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TheWombat

GFH Low Light Level 2

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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

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You've taken waaaaaaaaaaaay more training classes than I have - and you think you're still not ready for USPSA? Lol.

 

The training is nothing to do with USPSA. I just wanted to wait for the Spring to arrive before I tried competing. I'll be at a competition or two in April.

 

:-)

 

TheWombat

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As mentioned above , the low-light level 2 is all about moving in the dark esp. when Shooting, It was absolutely pitch dark in there, No ambient light to see by ( which was perfect in my opinion ).

 

Two other forum members, wombat & old glock guy were there.

 

The student to instructor ratio of 5-2 just cannot be beat, I was hoping it would be less attended then urban pistol ( sorry Anthony ) but having so few students made it the bomb for 1-1 learning.

 

The initial movement drills were a bit like line dancing, so faster shooters were closing with slower shooters or with some one doing a reload.

 

Then we went to only 2 shooters at a time, things really started picking up, Retention grips, moving diagonally and scanning the area all came into play

 

As 2 of my CZ mags are 12 capacity and most drills were 3 shot bursts, I twice holstered an empty gun without realising that reloading was required. Both times Joe jumped on me for it - bless his heart - but in pitch black the flash light beam draws you attention down to target and its easily missed.

 

As I had no weapon mounted light, ALL my shooting was one handed - I do make it a point to practice a few mags worth at the range single strong & weak hand so it was not a big deal.

 

As mentioned above both the Walter PPQ & the 1911 had jams that needed clearing, my CZ sp01 .40 cal which has been to the range twice prior to this course with no cleaning still performed flawlessly ~250 rds later.

 

I have a honking big Flashlight and when told to put the flashlight in our mouth could only say its going to look like gay porn so I was lent a leaner light.

 

I seen the Wombats light+laser use during the barricades drill and agree that the sight of the laser in pitch dark can be distracting and also seemed to draw a laser bead both ways i.e. back to the person shooting it, things to factor in to home invasion scenarios.

 

My take-aways from this were NEVER stop moving. whether your shooting, post shooting or reloading(both lights off).

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As mentioned above , the low-light level 2 is all about moving in the dark esp. when Shooting

 

Yes , otherwise it would just be a course about the dark.

 

The initial movement drills were a bit like line dancing

 

You're from Ireland. You know nothing about line dancing

 

Joe jumped on me for it - bless his heart -

Better to say "props to Joe" . Sounds more masculine. And you were worried about the flashlight.

 

 

As mentioned above both the Walter PPQ & the 1911 had jams that needed clearing my CZ sp01 .40 cal which has been to the range twice prior to this course with no cleaning still performed flawlessly ~250 rds later.

 

I cleaned it for you last week while you were at work.

 

 

Sorry , it is Pete's birthday !!! So I have to bust his chops a little :)

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I was thinking about the PPQ failure issues last night, it may be that with the added weight of a weapon light on the front of the PPQ that the chance of limp wristing is increased as the PPQ is a light (weight wise) weapon, and the weapon light adds a reasonable amount of weight to the front.

 

Other than the last Low Light course I have not had the weapon light on the PPQ when shooting one handed (as I hadn't bought it). I will have to practice with and without the weapon light at the range and see if that makes a difference. It is a user issue though rather than an issue specifically with my PPQ, as Joe had no issues shooting one handed.

 

Irish Pete's CZ is metal framed and a heavier weapon (and Irish Pete is obviously a strong wee Irish Man :codemafia: ) hence the recoil will be less, and the chance of issues with one handed shooting are therefore presumably less likely (similar to my Sig P226)

 

I'd rather uncover these issues during a class than in real life, so overall the class is a success.

 

TheWombat

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I was thinking about the PPQ failure issues last night, it may be that with the added weight of a weapon light on the front of the PPQ that the chance of limp wristing is increased as the PPQ is a light (weight wise) weapon, and the weapon light adds a reasonable amount of weight to the front.

 

Added weight actually helps counteract limp wristing, or so I've found.

