Al T.
11-21-2012, 11:44 AM
Massad Ayoob MAG-40, 15-18 November 2012
I attended Mr. Ayoob’s MAG- 40 course of instruction on the dates given. This was a bucket list school for me and as a self-confessed Ayoob fan boy, a slightly surreal event. I’ve frankly read everything Mas has written since the late 70’s, so while some of the course content was familiar, it was very refreshing to hear it from him and get his latest thoughts.
MAG-40 was ably hosted by JT and Lisa Marie Judy at their facility (http://www.belttraining.com) near St. George SC. There are a couple of things to note. First, it’s a somewhat remote area with limited opportunities to shop. If you show up and lack something major, you will probably have to travel some distance to get it. Second, the range has a “lost brass ranch” policy where they keep your brass. I look at brass in a class as expended, but if it’s important to you that you recover yours, be forewarned. Third, the nearest place to get lunch is quite a distance away, so bringing your own chow is recommended. Fourth, the recommended motel and local (non-chain) restaurant were spot on. If you need a higher standard of luxury, your travel time will increase.
A few generic things about MAG-40: The “40” refers to the number of hours in the course and it’s a low number. Each day was chock full of information and absolutely lasted 10 hours with a working lunch. A working lunch meant you ate and took notes at the same time. As for note taking, I ended up with 14 pages of notes and a couple of 3x5 cards (taken at the range). There is a method to the note taking which revolves around you being able to prove at a later date your basis for actions or inaction. I don’t think it’s a trade secret that Mas thinks “CYA” stands for “Can You Articulate or Can You Authenticate”.
While Mas has stated before that MAG 40 is a “minor” in shooting and a “major” in legal preparation, I found that taking the whole enchilada together was the way to go. There were things that one absorbed throughout all four days that would have been diminished by attending one or the other.
TD1 started out cold, damp and nasty. While we had some time in the classroom hoping for better weather, it did quit raining, but never did warm up much. Essentially we went over the course of fire and the StressFire shooting system. Without going into detail, StressFire is an effort to emphasize gross motor skills while using a firearm and does so well. We had several very new shooters and I think they were well served. The latter half on TD1 was spent on the range as long as light allowed. The range exercises were crawl, walk, run apparently designed to get everyone working towards the culmination qualification on TD2.
Quick note about ammo management: The firing exercises were usually 3 strings of 6 shots. This keeps the round count down, enables folks with three magazines to keep up and is revolver neutral. I personally appreciate the emphasis on quick accurate shots much more than the emphasis some other schools place on high round counts. However, I failed to, you know, actually ask beforehand. :eek: I had 400 rounds of 9mm cleverly loaded up only to find that I kept busy stripping most of the 400 rounds out of my magazines.
TD2 started early to take advantage of the sunshine. We shot a series of progressive drills under tightening time standards. I found the one handed drills to be the most rewarding as this is a weak spot for me. One key that my shooting partner and I both noted was shifting the weight forward to get more control. Steve and I could tell when the other got aggressive as the shot group tightened up noticeably. Massad has a simple test for you to check your stance and it works like a charm. The culmination exercise is a qualification that while simple, is deceptive. Essentially, all the drills you shot previously are evaluated from 4 yards to 15 yards. While everyone (I think) qualified, there was a range of scores that told me that a reasonable percentage of folks struggled a bit and validated the qualification IMHO.
TD3 and TD4 were both in the classroom. There was a slight twist as some folks came only for the classroom portion (MAG-20). This increased class size to the point that the Judy’s had to arrange for a larger classroom in a different location. The facility was excellent. Massad uses a series of video tapes supplemented by lecture. One of the great strengths of this method is that the video tapes can be shown to a jury in case you are wrongfully charged. Remember “CYA” as mentioned earlier? Being able to not just tell a jury about your training, you now have the ability to show the jury what you based your actions upon. As with the range half, the days were very full. Class started at 9 and continued to 7 (10 hours) both days. Having Mas available to answer questions, expand or explain his material really made the course rock. My table buddy came solely for the classroom portion and indicated several times that he was quite impressed. I was too.
Equipment:
I ran a Glock both days, a G19 to start and a G17 to finish (TD2). As it was raining cats and dogs when I left for ST. George early on TD1, I wanted to use the G19 in case we were shooting in a hurricane. TD2 was clear, so the plain sighted G17 was chosen. No issues with the guns or holster (made by THR’s very own Possum), but my ammo sucked. I had purchased Federal Champion 115 grain FMJ as I had good results with an earlier lot. This was a mistake.
I did not note any major issues with other's equipment. One young lady ran a Ruger SP101 like a boss using .38 Special +P ammo. She also beat the majority of the guys shooting. :cool:
Clothing was a success. I wore PolarTech long handles with a pair of insulated boots. Never had a cold moment. As mentioned in the course description, we were going to shoot rain or shine and it both rained and shone. Having the resources to stay warm and dry in the muddy conditions made TD1 & 2 pleasant.
As a wrap up, I heartily recommend this course. One of my fellow students was very new to firearms and got lots from MAG-40. One of my other fellow students has trained extensively and thought it was worthwhile. Obviously MAG-40 has something to offer both ends of the spectrum.
