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Bull Run Shooting Center

Learn to Shoot Classes/Private Lessons

SHooting Center Lesson

Learn to Shoot Safety Class

Our Learn to Shoot Safety Class takes non-shooters and beginners through the basics of learning to handle a shotgun and getting range ready. This class is offered every Saturday and Sunday at 9:45am, 11:30am, 1:15pm, and 3:00pm. The Learn to Shoot Safety class covers range etiquette/rules, safely handling of the shotgun, loading/unloading, stance and shooting clay targets. Each class holds 6 people and pre-registration is required as we cannot guarantee walk-in space. The class is $45 per person and lasts about 1 ½ hours.  All equipment is included with the exception of eye protection.  Safety glasses, regular eyeglasses or sunglasses are acceptable forms of eye protection.  Inexpensive eye protection can be purchased at the range if needed.  Open to everyone age 12 and up.

Learn to Shoot/Learn the Game Class

Our Learn to Shoot/Learn the Game Class is offered on most Wednesdays and Fridays at 5:00p.m. in the spring, summer and fall. This class includes all aspects of the Learn to Shoot Safety class AND goes to our Wobble game field to "Learn the Game" with the instructor. Students will play a full game of Wobble with hands on coaching and direction from your instructor. This class is limited to 5 students. The class is $60 per person and lasts about 2 hours.  All equipment is included with the exception of eye protection.  Safety glasses, regular eyeglasses or sunglasses are acceptable forms of eye protection.  Inexpensive eye protection can be purchased at the range if needed.  Please come dressed for the weather. Open to everyone age 12 and up.

*You may withdraw from a Learn to Shoot Safety class or a Learn the Game class for a refund up until two days before your scheduled class.

Click here to register for any upcoming class. Use search term "shooting center". 

Private Lessons

For folks wanting private lessons we have many NSCA certified instructors that are qualified to help folks who have never handled a shotgun on up to Master Class shooters. For $75* an hour you and your instructor go over specifically what you want to work on. It could be any of the games we have here, your stance, gun mounting or just wanting to become more efficient with your shotgun. The first person is $75 per hour and each additional person is $50 each per hour. Open to everyone age 12 and up. We can accommodate up to 3 people in our private lessons. 

*$75 covers the time with the instructor.  If you need a gun rental, ammunition or targets that is a la carte.
 
For groups of 4 or more please fill out the group request form:
Group Request Form

Instructors

Please contact instructors directly to coordinate time, date and the areas you'd like covered during training.

Bill Collier

  • EXPERIENCE: High School and Collegiate level competition shooting experience. 25 years of military weapons experience. 10 years shotgun coaching/teaching experience.
  • SPECILITY: Skeet and sporting clays coaching working with first-time shooters interested in shotgun sports.
  • AVAILABILITY: Prefer weekday instructing
  • ADDITIONAL INFORMATION: I hold current NRA and NSCA shotgun instructors’ credentials.
  • CONTACT INFO: 703-282-9603, wcol72@aol.com

Mike Formichaella

  • EXPERIENCE: Shotgun, handgun, and rifle experience for 50+ years. Certified by NSCA and NRA in teaching all forms of shooting sports. Avid hunter seeking species throughout the world.
  • SPECIALTY:  Sporting Clays; Trap; Skeet; Wobble Trap; Gun Fitting; and technical advice related to the shooting/ hunting sports
  • AVAILABILITY: Wednesday through Sunday during Bull Run Shooting Center operating hours.
  • ADDITIONAL INFORMATION: I especially enjoy working with first time shooters and families wishing to enjoy a shooting experience. Able to accommodate shooters with limited mobility.
  • CONTACT INFO: 540-216-4422, mikeformichella@gmail.com

David Gaetani

  • EXPERIENCE: National Sporting Clays Certified Instructor. I have over 50 years’ experience shotgun shooting and 25 years’ experience shooting competitively. I have also been an avid hunter of deer, turkey, waterfowl, and upland game birds since the age of 16.
  • SPECILITY: Although Sporting Clays is my specialty, I have expertise in all major shotgun disciplines including skeet, trap, 5 stand, and wobble trap. I am passionate about providing hands-on clay shooting instruction at all skill levels
  • AVAILABILITY: Wednesdays: 4pm until close. Thursdays: 2pm until close. Fridays noon until close. Saturdays and Sundays: 9am until close.
  • ADDITIONAL INFORMATION: I will work with you to develop a personalized training plan that meets your unique goals whether you are interested in taking your skills to the next level, preparing for a waterfowl or bird hunt, or just wanting to try the sport for the first time. I utilize ShotKam as a training tool, the world’s most powerful training camera, providing students with instant visual feedback right on the course.
  • CONTACT INFO: 703-475-0057, dagaetani@gmail.com

Rick Hill

  • EXPERIENCE: Began shooting skeet, trap, sporting clays late eighties. Became a Lifetime NSCA member around 1991-92. Earned NSCA level 1 1999. Earned NSCA Level II 2003. Avid bird hunter. 2012 started and coached the JMU Shotgun shooting team
  • SPECIALITY: All games.
  • AVAILABILITY: Anytime during Bull Run Shooting Center hours.
  • ADDITIONAL INFORMATION: Enjoy teaching new and intermediate shotgun shooters. “Feel the Gun, See the Break, Smell the Powder.”
  • CONTACT INFO: 202-255-1512, rhill1105@aol.com

