Hello. Newb Q Re. R/PAL

R

Rollo

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Hello everyone.

Looooong time forum lurker. Finally decided to sign up and finally write my test.

( graduated university, so this is kind of a gift to myself )

I have been to the range maybe a dozen or so times, shot lots of rifles and shotguns at family farms etc. I would consider myself to be a descent shot with both.And i memorized how to field strip a M1 Garand when i was 13.So that is a little background on my rifle/shotgun history.

Thanks in large to this forum community i started to figure out the process of which license gets me what and what i would need for storage etc etc and travel permit etc. I thought i had it pretty much figured out. BUT ( lol ) i was going over the R license manual online and it said once you pass the PAL you may apply for the R. I was under the impression if you wrote the R it just super seeded the PAL and you could obtain both rifle and pistol.

So that is my main question. Can i just write my R OR do i need to do my PAL followed by the R.

BTW i plan on going through : http://yrfirearms.com/index.htm


Cheers,

Rollo.
 
We attended a PAL course, and upon successful completion of that, (12 hrs) we did the RPAL (4 hours)

The RPAL course commenced about 2 hours after we wrote our PAL tests (and did the practical as well)

Several folks in our class took advantage of that, but I couldn't so we booked to do our RPAL about 2 weeks later- evening class.

We were tested/graded right after the course was over, no waiting =- well I guess we waited ? 1 hour or so? for our instructor to mark the tests.

40 days later I got my RPAL in the mail, however my wife's RPAL is still "being processed" from June 25th. I think I just lucked out!
 
Most places will offer the complete package of PAL and RPAL and you write both exams (as it was in my case) at the end of the course (which was 2 days).

The content and exams are pretty much identical except for the storage and transport regulations.
 
I took the PAL course and just challenged the exam for the RPAL... You don't need to take the course if you know your way around a handgun. The written exam is practically the same for both, just a couple questions are different.
 
Rollo I took my pal and rpal at the same place you are going. They were great there. Did it on a Saturday and Sunday. Saturday was the non-restricted course where they go over all the information in the book and then you do the hands-on. Sunday morning first thing you do the written. Assuming you pass the the non-restricted test, the restricted course starts right after, i believe it was around 10:00am. You go over the book which is a lot quicker than the non-restricted, then you do the hands-on and finally the test. I think i was out of there by 4:30 or 5:00.

Just a heads up, what ever you do don't put your finger on the trigger you lose big points and if you point the gun in an unsafe direction....mainly at the instructor, it's an automatic fail. One poor guy did it when I was there and was sent packing.
 
I did the PAL/RPAL at yrfirearms, bigtime respect for those guys (and woman). Very knowledgeable and friendly. Just whatever you do keep your finger off the trigger and trigger guard, as Dobby said. And watch the muzzle direction!
2 days, 2 tests, easy as pie.
 
Keep calm and control the muzzle. Part of the test was to check the stamping on the gun and compare it to the stamping on the cartridge, to ensure it's the proper ammunition. So, first instinct is to turn it sideways and look at it. All of the sudden your gun's now pointed off in some other direction and you just lost points. It takes a bit before you get into the reflex of turning yourself and keeping the gun pointed in the safe direction.

Another thing that comes up is in the practical test when you have to load and unload the gun as part of ACTS and PROVE. Probably nine out of thirteen people in my class dropped a cartridge at some point, and what the instructor kept trying to stress was to not bend over and pick it up, or try to catch it, or eject the cartridge into the face of whoever's next. Those ejectors can send that brass flying pretty far.
If something falls, let it fall, deal with it later, don't bend over and wave the gun around or do a flying leap for it.

Essentially slow is smooth, smooth is fast. The main problem is that you're up in front of a bunch of strangers and probably handling replicas of guns you've never used before, it's easy to get anxious. I almost messed up with the replica 1911 because all my experience is with Glocks, so I completely lacked the reflex to thumb the safety on even though I knew I needed to. Only remembered at the last second.

If you get a chance to play before the test, take it, especially if you're unfamiliar with that particular model. More experience is good.
 
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