Certified Law Enforcement Armorer’s Course

Alright, so I have spent my entire adult life with some version of the AR-15. From learning to field strip and clean them in boot camp, to milling, drilling, and building several of my own in my workshop. Currently, the AR platform serves me in several capacities; not only does these firearms hold a special place in my heart as I relied on them many times in hostile environments, but I also compete with them. As a professional instructor, I teach others how to employ them safely, properly, and effectively.

So, I take every opportunity I find to learn more about them. Back in the late months of 2020 I stumbled upon the American Below and Gunsmithing Institute (AGI) and found they offer some courses on the AR. I did some research and decided to give them a try. I would like to note that AGI offers a lot of courses, from gunsmithing to armorer to appraising. Many of their courses are offered as a bundle but almost all topics can be taken as stand-alone courses.

For this review, I am discussing my thoughts on the AGI Certified Law Enforcement Armorer’s Course for the AR- 15/M16/M4A1 Weapon Platform. Let me begin by saying that these are my opinions and that this is a positive review; even if I mention things I felt could be improved upon, my overall assessment and experience with the course was positive and I would recommend taking the course. Purchasing the course can be a difficult process—at least it was for me.

It helps if you receive their mailers or subscribe to AGI’s emails as the courses are advertised very well in those forms and ordering instructions are very clear. If you do a web search, that is where it can get tricky. It seems there are two websites that pop up when searching for AGI (.net and.com). And even

when you get to the course catalog, you may be confused; like what is the difference between the Certified Law Enforcement Armorer’s Courses and the basic armorer’s courses? Well, to answer that question, the difference is in receiving a certificate or not. For those requiring an official certification or continuing education hours, the certificate would come in handy I think it is also worth noting here that you do not need to be in law enforcement or even be an armorer to take this course.

Anyone who uses, maintains, or otherwise has access to an AR would benefit from this training. There are other courses within the Certified Law Enforcement Armorer category that concentrate on some of the more common firearms used by peace officers. In addition to the AR platform, you could also choose the Glock and/or SIG courses. I have and am planning on sharing my thoughts on those in the near future.

To make it easier for you to find, the direct link to the Certified Law Enforcement Armorer’s Courses are at AmericanGunsmith.com/productcategory/cert-armorers-courses The course can be purchased in one of two formats, online or DVD. After paying, you’ll first receive the video in the format you selected along with instructions on how to access and take a test at the end. The five or six-hour video, along with some provided course notes is the entirety of course.

There is no personal interaction with the instructor, but you can watch the video as many times as you need in order to fully understand the topic being taught. After watching the video, take the test by mail or log onto a separate AGI testing site, create an account, and take your test online. If you opt to take the test online, you will see you score immediately. When completed, contact an AGI representative to request your certificate and patch to be sent to you, if desired.

I felt the testing process and the test itself was lacking, but again, I felt the information delivered in the video was worthwhile. ( you also get a patch for certified courses). It is important to understand that this is not an AR gunsmithing course; you will not learn how to build an AR and you will not be ‘smithing any gun parts.

As the name indicates, this is an armorer level course; you will learn design and function, you will learn about variations of the platform, how to disassemble to an armorer level, how to inspect and replace parts, how to check headspace, throat erosion, firing pin protrusion, how to manage and record a maintenance program, and so on. I have to say, I thought this course was well worth the money.

If you’re looking to learn a little more about ARs or if you need a quick refresher, go on over to AGI and check out their course catalog. AG