I moved from Missouri 3 months ago. Since I plan to obtain my CHL from Colorado (just picked it up last week), I took a refresher course in Missouri taught by an NRA certified instructor who is also a deputy with the local Sheriff Department. In Missouri, the state law requires CCW training to be at least 8 hours long. It is also required for the training to include live fire practice and qualification. The practice part must be done using both pistol and revolver. But the participant can choose to qualify using either one depending on which kind of handgun he/she plans to carry. Overall, we fired almost 100 rounds of ammo from each gun (pistol and revolver) using various shooting scenarios.

The course also covers a lot of legal nuances of concealed carry. Having an instructor who is also a law enforcement officer also gave us a lot of insights into general LEO's perceptions on how they deal with citizens with concealed carry permit.

I also had taken an NRA basic pistol course. IMHO, the NRA basic pistol course is inadequate as a concealed carry training. I am also an NRA certified instructor (rifle) so I know what the goals set by NRA in designing these courses. These basic courses are designed to train people how to handle, maintain, store, and shoot the gun safely. But the NRA never intended these courses to prepare people to carry and possibly use firearms for defensive purposes. The NRA basic course covers parts of the curriculum needed for CHL training. But it is not adequate as a CHL training by itself. Now, some instructors could modify and expand the basic pistol course to cover CHL knowledge. This will also make the course much longer. If taught properly and thoughtfully, an NRA basic course should take between 8-12 hours. So an expanded one is likely to take longer.