I dropped a line to a friend of mine who can maybe help you.

He is at Perry now so it might be a while before he gets back to me.

thanks for the info.

The heavy carbine class looks fun and interesting, but ATM I'm looking for a more traditional, straight "precision" type class.

If I had the funds I'd absolutely "get both."

That John McPhee class looks very interesting. Kind of a SDM training class, it looks like.

Sully of Defensive Edge may have one. There's an LEO one coming up in Sept.

Been thinking and what I might do is save up for a few more months, and then take one of the classes in Oklahoma or Texas in the fall/winter as a vacation get-away. Haven't been to OK in a couple years.

Look up Jim Smith at Spartan Tactical...

www.spartantactical.com

ETA: Jim is super friendly.. actually been there and done that in relation to a combat zone... was in mogadishu and was a sniper in one of the helo's that went down... he now trains Delta Force, specforces, rangers, etc. Can't go wrong.

Anyone hear of S.T.A. Training out of Phoenix and what they may be like?

I have wanted to get to Rifles Only for a bit. I was thinking of going to the TX location.

project appleseed....learn to hit a 20 inch target up to 500 meters out

That's not what he is looking for... PM Sent.

Just got back! Happy to say I don't have anymore holes in me than what God gave me.

+100 degree heat each of the 5 days in the desert, with it being 107 on the last day when we ran the "RAT" (River Assault Trail).

STA Training Group instructors were top notch. The two lead instructors are USMC Scout Snipers. The student to instructor ratio was 4 to 1 with a total of 8 students. I was one of two civilian students with the others being from Police Dept. SWAT serving with agencies in Arizona or California. Yes, I was intimidated, but settled in after day two. Afterall, they put thier pants on one leg at a time. It was an honor to have trained with these men with the only difference being their lives and innocent bystanders are on the line, not mine. I have tremendous respect for them.

There was a great amount of emphasis of observational skills. Several items were placed in the vegetation at different distances and we had to find them using our binoculars and weapon mounted scopes. This will be a huge benefit when I go hunting this year for white tail deer. I can't say enough how important it is to really know your surroundings and looking for things that don't neccessarily stand out or much less know what your looking for. Sketches were made of the terrain in our Date books and the information that was obtained was used as refernce material.

Using my Nightforce NXS 5.5-22x56 Mildot reticle scope and school provided POF P308 16" rifle, we first ranged multiple targets from distances of 200 yards out to 1010 yards. After calculating our try DOPE and using the shooter/observer (students were paired together) method the targets were engaged. Firing on the targets the observer gave me the splash of the round and corrections were made using hold overs or dialing in the Mils on the long range targets. For the 1010 yard target I made a third round hit and every subsequent round was a hit. I was thoroughly impressed, not only with my newly acquired skill but with that of the 16 inch barrled semi-automatic Patriot Ordnance Factory P308 rifle. Not once in five days did I clean my rifle. This rifle had obvious signs of wear, but functioned flawlessly.

On day three we had a night shoot. At 260 yards we engaged seven 8" targets that were only illuminated by what I can describe as a garage flood light that was on one side of the targets making the others only discerable through our scopes with very little light cast on them. Using my training, I settled down and relaxed, made my necessary hold overs, missed my first three times, made the corrections and nailed all seven targets one right after the other, consecutively. WOW! headshots in low light at 260 yards! Then we attached the scool provided night vision devices on our rifles and made the same shots with no light whatsoever, total darkness! The only thing I was scared of was being bit by a rattle snake while taking a piss on the cactus in total darkness.

On day 4 we studied the characteristics of 5 different brands of bullets. This was great for the SWAT guys. We set automotive glass windshields and wood pallets at 100 yards and put silhouettes behind them. Just to mention a few, Hornandy A-MAX, Federal GMM 168gr Sierra BTHP, and 165gr subsonic. This was done to show what the bullets does when passing through the glass into the target. Awesome, awesome shit!

I have no real backround in firearms other than the NRA Basic Rifle course I took two years ago. My enthusiasm and desire to learn helped go a long way. I've gone hunting only once before on my buddies farm and wondered if I could take that ethical kill out to 250 yards. I did study Milliradian and Minute of Angle before I attended this course which helped me grasp their relationships and how they are used. The only gear I brought with me beyond the obvious was my scope, Camelback vest with mag pouches and hydration pack, and a good pair of light weight boots. I would have liked to have brought my rifle, binoculars, and associated kit. I flew out from Wisconsin and wasn't sure of the hassles I wanted to endure bringing my own stuff. But in hindsight it saved my shit from getting banged around. Our round count after five days was appox 200. That kind of surprised me as I thought it would have been much more than that. In addittion to the course fee of $1250 we had to purchase our own ammo, which I got through the school and was waiting for me there. They have another course in November which I will attend after selling my right kidney.