N
nate89
Guest
As a TL;DR right at the beginning, I very much enjoyed taking this class. Chris is an excellent instructor, and I came away from the class with both a good list of things I need to work on, and new skillsets that I will continue to improve.
Weather: You couldn’t have asked for better weather. Very light rain during the night, but dry during class. Temperature was a little hot, but very manageable. No weather-related problems that would impact learning.
Gear: Of the 16 students in the class, I was the only one not shooting an M&P, Glock 19, or Glock 17. I used a Sig 226 in an Armiger Solutions holster with an X300U AIWB. I also had an Armiger angled appendix mag pouch, and backfilled with single and double BFG 10 speed pouches. I, like many there, were using Ares Gear belts. Almost everyone was carrying in some sort of kydex or injection molded holster. There were a few appendix carriers, but a majority were strong side, and almost everyone had their gear open. Me and a couple others ran from concealment, and @Tricks used his duty gear two of the days. One student had an M&P with a dual illum RMR, but everyone else had irons.
The range had a shaded area at 100 yards with concrete benches for rifle shooting. This is where we had lunch and took breaks. We would walk our range bags and ammo up to the 25 yard line to stuff mags quicker and get back to the line. Paper targets and steel were both quality, and we didn’t have any problems with the range or equipment there.
Class registration started Monday evening at “the loft,” which is the top floor of an ice cream parlor in town. This is where dinner was in the evenings after class. After check-in, registration, paperwork, and all that, we had dinner. Chris came up and took the time to welcome everyone individually. Most had been to at least one other class before with Costa Ludus, I was one of the few ‘first-timers.’ Everyone introduced themselves, and shared what they were wanting to get out of the class. Most of us in the class were non Mil./LE, although there were 2-3 cops, some retired and current military, and a guy from DHS. Most stated they were looking to improve pistol skills for self defense.
Chris did a small introduction that evening. The purpose for the class would go beyond basic marksmanship and gun handling, and we would be doing a lot of practicing things that you don’t want to do. After the intro, everyone started heading out to get ready for the next morning.
The range is about a 40 minute drive from town. Every morning we would meet and caravan out together. Although it was a little long driving both ways every day, it time passed quickly. My two friends that I came up with had taken HET1 last year, and another student from the class was in this one as well, so he ended up carpooling up and back with us every day, and we all had a good time there and back every day.
We got to the range on the first day, and set up paper targets and got equipment ready to go. After a safety brief, everyone loaded up at the 25 yard line, and put 15 rounds into the lower bull of the VTAC target (we would be using the skeleton and quad bulls exclusively for paper during the next three days). This would be the routine every morning. We then moved up close and would take shots from the ready position on command. I was having a bit of a slow start, and Chris shot a few rounds with my gun to verify it was hitting POA/POI. It wasn’t the gun, and thankfully I was able to suck less as the day progressed. Right away, we got to the core of the class: one handed shooting and manipulations. We started with one handed reloading (both hands), standing, kneeling, and prone. Emphasis was placed on muzzle control. Several times throughout the class, Chris told stories of gun malfunctions that resulted in a round going off, with no finger on the trigger. Keeping the muzzle in a safe direction at all times would be a theme of the class, especially when working a pistol with one hand.
The schedule for each day started at about 8:00-8:30 on the range. During the morning, we would get breaks to fill mags, and one 15 minute break to fill water and get out of the sun. After lunch from 12-1, that would be repeated with a 15 minute break about two hours in to refill water bottles and get under the shade for a few. After lunch, we set up Tac Strike B-C steel, and shot those for the rest of the day. One downside of the steel with a whole line of shooters is the difficulty of hearing your individual hits. The nice thing about paper is the ability to go down and check your work. Yes you should be calling shots, but the reason for the steel is to keep you honest about sight picture and trigger control.
Overall the first day went at an ideal pace. It was quick enough to not get complacent or bored, but there were enough repetitions and chances to become more comfortable with the techniques. Doing certain techniques like chest rolls, we ran dry initially, and that gave Chris a chance to watch everyone to look for potential safety problems before going hot.
