The day before:

I met up with two fellow M4C members (GD4 and Hank) when I got to the Rock Castle Shooting Center resort. We sat down for dinner and long behold Kyle walks in. So we invited him to join us.

For me, that’s where the learning began.

We started eating our meals and just chatted with one another. There I learned many things. Between bites of a plain hamburger, Kyle was answering our questions regarding anything. What type of carry rounds to use, cold weather gear, weapon manipulations, etc.
It was readily apparent to see what kind of instructor Kyle was and techniques was going to be. Like his meal, his style of teaching and techniques are simple and to the point; no superfluous bulls**t like I’ve found other training schools to be. Throughout the two days of training, everything Kyle taught was simple, effective, and very logical.

The class was about 75% LE/MIL, the rest civilians. My buddy ran a 1911 that had one mag problem, a 2011 (supped up 1911) that had one minor hiccup (stove pipe or FTF I think), I ran a M&P with no hiccups, most of the students ran glocks. Gen 4 glocks didn’t fare so well in the class, most if not all gen 4 glocks were experiencing all sorts of problems. I saw multiple FTF, FTE, stove pipes from gen 4s. Kyle noted this was his experience with Gen 4s. 1 Gen 3 glock had to have a trigger spring return replaced, but it had seen upwards of 5,000 rounds already. It was due for a replacement anyways.

I was running a TAD gear Hoodie which proved a little less then adequate for the temperatures we where training in. Nonetheless, it held up just fine. I ran a Ares belt, stippled M&P 9 with Apex sear and Ram with TLR-1, Secret City Weaponeers Y-12, and Atomic Dog mag pouches. All which proved to be reliable, I had no problems of any sorts with the mentioned gear. For the class, I got a pair of new SKD PIG gloves. Me and two others ran these gloves. Each of us noted the amount dexterity the glove offered, it was simply awesome. However, the three of us running these felt the SKD PIG glove quality was less then expected. We all found the stitchings were becoming undone near the beginning of the class. Are you kidding me??? I cannot recommend the SKD PIG gloves to take into combat, I have little faith in them. It's simply not durable enough. One of the students switched back to Mechanix gloves after a few hours.

I’ve been to Rock Castle Shooting Center many times for shooting events prior to this class so I knew what to expect. Hotel had this old nostalgic feeling that honestly needed a major renovation. Décor was, to be quite frank, outdated. Food was okay, the menu had definitely shrunk since the last time I was there. The actual shooting range where we shot was more or less a manicured pasture. Ah well, at no fault of Grey Group and Kyle, we worked with what was available.

TD 1

We got the range around 0830, everyone immediately geared up. It took me by surprise as every class I’ve been to, there were always a few shooters lolly-gagging around, holding up the class. Not in this one, everyone was here to train and learn. The students were all top-notch veterans of valuable training.

Due to the weather, I changed up my kit last minute from the original planned IWB to OWB holster. I took Kyle’s advice the night before to run OWB for safety purposes (Layered garments with IWB is not only challenging, but potentially dangerous). Weather was simply put…FREEZING! Morning was roughly 20 or below degrees, with the afternoon at 32 degrees freezing temperature. FML. We never stopped shaking!
Once we got the firing line, Kyle briefed us on safety and made it known that this was an advanced class. He started off not with the standard warm up drills found in many schools, but initiated the class with the Defoor test #1. Reduced A-zone hits proved to be a challenge to many with a 4-second par time. Credit card shots proved even tougher with gloves and 20 degree weather. I don’t think anyone passed. Can you blame us? Our hands were constantly shaking, even when shooting! Regardless, Kyle told us how impressed he was with the shooting and safety displayed by the class. Kyle maintained a positive and optimistic attitude despite the weather.

Note, the Defoor tests are incredibly tough to pass. Even Kyle fails the tests at times. However, the tests are a great benchmark to aim for. Kyle noted that if you can pass these tests consistently, you are damn good with a pistol.

After the test, we went into fundamentals. What he did that I found unique was how he broke down the fundamentals. Kyle did NOT present all the fundamentals all at once, but instead broke it down into more manageable sections. This is where he differs from most instructors I've learned from. Between learning Kyle’s thoughts on grip, sight picture, stance, and trigger control, we shot multiple slow fire ten round groups into a B-8 repair centers. Between each string of 10 rounds, we would focus on the fundamentals that Kyle taught us. I loved this style of teaching, step by step. Too much info at once causes confusion.

Next, the class worked on one-handed manipulations and one-handed shooting. When drawing with OSOH, Kyle noted that putting the gun between your knees makes you immobile. I won’t be doing that technique anymore.
What I took from this portion that really resonated with me was keeping elbows down to maintain recoil. Kyle demonstrated to us the reason, rather than recoiling to the 10 or 11 o’clock, it was possible to let the gun recoil to nearly 12 o’clock. That opened my eyes big time. As well, Kyle explained as to why he doesn’t cant the gun 45 degrees like what a lot of schools do. You’re used to seeing the sights vertical, not 45 degrees. Makes plenty of logical sense. Stance doesn’t matter as much when shooting one handed for combative reasons. Kyle had us alternate feet positions when shooting one handed at 10 yards.

After the very informative basics, we broke for lunch. Eating a light lunch consisting of a sandwich and spring rolls, we went back to the range.
While most schools teach their students how to shoot blazingly fast, Kyle taught us a drill to track our sights. Anyone can shoot fast, but it’s the ability to track sights that separates the talented from the amateurs. This was a definite “light bulb” moment for me. Even though the drill was a real ammo burner, I was glad to do it. For me, being able to track the sights was worth the price of admission.

We ended the day with what I like to call “changing gears”. Knowing when to slow down to make low probability hits and when to speed up to make high probability shots. The following drills had us alternating between making A-zone hits and credit card shots. After those drills, Kyle made it a bit more challenging by throwing in multiple targets. So now we’re transitioning from target to targets, but also slowing down for those headshots.

By the time we finished those drills; it was getting dark. We all prepped for the low-light portion.

Before we started shooting, a surefire rep spoke to the class about lights. After the informative talk and demonstrations on lights, Kyle picked up after by teaching his techniques with low light. Eye opener for me was the discussion regarding Harris technique and modified FBI. The cons with both those techniques were apparent. The flashlight grip he taught us was very simple and effective. With the grip, the shooter can still reload and activate the light. Wicked awesome. Kyle discussed where to hold the torch so that the sights don’t splash the light back in our face. Again, most schools like to back light the sights, but the ambient light from the torch proved more then enough to see the sights. We shot one after another on the firing line. Kyle explained that if everyone on the line lit their targets all at once, it isn’t really low-light shooting.

After the low-light shoot, we went back to the resort for chow. At the bar, Kyle gave one of the best speeches on mindset drawing from his own experiences and real world examples. He warned to everyone that the speech may offend some. I couldn’t help but notice some people walking into the bar and hearing what Kyle had to say. They were not expecting to hear the things Kyle was talking about.

Day 1 overall fine-tuned my shooting; there were many eye openers from the lessons. When Kyle taught something, I could tell everyone was learning something new. It was pure wisdom.


TD 2

Day 2 was quite a bit warmer, meaning mid 30s warm. To many, this would be ridiculous. HAH! Not us. Few of the students were shedding layers! With the weather the day before, this was a figurative warm welcome. As well, this when the training got real fun and interesting.
We started the day running with a drawn pistol. Kyle advocates moving with a pistol in the high ready position, muzzle up pointed up in the air. He discussed the cons with the low ready. From a combative viewpoint, Kyle demonstrated how easy it was for someone to grab the gun in the low ready! Running in the low ready often leads muzzling your leg. From here on out, muzzles up. When done correctly, you can move in a stack with various height differences without muzzling anyone.

