I'm rested now and recovered from last weekend's attendance at the 4-day tactical shotgun course at Front Sight Firearms Training Institute near Las Vegas, Nevada. I surprised myself by making Distinguished Graduate, so I'm now qualified to come back to attend the 4 Day Advanced Tactical Shotgun course. On the second day of training, Greg Carroll snapped this pic of me after the two of us had done our respective runs through the outdoor canyon "clean the hostage takers out" simulator exercise:
The (visible) firearm is my Benelli M1 Super 90, with a nylon tactical sling and a GG&G M3 Tactical Illuminator mounting rail in the 2 o'clock position on the foreend, not the 10 o'clock position GG&G recommends on their website (experience in a previous course having shown me that, as a right-handed longgunner, the 10 o'clock position allows the light to bump on.)
I'd last done a tactical shotgun course about 4 years ago, and so I was quite interested to see how training doctrine had changed in respect of that weapon at Front Sight. The men in the evolution I attended - those 13 in the class who were there for the full 4 days - were all at least previous attendees at another weapon systems class (e.g. defensive handgun, practical rifle) so the class was run at a slightly accelerated pace befitting the audience. Attendees were about evenly divided between cops, active duty military (a Marine heading back to Iraq soon) and private citizens, all of whom were treated exactly the same by the instructional staff, the excellent Chuck Burnett and John Pierson.
One difference I noticed was the much heavier emphasis on incorporating movement, keeping the fight dynamic, and training that way to the limited extent allowed in the "square range environment." I was particularly pleased that, after the Monday (4th day) afternoon skills test, and the "load and go" indoor tactical simulator, I was allowed to do several rounds of 2-man team shooting on the move, with my new friend David L. Loads of fun, and I was pleased to find that a walking skill I'd been cultivating the last few years, walking fast with very short tank-tread heel/toe action to keep the hips and shoulders on level planes, allowed me to get good hits moving both forward and backward, without muzzle bob.
I'm at a level of membership at Front Sight that allows me to take any firearms course free for the rest of my life, much like some golf club memberships. So, I get to take these courses again and again, which allows me not only to revisit, revive, and refine my skills, but also to work out equipment issues. I've discovered I really don't like the Lyman TacStar SideSaddle mounted on the left side of the receiver: it catches on my clothing, when loaded it dampens recoil (and hence reliability) on this recoil-operated weapon, and with the standard provided cross-receiver screw, was coming loose even though I'd installed it properly and Lock-Tited it. I guess a couple of thousand rounds will do that to the Lock-Tite. That, and I'm leery of over-tightening that screw for fear of impeding bolt travel. Oh, and there's the issue of potentially "egging out" the screw holes on the aluminum receiver. My friend David assures me that, should I care to keep the SideSaddle, I can send the weapon to a gunsmith who specializes in Class 3 firearms with aluminum receivers, experienced in setting up weapons to resist receiver failure, but I'm going to switch to keeping my slug rounds on a belt carrier anyway.
Nor am I going to solve the "problem" of having extra ammo by changing out the tube magazine from a 5 to an 8 round capacity. This is my home invasion repellant device... if I can't solve The Problem with what's available in that weapon, then I'm in a very serious situation indeed. I'm more and more preferring lighter, more maneuverable weapons the more I train, with as few bells and whistles as I can get away with. I've heard more than one long arms instructor over the years comment on how students will arrive at a course with their all-singing, all-dancing Space Gun rigs, everything mounted everywhere, only to find themselves quickly shedding equipment after the first day... especially when training in the 105 F degree desert heat. Heh.
Recommendation: check out Estate Cartridge's low-recoil 12-gauge 9-pellet 00 SWAT loads. I've used this buckshot at a previous shotgun course, and had made the decision to attend this most recent course with too little lead time to order more of the same for this class. So, I had a mere few dozen of them to use at various times during this course, instead using a mix of Winchester and Federal buckshot for most exercises. No comparison. At half the price of Federal, the Estate-branded cartridges gave outstandingly tight and nicely distributed (e.g. no annular "donuts of death") patterns, turning heads on the firing line and eliciting a number of "what are you shooting, man?" enquiries.
I had the pleasure of remaking the acquaintance of at least one old friend, who was taking a course on an adjacent range. Additionally, I was happy to have a couple of libertarian friends, longtime (but previously untrained) gunowners, take the full 4 Day Defensive Handgun course on the same weekend. Both men, Alan and Chris, came away from the experience very much more competent than when they arrived.
Russell, looks like you had a great time. It reminds me of something Ignatius Piazza told me when I did the 4-day defensive handgun course in 2002: the training is better than anything a serving cop gets in the United States, which is pretty sobering.
I really must get my butt over to Frontsight again, perhaps for a crack at the rifle course.
I thought I knew a little bit about handguns before I attended the Front Sight Institute 4-day Defense Handgun class.
I knew bupkas, nada, zilch. But now I do. Still, I now know what it means to "always be a student." My training has only started. :-)
Russell was kind enough to invite me along to take this class whilst he attended his Shotgun class, and I learned more in 4 days than nearly all cops and military personnel learn about handguns. That's an amazing statement, but it was backed up by the experiences of the cops and MilSpec personnel in my class who echoed the same sentiment.
I didn't "graduate" this time, and the 10% or so who did in my class were folks that had attended before (some multiple times). The course is rigorous, difficult, exacting, and excellent. Still, I got a Certificate of Achievement for completing it, and when I remember how far I came in 4 days, I am stunned and appreciative. My instructors (husband and wife team of Steve Campbell and Glynis Campbell), Russ Kinnell, and Rudy Waldinger were extremely professional, courteous, and helpful even as they drilled us over and over again. The class moves quickly, and first-timers will probably not pick up everything immediately. THAT IS OK - the point is, are you learning at a prodigious rate, and are you making progress? The answer to that is HELL YES!
