HiTS Revolver Round Up

[Mike Pipes]

HiTS Dallas Tx Oct 3/4 2015

Disclaimer...My first language is North Louisianian,My second is Southern so if I confuse you please forgive me.

Instructors were Daryl Bolke, Wayne Dobbs, Chuck Haggard and Claude Werner.

Weather was Texas perfect....low humidity,60-82 degrees and sunny.

My equipment.....S&W mdl 13,rd butt,3", bobbed hammer,trigger face polished by Clark Custom Guns but no action work done, carried in a Milt Sparks Summer Special 2 on a 20 yr old Sparks 1 1/2 belt. I positioned it AIWB at 1:30
With a split 6 speed loader holder at 1:00.
Bugs.......S&W 638 in my right front pocket in a kydex pocket holster by AHOLSTER.
S&W 642 on my left ankle in a Desantis Apache holster.
S&W 642 on my right ankle in a Desantis Apache holster.
Loaders.....HKS and speed strips affectionately called SLOW strips.

Day 1.......8am in the classroom-which is very nice- Wayne started the safety briefing(this ain't your everyday here are the 4 rules) this safety briefing is in depth and excellent! I have heard this brief 6 times and each time I hear it I get something fresh. This time it was....Have ONE way to handle the gun-THE SERIOUS WAY- not a gun show or shop way,or a show my friend way but always handle the weapon as if I was on the line under the watchful eye of these instructors ! The second fresh idea to me was Rule 1&4 are mindset and Rules 2&3 are operational.
Wayne and Daryl then went into what we would be doing on the range. Those 2 flow seamlessly almost finishing each others sentences.
We were on the range shooting about 10am. We started with there 1,2,3 drill from the low ready at 5 yards,that is 1 shot then back to low ready then 2 shots back to low ready then 2 shots above the thorax and 1 to the face. All body shots are on a B8 bullseye and all are expected to be in the black. They held us to those standards.
We then shot the LAPD D Platoon qual back to 25yds. All 4 instructors would critique and help solve problems. We shot variations of this the rest of the day then finished up with a moving box drill shooting a par or more in to the bullseye as Daryl called for a step left or right or back or forward. That required attention to sights,triggers and my foot work.
About 4:30 we broke for supper catered by Hard8 bar b que.......it was some fine!
Daryl had his collection of FIGHTING revolvers spread out on 4 tables complete with leather for our inspection and he gave a lecture on development of the guns and gear. It was good. I finally got to wear my gun to Texacan Bar B Que!

Day 2..........8am Chuck Haggard lectured on the small frame revolver in the BUG role and ammo selection for same.
Chuck said Where we shot people is far far more important than what pistol caliber we use. He talked about tactics,the human anatomy in regards to bullet damage. The more he talked about ammo selection and ALL the variables the more it hit home to me about what he had said earlier,WHERE is more important that WHAT! About 10:30 we went to the range and Chuck shot a dozen self defense loads thru a double layer of denim into a gelatin block. I don't remember what all loads he used but some did what they were suppose to and others did not. The more he shot the more my mind went to WHERE is far far more important that WHAT! 30 caliber or larger is what we are talking about here. Chuck demoed ankle draw,pocket draw,AIWB draw from the ground with a little feller ( Caleb Causey) on top of him simulating a ground fight. We then shot some drills from concealment . Oh by the way I had changed my primary from the 13 to a S&W 349PD in the same AIWB position in a Desantis clip holster.

After lunch Claude Werner lectured on the small frame revolver as a primary.
Claude said Gun safety is to avoid NEGATIVE OUTCOME, carry an intermediate weapon like pepper spray or sapp,just let the gun go off.
We went to the range and Clude brought out 20 different kinds of targets,not really only 4 but it seemed like many more. One was simply white butcher paper with 3 6" circles drawn on it with a 2" colored circle inside the 6" one. The drill was 5 or 6 dry trigger strokes on the top circle then load and fire 1 shot on the 2" circle but for sure stay in the 6". Then open the cylinder and spin and close. Next shot 2 shots then open,rotate cylinder,close. Next shot 2. We got plenty of rolling the trigger practice. Claude then brought out no shoot targets, decision making colored targets.
Claude talked about and demoed loading techniques with slow strips and speedloaders,helping us get the gun close to our bellys for support while loading either way.

I' m sure I've not included a bunch. Great class,great instructors,great facility ! GOOD SHIT I WILL BE BACK NEXT YEAR.......CYA RETRO

[coldcase1984]

Concur with Mr. Mike in all regards.

