I’ve always wondered why there wasn’t one beloved website where instructors could list their classes and locations. A website where students can search their local area and locate a wide variety of firearm classes. Practiscore more or less provides that for competition, and some instructors do post classes on Practiscor, but that’s never taken off in a significant way, at least not in my area. I see a ton of instructors using websites like Eventbrite, but ShootingClasses.Com is the first I’ve seen to focus exclusively on firearms.
What’s ShootingClasses.Com
Admittedly, I don’t know much about the people behind ShootingClasses.Com, but it’s obvious they are pro-gun. The website is tailored to firearms training and allows ranges and instructors to post their classes and students to peruse classes in their area and across the United States.
ShootingClasses.Com provides a pretty robust search function that allows you to enter your area and what specifically you want from the shooting class you’re looking to attend. You can narrow it by weapon type, class type, or various events and competition shoots. You can get super specific with categories for NRA and USCCA courses, scenario-based instruction, virtual simulations, medical classes, and many more options pop up.
Just checkmark what you’re looking for, and you can search through a wide variety of classes. The search engine is very easy to use. I really like the fact they added a difficulty selection. Whenever I’m looking for classes, I’m always curious about what Instructor A’s pistol class is compared to Instructor B’s. If I get to a beginner class, I’ll feel a little shorted. Allowing instructors to check the difficulty level is a great way to ensure good customer service.
I did a search in my local area and found several instructors and classes. A surprising amount, to be honest. I didn’t even know some of these companies even existed, and I’ve lived here forever and have been a part of the local firearms scene for quite some time.
The Catch
It sounds too good to be true, so what’s the catch? For students, the website is free. No subscription or payment is required. For Instructors and Ranges, there is a monthly subscription of 19 dollars a month. There is also a 5-dollar student fee for classes that cost less than 100 and a charge of 10 dollars per student for classes that cost more than 100 bucks.
Sadly, it doesn’t run itself. According to the website, ShootingClasses.Com does offer you marketing aid, discount code functionality, registration log, rosters, class calendars, online sign-up, payment processing, and more. It’s not just Craigslist-style ads. Admittedly, there is a fair bit of support offered for your membership.
You can also pause your membership at any time if you take a break for instructing or maybe book a residency at a training center. It seems like a good deal, and they seemingly offer you support, but I can’t say. It seems like it’s pulling in instructors, so maybe they are onto something.
Beyond Being Handy
I see ShootingClasses.Com being a handy website, but it goes beyond just being handy. While EventBrite is currently popular with instructors, it would take a change of the wind for that to end. I’m surprised it lasted this long. Once some Angry Moms Demanding Action find out, I can see EventBrite closing those opportunities for instructors. I wouldn’t depend on it. I think ShootingClasses.Com has some real potential to be a website on par with PractiScore.