Kyle then discussed shooting from prone. His golf grip proved incredibly useful. It raised the gun and sights to manageable position when engaging a IPSC target.

Shooting from barricades was again, very informative. Foot placement was key when shooting from a barricade. Reloading from a barricade was another subject he discussed. A student asked if a shooter should always go back into cover when reloading. Drawing from personal experience, reloading while your head and hands in cover was situational dependent. Example: You put a bad guy down from a position of cover, go back in to reload, pop back out to assess the situation and the bad guy is gone…where the hell did he go? In that situation, better to keep your eyes on target. From the makeshift barricades we had, we punished some plates. Real ammo burner, but lots of lessons learned. Don't be afraid to use the trigger guard to stabilize your position from a barricade.

We shot up close and personal with IPSC targets. Mentioning gun position, you don’t want the gun far out or too high up. Right at the hip is where Kyle suggested to me. As with before, having a aggressive stance up close does wonders. It keeps you from falling onto the ground and you can expose more of the target with the proper stance. It was at the portion of the class that Kyle discussed some aspects of combatives. Real eye opener for me, just because I carry a gun and know how to shoot, doesn't mean I can defend myself in all situations. Anyone that gets within arms reach of me...I may be screwed. This is one the areas I will be working a lot in.

After learning shooting on the move, Kyle discussed blade work. He demonstrated just how fast the blade was compared to drawing and shooting from arms length. Blades smoked drawing and shooting. Kyle was able to the get the blade out to target in .4 to .5 seconds as opposed to a gun that averaged .7 to .8 seconds. Case in point, the knife is faster then a gun when within arms reach. This was when I realized change in my EDC was to be had. I need blade training from Sayoc.

To encapsulate everything I’ve learned,
The four hardest things for shooters to master is 1) Accuracy at a distance 2) Tracking the sights 3) Target Transitions 4) switching from low probability hits to high probability hits.
The trigger guard of pistols can be used as a weapon. It’s damn hard if not impossible to break a trigger guard!
The sun can seriously mess with your sight picture inevitably leading to missed shots.
Not only did I learn the skills to be a better shooter, but the mindset portion Kyle mentions between lessons was a change in paradigm for me. This isn’t just a shooting course, it’s also a mindset course.
It's to time incorporate combatives with shooting. Sooner or later, classes like these will start to proliferate.
The Defoor glock sights are bomb! There's a purpose behind the simplicity of the sights. For one, the sights are not ramped unlike many sights on the market. Why? With a 90 degree angle rear sight, the shooter has the ability to rack the slide on just about anything.
Get blade training! Hell the Sayoc family fought off the Spanish with just knives and sticks, that's a indication Sayoc is doing something right

I cannot recommend this class and Kyle enough to anybody seeking out solid training. Kyle was not only very informative, but humorous, laid back, well spoken and just flat out cool to learn from. His teaching style was simple and to the point. Just how I like it, the meat and potatoes. The amount of knowledge and wisdom the man possesses surely catapults him to the “must train” list of instructors. On the way back, my friend told me just how eye opening this experience was. Kyle is not only a talented shooter, but he is a gifted teacher. He WILL make you a better shooter, but the real significance is the values and morals he teaches. One should not pass up the opportunity to learn from and train with Kyle, a world-class instructor who has the ability to change the way the firearms industry view training.

And to quote from Kyle’s memorable speech,

Die well!
Alvin

CTT Solutions (Mike Pannone) conducted a Low-light Carbine/Pistol course at the Pima Pistol Club, Tucson, AZ on 20111112-13.

WX: T1 had ~70° overcast weather from 1500-2030.
T2 had ~65° intermittent showers from 1500-2030.
Cost: $400
Required equipment:
500 rounds rifle
500 rounds pistol
4 carbine magazines/3 pistol magazines
Weapon mounted light for rifle
Hand-held light

Guns and gear lessons:
For this course I used a SBR with a 10.5” LWRC M6A2 upper (first gen) and my G34. Being a low count course I won’t make any endorsements on the rifle, which ran without a problem. The G34, however, did have 3 FTF’s with Magtech ammo. This was a little disheartening given that 2 of my 3 mags where brand new. Hopefully the issue will be diagnosed and rectified soon.
For magazine storage I used a U.S. Palm AK Attack Rack. Yes, this carrier was meant for an AK, but I figured I would give it a try because I know other people have used them before with AR mags. I had no issues with the Attack Rack during the course. I specifically loved using the Attack Rack because it has a great little admin pouch for storing a notebook/pens/snacks/etc and it has plenty of pouches that make the Rack great for a course environment. I used my two left pouches for handgun magazines and the two right pouches for a Gerber and the hand-held flashlight. I definitely recommend this carrier, but do yourself a favor and buy the AR version if you’re gonna use it with an AR, for peace of mind if anything else.

A quick note on footwear, I was wearing Under Armor boots throughout the course and they held up very well for the muddy/wet environment. For a lightweight boot they are not a bad option, given your command doesn’t care if you wear them.

As for others’ firearms, there was a collection of quality AR’s present at the course (the most BCM I recall seeing at a single course), a couple SCARS, and several different handguns. There were no catastrophic failures that required a delay of the course.


Course lessons:
At the beginning of T-1 Mike nailed the reason why I chose to attend this course when he mentioned there are two problems people have operating firearms in the dark.
1) Can’t run in the dark due to mechanics. (Manipulation)
2) Psychology in the dark. Shooting is exponentially more difficult in a low-light environment.

This was my first low-light course that I have attended. The practical application was eye opening to say the least. The first night was exclusively pistol and the second night was for the carbine. A few lessons/drills covered included:
- Handgun stance/hand placement
- Handgun grip/stability
- Use of handgun with a hand-held light (Mike emphasizes that learning with a hand-held light is paramount, i.e. everyone carries a HH light and shooting with a weapon-mounted light on a handgun is not much different than shooting indoors/daylight)
- When/when not to turn on flashlight to id/engage target
- When to turn off a flashlight
- Effectiveness of tritium sights in low-light (IE not “no-light”)
- Reactionary drills (catch-up drill)
- Shooting on the move in a low-light environment
- Carbine malfunctions, troubleshooting, and solutions

With all of these topics covered, a couple things stuck with me from this class. One, Mike is a strong proponent of removing all unnecessary actions to make you a faster and more effective shooter. This applies to all aspects of weapons handling, to include reloading, clearing malfunctions, and engaging targets. Mike is also a supporter of operating a rifle/handgun with 100% reliability; as in don’t try a shortcut if there is a risk of delaying the operation of the firearm.

Instructor Impressions:
This is my second course with Mike, so it goes without saying that I appreciate his style of instruction. Mike knows how to effectively communicate the lesson he is teaching and is very considerate when working from individual to individual. His style of instruction combined with his lessons has made me a better shooter before, and now better in a low-light environment. I recommend Mike with ease for an active shooter who is looking for improvement.

AAR: Ken Hackathorn Home Defense Class

Date 10/28 and 10/29

Cost $450.00

What a great class...even with the cold and the rain. I am still amazed...only after a two hour drive, I was once more able to attend a class taught by a master such as Ken Hackathorn.
It has been a year now since my first eye opening experience in the Fort Harmar shoot house. This two day class was even more than I had expected, and was well worth every penny spent.