I wish I would have had the benefit of Russ Kinnell for more of the session, as with one suggestion he fixed a nasty trigger-mash I had acquired with my Glock Model 20 (10mm). Rudy was patient, with his Schwarzeneggerian accent (he's Austrian, too) and his demo of his revolver skills was most impressive. Steve Campbell probably gave up on me a couple of times, but I showed him that *I* would never, ever give up. Glynis is good at the drills. But Kinnell seemed to me to be the best teacher.
I did extremely well in the tactical simulators, which are exercises designed to prepare you for real-world encounters. In my house-clearing and hostage defeat simulators, I scored perfectly. I killed ALL the bad guys, didn't injure the hostages and innocents, and did so with alacrity and efficiency. Yeah, I shot the monkey, too ... :-) In my exercise at shooting multiple bad guys from a draw from holster, I repeatedly was perfect - so much so that the Marines in our relay were impressed. Prior to that, they thought I was weak. I outshot them, consistently. Earned some respect points.
However, standing still in the 105 degree hot Nevada heat at the end of the 4 days and doing the Final Test resulted in me scoring crappy - not up to my standards. In fact, I was atrocious. I must remember to do more dry practice (each day, 15 minutes) and to not be so hard on myself. All of the paper targets would have been stopped had they been real people, just not as well as they should have been. Frankly, I think it takes a lot of practice and drilling to graduate from this class (one of Russell's friends, and my new friend, J., did exactly that and this was his fourth time out there. He is a very serious pistolero indeed, and his speed and accuracy are amazing). I need to work harder on my handwork and tac reloads.
The course includes the aforementioned tactical simulators, reload drills, malfunction drills, and lots of shooting. I don't advise 100 degree + training to anyone, but hell, it toughened me up a little and I thoroughly enjoyed the camraderie and the strong RKBA atmosphere. Another smith2004 person, Chris, also attended and his improvement was amazing in 4 days. He didn't graduate, either, but he was happy with his progress.
The downsides to Front Sight Institute have to do with the location - it is in Pahrump, Nevada (just an hour outside of Las Vegas and far from my Austin home), but it does make perfect sense on a number of levels. Pahrump has open carry. Pahrump has lots of high desert, decent motels (stay at the Best Western Pahrump Station for a quiet, huge room), and is far enough away to concentrate on training and not the pleasures of Las Vegas. Secondly, Front Sight really tries to get you signed up for their First Family program. It is the hard sell, but I was so damn impressed with the training that I'm seriously considering it. They offer no food service onsite, but picnic lunches were a small price to pay for the world's best training, IMHO. This business about being "aligned" with their mission is ... interesting. I have to talk to Russell and J. more about that.
Thank you, Russell, for everything you did for me. And folks, I can verify that Russell won Distinguished Graduate in Shotgun, which is so hard to earn its quite an accolade. He knows his stuff. If more of us libertarians would shut up and train, we might be able to change this world just a tad faster.
As for Front Sight Institute? Very much recommended.
I just returned two days ago from a four-day defensive handgun course at Front Sight. Having never fired a gun in my life, and having even held one only once, I was really intimidated when I found out that most of the attendees on my range were cops and military. I had nothing to worry about. My range master, Candy Blick, was one of the most professional, intelligent, and accomadating people I will ever hope to meet. That goes for everyone I met there, from my line coaches - Scott Green, Rudy Waldinger, and Alajandro Urdanata, to the lecturers - Brad Ackman and Wes La Hullier (I'm not sure of the spelling). I thought that I would be scoffed at and chided, being a 21 year old girl, but I was given the utmost respect, care, and attention by everyone around me, including the other attendees. I'm very sad that I cannot afford a First Family membership at this time, but I look forward to the day that I can return and hone my new skills. I really cannot believe how much I improved in only four days. Before I went I was afraid to even touch a gun - now I am confident that not only can I use a handgun properly and well, I can also clear numerous possible malfunctions in the blink of an eye - and know what to expect from the law and other people, should I ever have to use this skill in the real world.
If anyone reading this is even remotely considering owning or using a gun, it is a MUST to attend Front Sight. I really cannot say enough about it.
P.S. The Saddlewest Hotel in Pahrump has some rooms with jacuzzis - very welcome after a hard day on the range.
You've got to try the shotgun shells that we sell. Click on my name for more info.
Also, I'm curious... was this course about hunting, self defense, or military/law enforcement applications?
Hi Russell,
your face on the pictures on this side look
familiar.
I"m the German who was at the 4 Day Defensive
Handgun at FrontSight in 2000 and 2001
( I think we met at the breakfast room in a Pahrump hotel and you gave me a ride to the
ranges ).
If you have time,you can e-mail me, being off of
Front Sight I would like to get some news.
Take care
Bodo
Russell,
I'm a front sight nut too! I'm scheduled for the December 2 day Shotgun Skill Builder.
I can't say enough about the training the Front Sight provides.
Enjoy your skill at arms!
My best,
Kevin
Nice photo! Your web site is really great!
There is a lot of interesting articles and usefull info!
if you have time - check our site. It will be interesting to know your opinion about our martial art!
My best, Elena
my site is www.SystemaSpetsNaz.com
Hope you will like it))))
You should also check out Val Riazanov
What is/are the Heinlein Bastards? I am a Heinlein from Pittsburgh PA. Any relation? My great grandmother Elsie Heinlein is still alive, born in 1910! Just curious. Wish I could get away from the East Coast and out West to all that open space.