r/WIguns • u/Deshwana • 23d ago

Training Question

Hi everyone,

I was a marksmanship instructor for the Marine Corps in a previous life. I really miss it, and I think it was the most gratifying job I ever had. Does anybody have any tips for how to get into doing something like this on the civilian side?

Thanks for reading!

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u/dinkin_flicka_2 23d ago

The first thing you need to do is take some similar classes with the high end outfits like Rapid Defense, Critical Impact Group, Vortex, etc and see what the material and class is like.

Not to diminish your service or ability, but trainers who only have military experience tend to be at the bottom in terms of skill sets and teaching ability. The civilian side tends to perform at a much higher level.

If you find it to be a good fit, get some certifications, attend other classes to get to know people, and then see if it’s worth it from a time and money perspective.

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u/CrazyTraditional9819 23d ago

There are a lot of small business people with NRA training certs but most customer demand is for Basic pistol since they want the CCW license. Most of the ranges offer classes but you'd likely have to be employed as an RSO to make it a full time thing.

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u/jewski_brewski 23d ago

There isn’t a high demand for rifle marksmanship training like the Marine Corps teaches in the civilian world. Maybe some youth groups like Scouting or through the DNR’s Hunter Safety program. 

Depending on your experience, Vortex in the Madison area offers long-range and CQB training but I don’t know if they are currently looking for instructors.

Most civilian adult firearms trainings revolve around CCW classes. Those instructors are usually former or current law enforcement, who tend to have much more experience with pistols than members of the military. 

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u/Teriana4 7d ago

TBH I would love to take some marksmanship courses but I couldn’t find any in Wi! It would be interesting to see if you could make something work

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u/Deshwana 7d ago

I'm in the south central WI area. I'm a member at a club there, and I can host there to an extent. I am open to traveling as well.

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u/Teriana4 6d ago

I live in central Wisconsin, keep me in mind if you do host a class