Info on Instructors Listed on NES

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I wanted to post some very positive feedback for Yakov Ostrovsky who is an instructor out of Newton, MA.

I found myself being strung along by my local PD for a simple renewal of my LTC. After 3 months of doing everything they asked of me they informed me that I had to get re-certified despite the fact that I've had 3 prior LTCs, and that I needed it turned around in only a few days. I found Yakov's information on these forums and told him my situation and he was able to see me that night - at his personal residence. Not only was he professional and thorough, he has a great passion and appreciation for firearms that is refreshing for me, being a Bostonian.

I recommend for anyone in the greater boston area who needs an instructor to use Yakov. He's instructed civilians as well as police officers, so his experience speaks for itself. His information is below:

Yakov Ostrovsky
Newton, MA
NRA and Massachusetts State Police certified instructor.

Private and group lessons to obtain Mass State Police Certificate required for MA License to Carry Firearms or FID card:

NRA Basic Pistol
NRA Home Firearms Safety

email: [email protected]
Tel: 617-778-4357
 
More positive feedback about Yakov Ostrovsky

I just wanted to post some more positive comments about Yakov Ostrovsky. He was able to schedule a class for me and a friend of mine within a week of calling him. He also gave us copies of the NRA book on the Basics of Pistol Shooting to read over beforehand so we could spend less time going over it in person.

Yakov hosted the class at his personal residence after work one evening. He was great about answering questions and was very enthusiastic, and his stories from personal experience were both entertaining and informative.

His information, from a previous post, is below:

Yakov Ostrovsky
Newton, MA

NRA and Massachusetts State Police certified instructor.

Private and group lessons to obtain Mass State Police Certificate required for MA License to Carry Firearms or FID card:

NRA Basic Pistol
NRA Home Firearms Safety

email: [email protected]
Tel: 617-778-4357
 
Looking for Joe Cartabona

I've been looking for a good basic safety course in Western Mass. Someone recommended Joe, but he seems to be MIA, and his store is still in S. Hadley, but closed. He isn't answering his phone messages. Does anyone else know what happened to Joe? Also, any info regarding a decent safety course in this area would be greatly appreciated.
 
Need MA and Utah training

Looking for someone to provide both MA and Utah registered training at same time. Looking for training class in Connecticut or even Springfield/Western Ma. area.
 
Looking for someone to provide both MA and Utah registered training at same time. Looking for training class in Connecticut or even Springfield/Western Ma. area.

I have both state's instructor certifications, but I work in the Framingham to Worcester area.

Let me know if you want to take a course from me.

Darius Arbabi
 
I've been looking for a good basic safety course in Western Mass. Someone recommended Joe, but he seems to be MIA, and his store is still in S. Hadley, but closed. He isn't answering his phone messages. Does anyone else know what happened to Joe? Also, any info regarding a decent safety course in this area would be greatly appreciated.

Hi Brigante:

I'm the one who recommended Joe. In the meantime however, he has grown ill and has not been "working." This may be temporary (we are all hoping) but as of October it doesn't look like he'll be open any time very soon. PM me if you need other suggestions. I know that John from JDL Sales (NES member) does the training you need and is also very knowledgeable about the area.

Regards,

RD
 
Does anyone have any experience with the class given at Smith & Wesson? Due to my constant changing weekday work schedule, I'm lucky to be able to have two weekends a month to setup training.
Thank-you
 
POSITIVE FEEDBACK for Mike Fontaine

Had my first experience firing a handgun on Saturday with Mike Fontaine. I would HIGHLY recommend him to anybody. My first referral will be my wife who is going to apply for her Class A.

Mike was extremely knowledgable, patient, and seemed very well capable to respond to the relative skill of his student. I can't wait to have my second lesson with Mike!
 
Took a wonderful class from Dennis Doti, owner of First Defense Firearms. Was very informative about the law, safety was quite indepth. Ended the class with 21 rounds from a 9mm Glock.
A first rate class and at a great price.
 
+1 for Yakov Ostrovsky

I want to add another very positive recommendation for Yakov Ostrovsky.

I took my basic pistol class from Yakov, and not only was he very flexible in scheduling, but he was also very knowledgeable. While covering the required material, Yakov added in additional info to fill in the gaps (e.g., laws, recommendations for saving money on equipment). Yakov was very patient and facile in adjusting his lesson plan for both new and experienced shooters. When I manage to convince my wife to get her license, she'll be going to him for sure.
 
Mass approved firearm safety training

I live in Groveland MA and was referred to Northeast Shooters by Sgt Dwight McDonald of the Groveland Police Dept. I have a current FID and want to upgrade to a class A LTC
 
I want to add another very positive recommendation for Yakov Ostrovsky.

I took my basic pistol class from Yakov, and not only was he very flexible in scheduling, but he was also very knowledgeable. While covering the required material, Yakov added in additional info to fill in the gaps (e.g., laws, recommendations for saving money on equipment). Yakov was very patient and facile in adjusting his lesson plan for both new and experienced shooters. When I manage to convince my wife to get her license, she'll be going to him for sure.

+1

I mirror Toga's comments regarding Yakov. Very knowledgeable and accommodating.
 
