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Message
Finished up my VATA Group pistol classes yesterday
Posted on 6/2/14 at 11:14 am
Posted on 6/2/14 at 11:14 am
Man, it was pretty intense. I did the intro and tactical level 1 classes. I learned a large amount of info, and now have about 15 different exercises to practice, and am 650 rounds lighter
The instructors' credentials were impressive to say the least. A few members of SWAT, most who are into competitive shooting, and have taught military/police/contractors all over the world. They had all been in firefights, shot at, and had friends shot. Each one was very well versed in all areas, and masters of certain other ones(not pertinent for these classes). Not one of them was brought there as a specialized trainer for one exact area though. Speaking to them, they all loved guns, equipment, teaching, and also learning. While they knew or had their hands on damn near everything at one point in time, they were not the stereotypical "gun nuts". Just regular guys who enjoyed teaching and shooting. At the end, they also suggested that we check out other schools to see if we can pick up any other things that work better for us, which I though was extremely professional. They also spent a few days a year going to other companies' classes in hopes of furthering their knowledge, and gave us their contact info if we had any questions further down the line.
We went through everything that we were supposed to in each of the classes, and had sufficient amount of time to learn everything properly. The three instructors each watched ~4 people at a time shooting, identified problems, and offered corrective tips. We also were allowed to spend extra time on the line, if we couldn't fully grasp something. Second day was much more shooting than the first day, but that is understandable because they build on each other.
I am no expert pistol marksmen, but everything I learned was practical and explained to us why it was. In the second class, we even got to learn some physiology.
I had a problem transitioning from the Weaver stance to Isosceles. I had just target shot my entire life, and making the move to tactical shooting was rough. They fully explained to me the benefits and problems with each stance, and when they are each appropriate. They spent a lot of time showing me and watching me screw it up . In the end, they told me it is something I need to practice on my own, with no distractions, in many, many shooting sessions and at my house not shooting anything at all.
It was a great time, I fricking suck at shooting Isosceles, put 650rds though my gun, and learned a huge amount of info and what exercises I should be practicing. It was a top notch school, and I'd recommend it to anyone who has a little bit of knowledge of how guns work. It was a bit much and fast paced for a first time shooter, but can certainly be completed by any competent person. If you shoot a couple hundred of rounds through your pistol, you will be ready for the class.
Safety was paramount, and because everyone there had some pistol knowledge, it was no problem for us at all. I did get the feeling that the instructors would stop everything in a heartbeat, and at one point, two of the instructors who were 15 yards apart noticed the same miniscule thing and put an end to it in under a second. I was thinking, "How the frick did this dude way over there see that shite?", but they both caught it.
Oh yeah, no pics because I was holding a gun in my hand 90% of the time, loading 8%, and eating lunch for the other 2%. I was tired as hell after 8hrs straight of shooting yesterday, and have still been waiting to get home to dry fire all afternoon. I am pissed at how I was shooting, but completely dedicated to improving that now, and the class gave me the drive to do so. Going from a bullseye shooter to a full-on retard shooter was rough, but I will have it corrected within 2 weeks for sure.
If any of the instructors are lurkers and
The instructors' credentials were impressive to say the least. A few members of SWAT, most who are into competitive shooting, and have taught military/police/contractors all over the world. They had all been in firefights, shot at, and had friends shot. Each one was very well versed in all areas, and masters of certain other ones(not pertinent for these classes). Not one of them was brought there as a specialized trainer for one exact area though. Speaking to them, they all loved guns, equipment, teaching, and also learning. While they knew or had their hands on damn near everything at one point in time, they were not the stereotypical "gun nuts". Just regular guys who enjoyed teaching and shooting. At the end, they also suggested that we check out other schools to see if we can pick up any other things that work better for us, which I though was extremely professional. They also spent a few days a year going to other companies' classes in hopes of furthering their knowledge, and gave us their contact info if we had any questions further down the line.
We went through everything that we were supposed to in each of the classes, and had sufficient amount of time to learn everything properly. The three instructors each watched ~4 people at a time shooting, identified problems, and offered corrective tips. We also were allowed to spend extra time on the line, if we couldn't fully grasp something. Second day was much more shooting than the first day, but that is understandable because they build on each other.