I left day one with some good tips about improving recoil control (especially with a single hand), but single hand work was still feeling a bit awkward, and I could tell it was going to take some time to get comfortable.
Day 1: 710 rounds fired
Day 2: We started at the 25 again, with 15 rounds. It looked much better for me on day two, and we warmed up with a few drills to refresh what was learned the day before. After that we got right into single handed malfunction clearing. That was done standing, kneeling, and prone as well. As the class progressed, anytime you encountered a problem that had been covered in class, you were expected to handle it within the drill being shot. So now anytime you ran dry or had a problem with the gun, if we were shooting SHO or WHO, you were expected to fix the problem with that single hand only. One the first day, I had been tac loading, and not really running the gun dry, and it was suggested that I just run it dry to get the reps of reloading in. I ended up still pulling the mag as if I was topping the gun off, but just re-inserting the partial mag. I felt like that would help me keep the habit of putting a full mag in, but that was just my thought. Before lunch we ran a competition that involved a weak hand draw, shooting and loading single hand (both hands), and freestyle at the end, all on steel. We ran it one at a time, and a miss was a failure of the drill. The first time around, nobody cleaned it. During breaks, and lunchtime, Chris had topics that he would present, like use of deadly force. He had good information, and really is very talented at interacting with his audience to keep things interesting. Humor and enjoying yourself are a big part of the class, but Chris is very good at being able to have a good time, and also getting right back to work as needed.
After lunch, we continued with malfunctions, and shot the competition again. As we talked about it later during dinner, the shots were not incredibly difficult, but the fact that a single miss means you fail really makes you ensure that every shot counts, and was a good mental exercise.
As the class progressed, we were reminded to not get complacent with the manipulations. Things like chest rolls can be done completely safe all day long, but if you get sloppy they can become dangerous very quickly.
Chris has a Malinois that he got from Third Eye K9, and Mike did a dog demo after class and before dinner. This wasn’t part of the class, but it was very impressive, and anyone who has a chance to see a demo like that I would highly encourage you to take advantage of the opportunity.
Round Count day 2: 745 rounds
Day three started as usual, with a 15 round group at 25. We warmed up with freestyle, SHO, and WHO transitions with steel Most of the morning we covered barricade shooting. We used 55 gallon barrels, and VTAC barricades. We split into two groups and would move from shooting on the sides of the barrels, to shooting through the VTAC, all at steel. Emphasis was placed on not hitting intermediate objects like the barricade, because when shooting around cars, concrete, etc. hits like that can pose a risk to you or those around you. Each time you hit the barricade, you either would be putting $5 into the drink fund for the last night, or buying a 6 pack.
After lunch, the final teaching block covered moving with the gun in your hand. There was no shooting while moving, just moving quickly and safely with the gun from one area to another. We ran this individually, as well as in 2 and 4 person groups.
We finished up the class with a drill that encompassed several different shooting bays, and a run up a ravine to get the heart rate going.
Back at the loft for the last dinner, we ate and had presentation of certificates, as well as challenge coins for the class.
Round Count Day 3: 5-600
Overall impressions: This was an expensive class, no two ways about it. When you factor in the cost of the ammo (even shooting reloads like I did), travel, motel, and food, you are looking at a serious time and money investment. Looking back, I am very happy with what I got out of the class, and consider it money very well spent. I came away with a list of new techniques to practice. My the end of the class, I was much more comfortable working with the gun in either hand, and solving the problems that came up, even if you only had one hand available to do so. Chris explained that this class is centered around the idea of “what will you do when things go wrong.” When you find yourself in a situation, you don’t want to pull up the “Error 404: File not Found” when your brain is trying to figure out how to solve a problem.
Even though the primary reason for taking a class is improving your skills and abilities, I very much enjoyed the time in the loft for dinner at the end of every day. Chris would take time to get around to everyone and spend some time talking. It was an excellent chance to ask questions and continue the learning that had taken place on the range earlier in the day, as well as a chance to relax.
Looking back, I would spend the money on dinner in the loft again, even though it was quite expensive. The food was incredible, and getting to interact with Chris, Austin, and the other students was a great way to spend the evening. I could take or leave the lunch, you will want to take food (there is no way to get back to town for food and drive back in time) if you don’t.
