First I would like to thank VA-Dinger for doing all the leg work to organize these classes. If it wasn't for all his effort, we wouldn't of had this opportunity.

Second, I would like to thank our Instructors Dave, Simon, and Tom for coming in and sharing their knowledge and time with us. Not only were they great instructors that were able to pass the information along in a understandable way; they were very personable and made the class that much more enjoyable.

It was a great to see all the guys I already knew once again, and it was great to meet those who I hadn't had a chance to meet before. Everyone was friendly, safe, and proficent on the range. While these kinds of classes are usually good to start with, they are even better when you can go with a great group of people like we had in this class.

The weather was great (maybe just a little warm), but I don't think we could of asked for much better. While the range wasn't the most elaborate, it worked well and gave us the option to shoot all the way out to 200yds.

I'll give a run down of each day and my gear later on. I'll also add some pics then too.

On a side note: Once I get the rest of my info added in, I'm going to make a similar post in the Training and Tactics Forum. I'm just going to copy and paste the info into that thread. I would appreciate if the others who attended this weekend will add to that thread too. Hopefully we can generate some more interest in that forum, and the idea of getting members out to some kind of training.

Here are some pics to hold you over.








ETA more info:

The first day was pretty much all pistol shooting. The main point made the entire class was that accuracy  is the most important factor that we should work towards. I was glad that the instructors pushed this point so much. When I first started shooting a lot years ago, this was what I worked towards. I had worked myself up to a consitent level of shooting practicing like this. I started shooting IDPA a few years back and I did quite well with shot placement. The more I competed, the more I began shifting towards speeding myself up. Unfortunately, I moved away from shot placement as a top priority. This has caused my accuracy to suffer in the long run. I shot well through the class, but I did throw some shots I shouldn't of.

We covered a lot of basic, but positive information on weapons handling and shooting techniques. Having 3 instructors helped in that there we had varying POV on several topics. Some may find this confusing, especially newer shooters who are looking for definite answers on things. The instructors made a point of telling everyone that you need to try and see what works best for you. No one is the same, so everyone needs to try and use what works best for them, not what works best for others.

We went over the round count for the pistol class, but I expected this. It's very rare that you stick to round counts in any class. I usually bring double the amount the class calls for. This way I have it if needed. Whatever I don't shoot, will only get used later.

We did end the daylight hours by making sure our carbines were sighted in. I think this was a good way to end the day. It allowed us to jump right into the carbine the following day. Once it became dark, we moved into low light and no light shooting. This portion did help me see the positive use of lasers on a pistol in low light conditions. I'm still not a fan of lasers during the day, but I'm considering adding one for low light use. Pistol mounted lights are a + too.

The carbine portion went smoothly too. I dont' recall anyone having any serious problems. We covered basic shooting drills during this portion too. Another positive was the multiple POV from the instructors on this matter. Again, accuracy was the most important factor in the class.

I ran the first morning of the class with full gear. I wanted to test out my Wasatch with plates to see how it worked out. I had no problems with the gear while using. It did confirm what I had expected. Shooting prone with all the gear is a lot more difficult. I ran the rest of the class with just belt mounted mag carriers. This not only allowed me to move faster, but allowed me to focus more on accuracy during the class.

While I had done malfunction drills in the past, the refresher went a long way for me. During the first day, one of the instructors had picked up a bunch of loose rounds and handed them to me. I decided to load them in a mag and run them through once more. Of course, I eneded up using this mag while shooting in the dark. I got a type 2 malfunction, and had no problem clearing it even in the dark. I had it cleared and was back shooting in under 5 seconds.

The second day we covered more shooting positions and ran some more competitions between the different teams. We also ended the day with some more accuracy tests with the pistols and rifles.

The most positive parts of the class were the use of steel, and the team competitions we ran. It was not only a good test, but a lot of fun to boot.

Gear:

I ran a 6004 for my G22 the entire class and had no problems from either. I used stock Glock 15rnd mags and had no malfunctions from any of them. The 6004 was the most prevelant holster in the class. While shooting from some of the different prone positions, Dinger had his one holster snap from it's mount. I believe it was a Blade Tech. I have a picture I'm going to post later.

I used my mutt rifle made up of parts from several manufacturers. I had no problems with the rifle, but the one instructor got a double and a triple from the rifle on the first day. That night I checked the rifle and noticed if I let the trigger reset as slow as possible, the hammer wasn't catching when the disconector let go. I had a spare disconnector and that got rid of the problem all toegether once I changed it.

I ran a Surefire M500 on the rifle and also had no problems with it. It provided enough light at longer distances, and worked just fine close in. I used my Aviator for the hand held light portion and was served well by that one too.

I used a single point sling for the entire class. While I can see some positives to the two point slings, the reasons for my choice of a single point are still the same. I'll still be keeping this in use.

I used all USGI 30 mags for the class. 2/3 of the mags had the magpull followers, and the other third had green ones. No problems from either. I also was bad, and loaded all of my mags to 30 rounds for the entire class. I know the push is for 28rnds to be loaded, but I have always done the 30 and have never had a problem doing tack reloads with them. The only other mod to the mags, were that I use bicylcle inner tube at the base of the mags. This not only helps identify my mags, but added a positive grip to the base too.

As I stated earlier, I used my Wasatch for part of the class. It worked well for the limited use that it went through. Of course the added weight from the plates was noticeable. There were several chest rigs used by others in the class. I also noticed some leg pouches for carrying rifle mags too. A couple of the guys had their mags dump out of these while running during some of the drills. These were the only gear problems that I'm aware of.

Overall, I was happy with about everything from this class. There is only one thing that I think could of  been added to the class. I would of liked some more steel, and some time on the steel.


I'm sure I'll remember some more, and I'll add it later.

Quoted: Sounds like a good time guys.  I'm really looking forward to my class this weekend.   Quoted: Second thing it taught me is that I need a more powerful weapon light for the carbine.  Luckily the 951C takes a higher power bulb. Ed, at what distance was the night fire?  I'm debating putting the 225L lamp into my M900 if it's going to be longer distances.

I would say we were at 75 to 100yds. If you have the standard 120 lumen lamp in your light, that will be plenty. I used the 120 in my M500 and that was more than enough.

More pics:

I just fixed the link for you Steve.

Quoted: Quoted: Lets see if this vid works photobucket.com/albums/v482/sjauch/Video/?action=view¤t=20060311_11.flv ***Edited to fix link<va-gunnut>*** Password required

That's strange, it was working last night.