The facts:

Bolke, Dobbs and Haggard are hard guys with a metric shite ton of time on the point for society. The Tactical Perfessor Mr. Claude is not only mentally tough but analytically astute and a near perfect snubby operator and instructor.(I sensed he had a plan to kill me before class started on Day 1; I bought one his CDs,too, but watched his hands...)

They all possess abilities to both impart knowledge and adjust instructional methods for each student. Particularly enjoyed their horror stories of range and on-duty mishaps/mental failures to mirror most everything I've seen in nearly 28 years of LE/mil service.

Revolver skills were extremely rusty when I arrived Saturday but under their collective tutelage I returned to conscious competence with service and backup wheelies in quick order. Other students ranged in experience from vast to minuscule, but all got adept in short order.

A special tip of the hat to Shayne H.,who Reanimated my-new-to-me but flawed 27-2 3.5-In. Blaster. And to Miss Mary who forced me to accept 51 years of handgun shooting could be humbled by a fairly new shooter who listens to Quality instruction and acts upon it!

And owe much to Wayne for loaning his M15-7 lubricated with unicorn oil (when the 27 went TU about 4 cylinders in). A clear case of "sometimes it IS the Arrow and Not the Indian."

Bolke is a droll, short-shanked yet nimble man-ape with excellent taste in weapons and automobiles and a better beard than mine, dammit!

I loathe him, of course, but would be happy if he, his instructor peers and more than a few of my fellow students were around when difficulties next arise.

Fellow PF members should take advantage of HiTS training at their next opportunity. Tell a buddy; brang a friend!

Professional training accelerates abilities. Period!

[Mike Pipes]

HiTS Dallas Tx Oct 3/4 2015

Disclaimer...My first language is North Louisianian,My second is Southern so if I confuse you please forgive me.

Instructors were Daryl Bolke, Wayne Dobbs, Chuck Haggard and Claude Werner.

Weather was Texas perfect....low humidity,60-82 degrees and sunny.

My equipment.....S&W mdl 13,rd butt,3", bobbed hammer,trigger face polished by Clark Custom Guns but no action work done, carried in a Milt Sparks Summer Special 2 on a 20 yr old Sparks 1 1/2 belt. I positioned it AIWB at 1:30
With a split 6 speed loader holder at 1:00.
Bugs.......S&W 638 in my right front pocket in a kydex pocket holster by AHOLSTER.
S&W 642 on my left ankle in a Desantis Apache holster.
S&W 642 on my right ankle in a Desantis Apache holster.
Loaders.....HKS and speed strips affectionately called SLOW strips.

Day 1.......8am in the classroom-which is very nice- Wayne started the safety briefing(this ain't your everyday here are the 4 rules) this safety briefing is in depth and excellent! I have heard this brief 6 times and each time I hear it I get something fresh. This time it was....Have ONE way to handle the gun-THE SERIOUS WAY- not a gun show or shop way,or a show my friend way but always handle the weapon as if I was on the line under the watchful eye of these instructors ! The second fresh idea to me was Rule 1&4 are mindset and Rules 2&3 are operational.
Wayne and Daryl then went into what we would be doing on the range. Those 2 flow seamlessly almost finishing each others sentences.
We were on the range shooting about 10am. We started with there 1,2,3 drill from the low ready at 5 yards,that is 1 shot then back to low ready then 2 shots back to low ready then 2 shots above the thorax and 1 to the face. All body shots are on a B8 bullseye and all are expected to be in the black. They held us to those standards.
We then shot the LAPD D Platoon qual back to 25yds. All 4 instructors would critique and help solve problems. We shot variations of this the rest of the day then finished up with a moving box drill shooting a par or more in to the bullseye as Daryl called for a step left or right or back or forward. That required attention to sights,triggers and my foot work.
About 4:30 we broke for supper catered by Hard8 bar b que.......it was some fine!
Daryl had his collection of FIGHTING revolvers spread out on 4 tables complete with leather for our inspection and he gave a lecture on development of the guns and gear. It was good. I finally got to wear my gun to a Texacan Bar B Que!

Day 2..........8am Chuck Haggard lectured on the small frame revolver in the BUG role and ammo selection for same.
Chuck said Where we shot people is far far more important than what pistol caliber we use. He talked about tactics,the human anatomy in regards to bullet damage. The more he talked about ammo selection and ALL the variables the more it hit home to me about what he had said earlier,WHERE is more important that WHAT! About 10:30 we went to the range and Chuck shot a dozen self defense loads thru a double layer of denim into a gelatin block. I don't remember what all loads he used but some did what they were suppose to and others did not. The more he shot the more my mind went to WHERE is far far more important that WHAT! 30 caliber or larger is what we are talking about here. Chuck demoed ankle draw,pocket draw,AIWB draw from the ground with a little feller ( Caleb Causey) on top of him simulating a ground fight. We then shot some drills from concealment . Oh by the way I had changed my primary from the 13 to a S&W 340PD in the same AIWB position in a Desantis clip holster.

