1 Attachment(s)
AAR: Rangemaster Combative Pistol Ruskin FL 3/14-15/20
It seems I overlooked placing an AAR in the forum here after my March class with Tom Givens in Ruskin FL, and I wanted to put that right.
My original pre-class observations, as well as notes from training days 1 and 2 are below, from my journal. I've taken the liberties to add a few emendations to my notes in italics.
Bottom line: Tom's 2 day foundational pistol class is one of the best educational experiences I've had. I originally took it in 2017 in Everett WA at John Holschen's West Coast Armory North while we were travelling in the RV, and it came along at precisely the right time for me. Taking the class meant so much more to me and my performance by objective standards was much better (I mean, "for me"; I still pretty much suck at shooting, but damn, at least Tom did not have to time me with a Sundial. :) )
Original Pre-Class Notes
I am headed South a bit to Ruskin FL to take Tom Given's 2 day Combative Pistol Class.
But Rich, didn't you take this same class in 2017?
Yes, yes I did. In fact my class notes from that experience are below.
I signed up for Tom's class again for three reasons:
1) I felt (and still do) that Tom offers one of the most grounded and effective learning experiences for the Civilian Concealed Carrier there is. It is simply a really well done educational experience.
2) I have experienced a big shift in equipment over the past three years. I got rid of the P30SK and VP9 and now use Glocks.
3) I have also participated in a number of related shooting and training experiences, and I am interested in comparing notes and contrasting my performance from "then" to "now". I'm now classified as a high D (39%) shooter in USPSA. I have taken over 100 hours of training in shooting and firearms related training classes. In short, while I still don't know what I don't know, at least I know, that there is a lot out there, that I don't know.
...and lastly, Tom Givens is not exactly the kind of instructor that stands still; so I am interested in how Tom's class has changed and adapted over the last four years.
As to gear, I am taking:
- Glock 19.5 AOWB in an RCS Perun w 15+1 Federal HST 147
- 2xGhost Mag pouches on me for reloads
- Ballcap
- Sordin Supreme Pro X ear pro w new batteries
- Elvex eye Pro
- Benchmade Mini-Grip
- Graith Specialist Belt
I've EDCed all of these items (ok maybe except for the eye/ear pro and mag pouches.) But I carried my G19 AOWB for many months on the road in the Airstream in either a Mitch Rosen Upper Limit or the same RCS Perun. For whatever reason, AOWB seems to suit me when driving the truck (now car) really well. I can slide the Perun around to 9 (I'm a lefty) driving, then slip it back to 1030 when walking through WalMart or whatever.
And in the Range Bag:
- Glock 43X AOWB in RCS Perun (backup)
- 13xG19 mags (full), 8xG43X mags (full)
- Custom single focus eye glasses
- Maglula(s)
- IKEA $2.97 mag loader dish (this is surprisingly useful )
- IFAK / Booboo kit
- SOFT-TW TQ on a phlster flatpack TQ carrier
- 1,200 rounds of Federal AE 115 gr ammo, my normal training/range/match ammo
- Shorts and s/s collared shirt in geezer plaid (normal retiree garb).
- Cooler with water and snacks
- Pen(s)
- Bug spray
- Wilson Progrip Max
- Ruger LCR, pair shoes and dry shirt for the drive back.
Should be a great weekend. Wx forecast is sunny and in the mid-80s, so I am taking plenty of water.
Really looking forward to it.
Training Day 1 Notes
End of TD1.
Misc random thoughts before I hit the sack.
Class is great, good mix of civ ccw folks and some solid shooters. Wx here at the class site was hot and sunny; temps mid 80s, so I drank plenty fluids and kept hydrated all day. Training site is a typical FL outdoor range/facility. Very similar to the place in Lakeland when I took Gabe's class.
Shot 441 rounds of AE115. Zero issues with the G19. Zero issues with my RCS Perun. My single focus glasses ARE FANTASTIC. IT IS LIKE CHEATING I can now see the freaking front sight so clearly. I love these glasses. Mag reloads zero issues.
