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Foxy · October 19, 2002, 11:17 PM

Bill,

Sorry to disappoint, but unfortunately I am not one of those nubile young gun toting college girls.

However, your advice was spot on. I really appreciate it. I've just gotten back from day 1 of the CCW class, really amped up.

First, the schedule.

Class started at about 8:00, though we showed up at about 7:30, in order to sign in, get our papers done, etc. There were lectures on the legalities of carrying concealed, proper mindset (this was a very good lecture! Took plenty of notes), some true stories illustrating points about carrying; etc. There was an approximately 10 minute break every hour to go to the bathroom and hit up the pro shop.

The pro shop is interesting. They mainly cater to 1911's and Glocks.. they did have a few Sig 226 holsters, but you could tell the focus of the training environment. Some of the equipment was pricey (some of the gear that was embossed with the Gunsite logo), some fairly priced (Surefire lithium batteries). Lots of nifty stuff. Got the T-shirt and a baseball hat. But they have everything you need there.

About noon, we broke for lunch. They still do the catering ($6.50 a meal I think), but I brought MRE's to eat. While I was eating with my friend, Ken Hackathorn came over and chatted with us! My friend apparently grew up shooting with Ken and a number of other well known shooting figures. So I was trying to choke down my MRE crackers while shaking the hand of Ken Hackathorn.. sweet.

We got fingerprinted right after lunch, then headed over to the range.

Our class consisted mainly of 1911's and Glocks of various sizes and calibers. I had my Beretta 92, my friend a 92 Elite, someone had a Taurus, a lady had a Sig P232, another lady had a lady Smith, I believe, and a lady had a revolver (not sure what exactly).

Our range drills were pretty basic - some of the people had never shot before, or hadn't shot in years. We started out at 3 yards, and practiced from the low ready, from the holster, etc. We slowly moved it back to ten yards, rotating between two relays of 10 people each.

The teachers were extremely jovial. I noticed that they started out the class very good natured, to get the class less nervous, but cracked down on safety. Overall, I really liked the teaching experience. We had four instructors, so there was plenty of teacher interaction if you needed it. I was doing better than the majority of the class, so I didn't get much attention, but instructors did come over and tell me that I was doing a good job; what I was doing right, what I should work on, etc. They demonstrated stuff like stances, grips, sight pictures, etc, that I had read about here on TFL, but never really clicked until they actually demonstrated.

The class broke up again at 4:30 for 'dinner,' and re-convened at 5:45 for the night shoot. This was an eye opening experience. The instructors went over the virtues of the Surefire (not surprising; I've owned one for a while, but a LOT of people bought one while they were there). We shot a few rounds without any light, just for education purposes, then we tried shooting with a light in the Harries technique, or the Rogers technique. This was much harder than I anticipated, and an instructor came over and showed me what I was doing wrong so I could work on it.

There were a few downsides to the class. Some of the people were surprisingly clueless. One gentleman kept putting his finger on the trigger, and held his gun by the dustcover (!). He was warned about safety; once more and he is gone. A few people just were clueless about their guns, not knowing how to work them. One guy said that the first round his Glock had fired was at this range.

The lady with the S&W kept jamming it, and couldn't seem to figure it out. The lady with the Sig P232 managed to break it (again, this was the first day she had ever taken it out shooting.. and a major part broke, rendering the gun useless!).

Overall, I loved the first day. My shooting improved about 3 times just from the brief instruction that I got. I feel much more confident; can't wait to go back again tomorrow!

October 19, 2002, 11:17 PM	#5
Foxy Senior Member Join Date: September 14, 2001 Location: Maryland Posts: 846	Bill, Sorry to disappoint, but unfortunately I am not one of those nubile young gun toting college girls. However, your advice was spot on. I really appreciate it. I've just gotten back from day 1 of the CCW class, really amped up. First, the schedule. Class started at about 8:00, though we showed up at about 7:30, in order to sign in, get our papers done, etc. There were lectures on the legalities of carrying concealed, proper mindset (this was a very good lecture! Took plenty of notes), some true stories illustrating points about carrying; etc. There was an approximately 10 minute break every hour to go to the bathroom and hit up the pro shop. The pro shop is interesting. They mainly cater to 1911's and Glocks.. they did have a few Sig 226 holsters, but you could tell the focus of the training environment. Some of the equipment was pricey (some of the gear that was embossed with the Gunsite logo), some fairly priced (Surefire lithium batteries). Lots of nifty stuff. Got the T-shirt and a baseball hat. But they have everything you need there. About noon, we broke for lunch. They still do the catering ($6.50 a meal I think), but I brought MRE's to eat. While I was eating with my friend, Ken Hackathorn came over and chatted with us! My friend apparently grew up shooting with Ken and a number of other well known shooting figures. So I was trying to choke down my MRE crackers while shaking the hand of Ken Hackathorn.. sweet. We got fingerprinted right after lunch, then headed over to the range. Our class consisted mainly of 1911's and Glocks of various sizes and calibers. I had my Beretta 92, my friend a 92 Elite, someone had a Taurus, a lady had a Sig P232, another lady had a lady Smith, I believe, and a lady had a revolver (not sure what exactly). Our range drills were pretty basic - some of the people had never shot before, or hadn't shot in years. We started out at 3 yards, and practiced from the low ready, from the holster, etc. We slowly moved it back to ten yards, rotating between two relays of 10 people each. The teachers were extremely jovial. I noticed that they started out the class very good natured, to get the class less nervous, but cracked down on safety. Overall, I really liked the teaching experience. We had four instructors, so there was plenty of teacher interaction if you needed it. I was doing better than the majority of the class, so I didn't get much attention, but instructors did come over and tell me that I was doing a good job; what I was doing right, what I should work on, etc. They demonstrated stuff like stances, grips, sight pictures, etc, that I had read about here on TFL, but never really clicked until they actually demonstrated. The class broke up again at 4:30 for 'dinner,' and re-convened at 5:45 for the night shoot. This was an eye opening experience. The instructors went over the virtues of the Surefire (not surprising; I've owned one for a while, but a LOT of people bought one while they were there). We shot a few rounds without any light, just for education purposes, then we tried shooting with a light in the Harries technique, or the Rogers technique. This was much harder than I anticipated, and an instructor came over and showed me what I was doing wrong so I could work on it. There were a few downsides to the class. Some of the people were surprisingly clueless. One gentleman kept putting his finger on the trigger, and held his gun by the dustcover (!). He was warned about safety; once more and he is gone. A few people just were clueless about their guns, not knowing how to work them. One guy said that the first round his Glock had fired was at this range. The lady with the S&W kept jamming it, and couldn't seem to figure it out. The lady with the Sig P232 managed to break it (again, this was the first day she had ever taken it out shooting.. and a major part broke, rendering the gun useless!). Overall, I loved the first day. My shooting improved about 3 times just from the brief instruction that I got. I feel much more confident; can't wait to go back again tomorrow!