Caliber for range qualification.

[jimbo1872]

Could someone please tell me why some CHL instructors are requiring 9mm or larger for range qualification. The Texas Concealed Handgun Laws on the Texas DPS webite clearly states .32 caliber or larger. The class I have chosen to take is telling me I can't use my .380 auto to shoot the range qualification and I need at least a 9mm.

 

[TxEMTP69]

I'd find a different class. If they aren't allowing you to go by what the State allows, then I'd take my business elsewhere.

 

[DCortez]

I thought I read somewhere that .380 was the minimum. But don't quote me.

 

[dbgun]

IIRC about 7 or 8 years ago a friend of mind re-qualified with a Kel-tec p32. The Instructor laughed at him when he saw the pistol. Then when he saw my friends shooting results, he came up to him and asked if he could take a closer look at it. He was really impressed with it.

 

[Rocket_Cowboy]

I had this discussion with a friend earlier this week so we looked it up.

The minimum is .32 caliber. I requalified on my first renewal with a .380 auto ... my initial qualification was with a 9mm.

That said, is it possible what what they were trying to articulate (albeit poorly) was that they didn't have .380/.32 ammo in stock ... only 9mm? When I signed up for my second renewal, we got on the subject of ammo and I learned that my local shop hasn't been able to stock .380 ammo in a number of weeks, so they suggested if I wanted to qualify with the .380 again this time, I needed to make sure I could bring my own.

If it wasn't for that reason, I'd be inclined to follow the advice of others above and find a different instructor.

 

[txinvestigator]

Ask the dude that told you that you can't use .380 and have to use 9mm or larger if he knows what another name for .380 is.

Like 9mm Short, or in Germany 9mm Kurz. Tell him you are using 9mm ammo. It is 9x17.

Ot ask him if you can shoot a .38 revolver. When he says yes, tell him to drop the last zero off of .380, and tell you what caliber that is.

I guess really you should show him the law. If he insists, report him to DPS.

You are correct, The law allows .32 or larger. You could not shoot the FN five-seven to qualify with.

Security Guards must qualify with .38/9mm or larger. That still means a guard can qualify with a .380.

 

[TxShooter]

I have a simple easy solution to that question....is the CHL instructor providing the Ammo as part of the class? Have you seen what a box of .380 is going for right now...if you can find it. Compared to the 9mm it is really high. Heck, the last stuff I saw was even higher priced than .45 ammo.......

 

[txinvestigator]

I have a simple easy solution to that question....is the CHL instructor providing the Ammo as part of the class? Have you seen what a box of .380 is going for right now...if you can find it. Compared to the 9mm it is really high. Heck, the last stuff I saw was even higher priced than .45 ammo.......

How is that a solution? Regardless of the price of ammo, he cannot require a student shoot any particular caliber as long as it is .32 or larger.

No matter what the reason, he should be reported to DPS.

 

[JKTex]

Could someone please tell me why some CHL instructors are requiring 9mm or larger for range qualification. The Texas Concealed Handgun Laws on the Texas DPS webite clearly states .32 caliber or larger. The class I have chosen to take is telling me I can't use my .380 auto to shoot the range qualification and I need at least a 9mm.

I agree with TX, unless there's more to it, they ought to be reported. You provide your own ammo.

But, 1 doesn't equal "some". You found the "1" and should move on to another. I doubt you'll find others that will tell you that.

 

[Big country]

There is a guy I work with that got the "9mm or nothin" taking his level lll. He has a 9mm so it was not a big deal to him. But if I would have taken the class with my 40 the way he explained, I would have been told to either bring a 9mm or rent one from whatever range the class was held. I was not in the class so this is second hand info so he may have misunderstood something. I wonder now if this is more common than we know?

 

[hoytinak]

When I took my level III class, I used my USPc 9mm but there were others in the class that used some of my .40s&w and .45acp (no one else in the class had their own firearms yet ). All the instructor told us was that we couldn't use reloads to qualify with.

 

[T3hk1w1]

I do wish they made an exception for guns chambered in 7.62 Tok.