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Found 12 results

  1. Great News !!! http://www.hanovertownship.com/Minutes/BOA/2013/10-17-13.pdf
  2. Back in late April I attended the GunForHire Urban Pistol 3 class at the GFH Area 51 location. You can see my previous review where I used my Walther PPS 9mm here: http://njgunforums.c...post__p__472642 Today I headed down to the Winslow location to retake the Urban Pistol 3 class. As I have recently started competing in IDPA I decided to use my Sig P226 9mm (USPSA sub-model) rather than the Walther PPQ or PPS. We had a mix of students, about 13 in all as we had some cancellations due to the forthcoming storm. As per last time there was a mix of firearms including 2 Berettas, my Sig P226, an M&P, a CZ and a few Glocks with calibers of 9mm, .40S&W and .45ACP. I had a few failures to feed and double feeds with the Aguila 124gr 9mm (495 rounds shot in total) which was disappointing however this gives real practice at clearing malfunctions on the move. I then switched to my standard Speer Lawman 124gr 9mm and had no further issues (although this was only 186 rounds) There were enough differences from the prior Urban Pistol 3 to ensure that the class remained interesting and new even for the repeat students. Previously we started with dot drills, this time we instead used different targets to the usual GFH targets and had timed drills of shooting 10 shots in 10 seconds at 10 yards; followed by 10 shots in 10 seconds at 7 yards, and finally 10 shots in 5 seconds at 5 yards - all from drawing from the holster. This drill quickly highlighted any issues with trigger control, trigger reset and sight picture which we then focused on before return back to the 10/10/10 drills where the students typically saw noticeable improvements. Following the above 'warm up' we moved through a variety of standard Urban Pistol (UP) drills, although pushed to the next level, e.g. for the barricades you had to switch between strong and weak handed shooting, there was shooting on the move, the famous UP3 'Catch Up' drill which was run a few times; and then more of an obstacle course which included crawling through a giant 'barrel' and shooting followed by some scenarios in and around a vehicle. We finished the day by setting up and clearing a shoot house which demonstrated the need for pieing, working angles, identifying the targets, being aware of your surroundings etc. A number of these exercises were undertaken paired with another student which changes the approach significantly. Compared to the previous UP3 the key differences were: Winslow rather than Area 51 - Winslow is a better location however an extra 80-90 minutes drive for me The warm up Dot Drills were different as this time we had 10 shots at a variety of distances/times - I preferred this as isn't something you can typically practise at a normal indoor range. More use of Steel for shooting - I like Steel so this is another positive The 'obstacle course' - not really sure what to call this however last time we never had to crawl through large 'barrels' and shoot. The shoot house - this was fun! This time around we didn't try shooting at 60 yards and didn't do the figure 8 drills. While Urban Pistol 3 continues to drill in on the fundamentals, you are moving and shooting in much closer proximity to other students which changes the dynamics. Compared to my last run through of UP3 back in late April I noticed a clear improvement in my accuracy and overall shooting, particularly in the Catch Up drill where Joe (Instructor) tried twice to follow and catch me and FAILED!!!!!!!!!!! One big positive about the GunForHire classes is you can retake any class as an Alumni which gives a 50% discount, so for $125 I received a full day of training. In total I shot 681 rounds and had a great day. I should also add it was good to see IrishPete and IrishPete'sWife again, in addition to meeting some others from NJGunForums and other fellow shooting enthusiasts from NJ/NY. Well worth attending! TheWombat
  3. In August I took a 1:1 training session with Chuck @ GunForHire and posted my review, which was overwhelmingly a positive experience, here I decided to go for a follow up 1:1 session yesterday evening to help focus on some of the development areas from my first 3 IDPA competitions and also to undertake some training that can't be done at the standard range. Once again, for continuity, Chuck was my instructor. I had emailed some specific areas I wanted to focus on and Chuck created a session around those. During the 3 hours: 1) Chuck reviewed 5 videos from my IDPA competitions and was able to ascertain some of the fundamentals that needed to be worked upon. 2) We then moved to the F.A.T.S simulation and they ran me through around 10 or so scenarios. They supplied me with a Sig P229 F.A.T.S firearm as I am currently using my Sig rather than the Walther. If you've never tried F.A.T.S then I can say it is very humbling in showing exactly where you are aiming and quickly highlights any trigger and sight picture issues. After each scenario Chuck would play back the scenario with my muzzle/shots overlaid and then explain what went well and where I needed to focus more on my fundamentals. As I focused on the fundamentals the results improved. 