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A.A.R. Tiger Valley Pistol Level 1
3/8/2011 10:34:02 PM
AAR Tiger Valley Pistol Level One
The purpose of this A.A.R. is to give the prospective student the relevant information he or she needs to
decide if they want to attend this training. I will not be detailing every course of fire or tactic/technique. If you want this then you should attend the training.
T.I.G.E.R. (Tactical Institute for Gun Education and Research) Valley is headed up by T.J. Pilling. T.J. is a career SWAT/Narcotics officer. His assistant for this class was Bruce.
I purchased two nights at the Bunkhouse. Tiger Valley rents a bunk for $20.00 per night. The bunkhouse has eight bunks. If you desire to sleep in luxury this is not for you. It was very similar to a modern day deer camp. The beds were bunk style twins. Each had a comfortable mattress. The sleeping quarters were supplied with central heat and air. For those of you from Texas you know that one must use both heat and air on the same day at times. The bunkhouse had a full kitchen with refrigerator, oven/stove, microwave - the works. The shower had hot water and worked well. I will say that the place looked cluttered and could have used a bit of cleaning. It was NOT filthy and I was comfortable getting in the shower. I had the place to myself and it was nice to have some quiet time alone. I read some Homer and slept well. The bunkhouse is not the place I would recommend for the ladies or a couple. For a few guys who want to attend this training on the cheap and still sleep and eat well while getting to shower, this is the place for you.
The class consisted of 14 students from a wide variety of backgrounds and skill levels, including two Arfcom Team Members. Of the 14 students 2 were female, 11 carried Glocks including me. The other 3 were a Ruger P-95, an HK, and a Bersa Thunder.
Class began promptly at 0800 with a safety brief and a course overview. We then hit the range, specifically "North 1". Tiger Valley has 10 tactical bays among other other ranges, including a 1000 yard range.
Lets talk about Texas weather. I have lived here all my life except for my time in the Marines. I was unprepared. I watched the weather on the Wednesday prior to the class and the forecast predicted mild weather and partly cloudy conditions. I was not the only one unprepared for the 45 degree temps with 30 plus MPH wind and light rain. T.J. had a run on black hoodies on the one and only break we took during the course.
After arriving at the range we started with a standard accuracy drill in order for the instructors to gauge our accuracy. After this exercise, the training commenced.
The morning of the first day we concentrated on the basics: sight alignment, trigger control, grip and stance. We shot round after round at the steel targets. T.J. and Bruce identified deficiencies in some shooters and helped them correct whatever was wrong. As the day continued the drills increased in complexity and speed. I noticed also that as the day progressed my accuracy and speed increased and old skill sets that had faded with time began to return. We broke for lunch at noon and class continued at 1300. We had a short classroom session covering the afternoon's training and hit the range again. By this time the class had begun to be a bit cohesive and loosened up. We began to talk and joke a bit between relays. The drills continued to be more fun and complex. At approximately 3:30 pm we went back to the class for weapon maintenance and cleaning. After cleaning was completed class ended for the day. I felt much more confident in my speed, accuracy and ability to win in a gunfight than just 24 hours before. The First days round count was approximately 500 rounds.
Now, let's talk about the bad things that happened on the first day and the lessons learned.
After-market lightened triggers and springs, etc., are crap and will fail when stressed by high round counts. These parts only hide your flaws as a shooter and should be discarded.
The first and worst of several incidents occurred early on the first day. A shooter with a modified trigger was inserting a magazine into the mag well of a Glock that was placed inside a FOBUS holster when the weapon discharged. I am not going to call it a negligent discharge because the weapon was in the holster and according to the shooter the modification was performed by a Glock Armorer. No one was injured but when checked the trigger was way too light. I did not measure it but the trigger felt lighter than than the trigger pull on my Giselle equipped AR15. Another shooter's Glock had a lightened striker spring and repeatedly failed to cause ignition of primers. This shooter purchased a new pistol on lunch break. The only modification I have made to my Glock was the addition of tritium night sights installed by a gunsmith. On the second day, while shooting a course of fire that required walking and shooting targets on both both my left and right sides, I suddenly was unable to hit my target. I finally stopped shooting and discovered that my front sight was sitting on the slide sideways. Apparently the gunsmith I chose did not use Loctite on the sight. I learned that I should install parts myself on guns I plan to use to save my life.
Day Two:
Day two started at a fast pace and picked up from there. Shooting while moving and shooting multiple targets were incorporated into the lesson. These skills were honed most of the day. After lunch we went to the top of the 60 foot tower and engaged steel at 100 yards. This was very challenging but I eventually figured out what to do. We also learned proper technique for shooting a handgun in the prone position. We engaged targets out to 100 yards. We took a class photo. The class ended and we returned to the classroom for weapons cleaning. The day ended and the round count for day two was 600 rounds for a total of 1100. Not everyone fired the same number of rounds and the 1600 rounds required in the brochure is what you should bring.
In summary, The staff at Tiger Valley is skilled and knowledgeable and has excellent ability to teach shooters from novice to very experienced. The facilities are excellent and well maintained. You will leave much more confident in your skills. I will be attending more training at Tiger Valley.
