MVT Defensive Concealed Handgun Class

I attended the Defensive Concealed Handgun class on July 14-15 and I couldn’t be more pleased with the instruction from Scott, the experience, and my interactions with fellow students over the two day course. This was my first formal firearms class, and I was anticipating a high level of instruction based on prior class reviews and the reputation of MVT. I was not disappointed.

Day 1 started with a discussion of gear, the importance of investing in a quality belt and holster, and the pros and cons of the different carry alternatives (OWB, IWB, etc). Scott also pointed out different considerations for males and females that could influence choices for carry style. This was particularly relevant as three of the ten students were female. The importance of carrying spare magazines was reinforced, as well as the reason – most malfunctions can be traced to the magazine! A review of medical gear, and the rationale for carrying medical gear was presented similarly – you are more likely to need medical gear than the gun, so what’s the logic in not carrying medical gear?

These last points are examples of one of the things I really appreciated about Scott’s instruction. He supported the “what to do” with the “why we do it this way”, drawing on examples from personal experience as well as the historical record – often unfortunate situations where preparation, presence of mind, or technique could have led to a different outcome for those involved.

The live fire portion of Day 1 was structured in a very measured way. Scott started us off building a solid concealed drawstroke, and by the end of the day we were drawing from concealment and shooting supported, unsupported, performing one-handed reloads with our support hand, and handling malfunctions. Every new skill introduced built on those before it, and once we learned it, we were accountable for performing unprompted. The instruction was perfectly paced, and it was a good balance of challenge and quality repetitions. I’ll also note that Scott kept a close eye on safety in addition to proper technique.

The night fire session was absolutely time well spent. Scott covered a variety of techniques with the handheld light as well as the pros and cons of using a weapon-mounted light (WML). Those who brought a WML in addition to the handheld had an opportunity to drill with both, and I left with a clear preference. We learned in one of the drills that a quality light is an effective defensive tool in its own right!

I don’t want to give away too much, as Scott has obviously put a lot of thought and effort into the program of instruction. Let me just say that Day 2 was at least as valuable as the first day, and we exited the class with hands-on experience with various failure drills, movement, and use of cover in addition to all the foundational skills we had learned and applied the day prior. Oh, and the Tueller drill was an eye opener… You should enroll and find out for yourself.

We had a great group of students from a variety of backgrounds and experience. Scott met everyone at their level, and it seemed like everyone gained something from the class, including returning alumni. In addition to great instruction and solid techniques I can work on, I came away with a better understanding of the pros and cons of the platform I was using (Glock), as well as the carry setup that I used. I would recommend this class to anyone who owns a handgun for self defense.
Thanks, Scott for a great class. I look forward to more training at MVT!