I attended Mr. Ayoob’s MAG- 40 course of instruction on the dates given. This was a bucket list school for me and as a self-confessed Ayoob fan boy, a slightly surreal event. I’ve frankly read everything Mas has written since the late 70’s, so while some of the course content was familiar, it was very refreshing to hear it from him and get his latest thoughts.
MAG-40 was ably hosted by JT and Lisa Marie Judy at their facility (http://www.belttraining.com) near St. George SC. There are a couple of things to note. First, it’s a somewhat remote area with limited opportunities to shop. If you show up and lack something major, you will probably have to travel some distance to get it. Second, the range has a “lost brass ranch” policy where they keep your brass. I look at brass in a class as expended, but if it’s important to you that you recover yours, be forewarned. Third, the nearest place to get lunch is quite a distance away, so bringing your own chow is recommended. Fourth, the recommended motel and local (non-chain) restaurant were spot on. If you need a higher standard of luxury, your travel time will increase.
A few generic things about MAG-40: The “40” refers to the number of hours in the course and it’s a low number. Each day was chock full of information and absolutely lasted 10 hours with a working lunch. A working lunch meant you ate and took notes at the same time. As for note taking, I ended up with 14 pages of notes and a couple of 3x5 cards (taken at the range). There is a method to the note taking which revolves around you being able to prove at a later date your basis for actions or inaction. I don’t think it’s a trade secret that Mas thinks “CYA” stands for “Can You Articulate or Can You Authenticate”.
While Mas has stated before that MAG 40 is a “minor” in shooting and a “major” in legal preparation, I found that taking the whole enchilada together was the way to go. There were things that one absorbed throughout all four days that would have been diminished by attending one or the other.
TD1 started out cold, damp and nasty. While we had some time in the classroom hoping for better weather, it did quit raining, but never did warm up much. Essentially we went over the course of fire and the StressFire shooting system. Without going into detail, StressFire is an effort to emphasize gross motor skills while using a firearm and does so well. We had several very new shooters and I think they were well served. The latter half on TD1 was spent on the range as long as light allowed. The range exercises were crawl, walk, run apparently designed to get everyone working towards the culmination qualification on TD2.
Quick note about ammo management: The firing exercises were usually 3 strings of 6 shots. This keeps the round count down, enables folks with three magazines to keep up and is revolver neutral. I personally appreciate the emphasis on quick accurate shots much more than the emphasis some other schools place on high round counts. However, I failed to, you know, actually ask beforehand. :eek: I had 400 rounds of 9mm cleverly loaded up only to find that I kept busy stripping most of the 400 rounds out of my magazines.
TD2 started early to take advantage of the sunshine. We shot a series of progressive drills under tightening time standards. I found the one handed drills to be the most rewarding as this is a weak spot for me. One key that my shooting partner and I both noted was shifting the weight forward to get more control. Steve and I could tell when the other got aggressive as the shot group tightened up noticeably. Massad has a simple test for you to check your stance and it works like a charm. The culmination exercise is a qualification that while simple, is deceptive. Essentially, all the drills you shot previously are evaluated from 4 yards to 15 yards. While everyone (I think) qualified, there was a range of scores that told me that a reasonable percentage of folks struggled a bit and validated the qualification IMHO.
TD3 and TD4 were both in the classroom. There was a slight twist as some folks came only for the classroom portion (MAG-20). This increased class size to the point that the Judy’s had to arrange for a larger classroom in a different location. The facility was excellent. Massad uses a series of video tapes supplemented by lecture. One of the great strengths of this method is that the video tapes can be shown to a jury in case you are wrongfully charged. Remember “CYA” as mentioned earlier? Being able to not just tell a jury about your training, you now have the ability to show the jury what you based your actions upon. As with the range half, the days were very full. Class started at 9 and continued to 7 (10 hours) both days. Having Mas available to answer questions, expand or explain his material really made the course rock. My table buddy came solely for the classroom portion and indicated several times that he was quite impressed. I was too.
Equipment:
I ran a Glock both days, a G19 to start and a G17 to finish (TD2). As it was raining cats and dogs when I left for ST. George early on TD1, I wanted to use the G19 in case we were shooting in a hurricane. TD2 was clear, so the plain sighted G17 was chosen. No issues with the guns or holster (made by THR’s very own Possum), but my ammo sucked. I had purchased Federal Champion 115 grain FMJ as I had good results with an earlier lot. This was a mistake.
I did not note any major issues with other's equipment. One young lady ran a Ruger SP101 like a boss using .38 Special +P ammo. She also beat the majority of the guys shooting. :cool:
Clothing was a success. I wore PolarTech long handles with a pair of insulated boots. Never had a cold moment. As mentioned in the course description, we were going to shoot rain or shine and it both rained and shone. Having the resources to stay warm and dry in the muddy conditions made TD1 & 2 pleasant.
As a wrap up, I heartily recommend this course. One of my fellow students was very new to firearms and got lots from MAG-40. One of my other fellow students has trained extensively and thought it was worthwhile. Obviously MAG-40 has something to offer both ends of the spectrum.