Defensive Pistol Class in Hudson

[Scratch]

CLASS IS FULL! If you're interested, let me know and I'll put you on the cancellation list.



We are still working on the details as of yet, but I have a friend from Florida, who does defensive pistol training, who is willing to come to my place in Wisconsin, to put on a class for us. What we need to make this happen is a minimum of 10-12 guys committed to coming.
We’re thinking July 19th.

It's a long 1 day class that takes a competent shooter who has spent most of their time standing still and shooting, or shooting competitions while moving, and gives them real-world practical skills in doing things like moving to cover while shooting, addressing sudden threats, shooting from a vehicle while being attacked, shooting from alternate positions, dealing with unexpected situations like weapons failures, falling, injuries, etc, shooting from cover, discretionary shooting, reloading, and a number of other areas;

It's a good, long day, and we’ll learn a lot of stuff.

As far as who the instructor is, it's a guy named Andy Drew; (that's not going to mean much to you, and Google isn't going to help you much because he keeps a low personal profile) he runs the forum http://www.sksboards.com and owns a company called Survivor Services, LLC; he's a full time LEO for about 23 years, and has been a firearms instructor for most of that; he's trained cops, military units, private military contractors, and civilians in a lot of different places; he's been a SWAT operator, Defensive Tactics instructor, and a bunch of other stuff along the way....he's been in an number of shootings and he is an expert witness in firearms and the use of force; He's a member of a bunch of different organizations, including the NRA, IALEFI, NTOA, and a few others.....

He's a down to earth guy with a pretty direct manner whose specialty is teaching folks how to come out alive on the other side of bad situations so they can go home safe to the people that they love. Also, you can now follow him on Facebook at: http://www.facebook.com/pages/Survivor- ... 0095387773 for updates, links, and other cool stuff.

COST: $150 per person.
You'll need around 500-600 rounds of ammo
This is going to be about a 10 hour long class, if you have trained before you'll know that $150 is more than a fair price. If you own a handgun for self defense, you need training, and this is going to be a very good and affordable option. This is not a basic class. This is advanced training, pro-level techniques. There will be lots of movement, use of cover, shooting from alternate positions and vehicles, and lots of other fun stuff.

The class will be held in Hudson WI, (rain or shine) on my property.

More details are coming but we need a preliminary head count to see if this is possible.

Who's in!


List so far, MAX OF 15
1. Scratch (Steve T) - PAID
2. Scratch's friend - PAID
3. Rich (Rich W) - PAID
4. Tricolor (Kris) - PAID
5. Tricolor's guest (Kelvin) - PAID
6. Tricolor's guest (Ryan P) - PAID
7. Bobbers (Bob)
8. Richtherake (Rich K)) - PAID
9. Richtherake's guest (Lee Z)) - PAID
10. Richtherake's guest (Eric O) - PAID
11. Jshuberg (Jeff S) - PAID
12. Wiscosotan (Alan M) - PAID
13. Ron King
14. LS3Miata (Steve H) - PAID
15. Terry P - PAID

[Wiscosotan]

I'm definitely interested.

[jshuberg]

Sounds like fun. Count me in as well.

[Scratch]

For those interested, I'll need payment up front to guarantee your spot in the class. Like I said, we need 10-12 guys for sure and I think right now we have 9 spots filled, and I have a PM into the trainer to find out what his max is. This is first come, first served.

PM for for how to get payment to him. He'll accept PP or a check mailed to him. If for some reason, the class doesn't get filled and doesn't happen, your payment will get fully refunded.

[Scratch]

CLASS IS FULL! If you're interested, let me know and I'll put you on a cancellation list.

Andy, the instructor, will let me know when he's received payment, and I'll mark you as paid.

[Scratch]

For this class you will need:

A service caliber pistol - (9mm/.40/.45, etc..)

500-600 rounds of ammunition - (any decent ball ammo is fine)

A good holster - (You're going to be doing a LOT of drawing, firing , and re-holstering, and you want a decent rig)

At LEAST 3 magazines - (more is better, as it will reduce down time for everyone in reloading empty magazines)

Eye and ear protection - (any kind of muffs or ear plugs, and some type of impact -resistant eye glasses or goggles)

A ball cap /boonie, etc. - (this is going to keep the sun off of you, and it's also going to deflect hot spent casings)

A set of knee pads - (they don't have to be anything special, even the cheap Harbor Freights will do, but you need them)

A basic kit for cleaning/malfunctions - CLP, a Boresnake, a few rags; (we will run the guns very hard, and they will see the dirt of the ground a time or two; you want to be prepared to give the gun a quick and dirty cleaning)

A decent pair of shoes - ( you will be on your feet and moving, a lot, and you want the support and the safety.)

Bug Spray - (this area is in the woods and there are Mosquitos)

A gallon of water - (1 gallon jug, 8 or 10 bottles, a Camelback and a couple refills, however you do it; you will NEED the hydration, as we will be outside, engaged in physical activity all day, and you do NOT want to get dehydrated....bring water)

As always, long pants, a crew neck shirt to keep the hot brass out, etc, are a must; also, a comfortable folding chair and a snack or two is not a bad idea; it's a long range day, and you're going to be wanting to sit on the few breaks we take.

I'm looking forward to seeing all of you guys and having a good, safe range day; you're going to learn a lot, and you're going to come away a better, more confident, more prepared shooter.......



So keep on checking in, and get ready.....

[jshuberg]

This is coming up in just over a week. Any additional info on this, the location and whatnot?

[Scratch]

No changes. I'll PM you, Wiscotan and LS3Miata with address. If you need any more info, ask me here or in PM's. I still have some cleanup to do at the range, and hopefully I'll get it done.


