About us
I am Douglas M. McCullough (Mac), President and Primary Instructor for Stone Mountain Firearms Training Service (SMFTS). I formed this company to serve the Atlanta area firearms shooting public with sound instruction on the responsible, safe and effective use of handguns and armed self-defense, and to provide an information resource for related topics. A resident of Georgia can get a Georgia Weapons Carry License without any knowledge at all about firearms or the laws that restrict carrying firearms. The current law requires that someone who cannot so much as tell the difference between a pistol and a toaster must be issued a firearms license if they follow the application procedures and pass the GBI background check. Most people who are licensed to carry in this state have never had any formal instruction in firearms and very few have ever been taught armed self-defense techniques. Most have never drawn a loaded firearm from a concealed holster and engaged a target. People need to develop the knowledge, skill and attitude to safely, properly and effectively use their handgun. Stone Mountain Firearms Training Service will provide basic and advanced firearms training for those who are exercising or considering exercising their right to defend themselves with armed force but do not have the requisite set of skills to do so. I have been shooting and teaching firearms and marksmanship off and on since 1970, mostly military small arms. Until just a few years ago I was primarily a rifle shooter. I was a member of the First Infantry Division Rifle Team in 1964. In 1970 while shooting for the University of Houston Rifle Team I was honored by being selected to the First String All American for Collegiate International Rifle Team. I taught and supervised the teaching of Infantry small arms and competition rifle off and on from 1972 through 1988, commanded the US Army Marksmanship Training Unit #5 from 1983 through 1986 and was a shooter/coach in the US Army shooting system for that time. From 1986 until I retired in 1989 I continued competing and coaching. I am distinguished with Service Rifle and hold a Bronze Leg Badge for Pistol. My rating for Service Rifle was High Master when I retired from competition in 1988. I worked for Firearms Training Systems from 1989 to 1992 and again from 2001 to 2008 as a Training Developer. That work continued under the new management of Meggitt Training Systems Inc until May of 2009. Several years ago I started shooting handguns as a result of wanting to be armed for self defense and realizing that it would take some work to do it right. In 2010 I was Certified by the National Rifle Association (NRA) to teach First Steps Pistol, Basic Pistol and Personal Protection Inside the Home and in 2011 to teach Personal Protection Outside the Home. Those three courses are the foundation for what we do at SMFTS. The NRA course materials are of professional quality and instruction follows strict NRA lesson plans. Course completion certificates are provided to all who successfully complete the courses of instruction. Our goal is to make it safer in our community as a result of improving the knowledge, skills and attitude of our students and thereby to help preserve the right of all of us to keep and bear arms as clearly stated in the Second Amendment of the US Constitution.
Business highlights
Services we offer
NRA Basic Pistol and Personal Protection in the Home and Outside the Home courses, Firearms and the Law class, Concealed Carry Course GCO Georgia Firearms Carry Course and several basic rifle courses.
Services we don't offer
NRA Defensive Pistol Course
Accepted Payment Methods
- PayPal
- Check
- Visa
- Discover
- MasterCard
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I found Stone Mountain Firearms Training on Angie's list, read the reviews and was quite impressed. The location was about 11 miles from my home, which was nice. I looked at the provider's website, and grew even more impressed, so contacted him to arrange for us to take the basic pistol course the following week.
I have rarely made a better decision in my entire life. The instructor/owner, Douglas and quot;Macand quot; McCullough is probably the best you could ever hope to find. His knowledge and experience is vast and covers a wide array of firearms. He is very thorough and patient explaining every aspect of safety, handling and firing pistols. He teaches the classroom instruction at his home, which includes NRA training, Mac's own videos and other videos, and dry firing and laser pistol practice. Our classroom instruction ran long, so we all agreed to come back the next day to finish the class material and go to the range for live fire practice.
The next day went well for me, not so much for my partner who had trouble remembering to keep her finger off the trigger when not on the target or shooting. We both shot fairly well for newbies, and the credit for that goes to Mac.
For people like my partner and me, who are over 65 and new to this, the information can be a little overwhelming and I would suggest you ask for the course over two days instead of just one. If you complete and pass the test at the end of the course, you will get a certificate stating that you did pass it. It's all true/false and multiple choice, and covers most of what you will have learned. Having the additional evening to review it all made it much easier for me to pass the test.
If you ever want to learn anything about guns, or the law concerning guns, Mac has many courses available. We will no doubt take additional training from him once we purchase a pistol. I cannot recommend Mac and his class any higher, but if there was an A+++, that's what I would rate him. You won't regret spending the time or money learning from him.
I took my wife and daughter to the course, neither of whom had ever held a firearm before. I have military training but have not handled a pistol in years. Mac was patient, deliberate, and very well organized. He was able to pace the instruction to our specific needs and used a wide variety of classroom, multi-media, training aids and practical exercises to retain our focus and gain understanding. We left with a high degree of comfort and competence that we can each become great shooters.
This is an awesome course if you want to learn how to get comfortable around pistols and learn how to shoot them safely and accurately. You cannot drift through this class, you will participate at every stage of instruction. This is personal training from a world class instructor. The class environment was comfortable and breaks were easy to accommodate. The price was very affordable relative to the time and commitment of the instructor.
This course and this instructor carry my highest personal recommendation. His outstanding on-line reputation was borne out. The location is not convenient to us; we traveled an hour to get to the class, but we will take follow-on instruction from him. The drive was well worth it. I appreciate Mac's ability to work with my wife and daughter, they liked the course as much as I did. Well done!
"member name removed, Thanks for that outstanding review and for the one that preceded it. I appreciate you guys for the great students that you are and for your kind words. I really look forward to working with you in the future. Regards, Mac"
We arrived for the classroom instruction bright and early, and class began at 8am. Mac taught us safety, the components of a pistol, its function, fundamentals of accuracy, how to select ammunition, how to react to misfires, hangfires, and squibs, and many other classroom topics. We practiced with practice weapons (firing lasers) as well as dry-firing pistols at the classroom until after noon when we broke for lunch and headed for the range.
Once at the range, we used the providers .22 rimfire pistols, and went through several exercises to reinforce everything we learned, starting with loading and firing a single round at bench rest, through firing multiple rounds at bench rest, and then moving on to firing at targets from a standing position.
Mac, our instructor, was exceptionally well prepared not only to teach what was in the basic curriculum, but also offered specific and valuable advice to us tailored to our own situations. He was a patient instructor who put my wife and daughter at ease, and taught me more in one morning of class than I had learned in years at the range before. Mac's individual attention was absolutely fantastic. He was my third firearms instructor, and by far the best I've ever seen.
All three of us plan to return for additional classes and coaching.
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