thuong2lan
Newbie
OVERVIEW & COURSE SELECTION:
This symposium was a unique training opportunity in the backyard of Houston. It was organized by Matt Shockey and his team at a private gun club in Eagle Lake, Texas (https://theranchtxclub.com). The event offers training with some of the best instructors in firearms and personal defense, such as:
Bob Vogel, Kerry Davis, Jared Reston, Chuck Pressburg, Scott Jedlinski, Bill Blowers, Mike Pannone, Aaron Cowan, Steve Fisher, and Craig Douglas. There may have been others, but these are the names I recall.
I will be submitting this review in four parts. Part 1 (this post) will be an introduction to the symposium and logistics. Part 2 will review my first class, part 3 my second class, and part 4 my final class and summary. I paid fully for the registration and do not have any financial relationships with the organizers or any vendors.
PART 1
I did not go last year but moved heaven and earth to attend this year. The event occurs over four days (Thursday - Sunday). Thursday afternoon was the first day and focused on safety, range orientation, zeroing, and competition (I did not attend the first half day due to work). Many prizes were given out apparently (thousands of dollars’ worth) and vendors were present to display/sell their products. There is an open bar and firepit every night. However, if you take one sip of alcohol, then you were done shooting for that day (i.e. no low light classes). Friday through Sunday were when classes were conducted with the instructor you selected. You can select courses with any of the instructors as long as it was not more than 8 hours a day. Some classes were in four-hour blocks, others were 8 hours and you can mix and match. Some blocks were during the day, while others started in the afternoon and went on to 10 PM or past midnight. The selections that I remember were:
COST: In addition to the tuition fee, there was $45 additional fee for Aaron’s force on force class, a camping option for $75, and an optional fee for all meals (lunch and dinners, no breakfast). My total for the symposium was $1050 as I opted in for both camping and meals. I would highly recommend camping. It was nothing fancy, just a wide-open grass field with a dry creek on one side and portable showers (heated water) on the other end. It was nice to sleep under the stars, hear the drizzle of rain, and wake up to deers in front of your tent’s vestibule. The only disadvantage was that the low light classes were still banging on steel past midnight. Personally, this did not bother me as the sounds were distant. For light sleepers, however, this may bother you. There were not many campers, perhaps 8 tents that I remember. Most people stayed in nearby motels and drove in each day. I heard someone say that someone had their gear stolen from their truck overnight. I don’t know if this was true, but I can certainly see that happening if you did not haul all your gear inside your room each night.
GEAR/EQUIPMENT
I won’t bore everyone with every gear but will highlight some important items and lessons.
The organization was good. You received a folder on your first day with the classes and range locations along with a goodies bag of decals, water bottle, and junk food. Water was plentiful and there was always a staff member around that could help. Bathroom facilities were clean and stocked. There was an RFID card for each student that allowed you to enter and exit the range as needed.
Near the main lodge, there were two big tents. One housed the vendors/exhibitors and the second was where food was served. Food was decent. Mexican food, hamburgers, salads and you could return for seconds if needed. Bring your own food if you are a vegetarian. There was an open bar in the evenings, but I don’t drink so I cannot tell you of the offerings.
I did not go to the exhibitor tent at all so I cannot tell you who was there or what was offered. There were a lot of free T-shirts and water bottles.
I cannot tell you exactly how many students there were, but it was well attended. The numbers were well managed and at no time did I feel that there were too many people (unless you showed up late to lunch, plenty of food but long lines initially). The ranges were well spread out and you never felt like another group was too close where range commands could be heard. My next post will be some thoughts on my first class.
This symposium was a unique training opportunity in the backyard of Houston. It was organized by Matt Shockey and his team at a private gun club in Eagle Lake, Texas (https://theranchtxclub.com). The event offers training with some of the best instructors in firearms and personal defense, such as:
Bob Vogel, Kerry Davis, Jared Reston, Chuck Pressburg, Scott Jedlinski, Bill Blowers, Mike Pannone, Aaron Cowan, Steve Fisher, and Craig Douglas. There may have been others, but these are the names I recall.
I will be submitting this review in four parts. Part 1 (this post) will be an introduction to the symposium and logistics. Part 2 will review my first class, part 3 my second class, and part 4 my final class and summary. I paid fully for the registration and do not have any financial relationships with the organizers or any vendors.