3) We then moved to the range, having the full 25yds x 25yds open space to ourselves. Chuck set up some cones, barricades and targets and then told me to start sprinting from side to side across the width of the range.. WTF!!!! I didn't realize I'd get a fitness workout included :-) Joe was nice enough to come and sprint alongside me and show me that I'm getting old! After 3-4 widths of sprinting, Chuck would call out a position and instructions, e.g. left cone, 2 and 4, kneeling; move to right barricade, pelvis shot; etc The above sprint->firing scenario was repeated 15 or so times; before we moved on to something different. Once again throughout the ~2 hours on the range Chuck focused on my fundamentals - trigger control, sight picture, upper body position. The purpose of this was to force me to focus through the adrenaline, oxygen starvation and ensure I still hit my targets. As a technique it worked well and by the end of the session I was mentally drained from the level of focus I was needing to apply. Excluding the F.A.T.S I shot 550 rounds live fire. The session was set up so I reached the point of diminishing returns at the session end. I've kept the summary above very high level - suffice to say there were other tricks that Chuck (and Joe when he was being "helpful") incorporated to ensure I had to think through malfunctions and other items. This is by far the best Training Session to date. I got home exhausted - physically and mentally, however I learnt far more than I had expected. The big positive with continuing the sessions with Chuck and Gun For Hire is that both the single and group sessions continue to build on each other since both Chuck and Joe know my level of experience and developmental areas well by now. Thanks to Chuck & Gun For Hire - summay take away is .. focus on the shooting fundamentals! TheWombat
  4. I signed up for some 1:1 training with GunForHire and had a couple or so hours with Chuck today. This was probably the hardest/toughest but best training I've had to date. Getting the 1:1 feedback really made a difference in my technique and in solving some of the inconsistencies I was finding due to my stance, sight picture and trigger control that are not possible during a standard class with many students. Definitely worth the time/effort, came back exhausted. Shot around 250 rounds between the PPQ and Sig P226. Now I just have to repeat the exercises during my RTSP trips. It was very rewarding to see my groups at 10 yards significantly improve during the couple of hours and really shows how much difference technique makes - i.e. I am limiting my accuracy rather than the firearm. At the start of the class Chuck asked me what I'd like to focus on, I showed him the Travis Haley target from my recent RTSP trip (http://njgunforums.c...-target-drills/) where I had struggled to hit 5 shots in 5 dots. We tried 5 dots at 3 yards, then switched to 3/5/7/10 yards exercises with the GFH targets and focusing on technique including stance, arms, grip, sigh picture, trigger control etc. Exercises included rapid 2 shot, 1 shot; 3 shot, 2 shot and transitions to targets that were to my left and right. All the time focus on the core fundamentals. For the last exercise of the day we switched back to the Travis Haley target and I scored multiple 5 shots, 5 dots Highly recommended for anyone looking to improve their technique with some good, constructive feedback from the Instructor. A+++ TheWombat
  5. Last Sunday I attended a Gun For Hire Simunition Survival Day, the course description is: "Push yourself to your limits with Gun For Hire's Simunition survival day. The Simunition survival day is 8 hours of non-stop force-on-force training using the Simunition FX marking cartridge. The students will be put into several scenarios that will push themselves to their limits. The scenarios will range from active shooter scenarios to street robberies to car jackings. As a bonus each student can think of one real world scenario they would like to put themselves in and push themselves to the ultimate breaking point. This class is not for the novice or beginner. All students must be graduates of the Gun For Hire Level 1 Simunition course to attend this class. This class will be conducted at a 42,000 square foot heated office building making the scenario possibilities endless. " The course description is a good reflection of the day and for those who have already taken the FonF Active Shooter then think of this as "Active Shooter on steroids". There were 9 students, 4 instructors. The day started with a brief recap of safety and