Here is a short rundown: Day 1...Ken started with a talk about home defense and the mindset needed to protect yourself, your home and family. The guns used in the class included a 1911, a Sig, a H&K USP, Glocks, and M&P's. He told us what to expect during the next two days of training.

Next came instruction with blue guns to the whole group while inside the shoothouse. Each student, then under supervision, made their own run in the house, blue gun in hand. Somehow I managed to miss Mr.Smith(who is not a small person) kneeling behind a plastic barrel in the corner right inside the main entry door. This taught me in short order how not to hold a pistol when searching. I saw nothing below my arms and M&P. As you made your way though the house Ken was right behind you watching every move and correcting mistakes made.
The group of 14 or so was split in half after doing some accuracy drills on the square range. Half went to the shoot house with Ken and the other half stayed on the square range with Ken's instructors( who also did a great job).

Range drills day 1 included, ball and dummy, moving while shooting(or move and shoot if you do it wrong), using cover and concealment, drawing and firing from holster, proper mag changes, pistol transitions between hands with both one handed and two handed grip while firing. One great drill was to let your shooting partner pull the trigger on your gun while you held it with sights on the target. Almost all the groups ended up smaller with someone else pulling the trigger. Go figure!

Day 1 in the shoot house...I shot a 'good guy' target immediately upon entering the house. I quess the painted 'hands up' was not enough of a sign for me not to shoot. "Hope you have a good lawyer" kept ringing in my ears. Again, Ken right alongside, making corrections and giving you pointers as you go through the house. One learned very quickly that "El Zoro" will get you dead and that 'pieing' and 'staying small' is the way to stay alive. Each man got multible runs in the house during the first day.

Still raining and cold, the weather did make you look forward to the lunch and dinner at the sandwich shop not far from the range.

By about 7 p.m. the class was just getting started. Next was low light training on the square range. Some had only hand held lights, while others ran weapon mounted. Some ran lasers, and others wish they had purchased them. I am sure these items are on some Christmas lists now. After some instruction for those using hand held lights and some practice drills shooting in the blackness of Wayne National forest, it was off to the shoot house. In the rainy, cold darkness we got to clear the house using our lights as little as possible, shooting only bad guys marked with a colored bandana around the neck of an IDPA target, sometimes with hostages used as a shield. Yes, the bandanas constantly changed and you only knew what color was good or bad right before going in. Again, lasers and weapon mounted lights ruled the night.

I ran a 1911 and a hand held in last year's class...but this year switched to my M&P9, surefire x300 and Crimson Trace laser grips. What a difference it made.
Everyone was able to make runs through the house multiple times. In between runs, observing on the steel catwalk above the house was as much of a learning experience as doing it yourself. The 1st day ended about 11:30pm.

Day 2 was even better. There was a review of the first day on the square range. My run through the house was good, and I did almost everything right. Everyone got a chance to go through again before lunch.

Square range drills in the morning included rifle transitions from strong side to weak side, starting from a low ready, and firing multiple shots both sides. In the shoot house, only pistol caliber or rimfire rifles are allowed. For those who did not bring their own, Ken supplied his own full auto Colt 9mm SBR and a Beretta storm. I had to smile when I got to fire the Colt full auto.

Next, we took a break for lunch and the sun finally came out!

First thing after returning back to the range, we received instruction with blue guns on two man defensive clearing. With a partner and blue guns, we ran the house under Ken's watchful eye multiple times. Once everyone had run the house in pairs with blue guns, it was time for the real thing. Two man defensive clearing with rifles, first with no rounds fired and then with live fire. Everyone got to run twice(once as number one man). Again, we got to observe from the catwalk. It was a hell of a learning experience. (I learned quickly that I need to practice my transitions to weak side with the rifle. On a long shot down the hall I should have changed shoulders to stay small and did not).

At around 5 p.m. Ken had a closing talk and had us shoot one final group to end the day on a positive note. After class we got to hang out and shoot Mr.Smith's 45-70 and his magic 625. He does beautiful work and the action on the revolver is really silky smooth. Shooting 45-70 next to Ken Hackathorn was a great way to end the weekend.

Background info:
I have had numerous courses on pistol, carbine, edged weapons, CQ,civilian tactics, from Ken Hackathorn , Larry Vickers, Randy Cain, Tom Kier, Kyle Defoor , Jason Falla, and more to include smaller local outfits . I could easily lay out the training junky "training resume".
The important part as it relates to this class is this is not the first time I have participated in FoF, been in a class where force was used, or been instructed on dealing with the Close Quarters concealed carry civilian issue. I have also done a itsy bittsy teeny weeny amount of TMA instruction in my life. I enjoyed it, but simply don't have the time to invest.

I say this because I'm not someone whose mind was blown because this is the first time someone actually made physical contact during training, and because I have something to compare it to.

Course Cost : $450

Round Count: called for 500 rounds, shot near 350-400

I would first off add to any course requirements list a good skull cap. There are drills done to show driving with ones hips that have students forehead to forehead and after class everyone looks like ash Wednesday just went awfully wrong. I was told this by a friend of mine, I brought one..... and left it in my truck. Also some good thick grippy work shoes, esp on the dust we used. You will get dirty, sore, and bruised. Bring Ibuprofen and old clothes that can get beat on. I wish I had had contacts as well, many CQ drills would knock a pair off and without any SIM's or anything in play the eye pro wasn't needed so I did a good amount of it blind. Which actually is normally good for me as I can concentrated on feel and body mechanics.
There's A LOT of info out there on this class, on the coursework, videos of the role playing scenarios, and tons of online discussion about the concepts presented in this class.

I feel like that is a huge benefit for our narc friend as the people who enrolled in this class where coming looking for that missing piece. If your at the stage where your struggling to get shots on a reasonable target or unsure about your gun handling a good solid level one pistol class is the place to start. But if you have a reasonable amount of skill and your primary concern is realistic civilian CC this class is a MUST TAKE.
On the course itself:

TD1 is a half day, 4 hours, no live fire. SN instructs on some of the fundamentals he will introduce over the weekend such as how much difference distance makes as we get closer "your show size can effect an outcome".
This is also the first chance I had to see his instruction style. This man has clearly studied how to teach and practiced. I have taken quite a few courses, and I recognize solid instruction when I see it. SN has clearly done the work, not just on the subject at hand, but in the broader sense on the entirety of the subject matter, the details, how to communicate that, how to get you to hear it, taking and giving feedback, and checking for results.

Pieces instructed start as consensual mechanical exercises , move into limited scope non-consensual exercises and eventually into application against a fully resistant opponent.
I will also add at this point he does a great job of diffusing any macho "Im here to show you how bad ass I am" stuff. To be clear and honest as part of my course review this was one concern I had coming into this course. "You will win some and you will lose some. No one comes in here and just crushes everything." and whether that meant a smaller guy got superior position on me or I was able to dominate a larger opponent didn't matter, I was learning.
That smaller guy "won" that one drill because he executed the technique better and I gave up my hips, I learned from that, and on the next rotation was able to do better.
TD2 starts with live fire. SN begins to instruct at this point his take on the combative draw stroke and build us step by step in a level and controlled manner through the process.

