Testimonials
See what previous students had to say about Steel Bear Academy.
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If you're wondering if you should be booking with Jonathan for one of his classes, the answer is, Yes! No matter your level of experience, I'm confident after spending time shooting with Jonathan, you will walk away feeling safe, confident, educated, humbled and like you gained a friend.
For years, my wife and I have debated over getting a gun/firearms. We have all the typical concerns of any household with kids. We both did not grow up around guns, but felt like we wanted to be gun owners for many reasons. Naturally, how do you overcome this concern of owning/handling a firearm? You find somebody like Jonathan from Steal Bear Academy.
Setting up a class was easy with Jonathan. We spoke on the phone, I was able to specifically address our experience with guns or lack there of. With this information, he was able to custom tailor our session so that we got the most out of what we were looking for. Upon meeting him, it was obvious that he was professional, courteous, friendly and placed safety at the top of the entire session.
My wife and I chose to treat this as a day date for ourselves. Knowing this, Jonathan kept it light, informative and most importantly fun. He allowed us to start small. He pointed out small snippets of information then added to it so as not to overwhelm us with too much at once. He showed us the difference between different guns and instructed us how to handle and shoot them safely. He addressed all our questions and allowed us to shoot until we were completely satisfied. He is incredibly knowledgeable and doesn't boast it. He corrected me on several occasions and did it in such a way to make it feel like it was a teaching point rather than just stopping my behavior. In the end, we walked away feeling incredibly comfortable around firearms and looking forward to our next booking.
The moral of the story is, Don't wait, book today, he's worth every penny.
-Cesar M.
I went with Jonathan twice to the shooting range. I had always been afraid of guns, so I went as a learning experience. The first time I didn't have the courage to shoot, so Jonathan patiently taught me the rules of the shooting range, the difference between a pistol and a shotgun and all their parts and how far they shoot. He also taught me about the sizes of bullets, the gun powder in them and how to load the guns. He emphasized the importance of the safety and paying attention to its position. Jonathan has a passion for, and a vast knowledge of guns. He is patient, thorough and sincere while sharing his teaching abilities. I have referred a friend to him and would do it again.
-Annette R
Shooting at the indoor range
Honestly, I wouldn't ever have wanted to hold a gun. To me, it's a very scary and unnecessary thing to do. I'm not going to buy one, so why learn? So when I met Jonathan and he suggested the idea, I thought, I could go and watch, see what the big deal was. I didn't really see why people wanted to learn, but Jonathan did make me feel very safe with the idea of it. It’s basically the only reason i considered giving it a try.
Jonathan is a very safe, comfortable and understanding person to learn how to shoot a gun from. He’ll show you how to be safe and teach you about the basics. He’ll also go at your own pace, whatever you need. He's very knowledgeable about it too. If you're a regular and want to get better, Jonathan is the only person I would go shooting with.
-Kristine S
I’ve shot a shotgun before, but I had never shot a handgun. When I was with Jonathan, shooting a handgun, he showed me how to shoot. He talked me through what to do and it really calmed me down. He made it very clear and simple. I learned how to hold it, load the ammo, and use the magazine. He explained everything very well. Jonathan made me feel comfortable learning how to shoot.
-Walter L
Teaching Walter and Thayer how to shoot. It was Thayer’s very first time shooting a gun. He did great.