techniques before moving into the scenarios. In all I believe we played out around 8-10 different individual scenarios including an office active shooter, bank robbery, grocery store hold up, leaving a cinema, domestic dispute and car jackings to name some. For each scenario run-through the students would play one of 3 roles.. an innocent unarmed civilian, the armed civilian, or one or more of the agitators with the scenarios being played out one time for each student as the armed civilian, so there is no real sitting around waiting for your turn and in total well over 60+ run-throughs were covered during the day. The scenarios and structure work well, giving the opportunity to see how others tackle similar situations (albeit Jo/Chuck/Mac made changes within each scenario so every student had different situations to deal with). We had some amusing moments with the highlight being a Miami Vice style roll across the floor to reach cover. It also helps show the positive/negative implications of how you carry with a student racking the slide of an already loaded Simunitions firearm as they drew from their holster as the student typically carried with the chamber empty. Overall an excellent day, it continues to reinforce the challenges facing a legally armed civilian, questions such as: How can you spot a potentially escalating situation How can you keep aware of what is happening around you in an escalating situation How can you defuse a potential escalating situation without using your firearm When do you decide to draw your firearm When do you decide to shoot Who do you decide to shoot (particularly if there could be multiple agitators) When other civilians are around how do you ensure you are not perceived as a(nother) aggressor The risks to an armed civilian when unarmed civilians are panicking around them What happens when the Police arrive etc I wore my heart rate monitor to gauge how my pulse reacted in one of the scenarios. My normal resting heart rate is 64 bpm, while awaiting outside the room for a scenario to start my heart rate increased to between 110-130 bpm and during a scenario my heart rate peaked at 164 bpm. That in itself was interesting as it matches a hard cardio workout at the gym. So far the best Simunitions training day by far and my thanks to Joe, Chuck, Mac and Pilar (and the other students). TheWombat
  6. I attended the Gun For Hire Low Light level 2 class. It's a 3-4 hour class held at the GFH Academy location which is a 25 yard x 25 yard indoor range without formal lanes to prevent moving and shooting. For those that have undertaken the Urban Pistol classes then Low Light level 2 can be summarized as similar to Urban Pistol 2, but with the lights switched off... yes complete pitch black other than the little flashlight (except for Irish Pete) or weapon mounted light you may have. For those that haven't taken Urban Pistol then there is a lot of 'shooting and moving', use of barricades etc, all in the dark. There were 5 students in the class, so it is a little smaller than the standard GFH classes since there is more solo or 'by twos' work due to ensuring safety at all times and needing to move within the full 25 yds x 25 yds space. We started with a quick refresh of draw, shoot, step, holster using either flashlight or weapon mounted light for illumination. I was the only student with both a weapon mounted light and a matching holster, which gave a big advantage. I used the Walther PPQ and the Viridian C5L, and shot 281 rounds during the session. The remaining students had to utilize their flashlights and shoot one handed or semi-supported. The SureFire Fury 500 lumen flashlight that I had with me was superb. Very very bright! Following the quick refresh we moved on to a series of ever more complex and dynamic moving and shooting scenarios, barricades etc including shoot/don't shoot target identification with turning targets. If you've never tried reloading and clearing malfunctions while moving and shooting in the dark then it definitely adds an additional level of complexity. Some definite takeaways for me though: It's been a month since I was last shooting the PPQ and the only shooting I've undertaken in between has been with other firearms. This meant that with the added challenge of the darkness I was not as smooth with the PPQ load/reload/drop mag as I should have been. This showed me some of the challenges of switching between different weapons platforms and not continuing to practice in between. I had 5 failures (double feeds/stove pipes) today with the PPQ while shooting one handed with a flashlight being held in my mouth to simulate one arm being injured (the only time I wasn't using the weapon mounted light). These were all due to limp wristing (i.e. user error). It is clear I need to practice yet more on the one handed shooting. On the positive side I managed to clear each one without too much trouble. In one scenario I used the laser and light, rather than just the light. It was my first real time using the laser and while it can make it easier to hit the target, it also acts as a distraction from not using the sights. Overall a good course, Joe & Chuck were the instructors and kept up the friendly banter and ensured we all were safe throughout. Verdict: Recommended! TheWombat
