Old West Firearms Training

Castella, Shasta County

Christopher Ewens operates Bullseye Tactical Firearms from a private range facility in Castella, serving Redding, Shasta County, Mt. Shasta, and Siskiyou County. The operation limits every class to five students maximum, with Ewens personally instructing each session. Classes run on a private reservation schedule—students can book private instruction for three or more participants at no additional cost. The facility combines classroom and range at a single location, eliminating the multi-site logistics common to area competitors. Full 16-hour initial courses cost $320, with free add-a-gun qualification available typically within one week of course completion. Ewens has trained over 8,000 students across 40 years, including both civilians and law enforcement officers, with zero range accidents recorded during that period. The curriculum includes low-light handgun techniques alongside flashlight use—a component absent from most regional CCW courses. Instruction covers California firearms law, marksmanship fundamentals, malfunction clearing, tactical reloading, and scenario visualization. Students receive three included qualification attempts per handgun, with additional attempts available at $5 each. Courses qualify graduates for California permits and provide bonus eligibility for non-resident permits in Oregon, Arizona, Florida, and Virginia. Ewens has diagnosed and corrected shooting deficiencies in hundreds of students who previously trained with other northern California instructors. State law permits ammunition purchases directly through Bullseye without the background check fees required at retail stores. The private range environment removes distractions from unrelated shooters and eliminates wait times typical of shared public range days.

Shasta County

Rick DeRuyter retired from the Mt. Shasta Police Department after 25 years of firearms experience to focus full-time on firearms instruction through Distinguished Firearms Instruction. He holds NRA certification and California Peace Officers Standards in Training (POST) credentials. Rick and his wife Doris—who handles student paperwork and administrative coordination—have operated the training business together for over 23 years while raising four sons and eight grandchildren. The company serves Modoc, Shasta, and Tehama counties from locations including Redding and Mount Shasta, partnering with Solano's Hunters Hut for range access. Distinguished Firearms offers 16-hour initial CCW courses at $285 that include tactical, CPR, and trauma components compliant with SB2 requirements, and 8-hour renewal courses at $125. Students can add new guns to existing permits at no charge through free qualification sessions. Rick emphasizes customized, small-group instruction where students progress at their own pace regardless of prior shooting experience. The company also coordinates with independent instructors across Northern California who utilize NRA-taught professional techniques. Classes run monthly in Redding, Weed, and Etna with tactical and women-only introductory sessions scheduled periodically.

Redding, Shasta County

Firearms Academy of Redding has been providing firearms training, self defense and CCW instruction to Redding, Shasta County and Northern California for over 30 years. The academy is owned and operated by POST certified firearms instructor Joel Northrup, who is approved by the Shasta County Sheriff's Office as a CCW instructor. They offer comfortable, relaxed training environments for both initial and renewal CCW courses that meet DOJ standards, serving residents of multiple Northern California counties including Shasta, Tehama, Trinity, and Siskiyou.