AAR: Presscheck Consulting: No Fail Pistol Course/ Meade Hall Range, McLoud OK, 27Apr-28Apr 2019

Crash-7

Newbie
My background: 13 years as a cop, I work for the Denver Police Dept. I'm currently assigned to a pro-active violent crime type unit (small team: 7 guys). In my time, I've worked patrol, as well as spent 5 years on a more regional-type SWAT team back in the Midwest, before I came to Denver. I've been to some schools, been to some training, both agency paid and out of pocket. I train on my own and I shoot often.

Range: Meade Hall Range, McLoud, OK. This range has 10 bays with turning target stands, a shit-load of steel, and a variable speed lateral mover (paper only, for now). The range goes back to 300+ yards as near as I could tell, although for this class we only went out to about the 25 yd line. The range was well thought out, with a well organized target shed, milk-crates of supplies for each set of target stands, rehab targets, etc; on hand and close by. (This will come up later). As well as very nice bathrooms with running water, de-leading soap, shaded area for jamming mags and hydrating, etc. Am I too good to piss in a porta-john? Absolutely not. But given the choice, I choose the porcelain with running water, every time. Good training with good facilities beats good training with rough facilities. You don't have to be miserable to get shit done. On top of that, fatigue is a real thing. If you can't get out of the sun and the heat to hydrate and get a short break from time to time, your effective ability to soak up information is going to deteriorate.

Class Demographics: 14 shooters, 6 or 7 cops, myself included. I'm not sure what the rest were, but I believe they were some version of armed civilian that trains and shoots often, etc; and at least one competition shooter.

My Equipment: I ran my duty rig :
- Glock 34, Dawson FO front, Dave Sevigney black rear (Overwatch Precision trigger, front cocking serrations, stippled frame, TTI competition magwell) etc
- Magpul 21 rd Glock mags
- Mix of American Eagle 124gr 9mm ball, and Remington UMC 115gr ball

Of the 14 shooters, there were only 3 of us running irons. All cops. My agency does not yet authorize RDS on pistols (although, rumor is that's about to change really soon) so I ran this class with irons. I was initially concerned I wouldn't be able to hang, but I managed to do alright. It was definitely harder, and required more concentration, but this class is absolutely do-able with iron sights.

Class: The course was split over two days. We started promptly at 0800 both days. Chuck churned through the usual admin/med/overview brief adequately but quickly, and then moved right on to: "Grab 3 mags of ten, meet me on the 25 yard line". 0810 hrs, not a single shot yet fired, and we headed to the 25 yard line cold for a diagnostic. We shot 3 strings of 10 rds/10mins at 25 yard line, the target was the B-8. If you've never done that before, and had your accuracy standard be a 5" black bull; well then you're fixing to get your shit pushed in. But that's ok. Because it only hurts at first.

There's a saying in skiing: "You don't suck at skiing moguls, you just suck at skiing and the moguls reveal it." The 25 yard line is like moguls for shooting. You don't suck at shooting distance, you just suck at shooting, the distance just reveals it. Chuck engaged in a type of instruction that is rare: he didn't push or pull on any student, or tweak a grip or anything else. As he would remind us often: "I can't see what you see. I can't feel what you feel. I can only tell you what right should feel and look like. It's up to you to experiment to figure out how to get there yourself." He would offer ideas and suggestions to help fine tune what we needed, in order to discover what right looked like. And damn, it worked.

Chuck is very big on round accountability. Which I appreciated. I've been to many courses (both outside, and agency run) where by halfway through the first morning, we're shooting on shot-out targets that have fliers all over them, some of the centers are shot out, we're engaging our partner's targets for "multiple target drills". And eventually - you can't tell where you're hitting. So, the speed creeps up, and guys start overrunning their headlights, but no one can tell - because you can't see where the rounds are hitting. Not this class. With Chuck, we pasted up B-8 repair centers every 10-20 rds. Round accountability - always.

