Back from my trip to New Hampshire (ah, the freedom) and Sigarms Academy and here's a class report.
The class I attended was the 3-day Concealed Carry Pistol. Our instructor was Bill Gifford. Bill doesn't have any Special Forces war stories to tell, but he trains with LE operators and has a good idea of what works and what doesn't. He’s a clear communicator, and instead of just showing us techniques to use, he worked to justify them, either from his experience or others’ he has trained with.
For the course, I used my P229, chambered in .357 SIG. I took 3 magazines and dual mag pouch. For my holster, I had a Bladetech IWB and a Fobus paddle as a backup. We had 11 students in the class; most people were shooting SIGs (hmm big surprise), though we did have a Glock and an HK in the class. Sigarms Academy provided all the ammunition for the course (more on this later), either in 9mm, .357 SIG, .40 S&W, or .45 ACP. The 9mm and .40 proved to be the most popular calibers.
On our first day we did no shooting. We spent the morning in the classroom talking about situational awareness, avoiding and de-escalating confrontations, and some basics regarding self-defense laws. We discussed common criminal techniques, verbalizing to potential attackers, and being aware of recent local criminal activity. After lunch, we went onto the range and started dry drills facing the wall, making sure everyone was solid with grip, stance, and line discipline.
The second morning we started on the range and repeated the previous day's drills, but this time on the line with live ammo. Starting with the one-hole drill, we worked backwards until we were comfortable drawing from the holster, presenting, and firing in one smooth motion. For engaging targets, Sigarms Academy teaches 3 to 5 shots in a vertical track, starting from the sternum/diaphragm working up toward the head. In the afternoon we started working on reloads, both tactical and combat, malfunction clearing, engaging multiple targets, and one-hand (dominant) shooting. When you're at slidelock and the guy next to you is still hammering downrange with a full-cap Glock, it becomes pretty clear that 10-round magazines are a huge handicap. Unfortunately as a Californian having moved here after the magazine ban, there's really no relief for me. The extra two rounds in the magazine translate into being able to engage one additional target with confidence.
The third day was a continuation of the second, building on the fundamentals but now adding things like movement and cover into the picture: turning and lateral movement, advancing and withdrawing while firing, firing from behind cover, "slicing the pie" and so forth. This kind of work was completely outside of my previous shooting experience, and it was beginning to show. We also covered non-dominant hand shooting, and how to work around jackets and other concealing garments. The news on weak-hand shooting is not good: from LE shooting statistics and their own record of force-on-force exercises at the Academy, Bill said getting shot in the elbows or arms is a very real possibility in gunfights. Train and be prepared to fight to with your weak hand.
The last part of the third day was an introduction to low-light shooting. After turning down the lights, one of things Bill showed us was how close he could get without us seeing the knife in his hands -- basically arms reach -- very sobering. After our eyes were fully night-adjusted, we started our shooting drills. I was shooting .357 SIG and was expecting to be completely blinded by my own muzzle flash, but it actually wasn't bad at all. The other person shooting .357 SIG did complain, so maybe it's just my young eyes. I really need to do this test with my defense ammo, and I suggest everyone else do the same. This part of the course alone has me really interested in flashlight training. The day and course finished off with a pistol maintenance session and a classroom debrief with our certificates.
The range facilities at Sigarms are pretty cool. All the indoor shooting is done with lead-free frangible rounds. Not only does this have its health benefits, but it also lets you work right next to the steel plates without worrying about harmful backsplash. The bullets turn into copper pixie-dust upon hitting the plates or backstop.
I highly recommend anyone who has a chance to get out to Epping to train with these guys. I sure hope I can get back sometime for one of their advanced handgun courses. The tuition may seem a bit high, but the cost is very competitive once you deduct the cost of the ammunition that they provide, and the training is well worth it.
The class I attended was the 3-day Concealed Carry Pistol. Our instructor was Bill Gifford. Bill doesn't have any Special Forces war stories to tell, but he trains with LE operators and has a good idea of what works and what doesn't. He’s a clear communicator, and instead of just showing us techniques to use, he worked to justify them, either from his experience or others’ he has trained with.
For the course, I used my P229, chambered in .357 SIG. I took 3 magazines and dual mag pouch. For my holster, I had a Bladetech IWB and a Fobus paddle as a backup. We had 11 students in the class; most people were shooting SIGs (hmm big surprise), though we did have a Glock and an HK in the class. Sigarms Academy provided all the ammunition for the course (more on this later), either in 9mm, .357 SIG, .40 S&W, or .45 ACP. The 9mm and .40 proved to be the most popular calibers.
On our first day we did no shooting. We spent the morning in the classroom talking about situational awareness, avoiding and de-escalating confrontations, and some basics regarding self-defense laws. We discussed common criminal techniques, verbalizing to potential attackers, and being aware of recent local criminal activity. After lunch, we went onto the range and started dry drills facing the wall, making sure everyone was solid with grip, stance, and line discipline.
The second morning we started on the range and repeated the previous day's drills, but this time on the line with live ammo. Starting with the one-hole drill, we worked backwards until we were comfortable drawing from the holster, presenting, and firing in one smooth motion. For engaging targets, Sigarms Academy teaches 3 to 5 shots in a vertical track, starting from the sternum/diaphragm working up toward the head. In the afternoon we started working on reloads, both tactical and combat, malfunction clearing, engaging multiple targets, and one-hand (dominant) shooting. When you're at slidelock and the guy next to you is still hammering downrange with a full-cap Glock, it becomes pretty clear that 10-round magazines are a huge handicap. Unfortunately as a Californian having moved here after the magazine ban, there's really no relief for me. The extra two rounds in the magazine translate into being able to engage one additional target with confidence.
The third day was a continuation of the second, building on the fundamentals but now adding things like movement and cover into the picture: turning and lateral movement, advancing and withdrawing while firing, firing from behind cover, "slicing the pie" and so forth. This kind of work was completely outside of my previous shooting experience, and it was beginning to show. We also covered non-dominant hand shooting, and how to work around jackets and other concealing garments. The news on weak-hand shooting is not good: from LE shooting statistics and their own record of force-on-force exercises at the Academy, Bill said getting shot in the elbows or arms is a very real possibility in gunfights. Train and be prepared to fight to with your weak hand.
The last part of the third day was an introduction to low-light shooting. After turning down the lights, one of things Bill showed us was how close he could get without us seeing the knife in his hands -- basically arms reach -- very sobering. After our eyes were fully night-adjusted, we started our shooting drills. I was shooting .357 SIG and was expecting to be completely blinded by my own muzzle flash, but it actually wasn't bad at all. The other person shooting .357 SIG did complain, so maybe it's just my young eyes. I really need to do this test with my defense ammo, and I suggest everyone else do the same. This part of the course alone has me really interested in flashlight training. The day and course finished off with a pistol maintenance session and a classroom debrief with our certificates.
The range facilities at Sigarms are pretty cool. All the indoor shooting is done with lead-free frangible rounds. Not only does this have its health benefits, but it also lets you work right next to the steel plates without worrying about harmful backsplash. The bullets turn into copper pixie-dust upon hitting the plates or backstop.
I highly recommend anyone who has a chance to get out to Epping to train with these guys. I sure hope I can get back sometime for one of their advanced handgun courses. The tuition may seem a bit high, but the cost is very competitive once you deduct the cost of the ammunition that they provide, and the training is well worth it.
