Modern Samurai Project's Two Day Red Dot Fundementals and Performance Course, 28-29 Oct 17

RJ Boyer

Newbie
After Action Review

Modern Samurai Project’s 2 Day Red Dot Pistol Course

28-29 October 2017

Private Range, Berryville, VA


Weather

28 October:Mid 60’s, partly sunny

29 October:Low 50’s to Low 40’s, rainy


Gear used

Glock 17, milled for a RMR Type 1 by DP Custom Works, LLC, stippled, undercut, and cut down to a Glock 19 frame by Cavalry Security Solutions

Phlster Classic AWIB holster

Factory Glock magazines

Original SOE low profile EDC belt

S&B 124gr FMJ (European Contract Overrun ammo made in Germany)


Class size: 10-13 students

Instructor:Scott “Jedi” Jedlinski

Assistant Instructors:Jon “Doc” Willoughby and Jose Gordon


Disclaimer:I am a friend of Scott “Jedi” Jedlinski and his wife Beverly.I will attempt to be as neutral as possible.


I am going to break this review down into five parts. Pre-course admin, Day One, Day Two, Gear Review, and Final Thoughts.Day one is going to be very brief since I have already produced an AAR for Scott’s one day Red Dot Pistol Course and everything covered in that course was covered in day one of the two day course with minor differences which I will identify.


Pre-course Admin


The course was announced on Scott’s Modern Samurai Project’s (MSP) Facebook page as well as the MSP webpage.Registration and payment were handled through the MSP main page.It was straight forward and issue free.


Communication between the students and MSP were handled via e-mail and also announcement’s on the MSP Facebook page.The communication was timely and clear.Requirements for the course, ammo count, etc was clearly stated and accurate.Directions to the rally point for the class were easy to follow and had a good overhead map showing where to meet up.There is no change here from the first one day course back in July of 2017 and now.


Day One


As said above, my AAR for MSP’s one day course will cover the vast majority of what was covered during day one of this course.You can find that AAR (posted as a comment to another outstanding AAR for that course by my friend Pat T. at:https://primaryandsecondary.com/forum/index.php?threads/aar-modern-samarai-project-red-dots.3232/.The AAR can also be found on the Modern Samurai Project’s public Facebook page as well as the P&S Training Facebook page.


The only differences that I can remember are that more training reps were used in this course due to the expanded time frame of the course and also the quality of the shooters.This is not to slight the shooters of the first one day course in anyway.Just for whatever reason, this group of students seemed to blend together better.Less time was needed to be spent on zeroing the red dots, more time was able to be spent on other drills such as the dot tracking exercise, the draw and shoot against steel exercise, etc.Only one run through of the mini match stage was run at the end of the first day as well, since it was planned to run the stage again at the end of day two.Weather conditions on day two did not turn out as hoped and that stage was not run due to physical conditions.


Since I have in the last six or seven months trained with MSP once in a one on one setting and now two group courses, I was able to spend my time on day one really focusing on the small nuances of what Scott was teaching.The biggest light bulb moment for me was finally, after two years learning the real difference between what Scott calls the Shock Absorbers vs 2x4 approach to recoil control.I have no idea why it took me so long to get it.I was told about it many times, Scott conducted multiple drills and exercises over the last six months, but I still wanted to go to full or near full extension on my presentation.For some reason, this time, when we walked up to the berm and did rapid fire into the dirt to learn how to track the dot for the second time that day (yes I am that slow of a learner) I bent my arms more than normal and, holy crap.The dot stayed in the window shot after shot, going through an entire 17 round magazine.The beam of light came down from the heavens, the angels were singing, and so forth.


A quick comment about the AI’s.The quality of people that Scott attracts goes beyond the students (myself excluded).When you have AI’s like Doc Willoughby and Jose Gordon, the class is elevated to a level above what even Scott is able to provide.Their insights and ability to provide quality instruction allowed two simultaneous lines to fire during the steel phases of the course which allowed more reps, more practice, and slightly different advice and guidance as we switched from instructor to instructor.


Also, many of the drills were fired using shot timers.The importance of the use of shot timers in your training were stressed along with their limitations.Every tool has its place and while the shot timer does have some shortcomings, when used appropriately, it his highly effective in tracking your improvement.


Day Two


Weather this day just stunk.Flat out, no question, stunk.Misty, cold, and at times a good steady rain made provided a level of discomfort.And it was AWESOME!So, I will not lie, I would rather be comfortable than in discomfort, but it is a good thing to practice and train in conditions that are less than optimal.It allows for testing of your gear in poor conditions and provides distractions which test your ability to apply the lessons being taught.


The day started off with shooting a full size steel silhouette while practicing moving from about 25 yards to 10 yards.Two different movement types were practices, one being a high keel, fully upright method, while the other was a slightly crouched method.The pros and cons of each were discussed and the reasons for each were talked out.The importance of moving at a constant speed was stressed.Each was practiced several times so each student could determine which method was better for them (I picked the crouched method).


The class then progressed to the 10 yard line and practiced transitioning between two targets while using the dot.Scott and Doc stressed the importance (nay, the requirement) of moving your eyes to the new target before moving the pistol and this was a very important lesson to learn.Multiple reps were practiced, which allowed us to cut our split times down by between .2 and .4 seconds.


