[cratz2]

Well, I should be receiving my Kahr P9 Covert sometime next week. I have some extra time on my hands so I've been thinking of having my skills professionally tuned up. I've been shooting full size and Commander size 1911s for the most part for the last 3 or 4 years. I went though some pretty serious gun rag (think Duane Thomas :rolleyes: ) drills for the better part of a year but that was with a Taurus 9mm (to keep ammo costs down).

My question is, can anyone make a first hand recommendation of a training school and/or trainer that doesn't cost too much that won't knock my choice of pistol - won't try to talk me into a 1911, Glock or SIG? And preferably in the Indiana, Michigan, Ohio, Kentucky, Illinois :eek: areas? I'm a decent shooter but have never taken any actual classes and with a challenging new platform, I think some help would do me well.

Thanks, I really appreciate it.

[El Tejon]

cratz2, come along with me, brasshopper.:D

It will be a busy summer. Lots of people through--Uncle Chuckie, ITC, Ayoob, Hackathorn, Awerbuck, blade and stick guys, inter alia.

First, check out Midwest Training Group over in Naperville, Illinois. They sponsor a lot of instructors and in-house classes. If you just want to shoot, I highly recommend the Advanced Handgun Skills, aka "shoot till you puke."

There's TDI down near Cincy.

I highly recommend the Chapman Academy in Hallsville, Missouri. John Skaggs is a hidden gem of an instructor.

Cap'n Ken Campbell of the Boone County Sheriff's Department, an API adjunct professor of gunfuology, hosts both his own classes (assisted by the able, yet highly affable Mr. B. Wheat) as well as visiting instructors. His price is a box of ceegars. Lebanon is where Louis Awerbuck sets up shoppe for a couple of months.

Lots to do. Hope to see you some day. I'll be the tall guy on the cell phone in the parking lot who won't shut up.

If you come up to a IDPA shoot here in Lafayette at the Wildcat, I'll give you the dime tour and we'll burn incense and speak of walking the earf.:)

[coonan357]

see I told you cratz!!! :D

[El Tejon]

Oh, yeah, let's not forget THE Pat Rogers who will hopefully come on out this summer if he can catch a commuter train this far out.

Pat, please come out. I'll quit using "API". I'll buy dinner. I'll cut my hair and wear a clean shirt. Anything.

[harrydog]

I can recommend TDI very highly. They don't care what type of pistol you bring.

[mrstang01]

Does TDI have a website, or can we get a complete name for searching please?

Thanks!

Michael

[El Tejon]

Yeah, cratz2, where are you getting the vibe that instructors will only let you bring a certain weapon type? In all my skuling I can only recall two, Orange Gunsite and MidSouth, where this was even a minor consideration.

[oscar]

TDI does have a site, I just cant remember what it is. They got a very nice write up in Combat Handguns last year.

[harrydog]

http://www.tdiohio.com/

[Longbow]

cratz2,
There is a place in Freeport Illinois called The Site. They were at GATS factory shoot couple weeks ago with some of their reps. Their facility looks impressive and the instructors, from what I've heard, are all former/active special ops people. Their # is 1-888-964-7483, e-mail is www.Thesite45@msn.com.

[cratz2]

Thanks for all the leads, I'll try to follow a couple of them this spring and summer.

ET, as for the gun selection, I don't know... just seems like most of the articles I've read/pictures I've seen, everyone there either has a 1911 or a Glock. I'm sure I'm putting more worry into it than they would... :p

Thanks again everyone.

[El Tejon]

cratz2, I've told you about reading gun rags. Now you'll be pointing guns at yourself, describing impossible shots that you did not make but claim to have, reflecting on imaginary French goats, wearing elf boots and writing fiction about "Life on the Border", and wearing flowered shirts. You'll be sorry, young man.

Anywho, weapon selection is a function of education. At the beginning stages you will see a gun shoppe of different gear. Most of which is left in the trash can after the first class as people find out what works and what does not.

If not mandated by their gig, as you see from your gun rag research, students usually track to either Glocks or 1911s as they work themselves up the education pyriamid, usually half and half. Reliability, ease of manipulation, and trigger function are the reasons.

Once one realizes through education that it is the person, not the weapon, that matters, concerns over "which magic sword" disappear overnight and the "Iwannacoolgun" virus is sent into remission (of course, it never disappears--once a gun nut, . . .).:D

[Harold Mayo]

El Tejon pretty much has it covered for your area. If you want to go a little bit farther (further?), the APT Academy in southwest Missouri is an excellent school, especially for the money.

www.aptacademy.com

[cratz2]

Hey Kirk... what's your problem with elf boots? :p

I know to take everything in gun rags with a grain of salt. But that's just the impression I've got... re: the 1911 and Glock preference.

[coonan357]

he likes pointed toes..... :D hey kirk is ILEA (plainfield ) open to the public or do you still have to be sponsored ??

[M1911]

cratz2: I've seen several folks use Kahrs at classes. But you may well go through several hundred rounds in a day. Are you sure you can shoot that much through your P9 without getting fatigued from the recoil? I wouldn't have any concerns if you said you had a K9. But the P9 covert gives me pause.

M1911

[cratz2]

Point taken M1911. I've put bunches of rounds through a 1911 or Taurus PT99 but I'm not sure if I'd want to try to put 600 rounds through the P9 in a day.

I was looking on the TDI site and think I'll take the Level I course May 3. Requires 150 rounds and I'm sure I could do that pretty easily. Level I may be a blow to my ego but I think I'm looking for as much motivation as anything else. :p

[harrydog]

Level 1 at TDI is not difficult at all - don't worry. I would bring more than 150 rounds though, as you can sometimes go through more than that. If you do run out though, there is usually an instructor who will gladly lend you his gun w/ammo.

[crewzer]

You could try www.frontsight.com . Their philosopy "is any gun will do if you will do" For first time students you can usually pickup a newbie certificate on a site like www.fscerts.com or even on EBAY. You can pick up a $1200 class for about $400.00 usually. Flights into Las Vegas are usually the cheapest. It is a blast have fun.

[Sidetracker]

I second Midwest Training Group. http://www.midwesttraininggroup.net/. It's run by Andy Kemp and Bob Houzenga. They are two great instructors and they have a great staff. They also bring in some of the top instructors from around the country.

[Trebor]

Chedk out www.criticalreaction.com for a list of instructors they are bringing to Michigan this year. I took Mass Ayoob's LFI 1 and LFI 2 classes that wore organizaed through CRT last year. This year CRT is also spornsoring trainers like Ken Hackathorn and Chuck Taylor.