Oh... I don't think I have a time specified... You need to be here by 7:45, class starts promptly at 8:00 am.

[Scratch]

I know it's very late notice, but I now have a spot opened up for this class. If you're interested, let me know quick.

[Scratch]

I goofed up the start time. My post two posts up are now correct.

[jshuberg]

Excellent class!! Thanks much to all those who helped put this together!!

[Scratch]

The class was great yesterday! Big thanks to Andy from Survivor Services LLC for putting on such a safe, fun and informative class, and to everyone else who came to the class to learn. I learned a ton of good stuff and new techniques.

The weather was perfect. Overcast day, so not too much sun, and only about 60 seconds of light sprinkles, so no mud. The class started at 8am where we went over some safety and housekeeping stuff, then we got right into shooting..... With our fingers. We drew our finger guns from our holsters for just a few minutes, going over form, which was good since my finger gun started malfunctioning after the second or third shot.

I attributed my malfunctions to not cleaning it after picking either my nose, my butt, or both.

Then we used our real guns which were much more reliable since I don't use my gun to pick my nose....
Usually...

We did some short range, non moving, target shooting, then incorporated some movement which was fun, and sometimes challenging since there were a few stumps and roots still on the range. Since it's my range, I really wanted those bothersome stumps removed, but was glad they were there, since they proved to be more realistic than if they were removed. I saw a few people, including myself, stumble a little moving over them, even after Andy told us to check our surroundings.

This was the first time I was introduced to what he calls "the safety circle" which was using the Sul position safely in an area where there is no down range to keep the muzzle in a safe direction. While it was a little unnerving to be in a line of 12 shooters in the Sul position, and do 180 degree turns and firing, i was glad to have the real world training on it, and I felt comfortable with everyone at the class.

Then we incorporated some barrels for cover. It was nice that Andy would change them around on us every once in a while, and arrange them into real world situations like parking lot columns and vehicles. It was very worthwhile. Although since I spend most of my time either on in a recliner or on a toilet...Real world situations for me are a little different.

Up until now, we've been shooting paper targets. These were the kind with different numbered and colored shapes, all surrounding a real life image of what looked like a depressed mailman waiting for happy hour to start. It was nice having Andy call out numbers, shapes, or colors to shoot at. This was especially nice for me since I do a lot of shooting alone, and if I called out random shapes or numbers for myself to shoot... It wouldn't be very surprising for me.

Next up, the steel torso targets. That was a blast! These were 2/3 torso targets I cut myself from AR500 using my CNC plasma cutting table. I've shot steel a little before, but this was the first time I'd really gotten to spend some quality time, doing some worthwhile training banging on the steel. While we were close... Real close, I don't think I heard of one person at the class that got hit by anything that caused any scratch or blood. I did lay on some hot brass while shooting steel at under 5 yards from the Supine position, but I didn't want Andy's pink Hello Kitty bandaid on my neck, so I sucked it up and put on my big boy panties.

That was our first position... Supine. For those of you that didn't know what it was, like me, supine is laying on your back as if you fell backwards trying to get away from a bad guy, then drawing and shooting. Real world stuff! Awesome!

We did that for a few reps, then we added retreating to the cover of a V-Tac wall and a few more shots. More fun than a barrel of monkeys. Although, I think that barrel of monkeys would get stinky real quick since don't they throw poop at you...?
How about more fun than a barrel of BBQ ribs... That's more accurate, for me anyways. You come up with your own barrel to compare it to... Maybe a barrel of big screens, or lawn mowers, whatever... of Either way, it was fun!

Then we started with the V-Tac wall. Oh the V-Tac wall... What can I say about you... I love you, I hate you, I really hate you, I kind of like you, you're a jerk, you're kinda cool... If we had a FaceBook page together, I'm sure our relationship status would be "it's complicated". Because of an injury I have, I personally had a hard time with the V-Tac walls, lots of fast movement in very awkward positions shooting though small holes... Should I stand, crouch, kneel, lay down, crawl into the fetal position and cry?

I don't know, but I loved every minute of it, and will be using them more in my training for sure.

I had a nightmare last night, I was stuck on Jurassic Island, in the kitchen, hiding under those stainless steel cabinets... Only it wasn't velociraptors chasing me... Yep, it was V-Tac walls.

I didn't sleep well last night.


The last drill was the carjacking drill. Oh boy, this was fun!
I couldn't find a junk car to use for the class, and Andy didn't want to take the rental car down into the woods, so we used my Jeep. We pulled it up to the berm, and Andy stood on the passenger side holding a 10' pole with a 3D cardboard cutout of a person swinging from wires, and swung it up to the drivers side door from behind. It was slightly surreal, slightly creepy, fully awesome! Again, thanks to everyone for somehow not putting a bullet hole or two into my door, mirror, windshield whatever. The first shot I took from inside had to be about 1.5 millimeters from the edge of the door.
Actually... This is AMERICA dang it! It was about 1/16 of an inch away from the door.
(The Metric system can kiss my fat white tattooed butt!)

Everyone got about 3 turns in the drivers seat to blow away 3 carjackers. After all... According to Google, the number of assailants is usually 3 not one, right Andy!

I must have picked 300 pieces of brass from the floor mats, heater vents, cup holders, front seat, back seat, 8 track player, shifter boot... I'm sure I'll be finding them for years, how cool is that!

Thanks again to everyone involved and I can't wait to have you all out again! I'm gonna make some videos, post them to YouTube, and I'll post up the links. Until then, here's some pics!

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