Studying for the PAL/CFSC Practical Exam in Ontario

ServusDeiVivi

ServusDeiVivi

New member
Rating - 0%
0   0   0
Hey all!

Very new to firearms here, I have practically no hands-on experience with any firearms other than a Mossberg 12GA pump for skeet shooting, so the practical exam gives me some anxiety, whereas the written exam I've been doing study quiz's non-stop, to the point I'm scoring 99/100 on 100 question exams.

My questions for any experienced gun owners/operators, and especially for any course instructors that might see this in Ontario (and generally I guess) would be:

  1. Are we typically required to turn on/off safety during the test on all firearms that have one?
  2. Are we allowed to ask questions during the practical test, like "Where is the safety located on this firearm, again? I want to turn it on"?
  3. Besides the obvious - don't point the gun at yourself/others, don't put your finger on/squeeze the trigger - what are some ways a person can fail, or have marks deducted, that you'd advise someone to know and avoid?
Thanks!
 
You are paying an instructor for this course.
There might be an expectation of the outcome.

Don't fret over the practical part.
Nobody will hand you a firearm you have never seen before and expect you to be proficient with it.

Ask questions during the course and have fun.
 
Muzzle control and finger off and the instructor should be kind about the rest. I had never even handled a handgun before and handled a rifle 50 years prior. Safety was paramount.
Course material gives you a lot of important general info.
 
You'll be doing the course prior to taking the written and practical tests. All your questions will be answered then.
 
ServusDeiVivi said:
  1. Are we typically required to turn on/off safety during the test on all firearms that have one?
  2. Are we allowed to ask questions during the practical test, like "Where is the safety located on this firearm, again? I want to turn it on"?
Click to expand...
Questions to answer your questions:

1. Do you think you should be able to use the safety on a firearm?
2. Do you think you should be able to find and use the safety on a new firearm when there is no instructor there to tell you how to do that?

Once you go out in the world by yourself, you will need to be able to figure out how to safely use different firearms without someone to tell you how to do that. If you cannot, I might suggest that firearms are not for you. šŸ¤·ā€ā™‚ļø
 
Don't stress out about the written or practical exams. The course is designed to take you from 0 to not looking like a dweeb at the range. Pay attention and make sure you handle every gun there.

To answer one of your questions though, you can ask questions during the practical test but your instructor can't provide answers. He/she will be making check marks and possibly notes during your exam but that's not a bad or good sign. Don't look at your instructor for visual cues because you won't get them. He/she is not angry or anything else, we are just required to be stoic during the exam - no hints! :)
 
Last edited:
I Dont Care About You said:
Questions to answer your questions:

1. Do you think you should be able to use the safety on a firearm?
2. Do you think you should be able to find and use the safety on a new firearm when there is no instructor there to tell you how to do that?

Once you go out in the world by yourself, you will need to be able to figure out how to safely use different firearms without someone to tell you how to do that. If you cannot, I might suggest that firearms are not for you. šŸ¤·ā€ā™‚ļø
Click to expand...
I'd say for 1 the answer is obviously yes, but the practical test - to my knowledge - doesn't require me to demonstrate everything I need to know when using a firearm, just the safe way to demonstrate that it's not loaded, or to safely load/unload one.

For example, I don't need to physically demonstrate the different type of firearm holds/carries, or physically crossing a fence, etc...but I still should know them when I actually own and am operating a firearm in the field, right? Hence my question.

Also, when purchasing a firearm, I'm going to read the manual until I clearly understand the action, safety, and operation before I go shooting, whereas in the course I'm just remembering and following instructions. I also wouldn't be buying a really old firearm, which I hear some instructors use in their kits. That's why I wasn't sure if actually toggling the safety is a required thing to do during the test, especially since some older safety mechanisms require me to put my finger on the trigger to release the hammer (i.e. lever action).

As for 2, if I was using a gun without an instructor I'd be using a manual. if I don't have a manual, and there's no instructor, it's probably not my gun and in that case, I would not be operating it, but reporting it to the authorities.
 
toxic said:
Don't stress out about the written or practical exams. The course is designed to take you from 0 to not looking like a dweeb at the range. Pay attention and make sure you handle every gun there.

To answer one of your questions though, you can ask questions during the practical test but your instructor can provide answers. He/she will be making check marks and possibly notes during your exam but that's not a bad or good sign. Don't look at your instructor for visual cues because you won't get them. He/she is not angry or anything else, we are just required to be stoic during the exam - no hints! :)
Click to expand...
Stoic not angry, good to know! lol
 
ServusDeiVivi said:
if I was using a gun without an instructor I'd be using a manual. if I don't have a manual, and there's no instructor, it's probably not my gun and in that case, I would not be operating it, but reporting it to the authorities.
Click to expand...
This isn't rocket science or brain surgery. Guns are fairly simple and straightforward mechanical devices. You should be able to look at the thing and figure it out.

When it comes to a safety, RED means dangerous.

Keep your booger hook off the bang switch

Don't point it at yourself or anyone else.

It's not a lot more complicated than that. šŸ¤·ā€ā™‚ļø
 
I Dont Care About You said:
This isn't rocket science or brain surgery. Guns are fairly simple and straightforward mechanical devices. You should be able to look at the thing and figure it out.

When it comes to a safety, RED means dangerous.

Keep your booger hook off the bang switch

Don't point it at yourself or anyone else.

It's not a lot more complicated than that. šŸ¤·ā€ā™‚ļø
Click to expand...
Not every safety has red and white dots (cross-bolt). Some have S and T because they use a slide/tang safety on an over under/double-barrel shotgun, some require a mid-section pause on a slide that clicks in like older semi-automatic rifles, and some require me to squeeze the trigger and slowly lower the hammer, like revolving rifles/handguns.

I get your point, but I need to know these things, and I'd like to prepare as best as I can before I walk into the course/test. I can't just make a hyper-generalization and then walk in there and get blindsided. I've seen a ton of videos talking about using 40-60 year old guns, or older.
 
tiriaq said:
You'll be doing the course prior to taking the written and practical tests. All your questions will be answered then.
Click to expand...
This is true, I'm just meticulous and like to over-prepare so I can relax when I get there. I've been doing study quiz's and watching training video's non-stop lol
 
Just remember ACTS and PROVE, whatever that means. I lost points on the practical part, where you have to pick x bullet from the pile. Find a soft point, well I couldn't find a single one, I described what it was but I had to forfeit that point. They then proceeded to grab the single SP bullet from behind the lined up shotshells on the table. ą² ā _ā ą² 
 
ShortStrokeArmoury said:
Just remember ACTS and PROVE, whatever that means. I lost points on the practical part, where you have to pick x bullet from the pile. Find a soft point, well I couldn't find a single one, I described what it was but I had to forfeit that point. They then proceeded to grab the single SP bullet from behind the lined up shotshells on the table. ą² ā _ā ą² 
Click to expand...
Oof, sorry lol That's tough, but hey only one point! So if I understand the difference between a soft point and hollow point, a hollow point has a dent in the top whereas a soft point still has a rounded point. Is that correct?
 
You'll do you exam on a firearm that you practiced with during the course. Just don't ever put your finger on the trigger and keep the weapon pointed "downrange". You'll need to make sure it's safe when you pick it up, and make it safe when you put it back down.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top Bottom