TNVC recently completed our last Nightfighter 101 class of 2023 at The Clinton House Plantation in Clinton, SC on Nov 5-6.  This was our first class at The Clinton House and will not be our last.  We had a great time with NF101 and a Try Before You Buy proceeded this class the night before.  



The Clinton House Plantation is a superb location for us.  The facilities are great, the hosts amazing, and the ranges work well for our class.  Lodging is on site and there are a lot of food options nearby.
The weather was a challenge at times for us.  Lots of rain—all around the class but never when we were on the range—and high humidity and temperatures.  This created some very challenging conditions at times as inversions came in quickly, glass fogged up, and it could be hard to see at times.



We saw a wide spread of night vision devices in this class.  Everything from green PVS14s to white phosphor binoculars.  No student complained of being under-equipped, we were able to complete all the drills with little difficulty.  



We did have a DBAL D2 go down—the first laser we have seen in long time.  The windage and elevation on the laser side of the unit would not adjust.  It should be an easy fix, and we provided a laser for the student to use to make sure they were good for the remainder of the course.

While the technology performed well, we did see some problematic carbines and ammunition.  Students coming to class spend a lot of resources (time, money, gear, days off, etc) to come to a class.  Running gear that is not necessarily proven, or less expensive ammunition, can be a detriment to your training experience.  



Yes, we encourage and want students to experiment with their gear at a NF101 course; however, that should be reserved for the technological gear associated with the course.  Bringing a new carbine or pistol, or an unproven one, could potentially not work at the course, pulling students off the line and causing them to miss training.

Additionally, quality ammunition is not only safer for your use, but also more reliable.  Save the lower quality ammunition for range sessions on your own, where should something happen that takes time to resolve, you are not missing valuable training time that you paid for.



Our 2023 schedule is out and live on the website.  We will return to The Clinton House twice next year for both the Try Before You Buy and Nightfighter 101.  It is a great venue for us to train at, and we will be there for years to come.



As always, several companies stepped up to offer students swag and such for their attendance.  We appreciate their generosity and are proud to have them associated with our classes.

Defensive Mechanisms
Cloud Defensive
Blue Force Gear
Ops-Core
Gentex
ALG
Unity Tactical
Geissele Automatics
NOD-Pods
Subrevtech

The weather made it fun for sure!  Hope to see you at a 201 class.