Friday, July 30, 2021

There's A Class For Everything

Years ago, I came across firearms training outfits that would offer general classes, and separate classes for military and law enforcement. Since this could be used to differentiate training tactics, techniques, etc., I decided to no longer attend places like this. They support knowledge for some, but not others; and this is a possible pathway to tyranny, in my opinion. Similar to laws allowing military or police to do things civilians are banned from doing. 

Enter a 1:32 long clip from Dakota Meyer in Instagram, wherein he said he didn't think people who were not in the military should train with gear. 

Horse Hockey. 

This brand of military elitism has been surfacing from a few vets over the last 10 or so years, and has become a bit more predominant of late. Most vets are fine folks and do not mind you exercising your rights. But there are a very few - mostly infantry and related - who are frightened little cowards that don't want you to have the same knowledge and abilities that they do. It is particularly prevalent in the firearms world... and the Dunning-Kruger effect no doubt has a hand in this. 






"blackriflesanonymous2111" puts it beautifully in this Instagram retort:
"As a vet myself I fully support people putting veterans who act like this (Dakota Meyer) in their place. They think the military taught them shit no else could or they have more training than civilians. Wrong. Many military personnel only shoot one week a year for [there] qual. Veterans are the worst know-it-alls in the gun community and many have the holier-than-thou attitude toward civilians that train. I've seen people who never served in the military beat the piss out of many vets on competition. Bottom line is nothing you learned how to do in the military is not taught better elsewhere. There's a class for everything nowadays."

All that said, I can understand a training company wanting a combat vet for their staff - it could be a team dynamic thing, a way to help fellow vets, etc. That is no problem for me. However, places that "think only police or military should teach firearms classes" are now off my list, as well. Sadly, that includes some places I once held in high regards. 

Thursday, July 29, 2021

Comparison

The fundamentals of marksmanship are universal. Some different organizations put a different spin on them, but they are all inherently the same. 

Appleseed:
1. Sight Alignment
2. Sight Picture
3. Respiratory pause
4. Focus eye / mind
5. Squeeze the trigger
6. Follow through

Army: "BRASS"
Breathe
Relax
Aim
Sight 
Squeeze

NRA
1. Aiming
2. Breath Control
3. Hold Control
4. Trigger Control
5. Follow through

When you take this Army Designated Marksmanship Instructor's statement into consideration, you realize that while breath control or respiratory pause is important, it might be the least important of the fundamentals. Paraphrased, he essentially said between the 1:00 mark and the 2:00 mark: Someone who tells you to fix your breathing to tighten up groups has demonstrated they have a thimble full of knowledge of marksmanship. And he is correct. 

When it comes to pistol shooting for self defense applications, there are three main fundamentals that the shooter needs to concentrate on to make surgically precise hits:
  • Firm Grip 
  • Front sight focus
  • Gentle squeeze of the trigger. 

At Fighting Pistol with Tactical Response, the instructors were often coaching participants to firm up their grip. One of them made it into a funny statement "choke it like a hooker!" They also coached trigger squeeze and front sight focus - but their emphasis was on the firm grip. 

At PistolCraft with Reid Henrichs (who was once an instructor at Tactical Response), the emphasis was on front sight focus and smooth trigger manipulation. He also encouraged participants to have a firm grip, but the emphasis was on trigger manipulation. 

When I teach, the emphasis is on the balance of trigger manipulation and grip. With a newer shooter, too firm of a grip will cause a parasympathetic squeeze in the trigger finger - resulting in shots low and left for a right-handed shooter; low and right misses for a left-handed shooter. There is an art to proper grip, as there is to proper trigger manipulation. I teach both. Good to know I'm in good company. 

Wednesday, July 28, 2021

On Being Deliberate, Part II

Reviewing lessons learned from Bat Masterson, and applying them to the two pistol classes I took this summer, here are some observations:

On each drill at both classes, my intention was to do the drill with the utmost of deliberate action. No speed-up at all. Draw, shoot, remedy, whatever, but do it BY THE NUMBERS - as explained by that instructor. So that was my focus - SLOW everything down and do it with a precision of movement. 

Results?
  • Never was I the "last one" done with a drill. (Neither school put a hard stop on drill times)
  • Frequently (all but a couple of times, between two classes) I was the first one finished with the drill. This was nearly the opposite of my intention, just a happy coincidence. 
  • A grand total of 4 "misses" between two classes. Both shots missed in Fighting Pistol were center mass - within an inch of the target vital area. The "misses" at PistolCraft were on a bullseye shoot drill with my left hand - and were in the "9" ring instead of the 10 ring on a B16 style target. By far the fewest of any participant. My friend, "Cookie," had 6 misses in Fighting Pistol, and that was the second-fewest in either class. 
  • An instructor on one drill asked if I actually performed all of the target discernments prior to deciding to shoot and shooting. He felt I had done the drill "really fast" - and my perception was that I had taken forever to do that drill. 
Take-Aways?
BE DELIBERATE - on each and every shot. 

