Thread: Mountain Safety Council Firearms Course

I found my course OK, but I had read and re-read the wee blue book until I had almost worn it out.

It is very basic and is why the push for you to join a club.

Bear in mind the cost is kept low that way no on is excluded due to the cost of it, or some Govn agency/dept would have to fund it.

Originally Posted by Bill999

Im not saying he should piss off at all, I think he would make a fine instructor - far better than the idiot that took his test, but I bet he wouldn't be prepared to do that - (which annoys me) someone picking holes in a job done by a volunteer but they arnt prepaired to give what that person is giving, their time on a regular basis to help other

I would appreciate it if you would stop making suppositions about me.

You are annoyed at me, based on your belief? Not on what I said or did, but what you believe that I would or wouldn't do. Seriously?

I am criticizing the way the course is structured and managed. If you wish to take that as a slight against you, so be it.

Originally Posted by Bill999

Koshogi you SHOULD join the MSC and take courses where you personilise them to make them the best course they could possibly be, that way with more people in the ranks maybe the MSC could be more picky about who runs courses and drop the worst off the list
from what I understand this isnt possible due to the fact not many people are prepaired to give up their time to help

I don't want anybody dropped off the list. If a person(instructor) is not up to the agreed upon standard, you help them achieve that standard. By developing your volunteers, they become better instructors, and the public get a better education/course.

One person running a course to a higher standard, does not raise the standard for the other courses being run. There needs to be consistency amongst all the courses being run. This is why I am advocating for a standardized training package and ongoing assessment of the instructors/course.

I probably will, at some point volunteer for MSC. I had planned too some time ago, unfortunately personal commitments do not allow me at this time. I couldn't anyways right now, remember, I just applied for the licence. Which you said was a per-requsite for the "job".

Originally Posted by steven

Bear in mind the cost is kept low that way no on is excluded due to the cost of it, or some Govn agency/dept would have to fund it.

I wasn't charged anything for the course.

From what I understand, funding for the course is from NZ Police.

I did a course through open polytech instead of the MS and it was really good. While still all theoretical it at least tried to go into some detail on how to operate different types of arms, appropriate cartridges for uses etc. We also had to go to a gun shop and get them to show is 1 to 1 how to operate a bolt, a semi and a shotgun then sign of that they had. A bit off topic but more comprehensive firearms education is available.

Originally Posted by ebf

Bill, answer me this please...

Other than being willing to give up some of your time, what qualifications do you have to enable you to be a firearms safety instructor for MSC ?

Other than attending a couple of the courses to learn the "script", did you do any specific training around
A) firearms safety
B) adult education

What vetting and quality control processes exist within MSC to weed out instructors imparting incorrect information ? Have any instructors been let go or forced to take remedial training in the last 5 years ?

NONE
Oh ebf do I have a story for you
I should probably keep this two myself but I think there's a lesson in it for us all, so no names will be mentioned.
Our local firearms course instructors (2) where hunting with a good mate of mine, a couple of years back, this is a true story.........
They where quad hunting a private hunting block for deer split between 2 quads, both the instructors, my mate and the land owner.
2 red hinds crossed the track when coming down the hill, the two instructors decided two cut down bedside the ridge two maybe get a shot off.
The bikes carried on down the steep track, my guy mate on the trailing quad who was a very experienced quad rider, some how got cross rutted and the bike rolled pinning him against the bank.
The lead quad had carried on unaware of what had happened.
Mate was in rather a bad way screaming his head off for help, the two instructors arrived after running back up the hill,
As they bent down two pick up the quad one of there unloaded guns slung on someones back went off blowing a hunk of bank two bits less than a foot from my mates head.......
These two instructors then debated whose gun it was that mysteriously went bang. I kid you not.
.these are the same two alluded two in my first post
Fortunately I think they have given up..........

Scarey shit alright

Originally Posted by Pengy

Scarey shit alright

You got that right!

jeez thats a worry, suppose some mothers do have 'em

Getting a licence to own a fireman in NZ is a pretty casual affair compared to the UK. Back 15yrs ago when I lived there things were reasonably tight, today is even worse. You had to apply for both a shotgun licence and a separate rifle licence. With the rifle licence you even had to apply for the calibre that you were proposing to use before you were even granted it, for each calibre on the licence you had to put forward good reasons why you needed to own such a calibre. As a beginner or first time license holder the chance of getting a 300WSM was slim to nothing. One way of increasing the chance of getting a centre fire ticket was to take and successfully pass a British Deer Stalkers course. These were held several times a year all over the country and consisted of a three day course covering both practical skills and in-depth instruction on safety, ballistics, deer management, the law and equipment for deer stalking. The practical side not only consisted of shooting centre fire rifles at different ranges and positions but also the butchering and the care of the carcass after shooting. To pass the course you were expected to score 3 out of 3 at prone 100m, 70m sitting or kneeling and 50m standing, also there was a 100 question test that you had to get 80%. This was just the basic course and you could go on and complete advanced courses. Today in the Uk certainly in Wiltshire the county I come from you have to do this course to get a ticket. My point is that this might be the extreme but it gave me an extremely good grounding into the use of firearms and the shooting of larger game animals. Some where between this and what we have now in NZ would in my opinion be better for all. How we do it or who controls/runs it is open for discussion. Please discuss.

That has to be the longest first post I had seen on a forum
Welcome aboard mushpush, from a fellow expat.

Welcome mushpush.

Just like to keep my mouth shut and then get it off my chest all at once! Its been something that has bugged me for a while especially when you hear all these reports of guys getting shot in the bush by their mates. I'm not saying that Pommes are perfect, cause they aint, its just that I cant recall many if any, fatalities amongst hunters/shooters in the UK, yet here it would seem not uncommon.

Do you have larges areas of bush that people can go to anytime and just go hunting over in England?

Not really Toby. You need to have permission to hunt on just about all land I think.
Imagine a country the same size as NZ but instead of 4 and half million people living in it, there are 65 million. Doesn't take a big imagination to realise that what public land there is, gets a lot more people using it for whatever purpose.

Thanks Pengy

I don't think their system is what helps not having people shot. I think it's lack of land available for everyone to go hunting on when they please.