VolkStudio Blog

I took that course in March. It was well worth the time and the expense. Started out very basic, ended with techniques and time pressures that strained my skill level. The instructors were competent and good at teaching. I liked that they spoke well, avoiding profanities typical of many other courses. Lessons learned:

• Gloves are good for protecting hands. I also found that Glock trigger and gloves are a bad mix, same as with revolvers.
• Holster selection is key. One of my holsters proved dangerous in use, as the lack of sweat guard allowed clothing to enter the trigger guard on re-holstering. Another holster wouldn’t stay on the belt at all when tugged. Third one retained the gun well but didn’t allow the laser to be used. I also found that using a 1.5″ dress belt with 1 3/4″ loops cause IWB holster to sink below the waistband line and made it impossible to get a firing grip. I upgraded to a proper 1 3/4″ Galco gun belt upon return and it made all the difference. IWB holsters are definitely slower in use than belt slides. Swear guards (sideguards) are, to my mind, mandatory for a defense holster to avoid accidents on re-holstering.
• Large magazines are better than small. Being able to fire 18 rounds before reloading allows to give more attention to the targets.
• Sighted fire works better than unsighted. However, unsighted fire is quicker and allows simultaneous movement. Laser visible in daylight would have been a big help and falls between sighted and unsighted fire in terms of speed.
• People using compact firearms were at a disadvantage. People using DAO guns were actually doing as well or better than people whose pistols had better triggers. Not sure if that was because they were better trained or DAOs had some advantage.
• The course proved equally valuable to experienced and inexperienced shooters. The expected Front Sight sales pitches were minimal and restrained.
• Cover garments have to be considered carefully. A folding knife in my right side pocket almost knocked me out when I swept the hemline out of the way and it wrapped around my back towards my head. I also hit the side of the jacket with the muzzle once and only following the rule to keep trigger guard vacant prevented a discharge.
• Frequent training is necessary. Live fire is less necessary. Shoot/no shoot targets are essential for encouraging judicious use of gunfire.