Tuesday, July 27, 2021

Valor Ridge PistolCraft Review

This past weekend - Sunday and Monday to be precise, I ventured with a couple of friends to Valor Ridge and took PistolCraft 1. This blog post is a review of that class. The class handout from a previous class with a different Firearms Training School has a page on how to write a review, and I shall follow the outline given in that document.

Who -

Who attended? I attended, along with my friends "Barney" and "Butler."
Who taught? Instructors were Reid Henrichs and Dillon.
Who could take this and benefit from it? Most people. Particularly if you carry a gun for self defense or on duty.
Who did I like and who did I want to punch? I liked all of the instructors and participants. There were not any "that guys" this weekend.

What -
What class? PistolCraft 1
What did I do? All of the drills as guided by the instructors.
What did I learn that I expected? Virtually all of the most important aspects of carrying a handgun for self protection.
What did I see? A marksmanship based approach designed for students of all skill levels.
What did I hear? A lot of professionalism. Reid does not rely on crude language, innuendo, swearing, or that sort of thing. 
What gear did I use? Sig P320, 5 mags, a holster, and two mag pouches. Of course, I had basic med kit on me, as well (TQ & gauze).
What gear did everyone else use? All sorts of guns. Only 1 GLOCK on the line. There were a couple of Sig P365 models on the line.
What was I good at and what did I work on? As expected, I was among the best marksmen on the line. This allowed me to work on adding material and presentation concepts for my classes.
What class will I take next? Probably Fighting Rifle from Tactical Response.
What did I learn from other students? A massive amount.  Mostly, how to pose something a little better. 
What did I learn from the lectures? A few wording advantages. A few procedural advantages. 

Where - 
Where did you come from and where did you attend? I came from Mt. Juliet, and attended at Valor Ridge in Harrogate, TN.
Where did you hear about Valor Ridge? Internet, years ago.
Where will you train next? either Tactical Response, or somewhere else, TBD. 

When -
When did you hear about the class? Years ago.
When did you decide it was right for you? When a few financial plans fell into place earlier this year.
When did you attend? July 25 & 26.
When did you know you made the right choice (defining moment)? When we did 5 dry fire rounds before ever loading the pistol for the first time. 

Why -
Why do you train? Because I like to train. Because it is needed. Because I want to train others more effectively.
Why did you choose Valor Ridge? Because I have been here before and Reid is a good instructor. 

Additional Thoughts -
Some schools teach the draw only after a long time of shooting and safe gun handling is demonstrated. I have run some of my handgun classes that way. Valor Ridge teaches the draw this way - with much dry practice at first. It is this method I currently teach. One cannot have too much practice with the drawstroke. 

Never did I feel unsafe. Never did I feel someone else was unsafe. Never did I feel a "line was crossed." Might some people? Possibly - but some people will hate on just about anything.

The curriculum was well thought-out and organized. The training modules clearly had inspiration from CSAT, Rangemaster USA, and other notables.

My Sig P320 did perfectly fine. No malfunctions, other than the induced ones. Big Dot sights are outstanding. I experimented with a grip I do not ordinarily use, and had massive success with it. May switch to it. Will determine that after Pistol Craft.

The instructors were well versed in error correction. They articulated what someone did incorrectly and what they needed to do instead. In truth, I only heard a few different kinds of corrections given - maybe 4 total. Most were on the grip, focusing on the front sight, going easy on the trigger, and not snatching the gun back to see the bullet hole (follow through). I was given coaching on these only twice, and neither was correct. However, keeping the error correction to a few simple things that most people do wrong is a good strategy. If someone really wants to know the circumstances on those two corrections, I'll be happy to detail in a private conversation.

The purpose of all I've said here is to encourage you to take a class at Valor Ridge. No, they are not for everybody, but the Pistol Craft class is for nearly everybody. If you got a negative impression from reading this, then you need to get your head straight. I am not going to blow smoke and say it was all a way it wasn't, but I am very happy to have gone, and am looking forward to Fighting Rifle at some point in the future.

I took 16 pages of notes over and above the handout. Barney and Butler were over 10 pages each, I believe. Not many other participants made a lot of notes.

My syllabus for the class I teach, Essential Pistol, definitely was refined after taking this class. There are still several things I teach differently. If you are a Fighting Pistol Alumnus and an Essential Pistol Alumnus, you know what these differences are and why! 

