Was looking through school websites to find a training opportunity to take a class while I have some downtime in March.
Found this course being offered at Maine Maritime,
http://conted.mainemaritime.edu/smarms.html
Course dates are March 18-21.
Course needs a 6 student minimum to run, so far there is only one student signed up.
P.S. Mikey and John, hope it is ok to post this here? If not, delete.
[QUOTE=Flyer69;100802]Was looking through school websites to find a training opportunity to take a class while I have some downtime in March.
Found this course being offered at Maine Maritime,
http://conted.mainemaritime.edu/smarms.html
Course dates are March 18-21.
Course needs a 6 student minimum to run, so far there is only one student signed up.
P.S. Mikey and John, hope it is ok to post this here? If not, delete.[/QUOTE]
Well, I’m not Mikey, I’m not John, but I am in complete favor for training on the safe use and care of guns, whether it be small arms, rifles, shotguns, you name it. Perhaps I’m a little overboard on this, I also believe when you own a gun you should know how to clean it, disassemble it, put it back together, oh, and how to shoot straight (always know WHERE you are shooting, there’s a motto “Know Your Target”). In addition, treat them like you would treat a valuable tool, keep them clean and in a safe place. If there is a safe on your gun, use it. The only time you remove the safe is when you are ready to shoot. When done shooting, put the safe back on. It’s sad but every year someone trips while walking through the woods and WHAM. You do not want THAT to happen.
Yes, I’m all for such training.
Well,
The reason I asked if it was ok is because I didn’t want to come across as pimping a class for Maine Maritime or the subcontractor who is coming in to run the class.
Hoping 5 more ppl sign up so they actually hold the training. If they don’t run the class it means I will be at home working on the “honey-do” list.
S-n-G I agree 1000% percent with everything you said.
Good Luck. It seems like Maine cancels a lot more courses than it actually runs.
Why is that? Overpriced? Low quality? Or just too unreliable?
If it is cancelled, consider a local pistol permit class. You will get a lot of class room and some range time. If you want instruction on maintaining & firearm handling, there should be nearby clubs & ranges that can set you up.
You might want to take a gander at the ‘Gun nonsense’ thread in the Scuttlebutt section.
Having taken several classes there, I can comment:
Overpriced? I think their pricing is pretty fair.
Low quality? Absolutely not.
Unreliable? Not in my experience.
Could be that it’s not easy to get here, or that nobody wants to take classes in the willywack woods of Maine.
Already done that, went down to the Sig Sauer Academy in Epping, NH for some top quality instruction. Looking to go back for more.
I would say cost of travel is the big reason. The students would probably take more of these classes if they had the hours in the day.
I have taken courses in a lot places, including Maine. I’ve flown into Bangor and I have driven up. I’ve paid $60 per night to stay in a dorm, and over $100 to stay at B&Bs. My camp in Maine is within driving distance, but a little too far for comfortable daily commuting. I have tried to take several other courses at MMA, but they always get cancelled due to inadequate enrollment.
Some of MMA’s routinely listed continuing ed courses have not actually been run for several years.
Most of the MMA courses are average quality. I like Castine and I would take more courses there, if they actually ran them. I have come to the conclusion that Maine (and all the other maritime academies) are not really interested in offering continuing ed for working mariners.
My first choice schools are Maritime Simulation Institute in Newport, Rhode Island, and MPT. Those schools offer high quality courses for working mariners. Most courses are offered at least once a month. They never cancel courses and are 100% reliable. Newport and Fort Lauderdale are both nice places to spend a few days.