This is where the well thought out logistics of the range came in to play. Because between each set of target stands, behind the rail-road tie wall that protected the stands, were milk crates with spray-adhesive, pasters, staplers, refill staples, and a hard plastic box of B-8 repair centers. We never had to walk anywhere to get supplies to rehab a target. It was all within arms' reach. This facilitated the pace of the class to stay quick, steady and it never lost momentum. The admin-time of target rehab was minimal, and usually filled with instruction, next course of fire directions, or a relevant experience that drove home a point on the previous drill. The well-thought out logistics of the range were not lost on me.

Having seen how a course can absolutely grind to a halt and the initiative is lost with the simple task of target rehab or mag jamming (agency courses are particularly prone to this). Having seen a 5 min mag jamming break turn into a 30 minute bull-shitting session, or a target swap break turn into a 45 minute water break, I really appreciated the pace at which Chuck kept his class moving. It never felt frenetic. Just moved forward purposefully. Chuck is a well polished instructor, it was obvious he had a very clear idea of his course of instruction, which drills were next, what lessons he intended to impart before, during, and after each drill, and what was coming next. The class never felt like it was on pause while Chuck figured out what was next, or which direction to take the class based on the previous evolution's performance. It was clean, streamlined, and it just flowed. It had a very similar feeling to classes I've attended that were taught by Paul Howe.

The first day was spent moving back and forth at various distances between the 25yd to the 7yd line. Each student was tasked with his own growth, finding his own ragged edge limit between acceptable accuracy (keep that shit in the black, son!) and speed. The afternoon of T1 was spent in similar fashion as the morning, but all on Strong Hand Only. Unsurprisingly, I actually shot better scores strong hand only, than my initial free-style scores. Improvement was quick and dramatic on T1.

T2 - started back at the 25 yard line, Weak Hand Only. I shot my best score of the class left-handed. Go figure. I shot a 93, 2x. Is that hot shit? Nah. But from a guy who used to get all fucked up by the flincheys weak-hand-only at the 7yd line, being able to put up a mid 90s, from 20+yds away left-handed was evidence of dramatic improvement. Once we had gone through the same drills weak hand only, we got out a bunch of steel and began to work on faster shots, moving while shooting, and multiple targets.

The beauty of steel really shines here: round accountability without the need for target rehab as often. And again, the range was ready with milk crates of paint. Well stocked, and ready to go. We then moved on to using the mover that was available at Meade Hall Range. We placed no shoots on the target stands and had the mover run back and forth behind them. Accuracy on the mover was still stressed, but now we were also accountable for any misses, and had to be aware of the foreground and background of the mover while we tracked it.

We got some time to work on shooting the mover while we were moving. That's a walk and chew-gum moment. But again, round accountability was stressed. Each shooter had to go paste his target after his run so he could see where he hit. We finished the day on Bianchi Plate racks, from the 10, 15, 20, and 25 yd line, with a time standard and accuracy standard.

We finished at 1800 on T2. This was not a run and gun class, and I've certainly been more (physically) exhausted by run and gun classes or shoot house classes in full kit, etc. But this class was mentally exhausting. 10 rounds in 10 mins from the 25yd line, doesn't sound hard, but it will wear you out mentally if you're doing it right.

Chuck had some time so he offered to stay late for anyone who wanted to hang and do a shooters clinic. As I understand it, he hung out with those who were able and shot more stuff, "until the sun goes down or ya'll run out of bullets" was the offer. Unfortunately I had to get to driving back to Denver, so I couldn't stay. But, I was impressed. Chuck had clearly delivered all he said he would in the 18 hrs of instruction he'd already given. He wasn't under any obligation to stay, but did anyway because there were several motivated hard-shooting mofos who would benefit from it. That did not go unnoticed.

Takeaways: I came to this class with little in the way of expectations. I didn't really know who Chuck was or what his background was. I had a buddy from Indianapolis, another cop who shoots and trains, who called me up and said: "Hey bro, I took this class last fall. I'm going back in May. You need to come listen to what this guy has to say." I trust him, so that was good enough for me. So I paid my money and drove the miles without much more to it than that.

