Texas CHL qualifying?

[cnemikeman]

Hey again everyone! I'm settling in pretty nicely here in Texas. ( Thanks to all for a warm welcome!) Now that I've got tags, drivers license, and all that jazz taken care of, I'm ready to do the CHL. I have read the DPS website, and it gives a basic overview... but I'd like more details. What do I have to shoot ( distance/speed/accuracy) in order to qualify? I'm very excited about this! Thanks in advance for any and all replies!


MiKeMaN

 

[synoptic]

Course of Fire:
3 yard line - 20 shots:

1 shot in 2 seconds, 5 times
2 shots in 3 seconds, 5 times
5 shots in 10 seconds, once

7 yard line - 20 shots:

5 shots in 10 seconds, once
1 shot in 3 seconds, 5 times
2 shots in 4 seconds, once
3 shots in 6 seconds, once
5 shots in 15 seconds, once

15 yard line - 10 shots:

2 shots in 6 seconds, once
3 shots in 9 seconds, once
5 shots in 15 seconds, once

Hitting the target is easy, the real test is the following of instructions. i.e. only firing 1 shot every 3 seconds for only 5 shots. Screw up on the instructions and you're out. The target is huge and so is the 5 ring. You have to score a 175 out of 250 to pass. If there is a place where you live that will do everything for the license (passport photo, fingerprinting, walk you through filling out the app, etc...) it is well worth it, makes life a lot easier.

Hope this helps a little

 

[goldy]

http://www.txchia.org/

Has all the information you may need including instructors, what you will have to do to qualify, how long it will all take (though be prepared for it to take up to 6 months *180 days* to receive your license, usually an average of 2 months). I agree, find a class that offers all of the amenitys. It will make things a lot faster and easier.

 

[Brad Johnson]

Short version...

If you can shoot even medium-good, you can qualify.

Don't fall prey to "rapid-fire syndrome". I've seen, first-hand, an excellent shooter who failed to qualify because he was concentrating on beating the clock and not placing his shots. You have plenty of time, so settle down and make your shots count.

To make it even more stress-free, consider this. If you keep all your shots on target at the 3 and 7 yard lines, you can miss EVERY SHOT at the 15 yard line and still qualify (although I can't see why you'ld want to).

Brad

 

[Gopher]

Read the booklet that came with your papers. It will all be covered in the classes but it's good to know before hand. Depending on who the instructor is and who is in your class some of this stuff may not get covered before the test. Please do your homework before going into the classroom. You'll spend more time filling out forms than test prep in most cases.

You will be able to carry anything if you qualify with a center fire of .380 or larger. If you do your quals with a revolver that is all you may carry.

If your prepaired before hand it's a piece of cake. It's a piece of cake anyway but I'll guarantee some of the folks in your class will scare the hell out of you before the day is over.

 

[synoptic]

Oh ya, depending on your instructor, the conflict resolution part can be a blast. We listened to Roy Mercer and critiqued how people responded to him, it made the 10 hours of class a little more bearable...

 

[CatsDieNow]

You must be a Texas resident for six months prior to applying. (And they didn't reciprocate with Indiana in the gap time. )

Texas DPS CHL page

 

[Art Eatman]

The shooting is a piece of cake. Just for fun, I used my LW Commander and a mixed bunch of ammo. I played "IPSC" for speed, and dealt with a couple of stovepipes without stopping for any re-run. I scored somewhere around 235 or 240, disremember. The allowed times seemed like 40 forevers...

If an Old Fart in his sixties can do that, you young squirts oughta be perfection.

The conflict resolution is the most important part of the deal, and the most thought oughta be given to that.

, Art

 

[Daniel T]

It's easy. The time they give you is almost excessive. I'm not the best shot in the world, but I scored perfect with my 1991A1 Compact, and I could have done it in half the time.

The test is easy too. It does have a question or two on it that are mild "trick" questions, but if you pay attention, you'll be fine.

 

[Smoke]

If you can shoot even medium-good, you can qualify.

Actually, I'd say a pretty poor shooter could qualify with no problems.

When I took the test I shot head shots from the three yard line. Instructor told me not to take head shots. I took some more from the 7. Instructor told me again not to take head shots. I put one head shot right on the line, he took a point off. WOuld have scored perfect otherwise, as did most in the group.

One lady in the class had never shot a gun before taking her CHL class. Instructor took some extra time with her and in thirty minutes she qualified easily.

Smoke

 

[HankB]

I've seen, first-hand, an excellent shooter who failed to qualify

Somethings wrong here . . . you start at low ready, and if you keep your hits on the paper at 3 and 7 yards, you've almost certainly already passed. The 15 yard shots are just "gilding the lilly." I find it hard to believe that "an excellent shooter" could fail to qualify unless he had gun problems.

I mean if you're even a so-so shot, after 3 and 7 yards you should just have one ragged hole in the middle. I scored an easy 249/250 overall . . . and that's just because the woman in the shooting lane next to me missed her target entirely several times, and one of her errant shots hit mine near the navel. (She still passed, by the way.)

 

[Vic303]

Actually as of 9-1-03 the 6mo residency wait has been waived by Gov Perry, provided that you permanently relocate to Texas. I relo'd in August of this year, tested in Sept, and had my CHL in Oct. 30 days start to finish. No joke.

 

[CatsDieNow]

Actually as of 9-1-03 the 6mo residency wait has been waived...

Figures. That's about when my 6 months was up. Although, that rule is still on the TXDPS website in statutes section.

 

[Brad Johnson]

Somethings wrong here . . . you start at low ready, and if you keep your hits on the paper at 3 and 7 yards, you've almost certainly already passed.

I wouldn't have believed it either, except I watched it happen. He wigged out because has was trying to get off shots as fast as possible instead of concentrating on sight picture and trigger control. Sprayed shots everywhere, and ended up scoring under 150 when he shouldn't have had anything less than perfect.

The instructor gave him a low-key pep talk about calming down and then let him shoot with the next group. Passed with flying colors.

Brad

 

[Daniel T]

It's still hard to understand how someone could fail this test. One woman at the qual shoot was cocking her SA/DA (some S&W or other) every shot and made it in time. Another woman there was shooting a semi-auto pistol for the 2nd time in her life (1st time was the day before) and passed, even though she managed to shoot the ground 5 or 6 times.

 

[Pendragon]

Ugh,

I need to get going on this.

I still do not have my DL or tags - I had to do a bunch of work on my old Honda (brakes and tires) and all I have left is a small lighting problem - but now I am past my 30 days and aprehensive about going in.

So - I gotta do tags, DL, then CHL

On top of that, our first few months here were so rough we were not sure we would stay.