  7. I attended the Civilian Response to an Active Shooter Situation course at Gun For Hire (GFH). It is a two day course, with the first day predominantly focused on some case studies from the US and overseas followed by some practice of basic techniques without firing. The main instructors are Joe and Chuck, who also are the instructors for Simunitions, Urban Pistol etc. The second day continues with some basic techniques before moving into live-fire (with simunitions) scenarios. In total we had around 12 students, 3 instructors and 2 assistants helping out. The course description is: "One out of every three Americans have the legal right to carry a concealed weapon. With this ratio it is no surprise that 75% of all active shooter incidents have been stopped by a armed civilian. While Law Enforcement spends hours upon hours training for such an incident, civilians have little to no training in responding to such incidents. The Gun For Hire Active Shooter Response Cours for Civilians is a 2 day 16 hour course that will provide the student with the tactics and knowledge to properly respond to an Active Shooter Situation. This class is an absolute must for anyone that has a CCW Permit, Security Guards both Armed and Unarmed as well as any group or venue that hosts large events (Church's, Malls, Synagogues, etc). The course will begin with a review of several Active Shooter events and proceed into legal issues when responding to an Active Shooter Situation. The course will then move into showing the student proper tactics and procedures to use when responding to an incident. This course will combine both class room and hands on training to include live fire range exercises. This course will culminate with a force on force scenario using simunition training equipment. Topics Covered in this course will include, Case Studies of Active Shooter Events in the U.S. and Abroad Legal responsibilities of the Armed Civilian and Security Guard Responding to an Active Shooter incident with your Family Present Building Search Tactics and Techniques Proper Selection and use of Cover Close Quarter Tactical Pistol Training Response to incidents in Large Open areas (Church,Mall,Synagogue,etc) Shoot Don't Shoot situations First Aid for Self and Victims What to do upon Law Enforcement Arrival Dealing with the after effects of an incident" During the scenarios when I was the armed civilian reacting to the Active Shooter my heart rate probably passed 160 bpm - next time I will bring my heart rate monitor along to see. In the scenarios where we are not the armed civilian responding we instead act as the scared civilians who are caught in the situation (running around, screaming, dying etc) which provides a great opportunity to watch the responding student and see how they take the techniques covered in the last day and a half, and prior courses such as Urban Pistol, and apply them (or not) in response to the scenarios. In terms of overall feedback on the course. It is very useful as part of a broader training regime and teaches much more than just shooting paper at the range It makes it very clear the importance of continually training on technique/tactics so that when the adrenaline kicks in you continue to use these due to muscle memory For $250 for the 2 day class, it is good value considering the facilities and instructor ratio I'd recommend taking Urban Pistol 1 & 2, and also the standard Simunitions Level 1 as a prerequisite so you get the most out of the two days - otherwise you will struggle with information overload This class is a recent addition for GFH, so I expect we'll see further tweaks to the content (e.g. case studies) and scenarios as the students provide feedback While we didn't get time to cover all of the topics in detail, we did receive a good grounding on some fundamentals to take away and practice, practice, practice. I anticipate we'll see another Simunitions class being offered at the same location, which will be a full day of just Simunitions scenarios (with no theory), which will be a great follow on for people who have attended this Active Shooter class. As ever, these courses help reinforce my belief that Force on Force training and classes like Urban Pistol are an absolute must for anyone wishing to Conceal Carry, if you want to maximize your ability to respond effectively (and appropriately) in a real life situation. Once the adrenaline starts pumping, and its a real life scenario the fact that you can shoot 2 inch groups at 20 yards at the range means very little. MrsWombat couldn't make the course, however I'll be going again sometime and will ensure MrsWombat can make it. OldGlockGuy from NJGunForum was also at the class, so good to meet up (again) TheWombat
