Firearms Training in Castle Rock, Colorado
Concealed carry permits, the state firearms safety course, and private instruction for Castle Rock residents.
Castle Rock is a straight run up I-25 and across to our Parker location — for most of the town, twenty minutes or so.
You are in the county seat — the sheriff’s office is local
Castle Rock is the seat of Douglas County, which means the office issuing your permit is in your own town rather than a drive away.
- Applications are online only. Since August 2025 every Douglas County application goes through its electronic portal — being local does not mean walking one in.
- Your training certificate must be from a verified instructor and dated within one year of the day you apply.
John Rader is Douglas County Verified Firearms Instructor #25037. Your certificate comes from an instructor Douglas County has already verified.
Confirm the current process with the Douglas County Sheriff’s Office before you apply.
Classes we teach for Castle Rock students
- Basics of Pistol Shooting — Colorado CCW · 8 hours · $150. Satisfies the state training requirement for your permit.
- CCW Renewal Refresher · 2 hours · $94.99. Law updates, live fire and the written exam.
- Colorado Firearms Safety Course (SB25-003) · 4 hours $125, 12 hours $249. Required before you can buy a specified semiautomatic firearm.
- Rifle, shotgun and self-defense · $125 each.
- Private instruction · $450. One-on-one, built around what you actually need.
Why people in Castle Rock train with us
Training is the entire business. We are not a range and we do not sell firearms, so nothing here ends in a sales pitch.
Classes are small. If you have never handled a pistol, that is a normal starting point and you will be treated like it.
Your instructor
John Rader — teaching since 1993, more than 30,000 students.
- Douglas County Verified Firearms Instructor #25037 — Colorado instructors are verified by one county and that verification is good statewide, so this certificate is accepted by every issuing authority in Colorado
- NRA Certified Instructor #167433046
- United States Marine Corps — ten years infantry, honorably discharged as a Sergeant, and a Primary Marksmanship Instructor
- Law Enforcement — twenty-five years, Sergeant
Book a class
Reserve a seat → No charge up front. I set the date once enough people are on the list, then email everyone at once.
Proudly serving the Denver Metro area and all of Colorado
Classes in Parker and Aurora · Monday–Saturday, 9–5
720-464-SHOT (7468) · info@coloradotactics.com
Call and tell us what you need and we will point you to the right class — or tell you that you do not need one.
Also serving Parker, Lone Tree, Highlands Ranch, Littleton, Centennial, Englewood, Denver and Aurora.