RPAL exam without course?

M

mrbishi

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I'm applying for my RPAL, and I remember reading here before that you could take the PAL exam just reading the manuals, but possibly not the RPAL as easily.

Ive been safely shooting & handling guns for more than 15 years before I came to Canada and would be fairly familiar with most types of bolt, semi & pump guns.

Would it be possible to pass the RPAL practical & written test just using the manual or would i be better off doing the course?
 
Yes you can. It's called challenging the course. The fee is less but you have to arrange it with an instructor. Some may not want to let you do it, so call around.
 
N.B.: If you don't study the books you'll fail.

If you study the books you'll probably do fine.
 
I have about 10 challenges a month, most don't read the books and most pass...most have hard time with the practical and this where it all falls apart for them.

You should watch the five videos on the cfc web site...if any of it doesn't make sense to you and you don't know what acts and prove means (wether you agree with it or not is not up for debate during the practical) you may not pass your practical.
 
Watch the videos on the website or on youtube and let a friend allow you to handle (safely) a few of his guns
load and unload them with snapcaps, you will pass no problem
 
It depends on how well you know the course material AND your mechanical aptitude. I've had police/soldiers get 100% on the written and then fail the practical. I've also had someone who never touched any gun but studied the manuals for ages pass (the practicals took 3-4 times as long as usual and were painful to watch). Individual results will vary...

Oh, there's also the issue of examiner integrity. Some unethical examiners coach people through the practical or skip parts of the required gun handling so it's really easy to pass with them. Passing with examiners who test by the book requires that you actually know what you're doing. When people are talking about passing the test easily there is a possibility that they had an examiner who was cheating for them.
 
Sniper### said:
Watch the videos on the website or on youtube and let a friend allow you to handle (safely) a few of his guns
load and unload them with snapcaps, you will pass no problem
Click to expand...

While you're reading or watching the videos, watch out for "gotchas".
Some steps or actions may seem too simple or too logical or maybe too illogical, but if you don't go by the book, you'll lose points.

If, inadvertently, you sweep your instructor with the barrel, you FAIL immediately.

But watch out for things like, crossing a barrier. You ACT and PROVE your rifle, be careful where you put it down, the direction it's facing and after you cross the barrier or fence and pick up the rifle/shotgun that you have just ACTSed and PROVEded three seconds before you crossed the fence and there's nobody near you, no blowing sandstorms, no falling leaves, you MUST ACTS and PROVE it again.
 
Thanks for the advice.

Ill be getting the manuals one way or the other so I'd be confident with the book learnin.

Im fairly technical and have handled and worked on the mechanics of a lot of guns, the only thing I would have any experience with would be lever guns.

Safety would be second nature at this stage, especially with muzzle control & chamber checks.

I'll have a look at the videos and make a decision after that.
To be honest I'd rather fail a test honestly than be pass one dishonestly, especially when it comes to firearms safety.

Finally, I know there's probably little chance of downtown, but are there any instructors in the GTA that I could do the challenge with, that accessible via public transport?
 
i went with FAC check them out they are in north york

i know they let you challenge it and i have the book if you want to borrow it
 
also action doesnt have much to do with the rpal its more about safety and being a concious gun owner/handler
 
My advice to the OP would be to take both courses. This forum abounds with, let's face it, stupid questions and even stupider assertions by folks who hold a R/PAL, and who, had they taken the course, either should have been taught the right answers by their instuctor, or have grounds to have instrucots de-certified.

The law, as written, is obtuse - deliberately so. It takes a knowledgable instuctor to clarify it in plain English. And, as shooters, we need to weed out the idiot instructors who have their own version of the Act, based perhaps on early drafts that kicked around for years, or from their own paranoia. Folks who read the course material, or watch it on-line, and then pass a test, will probably spend the rest of their lives obeying non-existant laws, while failing to abide actual, if stupid, statute.
 
Do not challenge the test if you ever plan on moving to Quebec.I have to take the course all over again as they will not let me hunt due to not taking the actuall course.Pretty stupid reasoning and probbably due to not spending the money in Quebec.
 
I recently passed both the standard and restricted without taking the course (96%, 100%, 96%, 98%) on the written and practicals respectively.

I probably spent about 5 hours total reading the books and watching online videos, and just started studying in the few days prior to the test.

I don't have a lot of experience actually handling the different types of rifles and pistols (other than quite a bit of time with prohibited firearms in the army reserves ~20 years ago), but have always had a keen interest in them so most of it came naturally.

Most importantly, know how to handle the guns safely and practice that prior to the practical. By skimming through the manual you'll know what things you've got covered and what things you need to read and study more.
 
If you are familiar with restricted firearms, then just challenge the course. If you are not familiar, then you might actually enjoy taking the class before you write the exam. People who have little or no prior knowledge of restricted firearms actually do learn from these courses, even though the real learning starts when you have on in your hand at the firing range.
 
I've handled long guns for probably 15 years or so and part of this New Years resolution was to get my restricted. Ive shot a .22 pistol once, don't know much about handguns but know lots about long guns and felt I could challenge the RPAL exam.
Exam was really easy, practical was really easy as well. Just know yours ACTS and PROVE, talk them out when you do the practical and you'll do well.
I had 1 mistake in the written and 1 in the practical. Now Im waiting the 3 months for the card, the worst part :(

Cheers!!
 
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