Weather: You couldn’t have asked for better weather. Very light rain during the night, but dry during class. Temperature was a little hot, but very manageable. No weather-related problems that would impact learning.
Gear: Of the 16 students in the class, I was the only one not shooting an M&P, Glock 19, or Glock 17. I used a Sig 226 in an Armiger Solutions holster with an X300U AIWB. I also had an Armiger angled appendix mag pouch, and backfilled with single and double BFG 10 speed pouches. I, like many there, were using Ares Gear belts. Almost everyone was carrying in some sort of kydex or injection molded holster. There were a few appendix carriers, but a majority were strong side, and almost everyone had their gear open. Me and a couple others ran from concealment, and @Tricks used his duty gear two of the days. One student had an M&P with a dual illum RMR, but everyone else had irons.
The range had a shaded area at 100 yards with concrete benches for rifle shooting. This is where we had lunch and took breaks. We would walk our range bags and ammo up to the 25 yard line to stuff mags quicker and get back to the line. Paper targets and steel were both quality, and we didn’t have any problems with the range or equipment there.
Class registration started Monday evening at “the loft,” which is the top floor of an ice cream parlor in town. This is where dinner was in the evenings after class. After check-in, registration, paperwork, and all that, we had dinner. Chris came up and took the time to welcome everyone individually. Most had been to at least one other class before with Costa Ludus, I was one of the few ‘first-timers.’ Everyone introduced themselves, and shared what they were wanting to get out of the class. Most of us in the class were non Mil./LE, although there were 2-3 cops, some retired and current military, and a guy from DHS. Most stated they were looking to improve pistol skills for self defense.
Chris did a small introduction that evening. The purpose for the class would go beyond basic marksmanship and gun handling, and we would be doing a lot of practicing things that you don’t want to do. After the intro, everyone started heading out to get ready for the next morning.
The range is about a 40 minute drive from town. Every morning we would meet and caravan out together. Although it was a little long driving both ways every day, it time passed quickly. My two friends that I came up with had taken HET1 last year, and another student from the class was in this one as well, so he ended up carpooling up and back with us every day, and we all had a good time there and back every day.
We got to the range on the first day, and set up paper targets and got equipment ready to go. After a safety brief, everyone loaded up at the 25 yard line, and put 15 rounds into the lower bull of the VTAC target (we would be using the skeleton and quad bulls exclusively for paper during the next three days). This would be the routine every morning. We then moved up close and would take shots from the ready position on command. I was having a bit of a slow start, and Chris shot a few rounds with my gun to verify it was hitting POA/POI. It wasn’t the gun, and thankfully I was able to suck less as the day progressed. Right away, we got to the core of the class: one handed shooting and manipulations. We started with one handed reloading (both hands), standing, kneeling, and prone. Emphasis was placed on muzzle control. Several times throughout the class, Chris told stories of gun malfunctions that resulted in a round going off, with no finger on the trigger. Keeping the muzzle in a safe direction at all times would be a theme of the class, especially when working a pistol with one hand.
The schedule for each day started at about 8:00-8:30 on the range. During the morning, we would get breaks to fill mags, and one 15 minute break to fill water and get out of the sun. After lunch from 12-1, that would be repeated with a 15 minute break about two hours in to refill water bottles and get under the shade for a few. After lunch, we set up Tac Strike B-C steel, and shot those for the rest of the day. One downside of the steel with a whole line of shooters is the difficulty of hearing your individual hits. The nice thing about paper is the ability to go down and check your work. Yes you should be calling shots, but the reason for the steel is to keep you honest about sight picture and trigger control.
Overall the first day went at an ideal pace. It was quick enough to not get complacent or bored, but there were enough repetitions and chances to become more comfortable with the techniques. Doing certain techniques like chest rolls, we ran dry initially, and that gave Chris a chance to watch everyone to look for potential safety problems before going hot.
I left day one with some good tips about improving recoil control (especially with a single hand), but single hand work was still feeling a bit awkward, and I could tell it was going to take some time to get comfortable.
