The following is a general after-action (or perhaps more appropriately, a review) for a class taken with instructor Chris Lapre (aka C.J. Lapre):
Cass Type:
Private lessons/class over two days for two students (myself and my uncle): Day 1: Pistol; Day 2: Carbine
Purpose of Class:
Pistol: Add to/Continue previous pistol training (from different trainer/s)
Carbine: Beginner/Introduction
Location:
Casa Grande, AZ at the Casa Grande Police Range
Dates:
08/03/2014 – 08/04/2014 (I'm late posting this due to a consistent 80-90 hour per week work schedule since August, my apologies)
Class Schedule:
0800 to Whenever we (the students) burned out
Actual Time:
0800 to 1730 on the first day; 0800 to 1700 on the second day (Chris would’ve gone longer, but the AZ desert heat paired with physical stress contributed to burnout at these times.)
Estimated round count:
450 rounds for pistol (9mm); 450rds for carbine (.556)
Actual round count:
450 for pistol; 375 for carbine
Weather Conditions:
Sunny Arizona desert, 103-105 degrees. It was hot. I drank water all day long and never had to use the privy, presumably because I was sweating it all back out.
Students’ Background:
My uncle (hereinafter “T/L”) and I (hereinafter “P/V”) both wished to add to our limited pistol training and begin training on the AR platform.
Formal Training of Students Prior to this Class:
P/V: One five-day pistol class at a shooting academy; one one-day pistol class at the Scottsdale Gun Club.
T/L: Two five-day pistol classes at a shooting academy; standard training at a law enforcement academy (in a different state, not AZ; LE academy did not provide carbine training, standard, at that time)
Practice Habits of Students Prior to Class:
P/V: Pistol: I spend 2/3 of the year in a grad program back east, in a state unfriendly to firearms rights. I live on-campus while in-session; campus policy is no firearms. For that 2/3 of the year, no practice (due to both time and hardware limitations). For the 1/3 of the year that I’m in AZ, I train/practice live-fire using various drills from the holster and from concealment once-to-four times per month, sometimes more, sometimes less. I dry fire practice 10-15 minutes every three-to-four days or so, on average (during the 1/3 of the year in AZ). Carbine: Little-to-none, other than target-style shooting from the bench to gain a very basic familiarity and to zero optics.
T/L: Pistol: Once-to-twice per month live-fire, when/if able-- sometimes more, sometimes less, dependent on circumstances. Dry fire occasionally. Carbine: Little-to-none, other than target-style shooting form the bench to gain a very basic familiarity and to zero optics.
Overall Category of both Students with Respect to Firearm Training and Ability Combined, Prior to this Class:
Pistol: I think the term “proficient novices” is an apt, if not contradictory, description (in reference to the training-student community, not the gun-owning community generally)
Carbine: Beginner, unskilled, unfamiliar with hardware.
Students’ Disposition with Respect to Firearms Instruction:
Both my uncle and I are serious about training and serious about personal responsibility. We play close attention, work hard, and like to be pushed to our skill limits and beyond in order to raise those limits.
Firearms:
P/V: Pistol: Late 90’s manufacture 3rd Gen Glock 17, .115 ameriglo front sight .180 ameriglo pro rear sight, 3.75 lb trigger, wrapped in Talon Grip, stock in all other respects. Carbine: Advanced Defense Systems (ADS) 16” direct-impingement AR, .556, free-float rail, grip pod, 1.5-5 magnified optic (changed to aimpoint pro after class).
T/L: Pistol: 2012 manufacture 3rd Gen Glock 17, .140 ameriglo hackatorn front sight, .150 plain rear sight (changed to .180 ameriglo pro after class). Carbine: Stag 14” piston-driven AR, .556, free-float rail, grip pod, 1-4 magnified optic (changed to aimpoint pro after class).
- No Malfunctions across shooters and/or platforms.
Trainer Specifics:
Chris Lapre
-Pinal County Sherriff’s Dep’t (Sgt., if I remember correctly)
-SWAT
-Instruction based on theory and training, but also on actual field experience.
-Instruction from first-time basic through to highly advanced.
-the only Larry Vickers endorsed instructor in the Southwest (and one of only seven nationally) officially approved to teach basic pistol and basic carbine under the Vickers Shooting Method banner. For levels above basic, Mr. Vickers does not lend out his name or brand, although all of the instructors on his list teach advanced classes, as well, in one form or another. Note that I did not request a class under the VSM brand (though I highly value the VSM brand) because I was specifically looking for, and received, individual student-catered instruction which, by definition, cannot fit completely within any one doctrinally-precise method.
Class:
Day one: Pistol – Began with basic safety, concise lecture, then right to drills so that Chris could assess our skill level and teach accordingly. Each student individually received in-depth analysis and instruction catered to the specific student’s strengths and weaknesses. This was not a one-method-fits-all class. Chris worked to correct errors, but he also suggested differing strategies or methods dependent on a student’s characteristics. If you can imagine there exists a spectrum of correct shooting methods, Chris trained only within that spectrum, but also throughout the entire spectrum. In my other limited experience with trainers, I have noticed that some tend to teach only at one narrow point within the spectrum irrespective of individual student characteristics. Lots of drills, lots of slow fire bullseye under differing conditions, lots of fast fire, lots of shooting after physical exertion (i.e., running), etc. Lots of focus on details. Did not shoot while actually moving, though. That normally would have come the next day, but T/L and I opted for carbine intro the following day.
Day Two: Carbine – Slower beginning because in this area T/L and I were complete and total beginners. Range lecture on the interworkings of the AR platform, training theories, marksmanship, stance, safety, etc. Then, onto shooting for marksmanship from ranges of 7 yards out to 200 yards. Here, again, lots of focus on student characteristics and training catered to each individual student (same as described above under the pistol section). More shooting positions than I can remember. Then off to the short range for speedier work. The carbine class is physically demanding. The relatively light-weight AR platform became quite heavy for me by the end of the day. I now have a high appreciation for very light builds and will be putting one together as soon as funds and time allow (both are perpetually in short supply these days).
Overall Assessment/Reaction:
Class was very enjoyable. Chris has an excellent personality for this type of work. He is able to maintain authority and control while also being friendly and respectful to his students. This is a difficult thing for teachers/instructors to manage. Often, teachers of all sorts (firearms, classroom, college, etc.) will have either authority/control or friendliness/respectfulness, rarely both. Chris has both. It’s obvious he loves to teach, and he’s excellent at it.
More important than the class’s enjoyableness, however, is the fact the the students improved markedly in their physical skill and knowledge.
T/L and I burned out earlier than we would’ve liked. I did not expect the physical demand of carrying and training with a carbine all day in the 105 degree AZ heat. It was exhausting. I am not out of shape, per se, and T/L is in-fact in excellent shape. Nonetheless, in order to keep up a regular and productive carbine training schedule, I decided I needed to increase certain areas of upper body strength. Holding a carbine’s foregrip steady for prolonged periods of time engages all sorts of strange little arm/joint muscles & tendons, etc., that I didn’t even know existed. I also decided that good cardiovascular fitness is quite helpful as well. Just an observation.
Other:
Also received a great deal of valuable advice on books, theories, gear, and firearms – based on real world use and experience.
In Short:
Excellent instruction by both my and P/V’s account. Highly Recommend.
I hope this provided the reader with valuable, even though general, information.
Take care.
P/V.
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. Snarky and easily butt hurt. Favorite animal is the Cape Buffalo....likely indicative of a personality disorder.
Originally Posted by SeriousStudent