The only thing that bugged me was my button down cotton geezer shirt. It was way too tight during my draw. Early on in the day I got my strong hand wrapped up somehow and I think I maybe sprained one of my shooting hand fingers. It gave me a bit of trouble all day. I have currently splinted it for the evening with a couple wraps of painters tape, just to isolate the joints. I think tomorrow I'll try a dri-fit T-shirt tucked in underneath a Champion Polo, worn untucked. Really liking the Graith Specialist belt. My Pro-Grip was very useful, as it was a sweaty kind of day. Used a fair bit of the bug spray as well.
Edit: I should have brought 2x the amount of water/electrolyte drink on the day - I recall being very very hot. And, I should have purchased some of those "wet wraps" I now have for walking in the FL heat. They are very effective, and I'll be using them in all future outdoor classes:
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0...?ie=UTF8&psc=1
I used three pasters (and had two misses on a Parrot grrr) for the day - not bad I thought for a full day's shooting. Every other round was a hit. Tom stresses only hits count. I had a lot of hits.
The drills in shifting gears are really interesting, I'll need to figure out how to do that at the square range with some of my own targets. The "Find Your Level target that @CCT125US designed is probably closest to Tom's "Q" targets in that sense. Shooting "quickly", "carefully" and "precisely" are the same words Tom used four years ago. They are very good words. At the end we were all getting three solid chest hits in 3 seconds from about 10' from concealment. Actually well inside 3 seconds.
Edit: Good metric: Three solid hits from 10' from concealment inside 3 seconds. More quantifiable than "you need the gun out right fucking now", which I also like. :)
My misses were on two strings, second shot. Tom said I had a bad habit of letting my finger get off the trigger in my strings; my missed shots were all low and right. How interesting. I focused on making sure I stayed on the trigger during multiples. My hits kept coming. Coincidence? I think not.
Edit: AKA Milking the trigger. I can recognize this now and need to work to eliminate it, using The Test, for example.
It was a good day. I feel like I am definitely a better shooter than the person I was taking the same course at John Holschen's facility in Everett WA July '17.
Got the G19 cleaned and lubed. I am going to swap over to my USPSA mag set (Gen 5 mags w Dawson plates) tomorrow just for consistency. I have all five loaded up, as well as a mag of my carry Federal 147 HST (for going to and from the range.) Otherwise same load out.
Training Day 2 Notes
End of TD2.
Great class. I am whupped. Got a shower and am unpacking everything (both gear and my head.)
These are in no order, probably need some time to ruminate on this.
I might have broken severely sprained a finger in my hand. My left ring finger is very tender. I have it immobilized but may need a splint. If it doesn't seem better tomorrow I'll go see the Doc. It was kind of bugging me off and on today.
Edit: I should have paid more attention to this during TD1. I had the finger splinted the rest of the 5-7 days, and it eventually healed up. But it would have been a mixed bag; stop the class to wrap my shooting finger, or press. I opted to press. Better plan would have been not to mess up my draw in the first place.
Glock 19 ran again with zero issues. My Ghost pouches were ok, for the class, but I am going to look at some decent options for mag pouches for carry.
Edit: I bought a mag pouch from JM Custom Kydex. Works well.
Still love my single focus glasses. All I remember seeing today was a very very bright Dawson Fiber Optic front sight, bouncing up and down in my vision. When the bumpy things lined up, I pressed the trigger straight back. I got hits. I mean, who knew?
Expended 298 rounds today. I had another geezer shirt laid out so I just used the same rig.
Somehow I stumbled into the position of being high class shooter in the Casino Drill with a 22.0, counting one miss. That miss actually pissed me off, since I was almost a "pass". I'd have to go look and see bad my 2017 Casino Drill time was,but I am pretty sure I remember Tom going out to his truck for a Sundial to time me.
Today's round count was down due to the drills. If you've taken Tom's course, TD2 is going a bit beyond the basics; failure to eject (Tap Rack Bang) drills, Emergency Reloads, and the aforementioned Casino Drill. And a bunch of strong and weak hand shooting. My one handed shooting normally sucks, but my confidence was boosted quite a bit as I finally internalized what Tom was saying about leaning forward and bending your strong side knee, when shooting with one hand. "Drive the gun, don't ride the gun."
