A few weeks ago, I flew down to AZ for some private instruction in pistol marksmanship from Team Sergeant in relation to this thread:
http://www.professionalsoldiers.com/...ead.php?t=7618
Here’s how it went…
I met TS at the hotel at about 1100 the day I arrived. It turned out we had some moving to do (coffee tables to be exact) and I was happy to help. I had hoped to be able to stay busy outside of range time, and it worked out well. I got a tour of the downtown area, to include a spectacle I’d never even heard of before… a mall with valet parking.
I know many of you are thinking “get to the good part”, but that’s just it. Much of the time I spent outside of the range was part of the good part. Over the course of the next couple of days I would learn many things from TS in regards to SF through conversation, questions, and the many stories he would tell. It was very valuable to me, and much appreciated.
After moving stuff, and getting a bite to eat, we headed back to his house for some “classroom time” in the garage. Having only had roughly 8 hours behind a handgun, and no formal training, we covered the basics: Safety, stance, grip, sight picture, frontsight focus. We covered proper loading and clearing techniques, and dry-fired a bit for practice. After about half an hour, I was ready to hit the range and put it all to the test.
The range was out in the desert, and the next day we set up targets and got ready to go. The weather was sunny, if not a little chilly; I would be shooting TS’s HK .45.
I started at 5 meters, shooting a 4 shot group. Three hit in a one inch group; the fourth I missed. Moving to the next target, I shot the same, only this time the three within the group were touching each other. Third target, all four were bullet hole on bullet hole.
At this point, I was surprised to say the least. I’d never shot under a 3 inch group in my life. In fact I never really looked at groups in the first place. My shooting up to this point had been more “plinking” than anything else. I either hit the target (which was usually a can, or piece of old computer equipment) or I didn’t.
So we moved back to 7 meters, and I shot all over the target. It looked like someone had taken a blunderbuss to the cardboard man in front of me. This was not good, and there was no excuse I could offer. Time for a little counseling from the Team Sergeant.
TS is a great teacher. He knows when to instruct, when to ask questions, and when to apply the pressure. In this case, he stood next to me and repeated a mantra that will follow me the rest of my shooting days: “Don’t fucking flinch.”
I shot bullet holes through bullet holes at 7 meters for the next 20 minutes.
When I won the charity auction that got me here, I asked TS if there was anything I could read or do to get me ready. Grip strength was the reply. It turns out a person’s grip strength determines many things in regards to shooting, including the length of time one can shoot before marksmanship drops off the scale. I put this to practice that day on the range when, after 20 or 30 minutes, I started shooting (in TS’s words) “like a 3 year old with your hair on fire.”
Having covered all the basics, TS went over some more advanced concepts to include indexing and double-tapping. We capped off the day by putting some rounds through the CAR-15.
Day 2 found me at the range with my hair on fire again. With the first few targets I was able to put 4 rounds bullet hole on bullet hole. After that, I’d usually get two and then flinch my way through the rest. After two magazines, I took a break, grabbed a snap cap and went to the side to dry fire. TS laughed at this and said “Now that you’ve seen what you can do you’re gonna break a knee-cap kicking you own ass.” Yep.
After about 15 minutes of that, I went back and shot a couple more 4 shot groups to standard, and then fell back into the flinch. Looking back, I’m glad I did. Experience is the best teacher, and that day’s experience really gave me a proper appreciation for the time and practice it will take to become predictably proficient in proper marksmanship.
Overall, the trip beat my highest expectations. I had a great time too. Thanks TS for the time you spent, the hospitality you showed me, and the skills you’ve equipped me with to become a good marksman.
Regards,
Aric
Peregrino
I've been trying to remember for months and can't. Peregrino
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