Observations and reconnaissance from a liberty-loving realist in a world that despises facts as well as liberty.
Friday, July 30, 2021
There's A Class For Everything
Thursday, July 29, 2021
Comparison
- Firm Grip
- Front sight focus
- Gentle squeeze of the trigger.
Wednesday, July 28, 2021
On Being Deliberate, Part II
- 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.
Tuesday, July 27, 2021
Valor Ridge PistolCraft Review
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 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
Monday, July 12, 2021
On Firearms Instructors
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
Who -
Who taught? Instructors were Tim and Louis.