I am no expert pistol marksmen, but everything I learned was practical and explained to us why it was. In the second class, we even got to learn some physiology.
I had a problem transitioning from the Weaver stance to Isosceles. I had just target shot my entire life, and making the move to tactical shooting was rough. They fully explained to me the benefits and problems with each stance, and when they are each appropriate. They spent a lot of time showing me and watching me screw it up . In the end, they told me it is something I need to practice on my own, with no distractions, in many, many shooting sessions and at my house not shooting anything at all.
It was a great time, I fricking suck at shooting Isosceles, put 650rds though my gun, and learned a huge amount of info and what exercises I should be practicing. It was a top notch school, and I'd recommend it to anyone who has a little bit of knowledge of how guns work. It was a bit much and fast paced for a first time shooter, but can certainly be completed by any competent person. If you shoot a couple hundred of rounds through your pistol, you will be ready for the class.
Safety was paramount, and because everyone there had some pistol knowledge, it was no problem for us at all. I did get the feeling that the instructors would stop everything in a heartbeat, and at one point, two of the instructors who were 15 yards apart noticed the same miniscule thing and put an end to it in under a second. I was thinking, "How the frick did this dude way over there see that shite?", but they both caught it.
Oh yeah, no pics because I was holding a gun in my hand 90% of the time, loading 8%, and eating lunch for the other 2%. I was tired as hell after 8hrs straight of shooting yesterday, and have still been waiting to get home to dry fire all afternoon. I am pissed at how I was shooting, but completely dedicated to improving that now, and the class gave me the drive to do so. Going from a bullseye shooter to a full-on retard shooter was rough, but I will have it corrected within 2 weeks for sure.
If any of the instructors are lurkers and
Posted on 6/2/14 at 11:31 am to Hammertime
Did Greg and destin teach the class?
Posted on 6/2/14 at 11:43 am to chrisman17
Lewis, Blane, and Nick the first day. Second day had less people, and Lewis and Blane were there. Both top notch guys and really good instructors IMHO, no matter what the material is they would be teaching. They would've been good at teaching me how to make a cake. Their personalities were much different, but effective when paired together
This post was edited on 6/2/14 at 11:46 am
Posted on 6/2/14 at 12:16 pm to Hammertime
What did you end up doing about the mag holder issue?
Posted on 6/2/14 at 12:25 pm to Shexter
I just put a few of those felt circle things with the sticky stuff on the back. Worked perfectly
Other than a few weak loads of WWB 115gr not locking the slide back, the PPQ ran perfectly so I didn't need the Glock. I figured out that the weak loads were in the 50rd boxes I had, so I just stuck to the 100rd ones and didn't have any problems. One of the instructors said that they also had a problem with the WWB 115s when they were practicing 100 yard pistol shooting, but it was with innaccuracy.
I have shot all kinds of ammo through the thing, including WWB, and hadn't ever had a problem until then, so I am guessing it was just those boxes
ETA: After looking around on the internet, it might be a problem with where I am holding my thumb. I did change my grip when I changed the stance, so that is a possibility also because the slide release is bigger than a bunch of other plastic guns
Other than a few weak loads of WWB 115gr not locking the slide back, the PPQ ran perfectly so I didn't need the Glock. I figured out that the weak loads were in the 50rd boxes I had, so I just stuck to the 100rd ones and didn't have any problems. One of the instructors said that they also had a problem with the WWB 115s when they were practicing 100 yard pistol shooting, but it was with innaccuracy.
I have shot all kinds of ammo through the thing, including WWB, and hadn't ever had a problem until then, so I am guessing it was just those boxes
ETA: After looking around on the internet, it might be a problem with where I am holding my thumb. I did change my grip when I changed the stance, so that is a possibility also because the slide release is bigger than a bunch of other plastic guns
This post was edited on 6/2/14 at 12:51 pm
Posted on 6/2/14 at 12:35 pm to Hammertime
Where did you take the course and how much did it cost?