  8. I spent the afternoon at the Essex Police Academy indoor range attending a Gun For Hire course. This time it was the Low Light, No Light Level 1. From chatting to other forum members the course has previously been held at Bayonne Pistol Range so I was pleased to see it now being offered at the Essex Police Academy location. The course is the first out of 3 levels for Low Light, No Light. The description is: "The Low-Light Pistol Class will serve as an introduction to operating in a no-light or low light situation. The student will be introduced to various shooting positions using both a hand held flash light and weapon mounted light. The student will progress from dry fire exercises to live fire training in a low-light and no light shooting situation. Topics covered to include, Proper Selection of hand held and weapon mounted light system. Use of Night Sights Operating in Low Light Vision Conditions One handed shooting techniques Multiple shooting positions using the flashlight. Multiple targets,Shooting on the move while using the flash light Weapon Manipulation in Low Light Conditions (reloads,malfunctions) Proper Techniques of Building Search while using the flash light" There were ~10-11 students and 3 instructors (Joe, Mac and Pilar). The session started with a PowerPoint presentation covering the different aspects, some practice with training firearms and then we moved to the range. For the day I had the Walther PPQ equiped with a Viridian C5L light/laser, a Kaluban Cloak holster and Comp-Tac magazine and flashlight holder for the additional SureFire G2 I had with me. Among the other students there was a mix of firearms (including a Colt 1911, Beretta, Springfield XD, H&K P30, Glocks and others), lights and holsters. There were a few equipment malfunctions due to magazines, holsters and technique. I see that as a positive since it is better to find out the issues on a training course rather than when you are in a real altercation. For my ammunition I used 50 Speer Gold Dot 124gr +P and 175 Sellier & Bellot 124gr. It was the first time I have shot in proper low light situations and then in total darkness. During the course we tried various different techniques for holding a flashlight, as well as using our weapon mounted lights (for those that had them). Overall the course was good and I learnt a few useful takeaways to consider in using a firearm for personal defense: It is important to have a good flashlight - The SureFire G2 seemed to work well There are times when having a weapon mounted light and a separate flashlight is beneficial Using the flashlight takes practice as the various techniques all have pros/cons Shooting one handed takes practice in order not limp wrist Holstering and reloading in low light/darkness takes practice The Viridian C5L worked well, as did the rest of my gear, and having the green laser as an aid on some of the exercises was beneficial. My Trijicons (green front/orange rear) were also easy to see and use. I met a forum member on the course (hello!) and also one of student who was on the prior Urban Pistol course I attended. An enjoyable afternoon! TheWombat
  9. In November MrsWombat and I attended a Gun For Hire (GFH) Step 2 pistol course. This is a non-NRA class which was held at the Cedar Grove Essex County College Police Academy. The range is fantastic and well worth going on a course in order to see! The standard GFH Step 2 course is typically expected to be a 1:1 or up to a total of 4 students and has the following requirements "You will need a strong side holster, modern firearm, three magazines or speed loaders, 200 rounds of factory ammo, and eye and ear protection. Knee pads and cover garment are optional." The course description mentions that the course will cover: Strong Hand Shooting Weak Hand Shooting Strong Side Cover Weak Side Cover Reloading - Stress and Rapid Controlled Groups Shooting Over Cover Shooting Under Cover Holster or Concealment Draw & More.... For our specific Step 2 course however GFH were offering a significantly discounted course with more students (~8). We still covered the majority of the above items, such as shooting from cover (strong and weak side), moving and shooting, dot drills, holster drawing, controlled groups, reloading. In total we shot around 75 rounds so with the additional students we probably didn't cover all the exercises in as much detail as a 1:1 or smaller group training would have. I was actually surprised at how few rounds it was when I got home and had to recount since it felt like far more. Shooting from around cover, both strong and weak side takes some practice, and has made me think more about how we would react on a home invasion for example. With the set up in the range the cover can be moved around to change the distance and sideways offset to the targets. It was overall a great training day, we both enjoyed it and MrsWombat outshot me when the pressure was on. Having Anthony shout 'threat', and then having to draw and fire without taking a long pause to aim seems to make a difference! The Step 2 course has given me some very practical and useful drills to try at our normal range and to try at home with our Airsoft setup. note: We also attended the NRA Step 1 Class that was held in the morning as a refresher since we're fairly new to firearms. I've previously attended an NRA Basic Pistol which I believe is a more thorough introduction for a new shooter. Overall Step 2 is recommended! TheWombat