We also shot one of Tom's course of fire. I don't remember the details, but a perfect score is 200; one of our class got 200, twice. We also shot the same drill on a actual person target picture. I had 198 on the Q and a 193 on Leon.
I was hot and tired by the end and could tell I was losing grip purchase due to the sweat. I'd run low on Pro Grip (that stuff really works) and it absolutely led to my grip being poor.
Some light bulb moments.
Tom told me after my misses, I was milking the grip. I need to fucking stop doing that. "You can't press the trigger straight back unless you are gripping the gun correctly."
I had one absolutely horrible 6 o'clock miss, a good foot below the circle. W. T. F. I just steered the gun down before the press.
Tom suggested working a dead tennis ball three to four times a day for a few weeks to build up grip strength. I may try that.
Great class with a great instructor. I enjoyed the hell out of and learned a ton.
Attachment 56339
Original 2017 Class Notes / AAR
Key Takeaways
I've had a few days to ruminate on this class.
As personal context, the bulk of my 32 year Systems Engineering industry experience was in Instructional Systems Design for US and foreign government entities. I feel, and continue to feel, this was one of the best educational experiences I've ever had.
The thoughts below are distilled from my class notes, and as well as my hazy 58-year old memory will allow. I've chosen to group and arrange them in my perceived order of importance in firearms training: Mindset first, Skillset second, and Toolset last.
Mindset
No one is coming to save you. Be polite, but evaluate every contact as if you might have to shoot them. Don't get complacent just because someone doesn't fit the “dangerous” stereotype. You can get killed by the oddest people.
Carry your gun on a routine, daily, habitual basis, every fucking day. The first rule of a gunfight, is to have a gun.
Spend a lot of training time on what you do often; a fair bit against that which is not common, and cover the rare things occasionally. You don't expect a malfunction, but if you have one, you don't want that to be the first time you realize you need to do a Tap Rack Bang.
Do not have “Range Rules” or “Street Rules” - just have “Safety Rules.” There is no backstop at the WalMart Parking Lot.
Accuracy is Critical – only hits count. You have the rest of your life to miss. Don't.
With a pistol, basically all you have is a 3/8” drill to make holes in things. Use the bumpy things on the slide, line them up in the window, and press straight back. Every single time. Otherwise you are pissing in the wind.
Skillset
Shoot close targets quickly, mid-range targets carefully, and small targets precisely.
Incorporate movement into your practice. Sidestep as you perform your presentations. If you can get two what the fucks from dude, you will be ahead of the game.
Look for opportunities to practice your skills as part of your daily routine. In the morning, holster up, like you mean it. When you put your gun down on the nightstand, draw to the ready, like you mean it. If you do this daily, you will have 730 good, solid repetitions, annually. These will build up.
If you find shooting low and away, move your trigger finger away from frame to avoid steering rounds. (I tried it. Damn. It works.)
Do not have “gun-specific” techniques.
Toolset
Carry a familiar, reliable, accurate gun with adequate magazine capacity.
Take care of your ammo. Don't buy the bottom of the barrel. Don't chamber duty ammo more than twice before tossing it into the range bin.
Well, that's about it as far as the first set of thoughts.
I am still working on what changes I am going to make to my equipment, as well as my training regimen.
I already concluded my P30SK is the wrong carry gun for EDC. It has inadequate mag capacity, a propensity for hanging up mags during reloads, and I found the LEM difficult to shoot well under stress.
I've already started to work on daily carry options for my VP9, and I need to go back and look at my dry practice regimen in light of the class. This will handily solve my "carry gun" and "competition gun", as they will be the "same gun".
I may also make a change in terms of how I was planning to approach competition, as in, I may opt to draw from concealment during matches. I need to re-think my mag carriers, both for USPSA, as well as an option for a reload on the street, as my BT double mag pouches sucked, really, and don't work well for either.
Bottom line, I kind of wished I'd taken this class a couple years ago.
