Although I have been shooting a while I have never had a private lesson, other than some tips from others at the range. Today I had a 60 minute lesson with a former USMC instructor and it was great. He identified problems and gave me good things to practice. For me, this is much more valuable than spending money on mods, etc. I liken this to the students I work with when teaching high performance driving on race tracks. Often they have spent significant $$ on mods to their cars, but have no real idea about driving well. P320 Compact.

Can’t wait to do it again after a few weeks of practice.

Welcome to the forum!

That is a great way to get started in this business.

I spent some amount of money in the past on mods but over time a learn that skill will take you farther than many of those mods, I really enjoy learning and taking classes.

It's easy for new shooters, or sometimes even experienced shooters, to get caught up in the guns 'n' gear aspect of shooting...what type of gun should I get, what caliber, what holster, what ammo, what sights, what grips etc... all while not realizing that there is a LOT more to shooting performance than just the "hardware" side of the equation.

It's common to see new shooters, and sometimes even experienced shooters making mistakes, and often they don't even realize it.

Investing in good training, especially early on, will pay dividends years after the initial instruction. Often, self-trained shooters or shooters trained by those who themselves are making mistakes, learn improper techniques and these errors lead to poor performance and are more difficult to correct and take longer to correct...resulting in wasted range time, wasted ammo, lackluster performance, and worst of all, frustration. It is FAR easier to learn how to shoot properly early on rather than to learn to correct poor technique practiced for years.

A good instructor will not only identify and correct problems in shooting technique, but they will teach the student how to analyze their own shooting. The value of analyzing your own shooting can't be overemphasized as a training tool.

Getting good training can also help new, or even experienced shooters not only improve their skills, but can give a new shooter a better base knowledge to determine what guns 'n' gear better meet their needs, rather than buying first and deciding that he or she bought the wrong gun or wrong caliber, or wrong gear.

After a student takes enough classes they start to develop the ability to determine which of the instructors' lessons and techniques work best for their particular circumstances and needs...keep what works, discount that which doesn't.

Good training early on + good practice techniques at home + regular live fire practice on the range will often lead to improvement in an individual's shooting skills.

Wmeckley, congratulations on making a great decision in getting good training. I'd recommend devoting a portion of your shooting budget to periodically getting additional training, whether it is a private lesson or a class.

Welcome to the forum!