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Thread: Current Quality Firearms Instructors - Give me your list!

  1. #21
    Have trained with:

    Tom Givens (pistol, shotgun)
    Lee Weems (pistol, shotgun)
    Randy Harris (pistol, informal shotgun and rifle)
    Karl Rehn (pistol, FOF)
    Steve Fisher (RDS pistol)
    John Murphy (personal defense tactics)

    I can recommend them all for the above areas. As said above, Murphy’s class is probably the best “if you can only have one” option. Karl Rehn offers an excellent FOF environment for private citizens and plus he lets you pretend to rob liquor stores. I was pleasantly surprised with the quality of Steve Fisher’s instruction.

  2. #22
    Leopard Printer Mr_White's Avatar
    Join Date
    Feb 2011
    Location
    Gaming In The Streets
    Quote Originally Posted by Les Pepperoni View Post
    Why Gabe White isn't at the top of this list is beyond me... @Mr_White

    I'd also point out our own @Paul Sharp - Rev Pistol was one of the best fundamentals classes I ever took.

    Mickey at Carrytrainer has some good info - solid place to begin building a good mindset.
    I couldn't find a bowing or hat off emoticon, but... many thanks Les! I deeply appreciate your very kind praise.
    Technical excellence supports tactical preparedness
    Lord of the Food Court
    http://www.gabewhitetraining.com

  3. #23
    Site Supporter
    Join Date
    Nov 2013
    Location
    Illinois
    I've trained with Gabe and Tim Herron.

    They were both outstanding classes and I learned a lot of very useful things from them.

    Sent from my moto g(6) using Tapatalk

  4. #24
    Site Supporter
    Join Date
    Feb 2014
    Location
    Midwest
    Of instructors I have personally trained with:

    Mike Pannone - incredible depth of experience as well as understanding of the science/physiology of shooting.
    Ernest Langdon - particularly regarding DA/SA, few with his level of experience teaching.
    Larry Vickers - a bit arrogant, but I left with a much better understanding of trigger control than I came in with.
    Pat Macnamera - I didn’t feel like I was being instructed, but I learned a lot.
    John McFee - the pistol diagnostics on video is very helpful, it’s not what you think you did, you can see what you actually did.
    Polite Professional

  5. #25
    Member
    Join Date
    Feb 2016
    Location
    SF Bay Ahea
    Erick Gelhaus of Cougar Mountain Solutions.

  6. #26
    Member Sauer Koch's Avatar
    Join Date
    Sep 2016
    Location
    New Orleans
    Of people I’ve trained with, my very short list is:

    Darryl Bolke
    Gabe White
    Craig Douglas
    *each is my favorite, for different reasons.

    My wife & I will be training again with Darryl again at the end of the month, and I plan to train with Craig & Gabe again as well.
    Ive never trained with Ernest Langdon, or Tom Givens, but hope to in the future.

  7. #27
    Site Supporter
    Join Date
    Nov 2012
    Location
    Erie County, NY
    Rehn, Givens, Ayoob
    Add
    Claude Werner
    Dave Spaulding

  8. #28
    Schools/Instructors I've trained with:

    Paul Howe (CSAT)
    Mike Pannone
    Bill Rapier
    Kyle Defoor
    Tom Givens
    Jeff Gonzales
    Shrek McPhee
    John Murphy
    Will Petty
    Mas Ayoob
    Greg Ellifritz
    Chuck Haggard
    Craig Douglas
    Steve Fisher
    Tim Chandler
    Ashton Ray
    Green Ops
    Karl Rehn
    Practically Tactical/Defensive Elements
    Joe Weyer
    Darryl Bolke
    Kelly McCann
    Jason Kelly
    Suarez International
    Tom Perroni
    Ben DeWalt

    (Damn! Why am I not a Grand Master???). Not all were handgun (or even firearms) courses.

    Anyway, I'd recommend them all (except Suarez). Some more than others though. Ones that really clicked for me were Givens, Murphy, Howe, Pannone, Ellifritz, Chandler/Ray, Craig Douglas, and, the odd ones here, the PracTac crew. I haven't seen anyone else in this thread mention them, as I guess their following is still rather small. But, I gotta say, I did their Force on Force class last year (called "Who Are You With a Gun?".....link to my blog's AAR is here on this site in the class reviews section), and now, about a year after I took it, I have to regard it as probably the best class I have ever taken, and I'm currently signed up to take it again in July. While these guys regard themselves as "nobodies", they have the benefit of some great mentors including Will Petty, Joe Weyer, and a guy who often appears on their podcasts (and is one of my mentors as well as a mentor of many others on my list above), "Coach Gary". So it's not like they're coming up with stuff out of thin air. I honestly used to be a little put off by their sort of "immature" nature on their podcasts, but they are definitely maturing AND are gifted teachers (side note: I'm a teacher by trade). So I thought I'd throw some love their way (not affiliated with them except as a paying customer).

  9. #29
    People I have learned from in-person, in no particular order, and possibly missing a few, who I have learned much from in the past 30 years:

    Larry Mudgett
    Ed Head
    Jeff Cooper
    Erick Gelhaus
    Pat Rogers
    Il-ling New
    Walter Wilkinson
    Randy Cain
    Eric Olds
    Joseph Knapp
    Joe Avila
    Freddie Blish
    Lew Gosnell
    Dave Hartman
    Steve Hendricks
    Larry Landers
    Charlie McNeese
    Joe Nassetta
    Steve Tarani
    Randy Watt

    Every one of those people would be on my list of who I would want to have my back, if the red flag were flown.

  10. #30
    Chasing the Horizon RJ's Avatar
    Join Date
    Jan 2014
    From a "value for money" point of view, the three days I spent at Tactical Conference in Memphis in 2016 were outstanding. Being new to shooting at the time it was like drinking from a fire hose. I probably hold the record for subsequent failed attempts to attend subsequent conferences due to circumstances beyond my control, unfortunately (3).

    I've taken Tom Givens Combative Pistol class twice, in June 2017 and March 2020. I would recommend Tom's class unreservedly for any safe, fairly new to shooting person, especially for civilian concealed carry. Tom is an outstanding teacher and his curriculum is densely packed and hugely relevant to daily self defense with a gun.

    I trained with Gabe two times, one at a private class in Clackamas and once in his Pistol Shooting Solutions class in Lakeland FL in 2018. It is excellent. Gabe has clearly thought long and hard about what he wants to accomplish in class, and the challenge of the four exercises to earn a pin (I did not, missed a dark pin; had two Dark pin timed standard runs out of the 4 required) really focus your mind. I would like to schedule another class with Gabe if he's in FL again; proof that I am snake bit with scheduling, I had to drop out of the second Gabe class I was in due to overriding work/travel commitments.

    I took in a lecture in Tampa from Ed Mireles in 2018 that was absolutely fascinating. As you probably know, Ed was involved in the famous Miami FBI Shootout in 1986. Hearing the story directly from him was spellbinding.

    There is one class I would not take again, or at least I would weigh the pros and cons. It was Frank Proctor's Performance Pistol Class in Cresson TX in 2017. While there is no doubt Frank is a high performance shooter, and has a lot of interesting things to say, I felt he was "teaching at the class", rather than "teaching". There was no round accountability. Targets were only replaced each day. I could have missed every shot and no one would notice.

    I've heard good things about Tim Herron. I was scheduled for one of his classes in GA early this year, but unfortunately the host canceled unexpectedly.

    Besides these, I've taken a number of local Action Pistol classes, as well as a GSW/First Aid class through a first responder.

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