Thursday, July 22, 2021

Constitutional Carry Thoughts

See how many mistakes you can find.  These are among the ones I found:
1. Open carry (yes, open carry is a mistake)
2. Horrid holster
3. Holster misused (is OWB when "built for" IWB)
4. Has never had a class.
5. No retention - holster or belt.
6. Has never practiced a drawstroke.
7. Poor choice of pants for carry.
8. (Not pictured) wearing a mask. 
9. (Presumed) No medical training.
10. (Presumed) No medical equipment. 



As an observation,  I have seen much more open carry since the Constitutional Carry law went into effect on July 1st. Still about the same amount of concealed carry.  Yes, I see you concealed carrying... and no, you didn't print that bad.



The "blood in the streets" we were warned about from the Left has not happened.  No word on violent crime rates, yet. 



Yahoos from the "Pro-2A" movement will not relent that we do not have "true" Constitutional Carry in Tennessee. Let's grant that position then point out that no state has "true" Constitutional Carry. If you argue that point, then I have 3 questions for you:
1. What state permits minors under 18 to carry?
2. What state allows convicted felons to carry?
3. What state allows for carry into "prohibited" places? (State or Federally prohibited)

Since the answer to all three is "none," the point is made.  If you argue that there should be restrictions on any of these three, then you are not really in favor of "true" Constitutional Carry.

...shall not be infringed... b*tches: checkmate.



Ammo is slowly coming back to gun stores near you.  Ammo is also more commonly available online.  I still advise -  don't buy ammo at gun stores. Possible exception: large chains where you can buy the same brand / same type for a reasonable price. 



From the Handgun Inspector for the region where my range is located, in regards to the complete drying up of carry permit classes:
"One school is running a $20.00 a person special in (city) and is teaching 20 to 30 students a week. Business is out there we just need to find it."
$500 per week for teaching multiple classes is not good business.  If I'm not making $1000 to teach for one day, I don't even roll out of bed.

And this from the best USCCA rep in the country:
"HCP classes are struggling right now because they are all either canceled or only 2-5 students."

Meanwhile...  Patriot Training has made more in gross receipts through June than in all of 2020... and that only includes one (underperforming) carry permit class in March.  For the record, the two carry permit classes taught by Patriot Training last year were both $1000+ classes.  And,  Essential Pistol is already over $2000, and it is still a month away. 

I see no need to offer underperforming services.


Wednesday, July 21, 2021

Wednesday Thoughts

Is not an organized article, but a collection of musings from the author.

It is good to see the vast majority of society moving around without a mask anymore. In fact, You are more likely to see a mask in a doctor's office these days, than in the rest of the world.

Doctor's offices that still require the wearing of masks are an interesting study.  It would be natural to presume that medical personnel would know the most about infectious disease. However, many medical personnel are borderline hypochondriacs, and incessantly wear the masks, despite there being no science to prove the efficacy.

Do medical people pursue their careers because they were hypochondriacs to start, or did the study of infectious disease cause them to take on is hypochondriac natures?
Chicken - Egg.

Think masks work? Find me a study conducted prior to 2019 that would indicate that way.

Think the #KungFlu wasn't a political maneuver? Look at all the "studies" that suggest masks work stemming in 2020 and 2021.

If the vaccine really were to, it would not be free and require a propaganda campaign. It would be ungodly unaffordable.

Fauci is a gamma, because he acts like a b*tch. He says one thing and does another. On TV, he says Ivermectin and Hydroxychloroquine do not work as treatments for the #scamdemic . However, he gave both to his family members.

Where did the flu go?

For several years prior to 2019, children would get sick with flu like symptoms, and they would test negative for the flu. The doctors and medical practitioners would say they had a virus that imitated the flu. COVID-19 was discovered in 2019. This author suspects it was here for years prior to discovery.

You cannot spell "I C Fraud" without "Dr Fauci."

Why are the deaths and serious side-effects of the "vaccine" being covered up?
Why are the deaths from the #KungFlu being over-reported?
Alas, I repeat myself.


Monday, July 19, 2021

When To Hold, When To Fold

 Don't you just hate it? When you have to log in to a website, and you enter your login credentials - user name and password. Then an error pops up: "either your user name or password is incorrect." Well, which is it? The user name of the password?

One would think that a person intelligent enough to program the site to say that would also be intelligent enough to program the site to say which is incorrect - the user name or the password. 

At this point, the IT gammas are starting to type furiously below, "iT Is MoRe SeCuRe!" (to not disclose which has been entered correctly - the user name or password.) This author could argue that point with great effect, but for the sake of making a point, the point is reluctantly conceded. 

