May 25/26 Training Weekend – Third AAR

I signed up for the course because of proximity. It’s nice to sleep at my own place. 

Of the half-dozen firearms courses I attended over the years this one was the best. It was the combination of instructor, facilities and students that made it so. Max is an excellent instructor – patient, low-key and willing to work with the student. The facilities were realistic – this isn’t square range training. It’s hills, trees, sunlight and shadows. You know, the kind of stuff that you might encounter post SHTF. The students were an interesting group from up and down the East Coast. All had good weapons skills, good gear and most importantly a good attitude. 

What did I learn from this course? 

Four riflemen/women are better than two are better than one. It was an eye opener to see how much difference the extra firepower made. Blame it on my misspent youth ‘cause most squids don’t get exposed to small unit tactics. Find some like-minded friends to practice with and get some training as a team.

Fitness isn’t optional. It’s critical to survival. I did some exercise (mainly walking) prior to class but those West Virginia hills kicked my butt. Plan to spend a lot of time walking, dashing to cover, falling to the ground and levering yourself back up. Don’t let this scare you off! I’m 59, an overweight desk jockey with bad knees to boot. If I can do it, you can too. 

Gear-wise 99% of my stuff worked. The only problem I encountered was losing pistol mags from my double decker Taco. Easily fixable with some retention cordage over the top. Didn’t have that problem on the square range but realistic training allowed me to discover a problem before it became critical.

Max’s ammo requirement is was spot-on for me – I shot about 300 rounds over two days. That’s a low round count compared to some classes I attended but then again I wasn’t standing in line with twelve other students blasting targets all day. 

More courses with Max are in my future. Hope that I see some of my fellow alumni there also!

MC

From the wilds of West-by-God-Virginia