Hi All,

I am new to the forum and this is my second post, but I wanted to let people know about the instructor for the NRA Basic Pistol Course in my area. I live in Fitchburg Ma. but took a course thru the NRA at the Ayer Sportsman Club in Ayer Mass. The instructor was great, he was freindly, imformative, and really had his stuff together. His name was Dan D'Amato. I had attended the Worcester PD course some time ago, and was disappointed with it, all it was was basic conversation about the general laws about firearms. The NRA course that Dan led was so much better, with all kinds of info, and really focused on real saftey practices, and had live fire excersizing. I highly recommend anyone who wishes to learn about firearms and even if for an FID, go to his course. The money is well worth the investment, and you will have a fun,safe, non-intimidating class. You will be so much better prepared for what ever license you are looking for. Dan will help you the best he can. You can find his e-mail at the NRA website for training. Thanks for listening, have a great day!!!!
 
I want to add another very positive recommendation for Yakov Ostrovsky.

I took my basic pistol class from Yakov, and not only was he very flexible in scheduling, but he was also very knowledgeable. While covering the required material, Yakov added in additional info to fill in the gaps (e.g., laws, recommendations for saving money on equipment). Yakov was very patient and facile in adjusting his lesson plan for both new and experienced shooters. When I manage to convince my wife to get her license, she'll be going to him for sure.
A big +1 from me on Yakov. Great instructor. Took his time. He molded the course to my needs. As this was a course 'required' by my town for renewal, he gladly spent more time on subjects that I felt needed some beefing up. Very easy to set up a time. Convenient. And best of all, after an email or two, we set up a time within a couple of days.

Thanks Yakov!
 
I just read through all of the posts, and didn't see anyone really address the request for a training location in Western Mass.

My son lives in Amherst, MA, and needs two things:

  • Firearms safety course, so he can get an FID card.
  • Hunter safety course, so he can get a hunting license.

Any leads on a way for him to do those would be appreciated.
 
Robmcd here is a NRA/MSP Instructor. He's in the Springfield area.

S&W Shooting Center/Academy runs classes as well.

There are others, I am sure, but I don't know any other names to throw out there.
 
I started a thread for certified instructors and said in the original post that it was for instructor listings only. Well, the mods (me included) got a bit lax in keep tabs on it, so I'm moving the comments from there to here. So, please, if you have feedback, questions, etc. etc. etc. on any of the instructors listed in the first thread - please post them HERE, not THERE. Thanks all. [smile]
 
I want to add my comment on Yakov Ostrovsky. Great guy, was able to accomodate our small group where everyone had a complicated schedule . Tolerated the guy who for some reason behaved like a complete a-hole. Went far beyond requirements and my expectations. Was very reasonable in terms of pricing.


Yakov Ostrovsky
Newton, MA

NRA and Massachusetts State Police certified instructor.

Private and group lessons to obtain Mass State Police Certificate required for MA License to Carry Firearms or FID card:

NRA Basic Pistol
NRA Home Firearms Safety

email: [email protected]
Tel: 617-778-4357
 
Took a class through Mass Firearms School with Mike-Mike. He was patient, funny, and really great for a bunch of gun novices! My wife who was not much in favor of guns prior to the class left talking about what pistol she was going to get. :D

Highly recommend Mike-Mike!
 
Basic Pistol Safety Course with Yakov Ostrovsky

I just want to make a quick post to express my appreciation to Yakov Ostrovsky for his excellent Basic Pistol Safety Course.

My roommate and I both took the course with Yakov in his home. We both admired his exceptional professionalism and wealth of knowledge. Not only did he help us with the required material, but he helped us with many additional questions we had.

The shooting session was equally enjoyable and I learned much more than I expected. I would recommend Yakov's course to anybody in a heartbeat.

Craig
 
Hey guys - I see this post goes back quite awhile and there hasn't been anything new added in awhile.

My friend is looking for the NRA Basic course (including a good amount of live fire) anywhere in eastern mass. Private lesson would be best or very small class and reasonable $$.

Does anyone know of any instructors that could provide this very soon or that teach out of the Harvard, MA gun club?

Thanks!
 
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I took a private class with Yakov Ostrovsky this week, along with a friend. I knew close to nothing about firearms. Yakov was very informative. I came out of that class prepared to handle pistols safely. We went to the range afterwards and he let us shoot a few of his pistols. My friend and I had a good time.
 
Are there any recommended instructors offering one on one training north of Boston/Southern NH? An ego-free trainer, that actually has a passion for training vs. simply stating on their website "Please fill out the following form or email us and we will get back to you as soon as possible"; and never responding. Thank you!
 
looks like a bunch of people are looking for good private instruction options - I know that I was! Below is a quick review of my recent experience.



Instructor: Yakov Ostrovsky
Course: Private Mass State Police Certificate/NRA Pistol Basics

My girlfriend and I arranged to take the Mass State Police Certificate/NRA Pistol Basics course from Yakov; scheduling was very easy and he offered the course at his residence. I can't say enough about his professionalism, knowledge, and skill. The small, private, nature of the class was exactly what we were looking for. This format allowed us to learn at our own pace, feel no pressure in asking questions, and spend a ton of time 'hands-on'.

It makes such a large difference being able to to SEE and FEEL as opposed to only listening and learning - this contributed so much to our overall confidence and understanding. I'm looking forward to working with Yakov again in the future.



EDIT: link to Yakov's contact info
Yakov Ostrovsky
Newton, MA

email: [email protected]
Tel: 617-778-4357

 
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