Defensive Lever Action Rifle

With all the recent talk about banning certain types of firearms such as the semi-automatic AR-15/AK-47 rifle/carbine, this might be a good time to consider other types of firearms that you could use to defend yourself and others. The lever-action rifle has been filling this role for over 160 years.

• The Defensive Lever-Action Rifle course is designed to give participants the knowledge and skills to use a magazine-fed (tubular or box) repeating lever-action rifle to protect themselves and others. In this class you will learn about the history of the lever-action rifle from the time of its inception, basic firearms safety rules, the fundamentals of marksmanship while using a lever-action rifle, lever-action rifle features and specifically those that are beneficial in a self-defense firearm, and personal protection skills like situational awareness, developing a defensive mindset, etc.

• There are no prerequisites for attending this course beyond an understanding of basic firearms safety rules and familiarity with your lever-action rifle’s operation. 
• Attendees will need an appropriate lever-action rifle and 150 rounds of ammunition for it. (Those that chose to use a rifle that has a tubular magazine but that lacks a loading gate in the side of the receiver will be at a disadvantage during some of the timed courses of fire that require reloads, but such rifles are allowed.) While any caliber of ammunition is allowed, including .22 Long Rifle rimfire, it is recommended that you use a riflechambered for a centerfire cartridge. Pistol-caliber cartridges include .38 Special, .357 Magnum, .44 Special, .44 Magnum, or .45 Colt are commonly chambered in lever-action rifles used for cowboy action shooting. Other lever-action rifles chambered for popular hunting cartridges such as the .30-30 Winchester, are also common.
• You may want to have a means of carrying spare ammunition such as a cartridge belt, bandolier, or a large pocket.
• You may also want to consider having a sling to carry your rifle, but this is not required.
• Hearing and eye protection are required.
• Appropriate clothing for use during the shooting range portion of instruction include a hat to keep the sun out of your eyes and that has a brim that can deflect ejected cartridge cases away from your face, a shirt with a high collar to prevent hot brass from entering and getting next to your skin, long pants—some stages of fire require you to assume a kneeling position—, and sturdy footwear (NO OPEN-TOED SHOES or FLIP-FLOPS ALLOWED).