Jim
The purpose of this A.A.R. is to give the prospective student the relevant information he or she needs to
decide if they want to attend this training. I will not be detailing every course of fire or tactic/technique. If you want this then you should attend the training.
T.I.G.E.R. (Tactical Institute for Gun Education and Research) Valley is headed up by T.J. Pilling. T.J. is a career SWAT/Narcotics officer. His assistant for this class was Bruce.
I purchased two nights at the Bunkhouse. Tiger Valley rents a bunk for $20.00 per night. The bunkhouse has eight bunks. If you desire to sleep in luxury this is not for you. It was very similar to a modern day deer camp. The beds were bunk style twins. Each had a comfortable mattress. The sleeping quarters were supplied with central heat and air. For those of you from Texas you know that one must use both heat and air on the same day at times. The bunkhouse had a full kitchen with refrigerator, oven/stove, microwave - the works. The shower had hot water and worked well. I will say that the place looked cluttered and could have used a bit of cleaning. It was NOT filthy and I was comfortable getting in the shower. I had the place to myself and it was nice to have some quiet time alone. I read some Homer and slept well. The bunkhouse is not the place I would recommend for the ladies or a couple. For a few guys who want to attend this training on the cheap and still sleep and eat well while getting to shower, this is the place for you.
The class consisted of 14 students from a wide variety of backgrounds and skill levels, including two Arfcom Team Members. Of the 14 students 2 were female, 11 carried Glocks including me. The other 3 were a Ruger P-95, an HK, and a Bersa Thunder.
Class began promptly at 0800 with a safety brief and a course overview. We then hit the range, specifically "North 1". Tiger Valley has 10 tactical bays among other other ranges, including a 1000 yard range.
Lets talk about Texas weather. I have lived here all my life except for my time in the Marines. I was unprepared. I watched the weather on the Wednesday prior to the class and the forecast predicted mild weather and partly cloudy conditions. I was not the only one unprepared for the 45 degree temps with 30 plus MPH wind and light rain. T.J. had a run on black hoodies on the one and only break we took during the course.
After arriving at the range we started with a standard accuracy drill in order for the instructors to gauge our accuracy. After this exercise, the training commenced.
The morning of the first day we concentrated on the basics: sight alignment, trigger control, grip and stance. We shot round after round at the steel targets. T.J. and Bruce identified deficiencies in some shooters and helped them correct whatever was wrong. As the day continued the drills increased in complexity and speed. I noticed also that as the day progressed my accuracy and speed increased and old skill sets that had faded with time began to return. We broke for lunch at noon and class continued at 1300. We had a short classroom session covering the afternoon's training and hit the range again. By this time the class had begun to be a bit cohesive and loosened up. We began to talk and joke a bit between relays. The drills continued to be more fun and complex. At approximately 3:30 pm we went back to the class for weapon maintenance and cleaning. After cleaning was completed class ended for the day. I felt much more confident in my speed, accuracy and ability to win in a gunfight than just 24 hours before. The First days round count was approximately 500 rounds.
Now, let's talk about the bad things that happened on the first day and the lessons learned.
After-market lightened triggers and springs, etc., are crap and will fail when stressed by high round counts. These parts only hide your flaws as a shooter and should be discarded.
The first and worst of several incidents occurred early on the first day. A shooter with a modified trigger was inserting a magazine into the mag well of a Glock that was placed inside a FOBUS holster when the weapon discharged. I am not going to call it a negligent discharge because the weapon was in the holster and according to the shooter the modification was performed by a Glock Armorer. No one was injured but when checked the trigger was way too light. I did not measure it but the trigger felt lighter than than the trigger pull on my Giselle equipped AR15. Another shooter's Glock had a lightened striker spring and repeatedly failed to cause ignition of primers. This shooter purchased a new pistol on lunch break. The only modification I have made to my Glock was the addition of tritium night sights installed by a gunsmith. On the second day, while shooting a course of fire that required walking and shooting targets on both both my left and right sides, I suddenly was unable to hit my target. I finally stopped shooting and discovered that my front sight was sitting on the slide sideways. Apparently the gunsmith I chose did not use Loctite on the sight. I learned that I should install parts myself on guns I plan to use to save my life.
Day Two:
Day two started at a fast pace and picked up from there. Shooting while moving and shooting multiple targets were incorporated into the lesson. These skills were honed most of the day. After lunch we went to the top of the 60 foot tower and engaged steel at 100 yards. This was very challenging but I eventually figured out what to do. We also learned proper technique for shooting a handgun in the prone position. We engaged targets out to 100 yards. We took a class photo. The class ended and we returned to the classroom for weapons cleaning. The day ended and the round count for day two was 600 rounds for a total of 1100. Not everyone fired the same number of rounds and the 1600 rounds required in the brochure is what you should bring.
In summary, The staff at Tiger Valley is skilled and knowledgeable and has excellent ability to teach shooters from novice to very experienced. The facilities are excellent and well maintained. You will leave much more confident in your skills. I will be attending more training at Tiger Valley.
