Best handgun training schools?

Where have you guys been for handgun training?

Has anyone heard of Steve Silverman from Firearms Research & Instruction of Dover, Pennsylvania?

http://f-r-i.com/

Ft Benning, GA

Ft Bragg, NC

various other military bases in the US and Europe

Police Academy - Charlotte,NC

afew other courses here and there.

Nothing to talk about really :)

I've attended quite a few courses at Front Sight (www.frontsight.com) and found them to be of really high caliber in an atmosphere that you can take your spouse. I've trained quite a bit while in the 2nd Ranger Bn. and feel the training out at Front Sight (escpecially the basic and intermediate courses)are on par with the instruction in the spec ops community. Tactics are a different matter but largely not nearly as important as mastering gun handling. Spend time with D Boys and you'll see quickly whether dry practice time is important..they do it constantly.

If anyone wants to go to Front Sight I will sell a $600 training course certificate for $100. This is only applicable if you have never attended a course there before.

for more information email me at marcdscott@yahoo.com

I highly recommend Tactical Response Inc.  They are located in Clarksville TN right off of Fort Campbell.  The staff there is top notch.  Of course I am completely biased. 


 


 


Thanks for the opportunity to give a plug.


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Aaron Little
Head Coach
Performance Edge Martial Arts

www.TruthinCombat.com


Lead Instructor
Tactical Response Inc
www.WarriorMindset.com

Can non-military people get handgun training at military training facilities like Ft. Benning?

No. Anyways, you'd be better served attending training at one of the civilian training academies.

F-R-I (Firearms Research)? Steve Silverman? Has ANYONE heard of him?

Sorry Alex. I am not familiar with him.

I'm attending a tactical pistol course at Blackwater next week.

Blackwater is a good school.

 

Aaron Little
Head Coach
Performance Edge Martial Arts

www.TruthinCombat.com

Lead Instructor
Tactical Response Inc
www.WarriorMindset.com

So many places. In no particular order:

Blackwater

Options For Personal Security

Gunsite

Thunder Ranch

Valhalla Training

Tactical Response

Gunsite, Thunder Ranch, and Blackwater are top notch. I will
hopefully be at Blackwater in the fall for the Precision Rifle course.

I just got back from the Blackwater tactical pistol course. It was kickass! Did all kinds of stress shoots, shot in the urban ranges, shot on the Rogers range. Lots of military and LEO guys were there training, too.

Care to give us a review of the course?

 

Aaron Little
Head Coach
Performance Edge Martial Arts

www.TruthinCombat.com

Lead Instructor
Tactical Response Inc
www.WarriorMindset.com

Aaron, I'm thinking of putting this review up on LightFighter, but I'm not sure if it's kosher with Brad's guidelines. I've left out specifics of drills, military/LEO units, etc.


REVIEW OF BLACKWATER'S 5-DAY TACTICAL PISTOL COURSE

I recently attended a 5-day tactical pistol course at Blackwater Training Center in North Carolina. The training was exceptional, and I had a kickass time. I'm amazed at the level of progression I had throughout the week. The class size was small (9 people) which allowed lots of interaction between the instructor and the students. Everyone in the class had prior experience with firearms (some were LEO or military, or previously trained at Blackwater or Gunsite). Our instructors, Jason (and John on Wednesday), were outstanding. They made the environment lots of fun, but still pushed us to improve quickly. The techniques were presented as a simple, realistic solution for a stressful environment, but they were never touted as the only way or the best way. The various drills throughout the week quickly increased in difficulty, but sufficient time was spent with each drill to ensure the basic principles and techniques were understood and accomplished by every shooter. Everyone in the class was surprised at the improvements in their shooting by the end of the week.

CONT ...

BLACKWATER REVIEW CONT ...

The weather on Wednesday sucked. It was colder than a witch's tit, raining in sheets (with occasional snow flurries mixed in), and the high winds never stopped blowing except to change directions. I didn't have gloves or a hat for the first 4 hours, but I purchased both at the pro shop during lunch. Despite the miserable weather, I sucked it up and pushed myself hard since I was lagging behind everyone else (I was the least experienced guy in the class). My improvement on that day (much smoother trigger control and much steadier sight picture) was significant enough to put me on even ground with the other shooters. On Friday, I actually won the shooting contest on the Rogers range and got a free T-shirt. The 'liqour store holdup' drill on the Rogers range was very cool. All the targets were set to pop up randomly and remain exposed for random times. That drill may be an ammo eater, but it's a shitload of fun to shoot. Thursday we did night shooting, and worked on various flashlight techniques and light discipline. The stress courses we did through the week (particularly those in the urban area) pushed everyone to higher levels. Never again will I stand on a range and mindlessly punch holes in paper. All my future shooting will involve some element of stress or difficulty, and be designed to prepare for realistic scenarios. I had a notebook and stuffed it full of drills and techniques. My roommates and I reviewed everything we learned each night, and revised our notes.

CONT ...

BLACKWATER REVIEW CONT ...

The pistols used in the class were two Glock 22's, two Glock 19's, two SIG P226's, a SIG P239, a Springfield TRP, and a Beretta 92F. Most of the targets were steel plates (usually 6" circular plates or 8"x12" rectangular plates). The pit we did most of our shooting in had a variety of barricades, static targets, and moving target mounts. There was a medium shoot in the urban area to demonstrate the effectiveness (or lack thereof) of various types of cover. Lots of military and law enforcement groups were training there. I saw a variety of gear from vests (Eagle, Blackhawk, and other brands I couldn't determine) to drop leg holsters (HSGI, Eagle, Safariland, and Blackhawk) to rigger's belts (SOE, CQB Solutions, Eagle, Wilderness, and Blackhawk). As far as clothing, most military groups wore their issue BDU's, and everyone else had their own BDU's or 5.11's. Some time was even spent by the instructors discussing the pros and cons of various gear and the practicality of their placement.

CONT ...

BLACKWATER REVIEW CONT ...

My roommates were a great group of guys. Every night, we went offsite to weightlift and eat dinner, but never got to see a bear or bobcat while driving back. The Wild Wing Cantina had a great beer selection on tap, great wings, great mashed potatoes, great bourbon street chicken, and the slowest damn waitress on the east coast. I was expecting an onsite gym at Blackwater, but it's under construction so we found a gym nearby. The water pressure was real low in the showers, but they're currently getting city water piped in, so no worries there. My only real complaint was my bullshit post-ban mags (everyone but me had full capacity mags). My P226 performed flawlessly, but the plastic rails on the magazine baseplates cracked on 3 mags and sheared off on 2 mags while doing speed reloads on gravel. All seven of my mags were new, and only two survived unscathed. The other guy using a P226 had full capacity mags (metal baseplates), and they took a pounding with no signs of wear. That retarded AWB better end in September so I can buy full capacity mags for a decent price. Otherwise, it was a kickass week of shooting. I highly recommend Blackwater to anyone interested in improving their shooting skills. I plan to return soon for a 5-day Bushmaster operator course.

DoctorLizardo,

Thank you for the review.  I see no reason why you could not post this at Lightfighter in the training section.

 

Aaron Little
Head Coach
Performance Edge Martial Arts

www.TruthinCombat.com

Lead Instructor
Tactical Response Inc
www.WarriorMindset.com