This isn't the first time Ive done shooting from retention work, and SN's material is slightly different from my prior experience, but not significantly so. I found it to mesh better than I had expected with my prior experience, and later on the reasons for his demanding specifics in regards to position became clear.
After lunch was FoF. We did ground work, stand up grappling, and IFWA (In Fight Weapon Access ) drills. I believe I was the only student running a fixed blade as part of their normal carry gear , running a Bloodshark with the associated drone was prime. I saw quite a few guys eyes light up when they experienced how hard it is stop someone from accessing a small fixed blade carried along the center line.
SN covered a small amount of how he liked to use a knife and how it worked in during this unit, but this was not a "knife class" anymore than it was a "gun class" . Its a actual fighting class, dealing specifically with contact distance and closer in a WBE (Weapons Based Enviroment ).

SIM guns came out, cups went on, and a good time was had by all  
I cant tell you how excited I will be if I get jumped in some parking lot after this class to not be wearing a FIST helmet  

TD3 started again with live fire. More detail on the draw, and some very close confines shooting that pulled out the "why" of what was being taught.

many instructors do a great job of explaining their why's. Southnarc shows you.

Before lunch we did some great application of the ground techniques from the day before inside a car to include live fire drills one on one with the Narc man.

With a nearly 9 hour drive to go , and life waiting I had to duck out early. But SN is going to close to home here in Pittsburgh come January for his Armed Movement In Structures course and then later next year for ECQC and Im really looking forward to both of those and getting a chance to run the in car EVO's I missed out on this time.

Having had some parts of this puzzle already this class filled in many empty spots for me, helped me better understand things I already "knew" but had not experienced in this environment. Its one thing to know your giving up your back after, its another to be in a tangle and have a coach pointing out as you go working your way through to success. Honestly I could work on just the concepts from TD1 alone for the next several months.
To balance that at no pint did I feel like I had information overload. The packets of instruction are discreet and well placed and build together the way only someone who has spent a great amount of energy on the curriculum can deliver them and it shows.

Written by: PoppaPump


AAR -Vickers Tactical 1-Day Advanced Tactics Class

Date: 10/29

Location:
The Beaver Valley Rifle and Pistol Club
Beaver Falls, PA (about 20 minutes from the Pittsburgh International Airport)

Instructor: The LAV

Cost: $275. 00

Class Description / Prerequisites: The Vickers Tactical Advanced Tactics class is a challenging one day course focusing entirely on shooting on the move and use of cover and concealment. An intro section for shooting out of and around vehicles is also part of the course. Since this class will be starting out with shooting on the move students are expected to show up with a solid grasp of handgun & carbine shooting fundamentals. All students are required to have completed at least a basic handgun class with Vickers Tactical or other reputable training organization.

Class Roster – 19 shooters - mix of current LE, former mil and responsible citizens.

Weather – 35f w/ snow/rain and mud.

After the usual safety brief, we jumped right into shooting paper on the move as a warm up. We broke into 2 groups as to not crowd the line. Each group ran drills 4 shots on the beep from the 7 yd line moving in. A group would run the drill x 3 reps and then swap out with the other group. After about 10 reps for each group, the drill was reversed, 4 shots on the beep starting at arm’s length from the paper walking backwards. The same drills were performed w/ pistol first then ran again w/ carbine. A lot of people myself included, seem to shoot better on the move walking backwards than they do forward.

After this evolution we took a break to top off, set up barricades and break down the paper stands as the rest of the day would be spent shooting steel.

The next drill was working from behind wooden barricades. Larry demo’d proper positioning to minimize exposure from behind cover in the standing and kneeling position, shooting from both the right and left shoulder. Starting w/ this drill and all following drills, we ran it dry first so everyone got a feel for what was involved. After the drill was ran as a single shooter, we paired up with a buddy so one guy was kneeling and the other was standing over him to engage multiple targets, one shooter would start engaging the targets working from left to right, the other shooter would engage right to left. The standing shooter would then signal the all clear by squeezing the shoulder of the kneeling shooter and “lifting” him as a signal to move.

The final drill before lunch was stacking the class in a line to the left side of the barricades. On the beep the 1st shooter in line would run to the right side of the 1st barricade and engage the steel downrange in front of that barricade w/ 2 shots in each target. On the next beep, that shooter would move to the next barricade and put 2 shots on that barricades 2 steel targets the next guy in line would fill the first’s vacated position. This continued until the line cycled through all 5 barricades. Once the drill was completed, it was reversed coming back down through the barricades only shooting from the left shoulder on the left side of the barricade.

Lunch break: Where yours truly won idiot of the year by locking not 1, but 2 sets keys in his truck after stowing all my gear and blasters to keep them out of the rain during lunch. Fellow shooter Jim saved the day by calling a towing company he knew to come save the day. If you are reading this, I owe you big time Jim, thanks again brother!

After lunch we broke down the barricades and moved the vehicle’s into place. Larry started the afternoon session with a lecture and hit again on to position your body to minimize exposure (see a recurring theme here?) and the best location of a vehicle to use for cover and why the rest suck. Larry also stressed during this lecture that you want to keep the gun vertical as much as you can instead of canting it and if you have to use the SBU position do it so the ejection port is up if possible as a malfunction can be introduced if the ejection port is facing down in close proximity to a trunk/hood or fender. He also reminded the class to keep line of sight vs. line of bore in mind when shooting around/over the vehicle.

At the conclusion of the lecture we started the next drill, which was pretty similar to the barricade drill only with a van and a Chevy Lumina positioned nose to nose with a 10’ gap between bumpers instead of wood barricades. 4 shooters were positioned with one each at the right rear of the van, the right front wheel of the van, the left front wheel of the Lumina and the left rear of the Lumina. On the beep the shooter would engage target, the guy at the back of the van and the front of the Lumina would fire from the left shoulder and the other 2 would fire from the right shoulder putting 2 rounds into target in your assigned sector. The line of sight/line of bore bit me in the ass here as I got a little too aggressive acquiring a target to my left and smoked the rear windshield of the Lumina. Sight picture through my Aimpoint looked good, but I totally dropped the ball on accounting for offset as my round hit the far side of the windshield right next to the roof support. After everyone ran through this drill in static positions, we incorporated shooting on the move with each shooter maneuvering through each position as it was vacated by the shooter in ahead of him.

After a top off, Q & A session w/ Larry, we moved into drills that involved bailing from the vehicle’s, getting to cover, engaging targets and disengaging. This was ran in 2 man and then 4 man teams. Biggest nugget taken from this drill was that a contact plan needs to be established ahead of time as to who is going to go where and how they are going to get there, i.e., the driver can’t come around the front of the vehicle if the passenger is posted at the passenger front wheel well as the driver would run right into the passengers line of fire. The driver needs to make his egress either to the rear of the vehicle or better yet if possible climb over and out the passenger door. Of course this action would only apply to the scenario set up for this drill, but the bottom line is a plan needs to be communicated ahead of time.

The last drill of the day was engaging the steel from the back of a moving pickup. This was run as 2 man teams w/ both pistol and carbines. LAV drove the truck at what I guess had to be 5mph or less while the teams worked the steel both forward and reverse. This was the first time I have ever done this and it was a hell of a lot harder than it looked, but everyone’s hits seemed to increase as they ran it the second time.

It wouldn’t be a Larry Vickers class without a team competition and that is what we closed out the day with. The shooting from the truck drill was run w/ each member of the 2 man team setup w/ 10 rounds in the carbine and 9 in the blaster. We dropped all the steel except 2 so each team member had a single target to engage. On the forward leg, the carbine was used, blaster on the reverse leg coming back. The winner was crowned by adding up the total number of hits for the team. Grant from M4carbine.net provided tee shirts to the top 2 teams. I believe there was a tie w/ 2 teams getting 21 hits.

