Well, it's snowing again in the State of Ohio. So far, I've shoveled the driveway twice, tomorrow morning is going to be a pain. I've yet to get new tires on the truck and it really needs them. Ah, procrastination. But all's good, or reaching good.
Recently, my partner and I taught a class for rifle/pistol--nothing fancy, a basic six hour introduction to the art of defensive shooting. I was amazed at how many people we had show up (over 20) and was equally amazed at how many people showed up with high dollar gear and no clue how to use it. Just as many didn't even have their rifles zeroed. To top all of it off, people were showing up in class with Uncle Mikes IWB and carrying magazines on slings, in pockets, and in dump pouches. It was a struggle to get people to stop thinking target shooting and start thinking tactically. We didn't even hit using cover in this class... just too many other issues. Many, many, tried to catch magazines, find ammo in the tall grass and generally reverted to "Cold Range" mentality.
For the first time, I had to refuse to let someone on the range.
The man showed up with a M1 Garand. I have nothing against the M1 mind you, and this was a fine example of the breed, but he knew nothing about the weapon. Nothing. He came with one enbloc clip and a pocket (literally) of assorted .30-06 loads. For those of you unfamiliar with the M1 was designed to fire a specific load, a 147 grain bullet and designated powder charge (which I do not remember right now), because of the operating rod, which is prone to failure at higher bullet weights and powder charges. This guy showed up with everything from the Remington Accelerator rounds to 220 grain soft point hunting loads. Every single load had some kind of blemish on the case or bullet. Needless to say, I refused to let him shoot after explaining the reasons why.
So with that little tidbit in mind, if you take a firearms class, show up with a zeroed rifle, at least five magazines for the rifle, a pistol with a good holster and at least four mags for the pistol. In addition to those items, have good magazine carriers and ammo that works for your firearm. Classes like these are dynamic, stressing course and for good reason; we want you to be able to operate under duress when you have to, not stand and dither as the bullets fly.
Check us out at www.milcopptactical.com
Be safe.
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Nothing surprises me about people and firearms any more. I spent nearly 11 years behind the counter and I saw it all. I knew someone like your garand guy, he just got ammo at flea markets...factory rounds, reloads,surplus, whatever he could find, for an HK91!! I didn't think it was possible to blow one up, but he did. It went so hard I could literally put my fist in the mag chamber...wow. One of these days I might write a whole post of the things I saw.
ReplyDeletethe class I took to get my concealed carry permit was an all-day thing, and everyone there seemed to do really well on the range part. everyone seemed smart and prepared and shot just fine, so it is definitely interesting to read this post and to be reminded that there are oddballs out there and people who really don't know know what they're doing with a gun. those are the people who really need training!
ReplyDeleteHey Guntard.
ReplyDeleteI'm enjoying your post and your point of view. You've got lots of good things to say. I'm going to subscribe to your blog. I hope that you keep it updated with lots of new stuff. Thanks again.
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