  10. MrsWombat and I have just returned home from the GFH Urban Pistol 1 & 2 courses held by GunForHire at Cedar Grove. Our instructors were Joe and Chuck (who both also run the Simunitions). Urban Pistol 1 Course Description: 'This course will serve as an introduction to Urban Pistol Shooting for the novice shooter. The course will begin with the fundamentals of shooting on move into tactical pistol shooting drills. Topics covered to include safety, fundamentals of shooting, drawing, multiple targets, shooting positions, shooting on the move, shooting behind cover. Moving with a loaded weapon and basic building search technique' There were 6 students, which is the perfect size to allow for learning from others while keeping a rapid pace to the course. There is no theory/PowerPoint presentations - the entire class is held in the range. We started on some dot drills, multiple shots and drawing from holster. What stance is preferred, how to move forwards and backwards and how to use cover effectively. We shot about 300 to 350 rounds each and the class was well put together and run safely. Having the ability to practice moving and shooting was great. Handling some of the malfunctions (forced and accidental) that firearms may have while having some degree of pressure was perfect, and it was interesting to see which firearms had no issues (PPQ) and which had some issues (no comment.... ) Urban Pistol 2 Course Description: 'This 4 hour course is an advanced Urban Pistol shooting course not for the faint hearted. The course will begin with a quick review of the fundamentals and move right into advanced shooting techniques. Topics covered to include safety, fundamentals review, drawing, reloads, malfunctions, multiple targets, shooting positions, shooting on the move, shooting behind cover. Moving from cover to cover position with a loaded weapon. Shooting from motor vehicles. Basic building search to include follow on rooms.' There were 9 students (5 from the Urban Pistol 1) and 4 students who had taken the UP1 at a previous time. The level 2 stepped up the pressure considerably, including items such as: Shooting while lying on your back Shooting while sitting in a chair Moving sideways (as well as backwards and forwards) Shoot, don't shoot scenarios Taking on a multiple targets with hostage situations while moving through a 20yd by 25yd course of fire, including moving forwards, backwards, sideways etc More advanced shooting from cover etc Exercises covering clearing malfunctions and reloading while moving We shot about 300 to 350 rounds each and the class, as per Urban Pistol 1, was well put together and run safely. Summary Well worth while attending, we were able to practice situations that would absolutely happen in real life that would not be able to be practiced in a normal shooting range session. So far I'd rate it on par with Simunitions in terms of the learning. Both MrsWombat and I found some changes/tweaks we need to make to our holsters, mag pouches etc which we would not have uncovered just shooting normally at a range. In addition it reinforces the differences that occur to one's technique between standard range practice and a more realistic scenario. Now I have additional tips to help continue to drill in good behaviours. I would rate the class overall as a solid 'A'. In total with the PPQ I shot 600 rounds between the two classes (550 Winchester Whitebox 124gr NATO and 50 Sellier & Belot 124gr) and had no failures of any type (other than those purposefully introduced by the instructors as part of the training). There was a mix of firearms being used by students including Kimber 1911, Sig, Springfield XD, Glock, Beretta 92 and the PPQ. The students who had the more simple firearms typically had far fewer issues (either with the user or the firearm) And a big thank you to Joe and Chuck for making the long day fun, interesting, safe and a great learning experience. :-) TheWombat