All in all, another top notch Vickers Tactical class. Great instruction and great bunch of students combined to make shitty weather a non factor. The sun actually came out for about 30 seconds while we were shooting from the truck.

There were no major gear issues or malfunctions and I think the biggest safety error was myself having my trigger finger inside the trigger guard on a dry fire walk through. LAV was on it like a hawk and corrected me.

I ran a Stag 2T w/ Adams Arms piston kit and Sig 226 with zero issues. My round count was 300 and around 150 pistol.
If you haven’t trained w/ Larry, you are missing out.

If I missed something or described it wrong, feel free to jump in.

Thanks to Tom and Beaver Valley for hosting this class and thanks to the LAV for coming to Western PA again. 

Written by: G M

Class description: TigerSwan 2-Day Tactical Pistol Course.
Instructor: David Borresen
AI: Matt
Location: Prado Olympic Shooting Park, Chino CA
Cost: $575
Total Round Count: Approx - 900

This is a summary and review of the TigerSwan 2-Day Tactical Pistol course I took on October 29~30. I compiled this so I can look back on what I did even a year from now. Also when I take classes I like to read course reviews before spending $$$ so I hope others that might be interested in this class or instruction from TigerSwan find it informative. I didn't include every single thing but hopefully enough to get a general idea of the class.


Day One:
We started the day with introduction of the instructors and class along with a safety brief.

Next we got into shooting right away and started with a simple assessment of our shooting skills at 25 yards. We shot strings free style, strong hand and other strong hand only for score. We also shot from kneeling and prone. This simple assessment was the first of many assessments throughout the course which allowed us to gauge improvements as we slowly fine tuned our fundamentals of marksmanship. TigerSwan is all about 100% round accountability, each round sent down range generally has a score and or time associated with it.

The first two things we fine tuned were stance and grip. David demonstrated the fundamental stance for shooting and addressed the reasons for it. He then explained the proper grip and we went back to the 25 yard line to shoot another string and score. We shot from the 25 yard line because errors in the fundamentals of marksmanship become very visible on the 5.5” bullseye.

David got everyone together and talked about a few finer points of shooting from the 25 yard line and some concerns that come out of having extreme eye angles when shooting. Then we went on to work on the correct trigger control, draw, sight picture, and presentation. Each time we were instructed on a fundamental we went back to the 25 yard line and shot a string for score. I saw my scores increase steadily with each instruction of the fundamentals.

We winded down the morning with some ball & dummy drills, final 10 round string for score and then a walk back drill.

After lunch IPSC targets were setup and David explained where in the A-Zone he wanted our shots. Now that our fundamentals have been reinforced we started to work on executing them under some stress. In this case stress was induced by adding a time we needed to make on top of shooting the correct place in the A-Zone.

We did a lot of drills at 10 yards working on getting accurate shots under the par times. Starting with single shot strings to the A-zone then working our way to multiple shots and then moving on to target to target transitions. David explained tempo when doing target to target transitions and how it helped you to become better at it. We also worked on changing the speed at which we shot at, i.e. putting on the breaks to take a head shot and then speeding up again for body shots on the next target.

We ended the day working on one handed reloads with each hand and also working on one handed presentations. Multiple methods were presented to us because depending on your body type, gear etc. certain methods might work better for you. I stuck with the methods TigerSwan prefers because to me it seemed to be the fastest.

Day 2:
Safety brief first then we began.

Day two started with assessment of our fundamentals at 25 yards for score but this time with par times added to add an element of stress to our execution of fundamentals.

After that we gathered around David while he instructed us on one handed shooting. Explaining the hows and whys for TigerSwans methods. We then worked on one hand shooting and alternated between each hand shooting from the 25 for score and then we added in time for stress. The “True test of trigger control” was a 5 round string at 25 yards, strong hand only (SHO), in 10 seconds. We shot two strings and scored them.

10 ring = - 0
9 ring = -1
8 ring = -2
7 ring = -3
6 ring = -4
5 ring = - 5
Anything out or over time = -10
Max Possible Score: 100 for two 5 round strings.

After that we worked on different shooting positions (kneeling and prone). Unlike the rifle I did not naturally shoot better in these positions but David did go over a number of reason why you might end up in them or might want to shoot from these positions. Kneeling will definitely be a position I work on. We ended the morning with another walk back drill, this time SHO.

After lunch we ran the same drills we did the previous afternoon to reinforce the fundamentals we have honed. Naturally as the temperature hit its peak we started into movement with the gun.

David instructed us on how to run with a gun and how to shoot on the move with a gun. Matt demonstrated each and then we dove right into different drills working on short and long bounds then firing rounds into the A-zone from different distances.

I’ve seen different target acquisition drills but feel we were introduced to probably one of the best ones out there. David picked the best looking and smartest two guys to demonstrate it and we watched as they ran the drill. David also explained creative variations of this drill that other students have made. It is a really freaking excellent drill.

The last drill of the day was a variation on the zig-zag drill that everyone ran twice. We had to bound with the gun, shoot on the move, speed up for fast shots and slow down for long range shots and SHO shots. This drill is something what some people would call “advanced tactical shooting”.

David explained that you can break down each component involved in this drill to a fundamental that we went over in class. If you had executed each fundamental perfectly under the stress (time, peers onlooking) you would have run it clean. It was a great way to drive home why we had worked so hard on refining our fundamentals and how you will develop as a shooter by working on them.

Opinions:

David is a great instructor and will approach things from different perspectives to help people understand what he is trying to get across even better. He definitely has a lot of great knowledge and experience to pass on and also has the skills to back up what he is teaching. On a serious note , if you want to seal the deal on your awesomeness as an instructor, shooting a bug in the face from distance does it as fast as humanly possible.

David mentioned that he would send out a PDF package containing drills and other instructions that we can work with. This is something I haven't had any other company do and I think this is really a great service.

Matt was a great AI ( assistant instructor) and was always there to reinforce what David had taught. He was quick to correct anything he saw out of place and helpful in answering any questions.

TigerSwan is an excellent training school. Their emphasis on fundamentals or “brilliance in the basics” is a really solid platform to base your awesomeness on.

TigerSwan not only teaches the fundamentals of shooting but also teaches the student how to think, how to diagnose, and gives you a training mindset that will carry you forward in a quantifiable way. Not only do they instruct you to shoot better hey teach you how to get better at shooting so you can continue to grow on your own. So I think the worth of attending this class basically keeps going even after the class. In this sense I feel TigerSwan has been the biggest bang for the buck I've spent.

Wanted to also say thanks to Grey Group Training for helping provide this opportunity, SMGLee for hosting it and all the students that were there for being friendly and fun to shoot with. 

Written by: Shawn C


AAR: Pat McNamara 2-Day Mil/LE T.A.P.S. Class - Oct 11-12, 2011 - Ottumwa, IA

AAR Written by Shawn C.;

Grey Group Training hosted a 2 Day TAPS class in Ottumwa, IA. The weather was in the 70’s and overcast on TD1 and Rain for most of TD2. This was a MIL/LEO restricted class due to the range.



Pat started the class with why he was there and why he believes in what he is teaching. He described the class as “agents of correction” and once considered himself this nation’s “Batman” and now we as first responders are his “Batman” and he requires the best out of us. He strongly believes in what he is telling us and after meeting him and training with him, this forms the philosophy for everything that he does and transcends the use of firearms.