After lunch Claude Werner lectured on the small frame revolver as a primary.
Claude said Gun safety is to avoid NEGATIVE OUTCOME, carry an intermediate weapon like pepper spray or sapp,just let the gun go off.
We went to the range and Clude brought out 20 different kinds of targets,not really only 4 but it seemed like many more. One was simply white butcher paper with 3 6" circles drawn on it with a 2" colored circle inside the 6" one. The drill was 5 or 6 dry trigger strokes on the top circle then load and fire 1 shot on the 2" circle but for sure stay in the 6". Then open the cylinder and spin and close. Next shoot 2 shots then open,rotate cylinder,close. Next shoot 2. We got plenty of rolling the trigger practice. Claude then brought out no shoot targets, decision making colored targets.
Claude talked about and demoed loading techniques with slow strips and speedloaders,helping us get the gun close to our bellys for support while loading either way.

I' m sure I've not included a bunch. Great class,great instructors,great facility ! GOOD SHIT I WILL BE BACK NEXT YEAR.......CYA RETRO

Additional thoughts........Roll the trigger like paddling a canoe. Roll it smoothly front to back,back to front.
When reloading gravity is your friend. Unloading muzzle should be straight up,loading straight down.
On a counter clockwise turning cylinder gun,like a S&W, close the gun onto the cylinder. This puts the
Rounds ready to fire if you didn't get cylinder fully loaded. For a clockwise turning gun,Colt,close the
Cylinder into the gun.

[Chance]

Wonderful course. Stress-free environment to orient yourself to using revolvers, with plenty of SMEs to learn from. Easily worth the price of admission and then some, even with my subsequent wallet wound.

I would suggest that during the portions of individual shooter assessments, the class might could be split up into sections. One section could shoot the drill, and the other section could be with Chuck going through his BUG demo, then rotate. Darryl already mentioned that sort of conference-style "choose the track you're interested in" was their ultimate goal, and I think that's a great idea.

I will note that the time spent live-firing snubbies was just about the perfect number of rounds. Definitely enough to get a feel for mechanics, without needlessly punishing your hand.

[LittleLebowski]

I don't know much about revolvers. Were this class closer to me, I would borrow one and take it.

[w provence]

It was a great class with top notch instructors. It was a perfect class for me because while I carry my BUG, I don't practice with it enough as I should, so this helped in that respect and also built up my confidence in carrying it and shooting it. I have seen many times with a semi that I have a tendency to shoot to fast so this revolver class helps in the respect of slowing me down and it will relate back to my semi on my next practice session. I'm one of the firearms instructors for my dept. and will be incorporating some of what I learned into our dept. quails coming up this week. Everyone was nice and easy to talk too and after seeing most of them shoot, humbling, because I saw I had a lot to improve on. Thanks everyone for a great couple of days............Bill

[Oldguy]

Move this to the thread.

Taking classes is expensive,but in my opinion worth it. I had zero training with a revolver and almost no exposure to them prior to this class. I left class with more than I paid for.
Chuck thanks for the demos of different carry options and explaining how a revolver may be a better carry option than a semi-auto. Thanks too for showing me an alternative grip .
Claude thank you for the drills and the painted front sight tips. Mine is painted now and it does make a difference. Thank you too for the scary good shooting demos.
Wayne? The high grip and trigger pull. Good stuff.
Daryl. Thank you for the pistol display that helped me ID grip options. The display of your revolvers was awesome. Thank you and Wayne for doing this class.
The students were great too. No attitudes and everyone was willing to answer questions about what they carried and how it worked for them.
Mike I appreciate you talking about holsters and grips. You shot pretty well too. I hope in time I can do half as well.

[jetfire]

I am SO bummed out I wasn't able to make it down for this.

[WoodyTX]

Without a doubt, this was one of the best classes I've ever attended. So much of what I thought I knew, just ain't so.

I left with a pile of notes, a new set of skills (at noob-level, mind you), and a new-found appreciation of the wheelgun and those who have mastered it. Thanks to all of the instructors for this opportunity.

Now, how do I clean these filthy things? I fired many times more revolver rounds this weekend than in my entire life...

[45dotACP]

Will be saving dollas and building up PTO...this class is on my "must go" list.

Also, I've now got a mighty need for a L frame .357

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