Posted on 6/2/14 at 12:41 pm to WhiskeyTangoFoxtrot
They normally do them at Camp Villere IIRC, but they were working on the berms there so we did it at the Plaquemines Parish Sheriff's Range in Port Sulphur. It was about 35 minutes from my house on Bonnabel in Metairie
The classes were a birthday present, but I think my dad told me they were $375 total for both. Very much worth the learning experience if you ever plan on protecting yourself or anyone else with a pistol
The classes were a birthday present, but I think my dad told me they were $375 total for both. Very much worth the learning experience if you ever plan on protecting yourself or anyone else with a pistol
Posted on 6/2/14 at 12:53 pm to Hammertime
$375 for 2 classes for 2 shooters?
sounds like a good deal
Why the frick would they practice pistol shooting at 100 yards?
if they blamed their inaccuracy at 100 yards on ammo loads!
sounds like a good deal
quote:
when they were practicing 100 yard pistol shooting, but it was with innaccuracy
Why the frick would they practice pistol shooting at 100 yards?
if they blamed their inaccuracy at 100 yards on ammo loads!
Posted on 6/2/14 at 1:30 pm to WhiskeyTangoFoxtrot
Competition pistol shooting @ 100yds. They do it, we didn't. These guys go through a lot of ammo. I think they said they shoot 5000-10,000rds per month
The furthest we went out was 25 yards against a 2x8 for "cover". Rest was at 7, 10, or 15yds.
It was $375 for just me for two 8hr days. I'd guess that is like $45/hr. Think about it like this.....you can pay a regular old tutor with a bachelor's degree $30/hr for tutoring, but one with multiple degrees, master's, or a PhD can charge $50+/hr.
I didn't want to learn from some Joe Schmo cop who served his 4 years as a grunt and had been a regular cop for 2 years. They are cream of the crop
It could've been $275. You'd have to call because I honestly can't remember
The furthest we went out was 25 yards against a 2x8 for "cover". Rest was at 7, 10, or 15yds.
It was $375 for just me for two 8hr days. I'd guess that is like $45/hr. Think about it like this.....you can pay a regular old tutor with a bachelor's degree $30/hr for tutoring, but one with multiple degrees, master's, or a PhD can charge $50+/hr.
I didn't want to learn from some Joe Schmo cop who served his 4 years as a grunt and had been a regular cop for 2 years. They are cream of the crop
It could've been $275. You'd have to call because I honestly can't remember
This post was edited on 6/2/14 at 1:45 pm
Posted on 6/2/14 at 1:50 pm to Hammertime
Glad you enjoyed it, its a good class.
Posted on 6/2/14 at 2:15 pm to Hammertime
quote:
might be a problem with where I am holding my thumb.
I've seen a few Springfield XDM's w broken slides from that same thing, but those were high use range rental guns.
Posted on 6/2/14 at 2:32 pm to Shexter
It has between 1500 and 2000rds through it at this point. Stopped at home for a sandwich and checked out my grip. I was gripping it and pulling the slide lock down with my thumb when doing so. I guess I was trying to pull the gun in tighter to the fat part of my hand. Seems to be user error, but I am gonna get another box of the "suspect" ammo and check.
I used to have the medium backstrap on there, switched it to the smallest one, and that seemed to move my thumb off of the release/lock/whatever a tiny bit. We'll see how that works.
It's amazing how much changing my stance effected my shooting, but I am determined to get it correct now
I used to have the medium backstrap on there, switched it to the smallest one, and that seemed to move my thumb off of the release/lock/whatever a tiny bit. We'll see how that works.
It's amazing how much changing my stance effected my shooting, but I am determined to get it correct now
Posted on 6/2/14 at 8:59 pm to kengel2
quote:Have you done any of their long range rifle classes? I've been smoking stuff at 100 with my 22, but wanted to be able to reach out and touch targets at 1000.
kengel2
Ive got a 30-06 with a VX3, but I'm guessing that would be a little less than required for the classes
Posted on 6/2/14 at 9:17 pm to Hammertime
I have. Actually, I had to get enough people so they would have a long range class. It was a very basic class, nothing like their last one. Ours had custom rifles, ar's, and hunting rifles. It was a good basic class meant to reach fundamentals.
Just email and ask if the rifle fits the class. I'd get some match ammo, just so you don't piss in the wind chasing adjustments.
Just email and ask if the rifle fits the class. I'd get some match ammo, just so you don't piss in the wind chasing adjustments.
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