He explained the methodology of TAPS as “ Through coaching we will demonstrate a method of training that is safe, efficient and effective. It is combat relevant and encourages a continuous thought process and demands accountability.” He stated this without notes. As long as this was kept at the forefront of your mind and set as a goal to accomplish throughout the course, then everything that Pat taught, made perfect sense. He defined performance as doing what you can with what you have. He stated that the” mind navigates the body” and further broke it down to how you think will determine how you perform.

I found a lot of these concepts right out of the mental performance training books for elite athletes and applied to an endeavor where life and death and hangs in the balance. These are some esoteric concepts that a lot of instructors just don’t cover. Pat not only embraces these concepts but exudes them and expects the same out of you and they come directly from his experience.

He explained some concepts that run parallel with others from the same community. One example is that he believes all marksmanship is to be considered basic with no such thing as “advanced marksmanship.” He clarified that the difference lies in performing basic marksmanship, at a high level. I have heard this before from an instructor who was in the same unit.

These were just a few of the gems that he provided during this initial brief. I could have left after this and felt I got my monies worth for the class. It was by design that he gave this “lecture” before his safety brief.

I won’t cover all of the rules in his safety brief except to say that they are a distinct variation of the common 4 rules that everyone knows and that we would not “pay lip service” to the briefing. One example is his Rule 3, “ Never intentionally cover anything with the muzzle of your weapon system that you are not willing to destroy.” He explained the reason for the word “intentional” inserted into that rule is “that shit happens in combat.” Pat further explained that he considers these rules to be tactical in nature which covers the administrative component of the rules.

Pat described himself as not being a “gun guy” but someone who found out what works over time. Pat covered some maintenance tips on the AR platform. I have always been told to keep the bore of your AR dry, keeping lube out of it. I never knew the reason why until Pat explained that as the round travels down the bore of a wet barrel it could cause “hydrostatic pitting” over time. He explained a way to check the sharpness of the extractor is to pull it along the back of your forearm and if it leaves two, white parallel lines then you are good to go.

We performed combat checks of our rifles, “gassed up our deathsticks” and headed out to start Basic Rifle Marksmanship by zeroing our rifles. Pat prefers the 50-200yd zero for irons or CCOs and a 100 yard zero for ACOGs to take advantage of the BDC of the reticule. He also believes in shooting 5 round groups for zeroing to eliminate the one or two “ooops” that may occur. He asked the question “If the rifle is zeroed, is it zeroed?” Some offered that the rifle is only zeroed to the individual. Pat said that if it is zeroed then it is mechanically zeroed and not dependent on the shooter. He said that he has had this argument throughout his career and some will believe it and others will not. I think that trend continued with this class. I have had my current duty rifle combo now for about a year and a half and I have gotten the best zero to date at this class.

We fired zeroing groups for awhile. Pat talked about metacognition and how it applies to BRM. He talked about firing with both eyes open vs. one eyed closed.



We fired Pat’s 400 point aggregate which is 10 rounds standing, 10 rounds kneeling, 10 rounds sitting and 10 rounds prone on a SR1 target at 50 yards. Pat gave us suggestions in how to make each position more stable to fire in. And no, he did not demo “freakshow” prone, thank god. We shot this a couple times and with variations of time restraints in various positions.

This took us to lunch. During lunch, Pat was asked about a night shoot. He asked if guys had brought their NODS and lasers. He was told no. He said that what would be the point. He said that night fire techniques with white light boil down to the same techniques during the day with a flashlight. He said that every knows how to light, shoot, light off moHe offered suggestions on white light placement on the carbine and how to manipulate it.

I also had a chance to shoot Pat’s 1911 that was built by a current Unit armorer. It has adjustable BoMars, tungsten full length guide rod and an extended magazine release. It did not immediately explode upon firing and made short work of 50 yard support hand only firing on a 10” piece of steel.

After lunch, Pat talked a little about the sequence of firing with the AR and when broken down can be used to diagnose problems with the weapon system.

We shot a 500 point aggregate drill that Pat told us is only the 2nd time he has shot it during the class and it was different than the 1st time he ran it. It is a variation of a 500 point aggregate pistol drill that we would not shoot until tomorrow. It consists of 10 rounds standing, no time limit, 10 rounds standing, support side, no time limit, 10 rounds standing, 20 seconds, 10 rounds from standing to kneeling, 20 seconds, 10 rounds standing to sitting, 20 seconds at 50 yards on a SR1 target, all scoring rings in play. Pat sets a personal goal of all rounds in the black, 9 ring and in and for himself considers anything in the white are misses or “junebugs.”

Pat said that no one can shoot BRM all day long, so he switched gears for us and we started shooting closer with multiple shots and within our “home” meaning fire the sequence as fast as we can still get hits in the black.



After a few of these drills, Pat pulled us off the line and went into rant mode. This was the accountability portion of the course. He called out several of us who were not doing certain things and were doing unnecessary things. Pat is big into follow-through after firing your last shot. He likes to have you “check your work through your sights” and if necessary, be in a position to have the sights still on the threat and slack taken out of the trigger to deliver follow-up shots if the threat requires so. He also is against coming off the target by depressing your muzzle and scanning left to right. He referred to this as “theatrics” and explained where it came from. He was okay with it as long as you “checked your work through your sights” first. He says that too many of us were just pulling our gun out of the fight at that point. He told us that if we were to continue doing this that we should do everyone a favor and yell out “ I quit.”

This was a great part of the course and it is by design. Without this critical feedback, you are just firing blindly through the course and doing what it is you have always done which defeats the purpose of going to training in the first place. This was in keeping with what Pat explained during the initial lecture in regards to the goals for this course. Personally, I was diggin it.

This took us to the end of TD1. The mark of a great instructor is to know when to call it quits. Pat had told us that we would be doing certain drills towards the latter half of the afternoon. We did not get to these, because the class as a whole had reached the saturation point to process any more information. Pat knew this and knew it would be a waste of ammo to continue. We huddled up and he reviewed what we did and how it related to the goals he had set forth at the beginning of the course. He gave us a preview of what he wanted to accomplish for TD2 then we were finished for the day. “Ready, ready, break.”

Pat has an endless amount of energy, but is not scatterbrain or does he allow it to overcome his ability to stay focused and on task. I have a feeling that this is his approach to pretty much everything that he sets out to accomplish in his life. This is one of the traits of highly successful people and gave an indication of what Pat is about. He was extremely polite and conducted himself as a gentleman. He was never abrasive or gruff when explaining concepts. He treated you like an adult who was there to participate in adult learning. He would give himself to all of the students and everyone received personal attention to better their performance. Pat’s level of professionalism is on par with only a select few who do this for a living. He is also an extremely entertaining dude.



Pat met the class for dinner at a local restaurant the night of TD1.

TD2 started with a “torrential downpour.” Pat told us that most times it is counter-productive to try and train in these types of conditions. He said if it is sprinkling then that’s a different story. So Pat discussed what we would be trying to accomplish during the day. He reviewed his “tactical” rules of firearms safety and was as passionate about it as he was on TD1. He discussed why it is as important to be as good with your pistol as your carbine because of the event of your “primary” going down your pistol now becomes your “primary.” He discussed why he prefers to manipulate the slide by using the slingshot method vs. the overhand grip method and it boils down towards your hand getting caught in the ejection port or your small fingers drifting in front of the muzzle. He stated that pistol accuracy comes down to simply front sight focus and trigger control. He also believes in incorporating a sidestep to the left on the draw stroke or a reload.

