[akv]

( continued from previous post)

Observations

IMHO the course is designed to break you down, and then rebuild your shooting skills back up with their techniques. The side benefit is stress inoculation in a shooting environment, they used to have a paint gun rigged to a laser which would shoot you if you didn’t step off the X to reload. The instructors are professional and safe, but everything is done at high pace, you must adapt to this and the big boy rules. You learn the value of preparation, attention to detail, a focused calm state of mind, and the benefits of a dark sense of humor under stress. ( When some of the contractors back from Iraq said they saved the last bullet for themselves, after the first day I thought to myself I should save two…) Just as in life, errors aren’t forgiven when tested. Shooting steel is different from paper, blowback can happen and even draw blood, keep your eye protection on and try to stand behind cover when waiting your turn to shoot.

Their techniques work if you give them an honest chance. You will be very challenged with a single stack pistol on reloads, and given the 2500 rounds shot over the week the recoil of a .45 will be much harder on your hands. I was fortunate enough to grind it out, bit by bit finally shooting well enough to qualify on the last test of the last day. Once I calmed down noticed the front sight and remembered Team Sergeant’s weight distribution on the front foot tip, I knew I had a chance. Perhaps I went a bit over the deep end but my whole mindset changed over the course of the week, I began seeing the front sight in my sleep, and even wondered where it was when watering the weeds. I began doing everything calm and deliberately from eating to shaving. It was a close thing, and I felt bad for the folks who stuck it out but didn’t qualify, particularly some of the SWAT officers who had to go back and face their departments. Every student’s pure shooting skills increased significantly, if you take the course I can guarantee your weak hand shooting and weak hand only reloading skills will increase. My greatest challenge as a civilian was drawing, consistently presenting, and shooting from the holster under pressure, make sure you can be smooth and deliberate with this before you show up. Finally Mr. Rogers is an old fashioned Southern gentleman. He noticed my rental pistol was having issues, he offered me his own personal pistol to shoot the final test. The course was stressful, fast paced, and a lot of fun.

I hope to head back to get a higher rating and take the shotgun course at some point.