The next step was back to the 25 yard line and practice moving while transitioning between the two steel targets.This put every lesson together for me.The recoil control, the movement drills, the timing during movement, etc.The first time was, well pretty crappy for me.The second run through, I cleared my mind, focused on the process (more on this in a bit) and ignored the outcome.When I reached the 10 yard line, I had run through my full 17 round magazine.I reloaded, holstered, and turned to Scott for my critique.He was standing there with his arms open for a hug.I guess I did pretty well.


The final shooting part of the class was on strong hand only and weak hand only shooting at 26 or 27ish yards.Instruction was provided on proper foot placement, hand placement, and a final reminder about using the recoil to assist during transitions.Multiple reps were run, both on just one target and then transitioning between the two steel plates.I knew I was in a better place at the end of day two then the beginning of day one when I, who does not practice nearly as much as I should on SHO and WHO shooting, was able to shoot in the rain, using a red dot, at 26ish yards, transitioning between targets SHO (we won’t talk about my inability with WHO) and hit them.Give that sentence a second read (if only because it is a stupid long run on sentence).A red dot pistol, in steady rain, was able to be used at distances over 25 yards, in a strong hand only setting, and used effectively.


The class wrapped up around 1500 hours with a discussion of dry fire, videotaping your practice, and mindset.The second run through of the mini stage was canceled due to field conditions.


Gear Review


My Glock 17 slide had been milled by DP Custom Works.My carry pistol, which is a Roland Special, was done by ATEi.That carry gun had been run through Scott’s one on one instruction, a Sage Dynamics two day course, a one day One Life Defense course, Scott’s one day course, and one day of a two day One Life Defense course and performed perfectly.The DP Custom gun, while not having as much time or rounds with it, is holding up just as well.No issues with the dot flickering (other than a battery issue identified during practice weeks prior, but that isn’t a slide issue).I now have over 1,000 rounds through the DP gun and I trust it fully.


The frame was stippled, undercut and cut down by my friend Jake at Cavalry Security Solutions out of TX.Jake does outstanding work at a very good price and the gun did not move in my hands during the rainy second day.The undercuts were well placed and allowed me to get as high as possible on the gun without getting the ever dreaded Glock knuckle. Getting the frames to him in TX can be a bit challenging, but very well worth it.He can be found on Facebook at his company’s public page.


The RMR Type 1 worked with zero issues in the wet weather.I know that some people believe that a red dot in the rain adds some issues like starbursting, fogging up, etc.The starburst issue did happen since water got between the emitter and the lens.And then recoil fixed the issue.In the one shot that I had to make with the starburst, I placed the largest of the stars on the target and the round landed exactly where I wanted it to.No fogging occurred.I do use Cat Crap on the lens, and either the conditions did not cause fogging, or the Cat Crap worked as advertised.So dots won’t get you killed on the street, at least not in the rain.Or at close range (see the first AAR for more details on this).


The ammo worked flawlessly (when I remembered to have a magazine in the pistol and a round chambered.If it is in stock with S&G Ammo or Target Sports USA, I highly recommend picking some up.It also has enough power to cycle my RS with stock springs without fail.


Phlster Classic Holster.So another disclaimer.I consider John Hauptman a friend, and he provided me this Classic holster for free (I think because he wanted me to stop singing the praises of the ACCESS).But I think I can be neutral with this as well.I loved Jon’s work when I was using his Gen 1 ACCESS holster several years ago.Then I moved on to having a WML on my Glock and I had to move on from Phlster’s work since Jon did not make a WML holster.When Jon offered me the chance to use his Classic (which is an updated version of his ACCESS holster) I decided I would be stupid to say no.Since I had a training gun built to allow me to put less wear and tear on my carry gun, I decided I would use the Classic for training when I didn’t use a WML.The Classic is a very well thought out, comfortable AWIB holster with the solid retention that those who have long time experience with Phlster have come to expect.If you are looking for an AIWB holster without the need for a WML, you can’t go wrong with the Classic.And if you do run a WML, well Jon now makes the Spotlight holster.But that is for another review.


Final Thoughts


I use to think it would be silly to take the same class multiple times.Why should I spend my money over and over to learn the same thing.And that type of thinking is stupid.One on one training obviously allows for the maximum amount of learning, but can be expensive and if you do it in an indoor range, can restrict what you can do_One day classes can be cost effective but might cause you to drink from a fire hose and miss key points.A two day course, with a small number of students, I think is ideal.Scott got the mix just right on this course.His one day course is awesome, as my first AAR says, but it is a ton of information in a very short amount of time, while also cutting back on the number of reps that you can run to practice the lessons.This two day class, while still cut a little short due to weather, allowed ample time to practice the lessons while also slowing down the rate of knowledge to a much more manageable level.


I said it in my first AAR.If you have decided to use a Red Dot on your pistol for either self-defense or competition use, you have already decided to spend a significant amount of money on your decision.A small amount of money for Scott’s two day class, less than the cost of a used Glock pistol, is probably the best investment you can make in that purchase to ensure that you get the performance out of it.I have left this two day class even more prepared to practice on the topics that I need to focus on to maximize my skills with my chosen self-defense weapon.If you are in the Metro DC area you need to train with Scott.In 2018, Scott and Bev are taking their show on the road all over the US.If you are anywhere in CONUS, you need to get your time in with Scott as soon as possible.You can thank me in cigars and bourbon later.
 

SCSU74

Regular Member
Thank you for this well written AAR. Looking forward to training with Scott in Janesville, Wi coming up..
 
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