I was very impressed. I'm not world-class, but I'm a pretty solid handgun shooter. I shoot USPSA on the side, so my idea of what "good" is isn't limited to "cop-good." Chuck absolutely made me a better shooter in 2 days. Shit, he made me a better shooter in the first 30 minutes. No shit. He's also responsible for a big paradigm shift in my way of thinking. I started shooting USPSA to get gooder at shooting, and to shoot fast. And it worked.

But Chuck's class has re-oriented my way of thinking about gun-fights. It's not as simple as "speed vs accuracy". His class stresses accuracy, but it's all about being able to asses your shooting solution moment-by-moment, knowing your own personal skill set and what you can "get away with" and still make your shot to an accuracy standard. And my accuracy standard has absolutely been revised.

Final Thoughts: Do you need this class? Do you carry a gun for a living? If you do - then absolutely. Without question. You owe it to yourself to take this class. I've been to a lot of courses, taken a lot of instruction. But from the angle of "making hits when it matters", I've yet to get better than what Chuck is putting out. You may work for an agency that can teach you some good shit. You may have been to some outside training and learnt some shit too. But when the time comes, as Chuck reiterated multiple times: "Nobody gives a shit about your gun problems, your eye problems, your gun's zero, your training, nothing. Nobody gives a shit about anything except where those bullets landed." So when it's time to drop the hammer - where those bullets go is all on you. You want to get better at that? Get to a Presscheck class.

note: I know this is my first post here on P&S, and I'm an unknown. I used to hang out over on LF.net. I didn't come here to jerk Chuck off. He doesn't need me to do that, and he didn't ask for it. I only put this up here, for the guys like me - who pay for their own training, and who will travel 1500 miles round trip in a weekend for a good class, because we carry guns for a living, and at the end of the day - we know there's more out there than what the big Agency machine is churning out. But there's a lot of training out there now, and we have to pick and choose. IF that sounds like you - you need to get to one of Chuck's No Fail classes. It will change your life (as far as you professional life: how you shoot, how you train, and how you think about gun fights).
 

ipdb322

Amateur
AAR Presscheck Consulting No-Fail Pistol
Meadhall Range, Mcloud, OK
April 27-28, 2019​

Equipment:

  • Roland Special G19
  • AE 147gr fmj
  • Mix of Magpul and OEM magazines
  • Four of the OEM mags had +6 TTI extenders
  • Safariland 6354DO holster
  • BFG padded war belt
  • Safariland Slimline 775 triple mag pouch
  • Dark Angel Medical DARK Lite IFAK
  • SOFTT-W in 1110 belt pouch

Prior Experience:
24-years LE, 20 with a large Metropolitan agency. Four years USMC Infantry. Multiple classes with Patrick Rogers/EAG Tactical, Patrick Mcnamara TAPS Pistol and Rifle, Patrick Mcnamara TAPS Instructor, Frank Proctor Performance Pistol and Rifle, FLETC Firearms Instructor Training Program, FLETC Advanced Pistol Training Program, NRA LE Division Handgun/Shotgun Instructor, Tom Givens Instructor Development, Tom Givens Advanced Instructor, Rogers Shooting School, William Petty VCQB Instructor, Glock Operator Course, Alexander Global Strategies Executive Protection Course, FLETC Basic Tactical Medical Instructor Training Program, FLETC Active Shooter Threat Instructor Training Program, ITTS (Keary Miller) Law Enforcement Tactical Trauma Course, Presscheck Consulting No-Fail Pistol, Sentinel Concepts Practical Shotgun, Sentinel Concepts Carbine Essentials, several hundred hours of department firearms training, several regional firearms courses.

