Services
Instruction organized around your goals.
Every lesson is private — one-on-one or a group of two — and taught by an NRA Certified Pistol Instructor and Range Safety Officer. Tell me what you want to accomplish and I'll build the lesson around it.
First Handgun Experience
A calm, unhurried introduction for someone who has never handled a firearm. Safety, handling, stance, and your first shots — entirely at your pace.
Best for: Complete beginners
Firearm Selection Consultation
Objective, no-sales-pressure guidance before you buy. We look at hand fit, recoil, carry versus home defense, optics, budget, and where you want your training to go.
Best for: Prospective first-time buyers
Private Range Coaching
One-on-one time on the line with immediate feedback on grip, sight alignment, trigger control, and recoil management.
Best for: Any experience level
Private Coaching for Responsible Carry
Defensive pistol skills, safe handling, and judgment for people who carry responsibly. This is private coaching, not a state qualification program.
Best for: Responsible carriers
Skill Improvement Sessions
Diagnostic coaching for owners who have plateaued. We identify what's actually causing the misses and correct it methodically.
Best for: Existing firearm owners
Home Defense Planning
A practical conversation about secure storage, access, household planning, and responsible decision-making under stress.
Best for: Households and families
Women's Private Instruction
Private, judgment-free instruction tailored to your goals, with attention to fit, grip strength, and comfort.
Best for: Women at any level
Senior Firearm Confidence Training
Patient, low-recoil-first instruction with attention to grip strength, vision, and stability.
Best for: Older adults
Dry Fire Coaching
Safe, structured at-home practice routines that build genuine skill between range visits at no ammunition cost.
Best for: Students between lessons
Family Firearm Safety Consultation
Household safety, secure storage, and age-appropriate safety conversations with children and teens.
Best for: Parents and families
Featured service
Firearm Selection Consultation
A lot of new owners end up with the wrong firearm — not because they weren't careful, but because nobody ever gave them objective guidance. A counter recommendation, a friend's favorite, or whatever looked right online, and hundreds or thousands of dollars later it doesn't fit their hand and it sits in a safe.
We'll work through it together before you spend anything. I don't sell firearms, so there's nothing for me to push.
Hand fit
Grip circumference, reach to the trigger, and whether you can run the controls.
Recoil
What you can actually manage comfortably — and shoot well — round after round.
Carry vs. home defense
Very different requirements. We'll be clear about which one you're solving for.
Optics
Whether a red dot makes sense for you now, later, or not at all.
Budget
What's worth paying for, what isn't, and what to spend on ammunition and training instead.
Future training
Choosing something you'll still be glad you bought two years from now.
Bill comparing handgun fit with a student before a purchase
Photo coming soon
A note on carry coaching
Coaching for responsible carry helps you become safer and more proficient with a defensive pistol. It is not a state qualification program — My Range Buddy does not administer, certify, or conduct New Jersey qualification courses. Please confirm current state requirements with the appropriate authority.
Session lengths & investment
Pricing is per student and covers firearms, instruction, and range setup. Students purchase their own ammunition — ideally from the range on the day of your session, or by bringing their own lawfully acquired factory ammunition. We'll discuss acceptable brands and types beforehand so you arrive prepared.
Introductory Session
A short instructional visit at an indoor range in Belleville, NJ. No membership required — a comfortable, low-commitment first step.
- No membership needed
- Ammunition purchased at the range or brought by student
- Range fee paid on-site
Half-Day Lesson
Half day of private instruction at Cherry Ridge, an indoor range, or a range of your choosing.
- Firearms provided
- Student purchases ammunition
- You bring eye & ear protection
Full-Day Lesson
A complete day of coaching with a break, covering multiple platforms and skill areas agreed on in advance.
- All firearms provided
- Student purchases ammunition
- Video review of your repetitions
Precision Rifle Day
Rifle marksmanship on the 100-, 200-, or 300-yard lines at Cherry Ridge, or a private booking on the 900-yard range at Griffin & Howe.
- Cherry Ridge or Griffin & Howe
- Ballistics, wind & positional work
- One-on-one coaching
What to bring: eye and ear protection are required and available for purchase at most ranges if you don't own them. Firearms and targets are provided. You purchase your own ammunition — preferably from the range on the day of your session, or you may bring your own lawfully acquired factory ammunition. We'll discuss acceptable brands and types beforehand.
This is not an NRA-approved course.
My Range Buddy sessions are private instruction and range time offered by an NRA-Certified Pistol Instructor and Range Safety Officer. They are not NRA Basic Firearm Training courses, do not follow NRA course curricula, and do not issue NRA course completion certificates. The National Rifle Association does not sponsor, endorse, or administer these lessons.
Cherry Ridge · ANJRPC
My primary range
As an ANJRPC member I host a group of two maximum per outing, so instruction always stays personal.
Bullethole · Belleville, NJ
No membership needed
A comfortable indoor option for a short introductory lesson close to the city. Walk-on range fee only.
Griffin & Howe
Private group bookings
A premium club setting arranged privately. Dress code: golf attire — no blue jeans or t-shirts.
Your range
Belong to a club, or want to try one?
If you have a home range or a specific range you'd like to visit, mention it when we talk and we'll plan around it.