So, let's get this out in the open, so that all understand: THE NUMBER ONE REASON PEOPLE HAVE ISSUES WITH YOUR WEBSITE IS LOGGING IN. We all have too many logins and passwords. Nobody can remember them all. This process must be easy, or customers will not spend money on your website. 

Some time back, when this author was in the process of getting a website created (but not this website), an IT professional was consulted. The ask was simple - a page that cannot be accessed by the general public and is password secured. The IT professional was very confident it could be done, and this author gave the parameters: password protected, owner approves new users authorized access, and if the user name or password is entered incorrectly, the site must say which one was incorrect. IT guy agreed to those parameters, and gets to work. 

A week later, the follow up meeting happens. The password protected part of the site was created and looked good. Immediately, this author logged in using correct credentials and experienced success. After a quick look around, the account was logged out, and another login was attempted, using incorrect login credentials. 

Either the user name or password is incorrect pops up on screen. 

Rifleman: "This will need to be fixed."

IT Guy: "It iS MoRe sEcUrE ThIs wAy!"

Rifleman: "I want it to say which one - user name or password. That is my requirement."

IT Guy: "bUt It iS MoRe sEcUrE ThIs wAy!"

Rifleman: "Then you are fired. I will create the website myself and simply make the page a 'private page' so someone cannot just click a link. I know that someone without a password could get access to discounts not intended for them, but that is a risk I'll have to take."

IT Guy: "People will get discounts they don't deserve!"

Rifleman: "Maybe so, but at least they will be spending money with me instead of going elsewhere because the stupid webpage does not know whether they got the user name incorrect or the password. You're fired."

The Rifleman got up and left the meeting. To his credit, the IT Guy has called back and tried to salvage the sale... but has never offered to do what was asked. And when directly asked, he again falls back on the whiny voice "more secure" excuse. And he still has not earned a dime from the Rifleman.

And the Rifleman has earned more revenue this year than ever. And not one person has accessed a discount not intended for them. 

Monday, July 12, 2021

On Firearms Instructors

This post from Knockoutlights on Instagram is a diamond:

Fortunately there are solid instructors out there with both field experience and progressive firearms training. There are also firearm instructors with no field experience who can offer folks far more value than many of these instructors boasting about their backgrounds. Just because you’ve moved out of one career and into another doesn’t immediately qualify you as SME because you carried a gun for 20 plus years. Let your performance speak for It’s self not your credentials. If you don’t perceive yourself as a student of the craft than your shelf life as an instructor is expiring.


Friday, July 9, 2021

How Not To Do It



Why do people make such asinine statements online?

1. Perceived anonymity.
2. Stupidity.
3. Never been to a training class.
4. Jealous and wanted to go to the class, but doesn't have the money.


In this case, this doodle-britches fits the bill for all four. 


Tuesday, July 6, 2021

Review - Tactical Response

A few weeks ago, I ventured with a couple of friends to Tactical Response and took Fighting Pistol. This blog post is a review of that class. The class handout has a page on how to write a review, and I shall follow the outline given in that document. 


Who
Who attended? I attended, along with my friends "Cookie" and "Mouth." 
Who taught? Instructors were Tim and Louis. 
Who could take this and benefit from it? Most people. Particularly if you carry a gun for self defense or on duty. 
Who did I like and who did I want to punch? I liked all of the instructors and participants. There was a "that guy" and that person would not be the first person I would want to have a beer with afterwards. One assistant instructor was just a tad annoying, because his "suggestions" were all about how awesome he was in the military, and often had no practical application to the point at hand. But neither of these individuals earned my ire - few ever do that. 



What - 
What class? Fighting Pistol
What did I do? All of the drills as listed in the handout and as guided by the instructors. 
What did I learn that I expected? Virtually all aspects of carrying a handgun for self protection.
What did I see? A very well put-together syllabus executed for students of all skill levels. 
What did I hear? A lot of swearing - and they warn you about that. I do not care, but some reading this might care about that sort of thing. 
What gear did I use? Sig P320, 6 mags, a holster, and two mag pouches. Of course, I had basic med kit on me, as well (TQ & gauze). 
What gear did everyone else use? Mostly GLOCK 19's. Mouth used a Sig P320. "That guy" used a 1911 and it was removed from the line on Day 2 - too many malfunctions. 
What was I good at and what did I work on? As expected, I was among the best marksmen on the line, as was Cookie and Mouth (both graduates of a few of my classes). This allowed me to work on adding material and presentation concepts for my classes. 
What class will I take next? Pistol Craft from Valor Ridge, then probably Fighting Rifle from Tactical Response. 
What did I learn from other students? I could fill a novel with this as I had the luxury of not having massive amounts of pressure to reload, nor having to take notes on any new material. I learned most how the students absorbed the material, and reacted to the heat and getting tired. 
What did I learn at dinner with the instructors? If this was offered, I missed it. Cookie, Mouth, and I went to Pizza Hut. 
What did I learn from the lectures? A few wording advantages. Mind you - it took me 45 years to accumulate all of the knowledge I had to the point that the lectures offered no real new material. Had I taken this class a year ago, there would have been new material. So I mostly learned how to teach certain concepts more effectively. 