Ivan Lopez

  • EXPERIENCE: I have been shooting for 23 years. I have a passion for shooting sports and have participated in 7 World Cups and various continental championships representing my home country—and I continue to do so! I have competed in both Olympic rifle and shotgun at different levels. I am certified as a coach by the NRA, the National Sporting Clays Association, and the International Shooting Federation.
  • SPECIALTY: Meeting people where they are. Whether you’re a beginner or an experienced shooter, I will provide techniques tailored specifically to you to help you break more targets.
  • AVAILABILITY: Anytime during Bull Run Shooting Center hours. I love training in extreme weather conditions!
  • ADDITIONAL INFORMATION: Lessons are also available in Spanish. / Clases también en Español.
  • CONTACT INFO: 689-867-2451, ivancamilolopez@gmail.com

Bob Mahoney 

  • EXPERIENCE: I am a competitive sporting clays shooter. A two-time Maryland state class champion with over 35K tournament targets shot in numerous tournaments over the past 25 years. I began coaching to funnel my passion for shooting into helping others. Since 2002 I have spent over 1800 hours training 3K+ students, at all levels, from beginners to competitive shooters.
  • SPECIALTY: My coaching style is practical and straight forward based on a version of Dan Carslile’s Triangle Method. It is a structured approach which emphasizes mechanics, visual discipline, and shot planning/execution. It is applicable to all shotgun sports.
  • AVAILABILITY: Anytime during Bull Run Shooting Center hours.
  • ADDITIONAL INFORMATION: NSCA and NRA Certified Shotgun Instructor and NRA Certified Level 2 Shotgun Coach
  • CONTACT INFO: 301-461-7322, rcmahoney@verizon.net

Gary Noyes

  • EXPERIENCE: Having been an avid hunter and clay target shooter for over 40 years, I provide a pragmatic and patient teaching style to novice and experienced shooters alike. I enjoy waterfowl and upland hunting and is an experienced hunter interested in recruiting, retaining and reactivating hunters to experience the thrill of the hunt. Take one of his lessons as a tune up for this coming seasons hunt!  As a competitive shooter, I participate in NSCA and Gun Club level events through the year and across many states in eastern U.S.
  • SPECIALITY: Perfect for new hunters preparing for their first waterfowl or upland experience, I provide hunt-specific etiquette, safety and shooting techniques while hunting over dogs in particular, this will allow for a much more enjoyable season. I focus on the finer points of technique and strategy for all clay target sports.
  • AVAILABILITY: Weekends and most Thursday/Friday evenings after 5pm.
  • ADDITIONAL INFORMATION: For those with mobility concerns or those seeking comfort and time efficiency, I provide a late model electric golf cart with capacity for up to 3 students for his lessons on the sporting clays course.
  • CONTACT INFO: 973-906-1477, garynoyes@gmail.com

Earl Roberts

  • EXPERIENCE: I have decades of shooting experience and since 2020 have committed my time to nothing but offering professional firearms consulting and instructing. I hold certifications and qualifications as a National Sporting Clays Association (NSCA) Instructor, NRA Shotgun Instructor & Instructor Trainer,  NRA Certified Level 2 Shotgun Coach,  Amateur Trap Association (ATA) Certified Coach, Scholastic Shooting Sports Foundation Certified Shotgun Coach, Virginia Hunter Education Instructor, and Chief Range Safety Officer.
  • SPECIALITY: I work with beginners through experienced shooters (mainly on the Sporting Clays field). Lessons are tailored to your skill level and desired shooting goals (Intro to Shotguns and Clay Shooting, Wobble, Sporting Clays, Tune-Up, Hunting Prep, etc.).
  • AVAILABILITY: Open availability, contact me to discuss options.
  • ADITIONAL INFORMATION:  Rifle and pistol training also available.
  • CONTACT INFO: 571-697-9652, mobilemarksmanship@gmail.com 

Annette Spetalieri

  • EXPERIENCE: I've loved shotgunning for over 50 years. It began with a grandfather who took me, his first grandchild, bird hunting when I was in 6th grade. I've been hooked ever since. I've worked at Bull Run Shooting Center for nearly 13 years & been shooting skeet competitively for the last 12.
  • SPECILITY:  Shooting can be a bit intimidating at first. I'm here to encourage, foster & support women & new shooters into the sport emphasizing good fundamental gun handling skills on any game and the game of skeet in particular.
  • AVAILABILITY: Anytime during Bull Run Shooting Center hours.
  • ADDITIONAL INFORMATION: A family that shoots together, stays together! I started training my own son in the sport in his youth and now at 30 he has AAA skeet scores. I look forward to assisting you & your family in the challenging, but genuinely thrilling sport of shotgunning. Let's smash clay targets together!
  • CONTACT INFO: 703-475-2568, eagleeyeclays@gmail.com

Todd Wright

  • EXPERIENCE: I started shooting Sporting Clays competitively in 2010. In 2015 I achieved AA class. I have over 20,000 registered targets and probably that many practice targets. I’ve shot at Regional Events, Big Blast events, State Shoots and local shoots. I continue to shoot at these events. I coach from the beginner, just wanting to break more clays to the competitive shooter wanting to move up in class.
  • SPECILITY: Sporting Clays. Why? Never are 2 courses the same, each has specialty targets, and endless presentations. This provides unique challenges for the shooter.
  • AVAILABILITY: Weekends and some weekdays.
  • ADDITIONAL INFORMATION: I started hunting with my grandfather with a shotgun when I was 5. That's over 50 years ago. My children and grandchildren have hunted with me as well. SAFETY is FIRST, CONTINUOUS and ALWAYS the primary lesson. Being a parent and grandparent myself, I understand the importance of safety as well as the importance of selecting a coach in whom you have complete confidence and trust for your child's safety. I started working with children at shoot camps in 2012, as well as Boy Scouts Troops and Trail Life groups.
  • CONTACT INFO: 703-819-1077, tewright45@gmail.com

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