Range:

Meadhall Range, Mcloud, OK (approximately 20 mins East of OKC). Outdoor range with 10 lanes, goes back to 300+ yards, however we used from the 200 in. Range has steels (including multiple crit-hit hostage targets, and plate racks), turning targets and moving targets, indoor (clean) restrooms (for both males and females), and a shade structure. Current owner is in the process of upgrading the facility, with a large classroom/training building, moving (and turning) steels, and floods and strobes on the range coming soon. All targetry and lighting is controlled via app on a tablet or cellphone.

Full disclosure: The range owner is one of my oldest friends, so I may be biased, but the facility is very nice, and will offer some capabilities that are far from common in most civilian ranges.

Class Demographics:

14 in total – 6 cops (Denver PD, Oklahoma Highway Patrol, Oklahoma City PD, Creek County SD, a department in Kansas, and Indianapolis Metropolitan PD) - unsure on all of the rest, however they were all very solid shooters.

Course Overview:

I took this class at the same venue last September, and was highly impressed. Chuck is a very engaging instructor, with tons of real-world experiences to draw from, and is teaching an aspect of shooting I have not found elsewhere. This is not a class that teaches you how to shoot – Chuck is very clear about that. It is a class about learning “what right looks like,” to bring your shooting abilities to the next level. It is a glimpse into the mindset of a former member of arguably the premiere unit in the world, and how he, and they, are able to push themselves to the next level.

As such, there is a huge focus on attention to detail, in everything from the posting of targets and target rehab, to personal accountability and the ability to diagnose your shot on the fly. There is a major focus, not only on being able to make the shot, but being able to determine if you cannot make the shot, and need to back off and seek a different firing solution. It would be very easy to say this is an accuracy course (and to a degree it is), but it is really about being able to take that low percentage shot as quickly as you can guarantee it.

While actual instruction on shooting fundamentals is not part of the curriculum, Chuck will occasionally pause the class when he sees specific issues pop up, and explain his solutions for them.

The vast majority of shooting is done on B8 targets, starting from the 25-yard line, and moving in to the 5-yard line. TD1 starts with a safety and medical briefing, then moves into a series of CoF shooting two-handed freestyle, and moving into SHO in the afternoon. Breaks are minimal, but sufficient, and include additional talk from Chuck on a variety of topics. TD2 picks up with WHO, shooting the same CoFs as the day before. Because of the capabilities of the host range, the afternoon of TD2 involved some much more dynamic drills working on shooting while moving, shooting at moving targets, and shooting moving targets while moving. Several drills were also shot on the available steels.

Chuck’s level of professionalism showed through in every aspect of the course – from demonstrating (and crushing) every CoF, to his insistence on constant target rehab for individual accountability. Between Chuck’s experience and the host range’s preparation, target rehab was done quickly and efficiently, and resulted in no down-time. Chuck has a constant stream of anecdotes, personal experiences, and scientific facts to fill any time not sent shooting – all of which were timed perfectly to coincide with, and reinforce the learning objectives being covered at the time.

The class makeup was extraordinarily conducive to this coursework, as there were no truly “weak links” (although I was less than happy with my own performance). We had a broad range of shooters in the class, all of whom were solid, safe, motivated students. I always enjoy going to outside classes, as everyone wants to be there, and the caliber of shooter tends to be higher than what I see at department-mandated training or quals. This class was no exception. Our cops were at the top of the chain from what I have witnessed from cops in shooting classes, and our “regular guys” were equally, if not more impressive.

After two full days of training, class officially broke, and Chuck volunteered to hang around “until the sun went down, or people ran out of ammo” for a shooting clinic. The vast majority of guys had longer drives ahead of them, but several of us stuck around. There followed another 2.5 hours of working with the moving target system – something that is rare to get time on. Unfortunately, I suffered a gear failure (covered below), at about the same time I ran out of ammo, so I was only able to participate for a small portion of this. After a brief break to help the host with some admin issues, I did go back to at least witness what was being covered, and try to absorb a little more knowledge.