The rain let up a little bit so we headed out to do some drills. We started with bulls eye work at 10 yards to confirm where our pistols were hitting and to sharpen up on our trigger control. We shot from both weapon hand only and support hand only. Again typical standard bulls eye work. We started working on the draw stroke and then doing it on the timer. Pat feels that going straight up and down into and drawing the gun makes it consistent no matter what the type of holster that is being used. He is also a proponent of slowing down the last part of the press-out to settle the sights.

He introduced us to a drill that he called “Pick your Poison.” It involved selecting the impact area for all of your rounds being either the A, C or D zone of an IPSC target. You fire a total of 30 rounds; 10 from the 25yd line both hands, 10 from the 20 weapon hand only and 10 from the 15yd line, support hand only. Any round outside of the A Zone is 5pts, C zone is 4pts and D zone is 3pts. You compete against everyone else on the line so you have to not only decide which scoring zone to chose based on your ability to hit it but also on your teammates ability to hit their selected zones.

We shot this for the “World Pick your Poison Championship.” This took us to lunch.

After lunch we started with the carbine. We had access to vehicles that we could shoot from ( for some to shoot into). Pat started off the afternoon discussing reloads. After discussing when it is appropriate to reload your carbine, he taught this sequence for reloading your carbine. Seek cover, verbalize, engage safety, drop empty magazine, “Center line sweep, index finger guide” to access your fresh magazine, and “Format Focal Shift.” He explained that the “Format Focal Shift” allows your focus to be shifted downrange to the fight so you are “oriented” to the fight which will allow you to get back into the fight, quicker. He also took this time to discuss how to use the vehicle as cover. Some of it is different then what is being taught through PowerPoint or by certain agencies but it is based on his experience and when he explains it his technique makes sense. Pat also advocates that if moving behind cover that you will need to emerge from cover in a different location, always.

We went back to the pistol and shot a 500 point aggregate which consisted of 10 rounds standing, 20 seconds for 5 rounds from the holster x2, 10 seconds for 5 rounds from the holster x2, 10 rounds weapon hand only, 10 rounds support hand only all from 20 yards on a SR-1 bulls eye. This was the last pistol accuracy drill that we did for the course.

Pat brought us back to the carbine to discuss transitioning from the rifle to the pistol. He said that he has timed it out with a pro timer and has reached the conclusion that transitioning to the pistol is quicker than reloading the rifle. He said that the difference could be measured in “nano-seconds” but that a gunfight could be over in nano-seconds. We shot the transition drill by loading 3 rounds into the rifle mags. He believes that setting it up with only one round in the rifle is negligent and reinforces a bad habit. His preferred transition technique is “ When your gun doesn’t work anymore, draw and shoot your pistol.” Nothing more, nothing less. He also reminded us that the transition would be a good opportunity to incorporate a side step to the left. Pat asked the question of when is it appropriate to transition. He replied with when it is a tactical necessity or catastrophic failure. We did a combo drill of firing 3 rounds out of the rifle, put weapon on safe, conduct mag change, fire 3 rounds, transition to pistol and fire 3 rds.

We ran the transition drill for awhile then set-up for the final exercise which was a variation of Pat’s “Scrambler” drill. Because we had vehicles that we could shoot from, he set it up with the vehicles being utilized as barricades. 2 very small pieces of rifle steel were set-up at 50 yards, with one piece of pistol steel and an IPSC target set closer. You loaded 3 rounds into your rifle mag. You had to run approximately 20 yards to one of the vehicles and engage both pieces of rifle steel with 2 hits. One piece of steel had to be engaged from one of the vehicles and the other piece of steel had to be engaged from the other vehicle. Reloads had to be conducted from behind cover and the rifle had to be placed on safe during reload or moving. You had to verbalize your movement. After the rifle steel is engaged, if you had remaining rifle rounds you could fire them into the IPSC A-Zone for a 1 second per shot reduction in your overall time. Once your rifle is empty, transition to your pistol and engage the pistol steel with 5 hits. This stops the clock.

It was a pretty comprehensive drill consisting of many components that needed to be done correctly to get a “go” on the drill.



This wrapped up the course. Pat reviewed what we completed over the past 2 days and again reinforced what the purpose of TAPS was and what we did to accomplish it.

To call Pat an “instructor” I don’t feel would be an accurate description. His knowledge base and experience in deadly force engagements is endless. He knows what is important and what is not in getting you to do the things that you would need to do to “win” a deadly force engagement. What he gives you in this course transcends the mechanical and will serve you well no matter what your training endeavors may be. Pat is focused on winning, period. He sets the bar for you to achieve by example. It is personified not only in what he teaches but also in everything that he does. Pat seems to have a purpose in everything he does. He is able to quickly analyze what each individual shooter is doing wrong and offer advice on what they need to do to fix it. Pat stood out in the rain with everyone else. He pasted and moved targets and during the last exercise was encouraging guys to keep shooting the “Scrambler” over and over again even though dudes were physically and mentally exhausted. I don’t think you could ask more out of an instructor. No strike that. As corny as it sounds, I think the more accurate description of what Pat is would be “Coach.”

As clichéd as it has become, I will say that you a definitely missing a piece of the pie if you do not attend a Pat Mcnamara course.
    
   

Written by: orionz06

Date: 10/1-2/2011

Location:
The Beaver Valley Rifle and Pistol Club
Beaver Falls, PA (about 20 minutes from the Pittsburgh International Airport)

Instructor:“Super” Dave Harrington

TD1:
Dave started out with some discussion and bullseye work. He gave us a great amount of detail on some how/why and a few different (but similar) takes on many things. The first shooting drills were on some NRA bullseyes (5 bull) at 5, 10, and 15 yards (10 rounds per bull, 50 rounds per distance) as a grouping exercise. Not only was it a warm up but it was a good evaluation of where people were. There was feedback provided to those who needed it. After that we moved on to a triple bull drill with left hand only, right hand only, and two handed strings of 10 rounds required from around 15 yards. Much emphasis was placed on taking the time needed to get accurate shots. Dave discussed the difference between a single shot and a string of fire with respect to this drill.
Following the accuracy/grouping work Dave went into what is needed to make the shot and showed us a few different things concerning grip. He had us perform the “V-block” drill as he calls it which showed that sometimes you are more accurate with minimal contact. The intent, as I gathered, was to show that the shooter can do a lot of things to miss.



Other drills throughout the day included alternating hands, left and right, shooting on steel. We performed a few itterations shooting 3 and 4 magazines worth. Dave really stressed competence with your left hand, right hand, and two handed.

Prior to breaking for dinner we had some discussion about the range being open until 11pm. We decided to have a night session, in the cold drizzly rain. This started with some lighting technique discussion and discussion on night shooting in general. Major point: People don’t do enough of it. We started shooting on steel without lights to show that it was not too terrible with minimal ambient light, but target ID is lost. This was done to show capability only. We mixed in the lights and used the steel available to run some drills shooting across a dozen or so plates. The performance of handheld versus a weapon mounted light was noticeable. I ran it both ways just as a refresher for handheld lighting techniques. I carry with a WML about 95% of the time. To close we did a walkback drill, in the dark. With minimal ambient light and WML’s the top shooters made it back to ~70 yards on a [URL="http://tacstrike.com/Targets/TacStrike-Steel-Targets/1-4-Scale-Steel-Target-System.html"]TacStrike [/URL]¼ scale target.


