeting up with him to let him know his options for class scheduling. Sometime this weekend, we're going shooting; then hopefully a few more times in the next couple of weeks. I want him fully knowledgeable of the XD he's borrowing from me for the class, and of gun safety. No hiccups allowed. I also want him confident and competent.

I also decided yesterday that I'm going to pay for half the cost of his weapon of choice up to $300. That'll serve as my birthday present to him. I plan on taking him to a couple of gun shows in the near future so that he can get his hands on a lot of different makes and models. We'll hit all the local spots as well.

Take him to an IDPA event, let him enjoy a scoot-and-shoot in the safe structure of an event like that so that he can learn some fundamentals. Just make sure he grasps all the basic safety rules first :) Range officers are always willing to take extra time with first time shooters so that they participate safely and have a fun experience.

lkd wrote:Take him to an IDPA event, let him enjoy a scoot-and-shoot in the safe structure of an event like that so that he can learn some fundamentals. Just make sure he grasps all the basic safety rules first :) Range officers are always willing to take extra time with first time shooters so that they participate safely and have a fun experience.

That's an excellent idea. Thanks.

UPDATE:

My cousin and I made it to the range this afternoon. I walked him through the operation of the handgun (my 5" XD .45), then schooled him on safety. He was extremely attentive, asked a few questions here and there, and I didn't have to repeat myself at all!

After that, I had him dry fire the weapon a few times, while talking him through it, since the XD has a bit of travel in the trigger pull. Walked him through loading procedure, then ran a target out to 3 yards, and told him to load up.

He did spectacular! Then we ran it out to 7 yards, and he did extremely well then, but he was pulling to the right slightly. I showed him how his grip affected his shooting, and how having too much finger in the trigger could as well. He corrected, and did excellent, and put several mags through the gun at 21 yards.

After that, we ran it down to 15 yards, and he did reasonably well. All in all, he will most definitely pass the CHL shooting qualification.


He's so enthusiastic, that he went ahead and signed up for this weekends class. We're going back to the range tomorrow afternoon, and I'm going to run him through the course of fire. I sincerely believe that he will do fine. Tomorrow evening, we'll sit down and clean the XD and I'll discuss the class with him and what to expect, yada yada yada.

Just thought I'd let yall know about the progress.

TTT

His class is today....I drove by the range on my way to work this morning to make sure he got there on time. He did.

I'll mess around after work for a while, then swing by the range around 6 or 7 this evening and see how he did. I have no doubts that he'll do great.

NTexas_V-Star wrote:
I'll mess around after work for a while, then swing by the range around 6 or 7 this evening and see how he did. I have no doubts that he'll do great.

I remember driving home from my class.
I was exhausted but also filled with a sense of accomplishment. I'll bet he'll feel the same.

He just texted me....they finished the shooting portion...he passed! only had two shots outside the 8 ring.