Day 1: 710 rounds fired
Day 2: We started at the 25 again, with 15 rounds. It looked much better for me on day two, and we warmed up with a few drills to refresh what was learned the day before. After that we got right into single handed malfunction clearing. That was done standing, kneeling, and prone as well. As the class progressed, anytime you encountered a problem that had been covered in class, you were expected to handle it within the drill being shot. So now anytime you ran dry or had a problem with the gun, if we were shooting SHO or WHO, you were expected to fix the problem with that single hand only. One the first day, I had been tac loading, and not really running the gun dry, and it was suggested that I just run it dry to get the reps of reloading in. I ended up still pulling the mag as if I was topping the gun off, but just re-inserting the partial mag. I felt like that would help me keep the habit of putting a full mag in, but that was just my thought. Before lunch we ran a competition that involved a weak hand draw, shooting and loading single hand (both hands), and freestyle at the end, all on steel. We ran it one at a time, and a miss was a failure of the drill. The first time around, nobody cleaned it. During breaks, and lunchtime, Chris had topics that he would present, like use of deadly force. He had good information, and really is very talented at interacting with his audience to keep things interesting. Humor and enjoying yourself are a big part of the class, but Chris is very good at being able to have a good time, and also getting right back to work as needed.
After lunch, we continued with malfunctions, and shot the competition again. As we talked about it later during dinner, the shots were not incredibly difficult, but the fact that a single miss means you fail really makes you ensure that every shot counts, and was a good mental exercise.
As the class progressed, we were reminded to not get complacent with the manipulations. Things like chest rolls can be done completely safe all day long, but if you get sloppy they can become dangerous very quickly.
Chris has a Malinois that he got from Third Eye K9, and Mike did a dog demo after class and before dinner. This wasn’t part of the class, but it was very impressive, and anyone who has a chance to see a demo like that I would highly encourage you to take advantage of the opportunity.
Round Count day 2: 745 rounds
Day three started as usual, with a 15 round group at 25. We warmed up with freestyle, SHO, and WHO transitions with steel Most of the morning we covered barricade shooting. We used 55 gallon barrels, and VTAC barricades. We split into two groups and would move from shooting on the sides of the barrels, to shooting through the VTAC, all at steel. Emphasis was placed on not hitting intermediate objects like the barricade, because when shooting around cars, concrete, etc. hits like that can pose a risk to you or those around you. Each time you hit the barricade, you either would be putting $5 into the drink fund for the last night, or buying a 6 pack.
After lunch, the final teaching block covered moving with the gun in your hand. There was no shooting while moving, just moving quickly and safely with the gun from one area to another. We ran this individually, as well as in 2 and 4 person groups.
We finished up the class with a drill that encompassed several different shooting bays, and a run up a ravine to get the heart rate going.
Back at the loft for the last dinner, we ate and had presentation of certificates, as well as challenge coins for the class.
Round Count Day 3: 5-600
Overall impressions: This was an expensive class, no two ways about it. When you factor in the cost of the ammo (even shooting reloads like I did), travel, motel, and food, you are looking at a serious time and money investment. Looking back, I am very happy with what I got out of the class, and consider it money very well spent. I came away with a list of new techniques to practice. My the end of the class, I was much more comfortable working with the gun in either hand, and solving the problems that came up, even if you only had one hand available to do so. Chris explained that this class is centered around the idea of “what will you do when things go wrong.” When you find yourself in a situation, you don’t want to pull up the “Error 404: File not Found” when your brain is trying to figure out how to solve a problem.
Even though the primary reason for taking a class is improving your skills and abilities, I very much enjoyed the time in the loft for dinner at the end of every day. Chris would take time to get around to everyone and spend some time talking. It was an excellent chance to ask questions and continue the learning that had taken place on the range earlier in the day, as well as a chance to relax.
Looking back, I would spend the money on dinner in the loft again, even though it was quite expensive. The food was incredible, and getting to interact with Chris, Austin, and the other students was a great way to spend the evening. I could take or leave the lunch, you will want to take food (there is no way to get back to town for food and drive back in time) if you don’t.