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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.

TheWombat

 

I'm curious -- because I have a PPQ and I just installed a light on it -- did you clear the problems one handed, because you were "injured"? If so, how do you do that?

 

I have not tried one-handed shooting yet. I'll have to practice that next time I go to the range.

 

I have shot roughly 800 rounds in my PPQ without a gun-caused problem.

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I'm curious -- because I have a PPQ and I just installed a light on it -- did you clear the problems one handed, because you were "injured"? If so, how do you do that?

 

I have not tried one-handed shooting yet. I'll have to practice that next time I go to the range.

 

I have shot roughly 800 rounds in my PPQ without a gun-caused problem.

 

For this exercise I didn't clear one handed due in part to trying to be safe in the dark etc. in past training sessions I have reloaded and cleared one handed (with lights on) using the side of the holster or belt to rack the slide etc.

 

I'm getting close to 3500 rounds on the PPQ and the only issues I have had we're the 5 failures yesterday and a couple previously, all of which were shooting 1 handed. I have peviously shot probably 80-100 rounds one handed without issues. I am confident it is me, and is just something that requires more training to ensure I properly lock my wrist. The scenario yesterday (pitch black, torch in mouth, 1 handed) is not something that is typically practiced at the range when I've been shooting 1 handed previously.

 

HTH

 

theWombat

 

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I can tell you Pete's CZ 75 has hardly any recoil in .40 cal. It has less recoil than his PX4 9mm. The CZ for my small hands is ergonomic excellence. I shoot that gun the best out of anything we own.

 

Sorry that was me. Wrong sign in again.

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Nice reviews gentleman. It was indeed a fun and informative afternoon. I have little to add, other than that Joe and Chuck seemed a bit more mellow than usual; possibly because they had been teaching all day, or possibly because, as Joe noted, it gets kind of dangerous yelling at people in the dark. Shot my Glock 19 with Trijicon night sights and a hand held light. I haven't had a glitch at any of these classes shooting that or my Glock 34. Thank goodness for that, because there's enough stress just doing emergency reloads.

 

Once again, it was nice training with some fellow NJGF members, who I now consider friends. (Hey, we made up 60% of the class!) IPW and Mrs. Wombat, sorry you weren't there with us. Hope you get to join us soon. (Really, the dog getting skunked? Well, glad to hear it wasn't the kids getting sick again.)

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I was in the class using a PPQ as well. I didn't have any issues with jamming. Most of my issues came from being in the dark ad getting comfortable with my weapon when I couldn't see it. The instructors are amazing and I would highly recommend.... I would be curious to do the class with a Glock to see if I shoot better, or rather, more accurately with a different point of index.

I was impressed with Irish Petes flashlight.

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You seriously need to rethink the flashlight in mouth technique. Lights are some of the first things that get shot at in the dark.

 

 

It is not a normal technique that one would use, there was a specific scenario where it might be necessary, hence we tried it. We did cover the pros/cons of the various techniques including the fact that lights are targets etc.

 

hth

 

TheWombat

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Well, went to the range today and shot 244 rounds one-handed with no failures. No idea why I had 5 failures one, after another on the Low Light. I notice I bite down with my teeth when I shoot, so maybe having the torch in my mouth made a difference. Maybe will try the torch next time I go to the range. Very odd - however glad to know things are good again

 

TheWombat

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Also posted this on the PPQ thread:

http://njgunforums.com/forum/index.php?/topic/29106-walther-ppq/

 

I guess I'll take it as a positive that Joe likes the trigger :-) We know it is Glock or nothing for Joe so any compliment on the PPQ is a bonus! :no:

 

TheWombat

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I like the PPQ, seriously, I plan on doing more training with it and getting better... The article seems to be creating more buzz and discussion about the pros and cons of the gun which people can do all day long...

but in the end it all comes down to what works for the individual.

 

Maybe I'll have to get a Glock for my right hand and a PPQ for my left hand (since it has an ambidextrous slide release)...

And a flashlight for my mouth of course.

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