Gear Issues:

I’m one of those guys who doesn’t clean guns, until failure. This bit me during TD2 where an extremely dirty gun, coupled with shooting 147gr through a comp, coupled with lube having dried up, coupled with potential limp-wristing while shooting WHO all coalesced into a tsunami of fuckery, and I began to experience repeated FTE/FTF. A quick trip off the range to hit the rails with a brush, and relube had my gun back working 100%.

My major gear failure occurred during the after-class clinic, when the trigger safety on my Overwatch Precision DAT v2.0 broke. After the intitial “WTF??” moment, and after knocking the spring and dangling piece of trigger safety out of the way, the gun worked just fine…minus the presence of a trigger safety. Fine during a fight, fine during a class…my department would probably frown upon not having a trigger safety, though. At the time of the break, the trigger had approximately 24k rounds on it, along with countless dry fires. I do not consider this failure to be a negative on Overwatch. Parts fail with use, and this trigger has been used hard. Additionally, Overwatch came through like rockstars when notified, mentioning their lifetime warranty, and firing me off a RMA almost immediately. I run their triggers in multiple guns, and will continue to do so. Listing this failure is purely in the interest of 100% disclosure.

I had one failure to fire, even after two attempts, on one round of AE147gr. I honestly can’t remember the last time I had a failure out of this ammo – it is the ammo I shoot almost exclusively out of all of my 9mm’s, and have thousands and thousands of problem-free rounds down range of it. Again, this is not a knock on AE. I love their ammo, and am perfectly fine with a failure rate of 1 in umpteen thousand rounds.

Take Aways:

I really, really like this class, and Chuck as an instructor. I have gone to enough classes now to where I am not really hearing anything “new” (except here…Chuck taught me something I had never heard for one-handed shooting), I go seeking that one “nugget,” and if I get it, I consider it money well-spent. Even having been to this class six months previously, I felt like I was getting bukkaked (sp? Never thought I would use that word in a sentence) with those “nuggets.” While not a mindset class per se, I would argue it is impossible to train with Chuck without getting a PHD-level education in mindset, and a shining example of what “right looks like,” both in performance and mindset. As I said in a post on my personal Facebook page, “I went to this class in September, I’m going back in April, and will continue going back until Chuck tells me to fuck off.” I’ll be hitting Chuck’s Nightfighter class at Meadhall in November, and will also be there (again) for No-Fail Pistol in 2020, and hopefully No-Fail Rifle, if Chuck can be convinced to bring it to the Hall.

Meadhall Range has become my favorite training venue (not just because I know the owner). The facility itself, while small (10 lanes), is well thought-out, being constantly improved, and offers stuff I don’t even have available at my department’s range (timed turners, functional, remote-controlled movers). Having been closely involved with planning since the owner purchased the place, I know the bar he has set himself is extremely high (Alliance being the type of facility he seeks to emulate), and I also know he is going gang-busters on getting there.

An additional bonus for me, for this class, is that I got to shoot with friends I hadn’t seen in a while, and some I saw just last month at Steve Fisher’s classes.

In case it isn’t abundantly clear, I would absolutely recommend Chuck and his No-Fail curriculum to anyone who wants to take their shooting to the next level. If you’re a cop…get to this class, especially if you are a SWAT guy that thinks you are prepared to take that no-fail shot for realsies. You will not be disappointed.
 

KSowards

Newbie
AAR
Chuck Pressburg/ Presscheck Consulting
No Fail Pistol
Meadhall Range, McLoud, OK
April 27-28, 2019

WX
T1- Overcast to sunny, 55-80 to with gusting winds
T2- Sunny, 60-82 with gusting winds

While T1 did have a light sprinkling the sun came out in force just before 11:00AM and I managed to get a sunburn even after putting on sunscreen. Lesson learned, if it's an outdoors class just out on sunscreen before it starts. Period. With the exception of a wind gust making 25 yard bulls a little more difficult, the weather was a non-factor for this class.