PART 1
I did not go last year but moved heaven and earth to attend this year. The event occurs over four days (Thursday - Sunday). Thursday afternoon was the first day and focused on safety, range orientation, zeroing, and competition (I did not attend the first half day due to work). Many prizes were given out apparently (thousands of dollars’ worth) and vendors were present to display/sell their products. There is an open bar and firepit every night. However, if you take one sip of alcohol, then you were done shooting for that day (i.e. no low light classes). Friday through Sunday were when classes were conducted with the instructor you selected. You can select courses with any of the instructors as long as it was not more than 8 hours a day. Some classes were in four-hour blocks, others were 8 hours and you can mix and match. Some blocks were during the day, while others started in the afternoon and went on to 10 PM or past midnight. The selections that I remember were:
- Bob Vogel- championship pistol skills
- Kerry Davis- medical
- Jared Reston- shooting on the move, CQB,
- Chuck Pressburg- night vision, urban gunfighter (vehicles)
- Scott Jedlinski- two four hour blocks on red dot pistol skills
- Bill Blowers- Tactical carbine, night vision,
- Mike Pannone- concealed carry pistol skills (2-10 pm)
- Aaron Cowan- Force on Force (2-10 pm)
- Steve Fisher- carbine
- Craig Douglas- grappling in the weapons-based environment
COST: In addition to the tuition fee, there was $45 additional fee for Aaron’s force on force class, a camping option for $75, and an optional fee for all meals (lunch and dinners, no breakfast). My total for the symposium was $1050 as I opted in for both camping and meals. I would highly recommend camping. It was nothing fancy, just a wide-open grass field with a dry creek on one side and portable showers (heated water) on the other end. It was nice to sleep under the stars, hear the drizzle of rain, and wake up to deers in front of your tent’s vestibule. The only disadvantage was that the low light classes were still banging on steel past midnight. Personally, this did not bother me as the sounds were distant. For light sleepers, however, this may bother you. There were not many campers, perhaps 8 tents that I remember. Most people stayed in nearby motels and drove in each day. I heard someone say that someone had their gear stolen from their truck overnight. I don’t know if this was true, but I can certainly see that happening if you did not haul all your gear inside your room each night.
GEAR/EQUIPMENT
I won’t bore everyone with every gear but will highlight some important items and lessons.
- Pistol: Glock 19X milled for RMR6 Type 2, 3.25 MOA. The RMR was flawless during Scott Jedlinski’s class and we shot around 500 rds for the 8-hour block. The only failure per se was that my rear BUIS (Ameriglo, mounted in front of RMR) shifted right from its milled dovetail. I did not use the BUIS at all to rack the slide. It must have shifted from just the recoil, which has never happened before. The sight could not be moved by hand, so it was in there tight. I repositioned it and applied Loctite.
- Holster was Phlster Floodlight and belt was Blue Alpha Gear hybrid EDC belt. Both performed well during the Force on Force and for Craig Douglas’s grappling class.
- I wore jeans for all three days. Wearing a long sleeve compression undergarment would be highly recommended, especially for the grappling class.
- Salomon GTX PRO mid ride shoes- It was raining periodically, and the red dirt got muddy quickly. These shoes were great and kept me dry.
The organization was good. You received a folder on your first day with the classes and range locations along with a goodies bag of decals, water bottle, and junk food. Water was plentiful and there was always a staff member around that could help. Bathroom facilities were clean and stocked. There was an RFID card for each student that allowed you to enter and exit the range as needed.
Near the main lodge, there were two big tents. One housed the vendors/exhibitors and the second was where food was served. Food was decent. Mexican food, hamburgers, salads and you could return for seconds if needed. Bring your own food if you are a vegetarian. There was an open bar in the evenings, but I don’t drink so I cannot tell you of the offerings.
I did not go to the exhibitor tent at all so I cannot tell you who was there or what was offered. There were a lot of free T-shirts and water bottles.
I cannot tell you exactly how many students there were, but it was well attended. The numbers were well managed and at no time did I feel that there were too many people (unless you showed up late to lunch, plenty of food but long lines initially). The ranges were well spread out and you never felt like another group was too close where range commands could be heard. My next post will be some thoughts on my first class.