Review: Defensive Concealed Handgun, December 9 – 10: ‘Pinky’

DCH Review December 9, 10:

It has been more than 5 years since I have taken a pistol class and I have been carrying in public “THINKING” I had it all covered.  I could not have been more wrong and I did not realize it until I took the class.  Scott was the instructor and did an excellent job of mixing practical information, drills, and connecting all of the above to situations most of us have read about in the news (Orlando Nightclub shooting, Paris concerts shooting, Dallas shooting, etc, etc).  He also made sure to emphasize the necessary mindset about making the decision to carry.

Day1:
We started with a chalk-talk session (in our case, a huddle around a fire since it was barely above 20 degrees) that covered holsters, belts, and other places to carry  your gun,  magazines, flashlights, medical gear, etc.  We moved into basic mechanics around drawing and reloading from concealment to single hand, strong and weak side, dealing with malfunctions.  A full day of making sure we had sound fundamentals.  Corrections were provided in a firm yet positive manner.

Night Shoot:
This to me was the most revealing, “lightbulb” time of the class.  We covered the various techniques and then were given time to determine which worked best for us.  We got to shoot in low light, headlight, flashing light, and then get a taste of 1000 lumens to better understand what a CRITICAL TOOL the flashlight can be for those that carry and those that don’t/won’t or cannot.  I highly, highly recommend taking this as part of the class.

Day 2:
We started with a refresh of Day 1 (mechanics, etc) and then moved on to learning about distances bad guys can cover, getting off the “X” in a threatening situation .  We then covered many “normal” situations (sitting, carrying bags, etc).  Worked in between all drills was a constant focus on marksmanship (think small targets, numbers, shapes, etc).

I left the two day class confirming that pistol marksmanship is a rapidly perishable skill and that there is a lot of “you don’t know what you don’t know” present in my head.  I learned that everyone should always carry a flashlight and a second mag (I never did), and that you can get out of more bad situations with your head and feet than with a gun.  I highly recommend the class and kudos to Scott for being a great instructor.

‘Pinky’