  11. MrsWombat and I just attended the GFH Self Defense Pen Class. This is an 8 hour class in the Belleville location. The course is run by Atienza Kali. There were around 10 students and 10 instructors (although I may have my numbers slightly wrong) however it was about a 1:1 ratio. It is an entirely practical class, no sitting down or Powerpoints to watch. The class focuses around 9 target points on a human at which to strike, and goes through various hands on training routines to begin to drill these in. MrsWombat and I got a little excitable with trying to disable each other and I can say that even a blunt pen is very effective! Later in the class we used our own tactical pens to shred cardboard to help demonstrate how little force is needed. The last 20 minutes of the class was an introduction on how to approach the same techniques with a knife. Everything taught on the course could be applied and integrated with any pre-existing defense/martial arts training you may have including firearms. Carry a few bic biros or other standard pens/pencils is all that is needed. Buying a $20 tactical pen is not necessary, albeit it can add a little extra to the penetration. Overall the class was very good, I'd rate it highly in understanding how deadly even a bic biro or a blunt sharpie marker can be and how these everyday items can be used for defense when firearms or other weapons are not available. The course price is $150, the trainers were helpful, professional and experienced. Safety was paramount and the instructors were the pin-cushions until students became more familiar with the moves. Overall - I'd recommend this class. Thanks to GFH and the Atienza Kali team thanks TheWombat
  12. Back in December I had the opportunity to attend a Gun For Hire (GFH) Force on Force Simunitions class (Force on Force Civilian Simulation Training Level 1) at the GFH Belleville site. The course description mentions the following topics are covered (and they were): Safety Proper Use of Force on Force Training Equipment Mental Mindset Legal Considerations of the Armed Home Owner, CCW Holder Home Defense Considerations CCW Holder Considerations ( Gear selection and Placement ETC. ) Realistic Force on Force Scenarios ( Set up to mirror your home defense plan or your CCW equipment layout ) A video tape review of all force on force training scenarios completed that day and recommendations by our top Simunition and Law Enforcement Instructors on ways you can improve survival chances in a real world deadly force encounter There were 3 students in the class, a married couple and myself, so it was a small group. The class begins with a presentation covering some legal and practical considerations for a armed home owner or CCW carrier. This in itself was very useful as the laws on when you can and cannot act were clarified for me and included some examples. Following the presentation and Q&A we moved into the 'house' for the scenarios, the 'house' has a number of real rooms, furniture etc etc. I won't give too much away however since if you attend it will be more valuable to experience it without knowing fully what to expect. I will say that the firearms used are realistic (glocks), with recoil, brass ejecting, noise, magazines etc. The pellets when they hit you do cause some discomfort or pain (e.g. if hit on the hand), however with the face masks on and the ground rules in place the training is safe. These are definitely not Airsoft pistols. We had two instructors, one typically on the video camera to record the session and the other as the intruder. In some cases we had two intruders. The scenarios play out relatively quickly, they set the heart beating, and while I had some degree of "it's just a game", there is definitely sufficient adrenaline and fight/flight feelings to add real value to the training. In one scenario I was an unarmed visitor at a friend's house, and ended up being executed due to the friend's actions (or inactions)! That in itself was an experience! Overall I would rate the course favourably. GFH are also building a much larger compound for Force on Force training which will be ready some time in 2012 and would make the class outstanding. We had a technical hitch on our session with the video camera taking a dive to the floor which prevented the replay of the scenarios, however this did give us a little extra time to play some additional scenarios instead. My only other comment would be that depending on the group size the number of scenarios undertaken may differ. I will be returning to try the training with MrsWombat since I saw some very valuable lessons being learnt by the married couple who attended. I have also made some adjustments in our home based on the experiences from the day. The training reinforces my belief that just shooting paper targets in a range will not prepare most people for a real life scenario, whether it is being partially awake/disorientated, having to draw/find a weapon, having to make a decision as to whether to shoot someone, having to protect a loved one or find cover v concealment. Force on Force is therefore a valuable aspect to a broader training regime, it is also fun! Recommended! TheWombat
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