Equipment
I flew to OK for this class so my equipment was bare necessities to keep weight down and not get the penalty from Delta. I took and shot a Gen 4 Glock 34 sliced and diced for an RMR06 by ATEi with an Overwatch TAC trigger and a Victory First barrel.I also brought an almost identical backup 34 that was not used. Being non LEO/.mil I decided to just use my gamer rig consisting of a holster from Red Hill Tactical and four Double Alpha mag pouches on a Shooters Connection competition belt. Rudy Project eye pro and Howard Leight ear pro. Speer Lawman 147gr Cleanfire and 147 Gold Dots was the ammo used. I did have one split case that I missed when loading magazines that prevented the slide from going into battery. That was the only “malfunction”, per se, I experienced. After completing the exercise I found the ejected live round and noticed the spilt case. Beyond this one bad round all my equipment did it's job and I had no issues. Another student did have a weapon related issue near the end of T2. The trigger safety spring on his Overwatch trigger failed and rendered the safety inoperable. The estimated round count on the pistol was 26,000 rounds though, so take that for what it's worth.

Takeaways
First off, let me say both the POI and facility were top notch. Chuck brings a unique perspective in his instruction that from my experience, is peerless. From real world utilization of the tools and methods presented, to his delivery and ability to convey the information in a manner that not only includes the “how” but also the “why” in such a manner that is relevant and understandable, you will leave his class having gotten more than your money's worth. Meadhall Range is private training facility in McLoud, OK roughly 30 minutes east of Oklahoma City. This was my first class (won't be the last)there and I flew in for it. Bill Armstrong, the range owner, is a very accommodating host. Not only does the range have a corporate rate with the Grand Hotel and Casino that is 3.5 minutes from the range but he even let me drop ship my ammo for the class ahead of my arrival. The range itself as ten turning targets and a mover on the main firing line along with two plate racks and an assortment of static steel targets as well. The range is truly a top notch facility and even has real restrooms.

This class was filled with some very good shooters. Generally I am in the top 20 percent of a class but not this time, I was middle of the pack and unless it was me and no one told me, there was no “that guy”. The class was almost evenly stacked with LEO’s and civilians I believe and everyone was switched on to receive and shoot. There were no ask-holes which is always appreciated.

Chuck started T1 by saying so far no two No Fail Pistol classes have been alike. I believe this is a testament to his ability to course correct and give the students the most relevant POI for them instead of having a rigid syllabus that must be followed. That being said the class was laid out orderly and followed a general agenda that was presented during T1. Without going into his POI verbatim (you'll need to attend a class for that) accuracy on demand should be the subtitle for this class. You don't have to be a perennial 100 10x B8 score at 25 yards to attend or learn in this class but you should have a solid grasp of the fundamentals their usage.

It will sound like semantics but a lot of classes and instructors focus on speed, then accuracy and Chuck focuses on accuracy, then speed. This was my biggest issue. I kept defaulting to Ricky Bobby mode and was accepting a less than perfect sight picture. This is no big deal when shooting full-size IPSC targets but when you need to take the best shot you can, weak-handed at 25 yards, it becomes an issue. When you add in an anticipatory flinch you're B8 may look like a shotgun spread instead of ten 9mm holes in a group.

The class will have you shooting with both a strong two-handed a grip, strong hand only, and weak hand only with a greater emphasis on weak hand than I have ever seen in a class. Literally 25% of the class is shot weak hand only because if you are ever in a situation you need to do it, you damn well need to do it, well. Every shot, regardless of shooting style, is accounted for in this class. No NSR spread across the entire IPSC as fast as you can pull the trigger and no mag dumps on the steel. Even on drills that had us shooting a moving target it, was stopped after each iteration and evaluated and reset for the next shooter. You may think that equates to a low round count class but I shot in all 970 rounds over the course of both days. That does include the “shooting clinic” that occurred AFTER the class was over and didn't end until we ran out of daylight. My round count until then was 820 but depending on how many shots each person took on the movers and steel they could have higher or lower counts.

If you have the chance to train with Chuck, you should. And if you are going to travel to do it, take it at Meadhall. Both of these are good life choices.
 
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