Where - 
Where did you come from and where did you attend? I came from Mt. Juliet, and attended at Camden. Will not disclose where Mouth and Cookie came from, but we carpooled. 
Where did you hear about Tactical Response? Internet, years ago. I owned several of their DVDs. 
Where will you train next? Valor Ridge. Earlier in the year, I could not decide between Fighting Pistol and Pistol Craft. So I got both. I wanted both points of view on these things. 


When - 
When did you hear about the class? Years ago. 
When did you decide it was right for you? When a few financial plans fell into place earlier this year. 
When did you attend? June 12 & 13.
When did you know you made the right choice (defining moment)? When the handouts were given at the beginning. Also when Tim said my nickname "Bunny" was a "homo nickname." Haha.


Why - 
Why do you train? Because I like to train. Because it is needed. Because I want to train others more effectively. 
Why did you choose Tactical Response? In short - because some people said do not go there. 


Additional Thoughts
Some schools teach the draw only after a long time of shooting and safe gun handling is demonstrated. I have run some of my handgun classes that way. Tactical Response teaches the draw from the outset. It is this method I currently teach and will go with moving forward. One cannot have too much practice with the drawstroke. 

Tactical Response has many naysayers. Most have probably not had many (or any) classes. Of those who have negative things to say about safety and / or methodology and who are trained, well, there may be validity to that. I did not attend a class with Tactical Response for several years due to safety concerns from some of these. That was a mistake. 

Never did I feel unsafe. Never did I feel someone else was unsafe. Never did I feel a "line was crossed." Might some people? Possibly - but some people will hate on just about anything. 

The curriculum was the most well thought-out course I've ever seen. That includes the NRA curriculum. The Tactical Response curriculum is geared to be able to teach just about anybody. Many people say the mindset talk is worth the price of admission, and I will agree. The handout is 51 pages long. This class is not about just mindless blasting. 

The adult language is what it is. Could the class be taught without it? Sure. But self defense is not a PG act. Get over yourself and don't let that be your hangup. Cookie got called a "homo" more times than I've even heard the word in my life. We all thought it was hilarious. And I did get an obligatory "f***ing Bunny!" out of one of the instructors. 

For those who have taken the class, you know about the "proprietary drill." It was a good one. If you verify in private you are a Tactical Response Alumnus, I will discuss my performance on it and thoughts. At the request of the instructors, I will not let you know what it is, nor will I use it in any of my classes. 

My Sig P320 did perfectly fine. No malfunctions, other than the induced ones. Big Dot sights are outstanding. I experimented with a grip I do not ordinarily use, and had massive success with it. May switch to it. Will determine that after Pistol Craft. 

The instructors were well versed in error correction. They articulated what someone did incorrectly and what they needed to do instead. In truth, I only heard a few different kinds of corrections given - maybe 4 total. Most were on the grip, focusing on the front sight, going easy on the trigger, and not snatching the gun back to see the bullet hole (follow through). I was given coaching on these only twice, and neither was correct. However, keeping the error correction to a few simple things that most people do wrong is a good strategy. If someone really wants to know the circumstances on those two corrections, I'll be happy to detail in a private conversation. 

The purpose of all I've said here is to encourage you to take a class at Tactical Response. No, they are not for everybody, but the Fighting Pistol class is for nearly everybody. If you got a negative impression from reading this, then you need to get your head straight. I am not going to blow smoke and say it was all a way it wasn't, but I am very happy to have gone, and am looking forward to Fighting Rifle at some point in the future. 

I took 17 pages of notes over and above the handout. Cookie and Mouth were over 10 pages each, I believe. Not many other participants made a lot of notes. 

Tactical Response does not teach anything I do not teach. That is good to know. It took years for me to get to that point, and you could do the same by simply attending a 2-Day class. 

My syllabus for the class I teach, Essential Pistol, definitely was refined after taking this class. But it is certainly not a Fighting Pistol knock-off. There are still several things I teach differently. If you are a Fighting Pistol Alumnus and an Essential Pistol Alumnus, you know what these differences are and why!