SSV Concepts Low-Light Pistol Course AAR

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SSV Concepts Low-Light Pistol Course AAR

Postby GNCAaron on Wed Apr 13, 2016 4:51 pm

Greetings fellow MN Gun Talk members,

I recently took a one-day pistol course, down in Des Moines Iowa, which focused on CCW pistol skills, under the cover of darkness. It was my first pistol course of the year, and I came home thoroughly satisfied with my investment of time and money to make the trip down there. What follows will be a very short description of my background, a broad overview of the class, as well as some of the things I learned.

I began taking professional firearms training in 2010. Most of my training is focused on handguns in the CCW role, but I also take carbine and precision rifle training as well. I take an average of 80 hours of training per year. I'd do more if I had more free time and money. :) Last year, I trained with Bob Vogel, Larry Vickers, Pat McNamara, Jeff Gonzalez, and AIM Precision.

Rick Largesse is the owner and lead firearms instructor of SSV concepts. I've trained with him before, taking both pistol and rifle classes from him. Rick is a veteran SWAT cop, and he works in the Des Moines area. Not only does he train and practice regularly while on duty, but he spends his personal time and money seeking training from other folks as well (like McNamara, Panonne, etc).

This class ran for one day. There were about ten students, all with varying backgrounds. The main focus of this course was on operating a handgun in reduced or no light. All students were required to have a flashlight in their pocket, and we could have a weapon-mounted light if that's what we carry. We probably shot 400-600 rounds or so.

Most of the drills we did during the first third of the class were very similar to drills that are commonly done in most other tactical pistol classes. Marksmanship, emergency reloads, tactical reloads and the like were all covered, but the challenge came with doing so with the lights of the indoor range turned off. Doing these things while holding a flashlight are indeed difficult, but like any skill, proper instruction and subsequent practice is a good way to learn it. Most of these drills were done with two groups of five or six students on the line. While one group shot, the other reloaded, and the pace of the class remained pleasantly brisk.

The second third of the class was more of a solo event. The range was set up to resemble the interior of a house, with walls and obstructions crated by hanging tarps from the ceiling. After a lecture on proper room clearing procedures, we then went about it, individually, while illuminating our surroundings with our lights and shooting targets when we found them. Rick walked behind us each time, and after each run, he would give us tips and pointers about how to improve.

The final third of the class was a force-on-force exercise, with airsoft pistols. I've done a fair amount of force-on-force training, and while the plastic bb's, paint, or wax rounds can indeed hurt, or sometimes even bruise or cut the skin, the pain of making a poor decision during the evolution hurts far worse, and lasts long after the cut has healed. Yet, these are the lessons we remember, and it's far better to learn them in the training environment versus out in the world for real. I won't spoil what we did by talking about it here, but I will say we all ran through two different scenarios, and we all learned something, or a lot, from each one.

Some things I learned, in no particular order:
-Marksmanship and basic gun handling is harder in the dark. You have to go slower.
-A weapon mounted light is the way to go, if you can get used to the extra bulk of carrying it daily.
-Solo clearing a room, or a house, is fraught with peril.
-Still not going to spoil the force-on-force by discussing it, but there is always room for second guessing and Monday morning quarterbacking, mostly from ourselves as we replay the scenario over and over again in our own head. We don't always make the right decisions. But, just getting to these types of classes and TRYING is one of the first steps to getting better.

Rick's a solid shooter, but so are a lot of people. What sets him apart and above a lot of instructors I've trained with is his ability to communicate what he's learned over decades, in a concise and relevant way as is possible. Other instructors who I've been highly impressed with include Craig Douglas of Shivworks, and Pat McNamara of TMACS. There's lots of instructors and companies I recommend training with, and SSV is on the top of the list along with Shivworks and TMACS; it's just nice for us here in the metro area that SSV and Des Moines is only a couple hours away.

This year I'm also taking courses from Dave Spaulding, TTS Training, Forever Armed Training, and Kyle Defoor. I'll post my thoughts of their classes here in this Reviews section as well.

Kind regards.
Aaron
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SSV Concepts Low-Light Pistol Course AAR

Postby gun_fan111v2 on Wed Apr 13, 2016 6:21 pm

Sounds like you learned a bunch and enjoyed yourself!
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Re: SSV Concepts Low-Light Pistol Course AAR

Postby azonesolutions on Wed Apr 13, 2016 7:56 pm

I too would recommend Rick's training. His teaching methods are solid and he will give you something new for your tactical toolbox.
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Re: SSV Concepts Low-Light Pistol Course AAR

Postby UnaStamus on Mon Apr 18, 2016 10:58 pm

Rick's a solid guy. Thanks for the AAR.
Wish I could go to the Dave Spaulding course next month, but work stuff popped up. Maybe I'll be able to pull off the vehicle course in the fall.
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Re: SSV Concepts Low-Light Pistol Course AAR

Postby GNCAaron on Thu Apr 28, 2016 6:39 pm

UnaStamus wrote:Rick's a solid guy. Thanks for the AAR.
Wish I could go to the Dave Spaulding course next month, but work stuff popped up. Maybe I'll be able to pull off the vehicle course in the fall.


I'm looking forward to Spaulding too. You should sign up now, Timm's website says there's only one spot left for the vehicle course.
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Re: SSV Concepts Low-Light Pistol Course AAR

Postby UnaStamus on Fri Apr 29, 2016 10:23 am

I am running short on time this summer due to an increased work load. I've done vehicle combatives before, but I have not trained with Dave Spaulding. The problem is balancing this with the EAG Tactical Carbine Operator Course in Des Moines earlier in the month.
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