PAL and CORE options

[kush]

Hey peeps,

I'm looking into where I should do my PAL/CORE courses shortly.

So Far I see two options that stand out for proximity (Im in New Westminster) to me and price.
Both include manuals and testing.

SilverCore - Pal: $195, CORE: 175
Firearmstrainingsystems.com - PAL + CORE = $160 + $110

Any experiences with them, or other opinions?

thx


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EDIT for updating results:

So I did the Non-restricted course on the weekend with firearmsafetytrainingcourse.com

There was 18 ppl, they said this is a bit more than usual.
The room had a lot of cool animal mounts, antique guns, pics. One pic had the biggest Black Tail rack I've ever seen. (it's on the cabinet to the right of the tv if you go there)
Instructor was great, easy going, humorous, passionate.
A video was used for going over most of the material and we followed along in our provided books.
Juice, pop, water, coffee, cookies provided. Bring $5 for pizza at lunch time.

Plenty of bolt, lever, pump actions available to get familiar with handling.
I never felt rushed, or that I could not ask a question.
The instructors made sure everyone was sure before moving on. In my limited knowledge opinion, instruction was top notch.

I got 100% on both practical and written testing. (If only this would hold up when I get to the range)
I casually read through about 60% of the course manual (you can find a link to it somewhere on here) before taking the course.
I think it helped because there is just a lot of new information for someone not really exposed to firearms so this lessens the load on the brain.

In my opinion,
DO NOT CHALLENGE THE COURSE
Why? Because there are things you just cannot learn from the book that you will learn from someone with 50+ years of firearm/hunting experience.
If you just cannot afford to take the course, then you probably can't afford the guns and ammo and gear you will need to purchase.

Overall great Experience

[Seth]

Judging by the prices you posted, its a no-brainer.

[LupieHunter]

I did my pal through Silvercore and so did someone else I know. Highly recommend them. Great instructors and they do both the pal and rpal all at once. I took a weekend course, pal most of Saturday, then rpal, more rpal and review Sunday morning, then exams right after lunch.

[LupieHunter]

One thing though is that even though it says it includes manuals, for the pal we didn't get one. They had info sheets for us for the more complicated things.

[Tanya]

Geez, pricey. Perhaps we should be charging more.

[kush]

Geez, pricey. Perhaps we should be charging more.

Who are "we" and how much do you charge?

[Bag1]

Kent at FATC is pretty awesome, you should call them I believe they may have a package price
his training center in cloverdale is pretty cool too

[jlirot]

im in the same boat. ready to take courses in next month or so. i'm just now applying for my residency (i'm a yank). any reason not to just challenge the test? seems easy to study on your own and pay 40 bucks to take the test.

is CORE similar or do you need to take the course?

[CodyRules]

Took my CORE with matt and it was great. The course was over four days so lots of time for questions!

[scoutlt1]

Kent Archibald in Cloverdale is a decent guy, and offers good courses for both PAL, RPAL, and CORE.

Google him and I'm sure you won't be disappointed.

[kush]

I've signed up the FASTC.
I'll try to remember to give a review afterwards.

[Edzzed]

Kent at FATC is pretty awesome, you should call them I believe they may have a package price
his training center in cloverdale is pretty cool tooI 2nd or 3rd them as well. I did both there and have no complaints. Just remember to bring 5 extra bucks to cover pizza they have brought in for lunch. They also have free coffee, pop and snacks. http://firearmsafetytrainingcourse.com/pricing/

[Beard]

Sapperton Fish and Game Club in New Westminster runs them.

[Moe.JKU]

This one is great, Kent is very knowledgable.

http://firearmsafetytrainingcourse.com/

[Cdn-Redneck]

I challenged my PAL with Kent and he is a great guy. Helps to make sure your application is filled out correctly and takes a picture to send off with it as well.

[Bag1]

I 2nd or 3rd them as well. I did both there and have no complaints. Just remember to bring 5 extra bucks to cover pizza they have brought in for lunch. They also have free coffee, pop and snacks. http://firearmsafetytrainingcourse.com/pricing/
yes The pizza I forgot about that, great people for sure

[mike-juliet]

Come see us in Cloverdale, we do CORE every other week starting back up in February, We also offer PAL/RPAL every weekend both Saturday and Sunday.

The price online includes tax and the textbook.

http://firearmsafetytrainingcourse.com

[Alec]

When the Federal Gov't passes their "Sensible Firearm Bill" this Spring there will no longer be an option for the 'CHALLENGE" for any PAL exams. All students will have to sit through an 8 hour lesson time BEFORE attempting the exam for PAL and another 4 hour session for the RPAL if you do it soon after the PAL, otherwise an 8 hour lesson time prior to the exam. These are the rules laid down by the Canadian Firearms Center, and an instructor/examiner will lose his/her certification if full lesson time is not used.

[MrJames]

You should try CASE , they're out in the Richmond area just by the Knight St. Bridge. Their prices are very competitive and there instructors are very switched on. I'm looking to take some of their live fire course this summer.

CASE: http://casecertified.com/

[clte]

Kent at FATC is pretty awesome, you should call them I believe they may have a package price
his training center in cloverdale is pretty cool too

I went and did both with Kent and Co last June. Great folks. :)

[Silvercore]

I did my pal through Silvercore and so did someone else I know. Highly recommend them. Great instructors and they do both the pal and rpal all at once. I took a weekend course, pal most of Saturday, then rpal, more rpal and review Sunday morning, then exams right after lunch.


Thanks for the kind words LupieHunter!

Also thank you for pointing out that the $195 includes both the non-restricted and restricted courses, not the non-restricted alone. The course price does not include a hardcopy of the manual but we do include an electronic version of both manuals when a student registers. Silvercore and it's instructors are passionate about training new shooters and hunters and we do our very best to make the process as enjoyable as possible.

Also, for those calling in to register for both the CFSC/CRFSC and CORE at the same time, or for those who register for a second course while attending a Silvercore course, we are able to offer an additional 10% off the CORE.