Signed up for training, need advice

I'd go onto Galls.com and order up a gun belt and a few double mag pouches, and some belt keepers (I like four of 'em) to secure the gunbelt to your pants' belt. With three pouches, that gives you one in the gun, six in pouches and three in your weak hand back pocket. You're good to go. The nylon web rigs should be pretty affordable too.

I would bring what I can realistically carry, that being a pair of spare magazines on my left hand side, in addition to the one on the weapon.

You might consider setting up a chest rig with handgun magazines, a trauma kit, and a flashlight, something that you could keep near the bed and grab in the middle of the night, a way to keep your extra stuff handy when wearing whatever it is that you wear (or don't wear) to bed.

Don't do a shoulder bag with "mags and stuff." It's just going to get in the way.

For a "Practical Fundamentals" class, go with a double mag pouch carried in your normal position, and a second double pouch, or a single pouch, a little further back.

Transfer mags from the back pouch to the front pouch as needed. Put the other spares in your pocket and transfer them to the pouch as needed as well.

Also, keep about 10 or 12 loose rounds and stuff 'em in a front pocket. That way if you go completely dry you can very quickly, on the line, load up a partial mag to finish a particular drill. That way you wont miss out on the drill or slow down the class by running to get ammo.

You could go with a vest, but unless you carry in one every day (assuming you do carry) I recommend staying closer to your everyday set up.

Tuff Products makes a multiple magazine pouch. It may be a decent solution, or it could be too big to be practical. If I need to carry more magazines than the 2 in my carrier and one in the gun, I will normally just slip them in my back pocket.

+1 on what Trebor stated. Try to stay as close to your normal set up as possible.

I attended a Bruce Gray class several yeas ago here is my advice:

1. If they say 4 mags on you I think that means in pouches. Forget the bag thing for carrying full mags but it may be useful to have a "dump pouch" for empty mags. Since they say 4 mags on you the class seems to be geared toward USPSA/IPSIC where mag pouches can be carried forward of the centerline of the body on the weak side. So I would say 2 forward, 2 behind. The 2 or double behind can be a cheap, but the 2 forward should be good quality singles designed for competition.
2. Take or plan to buy 25% - 50% more ammo than the class requires.
3. Get a mag loader, your fingers/hands will get enough of a workout shooting and reloading you don't want to wear them out loading mags.
4. A small backpack to carry the usual day long range stuff; water, snacks, sun screen, bug repellant. For get all the bug out bag stuff, to much junk to lug around.
5. You mentioned 20 round mags; do those protrude from the gun? If so I would definitely take at least 2 standard 16-17 rd mags as they might be useful for reload drills.

The class I took was a 2 day practical pistol skills class and was very good. The knowledge I gained in drawing and reloads was almost worth the price.

David E.
IDPA SSP MA

i agree train as you are going to possibly employ your gun one day in a fight. typically what i do is have mag in a single mag carrier on my left hip, that is my reload, and the rest of the mags are kept in my back pocket, after a drill has occured that i used he mag in the mag carrier, then i put one from my pocket in there. I do this to train realistically and realevent to the way that i carry.

glad to see folks out there taking courses. make sure you write an aar when you are done with the course, and let us know how it went.

I agree with 9mmepiphany reasoning for standard mags. TAC or RWR reloads will be tough with extended mags. Slide lock reloads will be hard/ impossible to do as 9mmepip said; when you grab the mag your index finger should land on the tip of the bullet with a slight bend and still be able to drive/slam the mag home with the palm of your hand.

I would still recommend 2 (good) singles and one (cheap) double pouch.

Let’s put it this way, I wouldn't go unless I have at least 2 standard mags.

Life is about choices.

Assuming I couldn't get in contact with the class people to ask further questions I would bring a setup similar to what I intended to use after the class:

-If USPSA, similar gear to what they use
-If IDPA, that gear.
-If CC is the goal, that gear. Etc. The overall point is you want to "practice how you play" as much as possible.

Me personally, if they recommended four mag holders I would bring them, but there is a chance that they just want you to be able to run more drills between mag loading sessions, and you won't have single strings of fire that require that much ammo at once. If that is the case I would go with a double mag carrier mounted appropriately for IDPA since that is what I shoot, and I'd put the rest of the mags in my pocket and transfer to the pouches when needed. But if they DO require long strings of fire, as they could with that recommended equipment list, you would be prepared.

I would not bring any protruding high-cap mags. Bring flush-fit mags.

In your range bag should be everything Trebor mentioned, but you shouldn't be carrying it while shooting.

Great job in taking a handgun course! I took this course 5 years ago, you wouldn't find a better bunch of instructors. A few things to note, this is a practical fundamentals course oriented more towards practical shooting and less (much less) towards a defensive handgun course. As such, your equipment should be oriented towards IDPA/USPSA/IPSC shooting.

Mag carriers: I noticed someone mentioned getting gear from a police supply store? I would disagree since most police gear have flaps over the mag carriers. You'll want kydexc carriers for speed and ease of draw. Absolutely no flaps to get in the way of you reloads. Four magazines are a good idea, depending how much "real estate" you have on your waist 5 may be better. I always kept a magazine in my back pocket. I remember our "super stage" at the end of the class, we set up a stage of approximately a 75-80 round course of fire. Man, we had magazines in our pockets, carriers, and sticking out of our waistbands to complete the course of fire. Fun times.

Holster: You're on the right track for a great holster. Comp-tac is what I use most for my serious guns. My 1911s, HKs, and Glocks all have a Comptac holster for its given purpose.

Handgun. Your SIG P226 is probably THE BEST choice for this course. Why do I say this? This course seemed to center around the SIG P-series when this course was first designed, or it sure as heck seemed that way. I'm not sure if Bruce still carries around his P226, but in our course he did, as well as probably 80% of my class. You'll properly learn the DA/SA system, as well as drawing and prepping the trigger in DA. Simply put, the SIG P226 is the best gun, in my opinion to bring to this class.

As for other gear mentioned. Forget the dump pounch. It is not necessary. You'll be dropping your mags on the ground as you practice speed reloads, meaning you will not be retaining your magazines. Let them fall on the floor, you can pick them up at the end of the course of fire.

Magazines. Bring more than 5. Magazines can and will go down. You'll need spare magazines to temporarily replace the mags that go down. Bring a magazine brush to remove all the grit during breaks. MARK YOUR MAGAZINES!

That's pretty much it. Have fun and stay hydrated! Your shooting goes down the drain if you're dehydrated!

I'm in the same boat as possum.

I wear a single or double mag pouch on my support side and do all my reloads from it. I keep a couple extra magazines in my back pocket and put them into the mag pouch when its empty. I have all of my other mags loaded and a little behind the line and grab them on breaks to refill my pockets and pouches.

I don't carry 2 double mag pouches in the real world so I'm not going to wear them in a class. I want to keep everything similar to what I do in the real world.