TD2:
Day 2 started out colder and wetter than day 1 but we got over it quickly. We got right to shooting at the steel from 15-25 yards away with a lot of repeats on single hand shooting. Beyond those skills Dave went more in depth than I have ever heard on front sight tracking and feedback. Many shooters were waiting to hear the ding on the steel and were having issues. At 25 yards with a bunch of shooters on the line it is hard to tell when you get your hits, and more importantly, the front sight should be all the feedback needed (unless of course it is moving around on your gun). A lot of Dave’s competition experience came into play here and throughout the day he stressed how competition can help people develop as shooters.

Day 2 was also about a lot of manipulations, more than other classes have been. We did lots of loading the gun and firing single shots or two shots. There must have been 30 reps of draw-load-one shot. As the pace picked up I had developed a good rythymn so Dave jumped in line beside me and we did a few head to head reps. It doesnt seem often that the instructor challenges a student like this but it was a pretty cool feeling. Even cooler was holding my own and getting one or two.



Before discussing reloads it is worth mentioning the range. All of the prior classes I had at this range were shot on a nice grass surface. There is some expansion going on for this section and the extra 40 yards gained on the range has not had the chance to be planted yet. In addition with our wonderful weather the range was partially flooded earlier in the week. It was pretty soupy to say the least. It was unavoidable to drop mags into the muck, but we did. We went over a few different types of reloads and did a fair amount of drills for each type.

To close off the day Dave told us he likes to leave time for the students to dictate what we will do. This was pretty cool as it gave guys a chance to go over something they may have not gotten at the time or needed more reps. Our time was spent with a left handed walkback drill, in the rain. We had done one earlier in the day two handed. The top shooters went 10-15 yards past their earlier.

Issues:
I had replaced the sear housing block in my carry gun, M&P FS 9mm and have been trouble free for 400-600 rounds. During the class I shot ~1500 rounds from this gun prior to issues. I had one FTF only after stuffing a pile of mags that had been dropped on the ground during some manipulations work. I cannot hold fault to the gun as there are a few ways adding dirt and grit to a pistol can lead to the FTF. An immediate action cleared it. Not too soon before this the front sight had appeared to be off. I noticed that at distances beyond 7 yards I was starting to miss, with two hands where as I was able to hit without issue at 25 yards left hand only. After a quick check the front sight appeared to be drifting. Compensation worked for both myself and Super Dave. I finished up the drills with the intent to look into drifting it and peening it in place. Soon after the front sight shifted back and was easily removed on the line by hand. I called it and took the gun out of action for the day and finished with a G17 RTF2 with a Grip Force Adapter. No real issues to speak of jumping to the Glock with the GFA. In the past, without the adapter I had struggled off the draw.



Changes to gear:
None other than correcting whatever the issue is between my front sight and slide, replacement or peening it in place.


Thoughts a week later:
I entered the class not sure what exactly to expect and left ready to take another Super Dave class. I would be doing an injustice trying to use any more words. 

Written by: boatdriver 9533

I also attended the 2 day shotgun class by Rob Haught organized by Grey Group Training of Fayetteville, NC held at the Echo Valley Training Center in High View, WV.
I had intially signed up for this course to be held in VA Beach in July of 2011 which was cancelled due to medical issues with Rob. I am glad I decided to take this class. I stayed at the Holiday Inn Express in Winchester which has a special rate for classes at Echo Valley. Friday night I met Rob and his assistant instructors and a deputy from his agency who was a fellow student.
Both days were rainy and cooler then the weather I had in NC the week before. Day 1 started out with an introduction by Rob about himself and how the Push-Pull Technique had been developed through his experiences in competition and how Scott Warren had helped analyse what Rob was doing. The range was Semi-Hot all weekend (loaded sidearms, shotguns loaded only on the line, with the number of shells specified for each evolution. Singles, doubles, triples, multiple targets, turns, pivots, reloads were all covered. Moving and shooting isn't as easy as it sounds when you change directions after each shot.



Day 2 started with warm up drills and then moved to use of slings, transitions to sidearms, slug selection drills, and the CQB short sticking technique. Box drills with reloads, and use of CQB and regular push-pull incorporated into the drills. Shooting slug selection with 3 birdshot loaded with 2 to steel then slug selection to an IPSC target 30 yards away. 25 round drill covering the skills needed to keep proficiency. The final evolution was a man on man shoot off with the winner getting a certificate from a firm in Berryville, AR.
14" guns rock (we had several firearms instructors from a Federal Agency in the class). Short Stocks are a good thing for a defensive shotgun, 2 point slings are good (be careful about running too much slack as we had 2 shooters shoot the slings off the gun). Side saddles are good, 4 rounds balance well on 870s. Lights on work guns and self defence guns are very good. Optics are something which we will see on more shotguns, the shooters using EoTechs were in the top 4 in the class shoot off.
Shotgun classes are not popular compared to carbine courses, but they are something we all should take and this was worth the time and money.
I have several things I am doing to my 870 that I used in the class, Viking Tactics Sling(already on the weapon), a short stock (Speedfeed IVs). The other thing is, take a duty holster for your sidearm (running a paddle in class was not the best choice).

Written by: SteveD on FTT forum

This class was a “how to shoot” shotgun class and not a tactics class. Rob made this quite clear, since we had a mixture of agency and civilians in the class. With that said, I think he does an excellent job.

We started day one with a safety briefing and course content. Rob stated what we would cover each day, and make special mention about “teachable” items. As stated earlier, some students were also instructors for their departments, and these items would be very important to be able to take back and teach.



Once on the range Rob taught us his “push/pull” method for shooting the shotgun. Rob showed us how it works, being a little nervous since this was the first time he was shooting a shotgun since shoulder surgery. His splits for a pump action shotgun were faster than some pistol shooters. His method allows for very fast follow-up shots and minimal muzzle rise. He stated that by the end of the two days we would be sick of hearing him say “Again”. We ran drills starting with one round, progressing into two and three round strings.

Rob’s method really works at reducing recoil, and he stated that the shotgun is a self correcting tool…if you do it wrong you’ll know. This was important as our next skill set was the close quarters hold, with the butt of the shotgun riding over the bicep, reducing the length of the shotgun to that of a pistol. Shooting the shotgun in this configuration was meant for room distances, so we sighted over the barrel. His 3 steps allowed for proper orientation and height, and we were hitting the targets consistently at 8 yards. Day one finished with some turning drills, both with the standard hold and the CQ hold.

We started day 2 with a 25 round drill that Rob stated we could use to maintain our skills. After a brief warm-up we switched over to buckshot, and a brief discussion followed about patterning and loads. It was impressive to watch his 14” put 8 pellets of Federal trueflight on a standard IPSC target at about 45 yards. Closer shots (8-10 yards) yielded one ragged hole. This stuff is simply amazing.

We then started with transitions to the pistol. Rob explained how each type of sling, and no sling operate with transitioning to a pistol. We all ran each drill to be sure we knew what to do with each option. We ran the box drill, both straight shotgun and with transitions to the pistol. We did a drill where you moved forward and backward, shooting one round and changing direction on each “Up” command. The idea was to keep the shotgun full, and the commands were coming quicker as we went.



We finished day 2 with a student shooting contest. Rob set up the flying M using 3 plates for each student. You had to load 2, then shoot the middle and the farthest plate, reload and shoot the closest plate. It was run double elimination and the lucky winner received a very nice prize.

Using Rob’s method of push-pull reduces the recoil, and it was very apparent while shooting the buckshot and slugs that it works, and works well. Shooting almost 600 rounds over 2 days with no sore shoulder or bruising is proof that it works. I would highly recommend this class.