Jim
3/11/2011 11:32:07 PM
thanks for the wonderful write up!
3/15/2011 10:48:56 AM
Great AAR, I can't wait to get over there someday.
What did the whole adventure cost you?
What did the whole adventure cost you?
3/15/2011 6:21:40 PM
$365.00 total for the course + 1600 rds of 9mm + gas. I lived out of my BOB for the two days and ate Mountain House foods so probably another $25.00.
Jim
Jim
3/15/2011 6:44:14 PM
That's not bad at all. Do you plan on doing Handgun 2 sometime?
3/15/2011 7:16:45 PM
Originally Posted By Afterwork_Ninja:
That's not bad at all. Do you plan on doing Handgun 2 sometime?
That's not bad at all. Do you plan on doing Handgun 2 sometime?
I am going to This Course in August and This course in May.
Jim
3/15/2011 7:25:20 PM
Make sure you do a AAR on the medical one.
If I can make it over there I will give you a call.
If I can make it over there I will give you a call.
3/15/2011 9:21:37 PM
Originally Posted By Afterwork_Ninja:
Make sure you do a AAR on the medical one.
If I can make it over there I will give you a call.
Make sure you do a AAR on the medical one.
If I can make it over there I will give you a call.
Cool! I am probably going to bring a couple of friends. Hopefully see ya there.
Jim
3/15/2011 11:11:37 PM
Great A.A.R. Jim, I enjoyed training with you.
3/19/2011 12:21:15 AM
So far I have been through the Level 1 Carbine and Level 1 Pistol classes at Tiger Valley. I can't say enough good things about this place. The facility is great, and the instructor's (TJ and Bruce) are top notch guys that really know their stuff. I'm preparing for a careen in law enforcement and decided to take these classes to get a headstart. I can honestly say that after taking both of these classes, I'm much more confident with both weapons. If I can work it into my schedule I plan on taking both Level 2 classes, and if I haven't been shipped down to the border by August I'm going to take the Precision Rifle class.
I would recommend this Tiger Valley to anyone (male or female) who is looking for great instruction from a very professional and knowledgable staff.
P.S. Unless you have thumbs made of steel, buy a LULA loader, because after 1000 rounds you're thumb is going to hate you.
Jason
I would recommend this Tiger Valley to anyone (male or female) who is looking for great instruction from a very professional and knowledgable staff.
P.S. Unless you have thumbs made of steel, buy a LULA loader, because after 1000 rounds you're thumb is going to hate you.
Jason
6/6/2011 7:49:34 PM
Jim,
Thank you for the AAR. My daughter would like to attend this class, but the amount of shooting has her a little scared. Based on your experience, would this class be OK for a relatively new and inexperienced pistol shooter? And she's also fairly petite without a lot of upper body or hand strength which I think is the main issue for her.
––David
Thank you for the AAR. My daughter would like to attend this class, but the amount of shooting has her a little scared. Based on your experience, would this class be OK for a relatively new and inexperienced pistol shooter? And she's also fairly petite without a lot of upper body or hand strength which I think is the main issue for her.
––David
6/11/2011 2:58:14 PM
Originally Posted By dmjung:
Jim,
Thank you for the AAR. My daughter would like to attend this class, but the amount of shooting has her a little scared. Based on your experience, would this class be OK for a relatively new and inexperienced pistol shooter? And she's also fairly petite without a lot of upper body or hand strength which I think is the main issue for her.
––David
Jim,
Thank you for the AAR. My daughter would like to attend this class, but the amount of shooting has her a little scared. Based on your experience, would this class be OK for a relatively new and inexperienced pistol shooter? And she's also fairly petite without a lot of upper body or hand strength which I think is the main issue for her.
––David
David, I think she would do okay if she tried hard. Most people in these classes are LEOs, ex-mil, current mil or contractors. The instruction is awesome but a true newbie will slow the pace of the class. I would really reccomend that a person going to this class at least be familiar with their weapon and have basic practicle knowledge of shooting . EG: The shooter should not be trying to figure out which way the bullet goes into the magazine.
If she goes I would reccomend she get some shooting gloves. I use the blackhawk Hellstorm gloves and cut the trigger finger and thumb off. The padding will save her hands.
Blackhawk Gloves
T.J. puts on a 1 day womens class but I have not seen one on this years calender.....
6/11/2011 4:23:44 PM
Thanks for the comments.
We've already started thinking about some gloves and are looking into that––she has some golfing gloves we're going to try first just because they're on hand. She's reasonably familiar with her pistols, has her CHL and doesn't mind going out to practice. I'm mainly thinking body/hand strength would be a problem and there's not a quick/easy way to fix that. I'm thinking about taking the class first, but its not on the schedule again this year.
––David
We've already started thinking about some gloves and are looking into that––she has some golfing gloves we're going to try first just because they're on hand. She's reasonably familiar with her pistols, has her CHL and doesn't mind going out to practice. I'm mainly thinking body/hand strength would be a problem and there's not a quick/easy way to fix that. I'm thinking about taking the class first, but its not on the schedule again this year.
––David
