VSM Basic Pistol, Eastern PA, Nov 12

[Joe R.]

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On November 12th S&T Training & Consulting LLC will be holding a VSM Basic Pistol Class at the Guthsville Rod & Gun Club in Orefield PA. Cost is $150.00. Class size is limited to ten students.

This course will introduce students to the Vickers Shooting Method. It is an entry-level course for defensive handgun skills. The course is designed for those who have had no formal instruction or individuals that want a solid review of the basics based on real world combat principles.

Topics include; firearms safety as it relates to professional gun handling in real world situations, sight alignment and sight picture, trigger control, stance, grip, draw, reloading, malfunction clearances, weapon maintenance and equipment selection.

Weapon & Gear Class Requirements:
- Eye and Ear Protection (a baseball style hat is also recommended)
- Serviceable handgun
- Serviceable holster (no cross draw or shoulder holsters)
- Magazine or speed loader pouch
- Minimum of three serviceable magazines or five speed loaders
- 500 rounds of ammunition
- Clothing suitable for range activity and the prevailing weather conditions

For more information go to www.sightsandtrigger.com or contact joe@sightsandtrigger.com

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[Joe R.]

For an AAR of a previous S&T VSM class go here: https://www.m4carbine.net/showthread.php?t=85523

[CoryCop25]

I am in. I will require a discount if JoeR. starts picking on me!:D

[Joe R.]

Only a couple slots left gang! If you are interested contact me at joe@sightsandtrigger.com.

[CoryCop25]

Anyone sign up for this? I am in. See you Saturday.

[CoryCop25]

Today was the VSM Basic Pistol class taught by JoeR. The class was held at the Guthsville Rod and Gun Club in Orefield, PA. Class started promptly at 0900. It was sunny with clear skies and in the morning it was a balmy 35 degrees. There were 8 students, JoeR and his trusty sidekick Pete (that makes 10). Out of the 8 students, there were 3 police officers, a nurse, a 911 dispatcher, a computer tech and the other two guys I failed to ask what they did.
There were two Glock 34s, a Glock 23, Glock 17, Glock 19, a Beretta 92F, Smith and Wesson M&P 9c, and a Para Carry 9 LDA.
The class started with a safety brief about how to contact emergency services and where we were located at the range. Next, we went into the 4 basic safety rules. JoeR then went in depth with the basic grip, stance, sight alignment and trigger control. JoeR really covered this thoroughly. He left nothing out at all and made sure that everyone was on the same page before we put hands on our firearms. This opening lecture was about an hour and twenty minutes long and I will have to say that JoeR kept it from getting dry.
Next, we went down range and quickly realized that we should have been standing on that side of the range during the lecture because it was much warmer in the sun. We started off with a dry fire exercise and then a trigger reset exercise. We then attempted to go hot and do a trigger control exercise......
Here is where I want to stop and talk about gear. The first issue we had right off the bat was the guy running the Para 9 quickly realized that his front sight was bent and was shooting about 3 inches right at 3 yards. Luckily, he had a back up and transitioned over to a Smith and Wesson Sigma 9MM. The guy with the 92F also had issues early on and was given a loaner Glock 17. I can't report on what the issue was because I was at the other end of the range. There were also a couple of minor holster and sight issues that were quickly fixed.
The gear issues, thankfully, were found and fixed early on. The issues did make it a sluggish start but all in all, once they were addressed, we really got moving.
As with all of VSM classes, these drills were all based on accuracy and proper shooting fundamentals with trigger press being numero uno. We did several drills from 3,5,7 and 10 yards involving 1,2 and 3 rounds from the ready and then from the holster. I kept getting beat up by JoeR for coming off the target too quickly after the string of fire. I think he started throwing stuff at me and he was calling me a Travis Costa mutant or something like that. This brought us to about 12:10 and we took a quick break for lunch.
After lunch, we worked on emergency and tactical reloads. JoeR again, was very in depth and clear in how to perform these reloads. Next, we did the walk back drill on an 8 inch steel plate. I will say that with a little ingraining of the basics, I was amazed how far away you can smack an 8 inch plate. We then did the 10X10X10 test. That is 10 rounds in 10 seconds from 10 yards. Again, it's amazing to see what can be accomplished when you stick to the fundamentals. I scored an 89 but I had more than 2 seconds to go on the clock when I finished.
Malfunction drills were next. We went over tap, rack, assess. We talked about stove pipes and then double feeds. The VSM way of clearing a double feed was different for me but I could see that it was very fast. We quickly went into shooting and moving. First front and back then, left and right. Moving left and right was different than what I do but, again, it's just another tool in the tool box. Last, we did turning. Pivot left, pivot right and pivot rear. This was something that I have done in a lot of classes and again, JoeR just has a way of breaking it down and making sure the students do it right.
JoeR then asked what if we wanted to go over anything again and there were no takers. Someone suggested we do the walk back again and we ran that a second time. Who wouldn't want to shoot more steel? JoeR then brought us all in and explained to us that we should never leave the range on a bad note. He hammered the saying "Shooting is 90% mental". He had us line up at the 5 yard line and shoot the best 5 shot group that we could.
This class was great! I rarely read AARs that do not have pictures. I have to say that I brought a video camera, still camera and a tripod. We simply did not have time to even stop to take pictures. We did not rush through anything but we never had any down time to do anything. This is not a bad thing! JoeR kept us moving, learning and most of all had our attention the entire 8 hours. This was a great bunch of guys! We all got along, laughed, and learned well together. I would love to train with each and every one of them, anytime!
Training in this area sucks! I am glad something like this came my direction for once.

[Fisher Keynes]

This is my first post, so please be gentle everyone ;)

I also attended JoeR's VSM Basic Pistol yesterday (I was the guy running the M&P 9c.) The AAR, above, does a pretty good job of presenting what went on, so I'll just try and expand on it a bit.

It was a great class and I'm glad I signed up for it. JoeR is an excellent instructor. He was obviously in command of the material and was able to present it clearly and concisely. The pace of the class was perfect- we were kept busy, but not rushed, throughout the day. Joe R talked just enough to get his points across and had us shoot enough to reinforce the concepts and show us where we needed to devote some additional time practicing and getting additional training.

Oh, the Beretta didn't have a problem, per se. The guy who was running it and I (we were paired up together) couldn't figure out a way to balance the shell casing on the front sight for one of the drills- the front sight was curved and not flat so the shell case wouldn't stay in place. I was willing to continue experimenting, but he decided to go with the Glock instead.

So, thanks to JoeR for a great class. I hope to train with him and the other guys again, either for pistol or carbine.

[CoryCop25]

(I was the guy running the M&P 9c.)

I must commend you for shooting the hell out of that M&P 9c from concealment in an inside the pants holster all class! GREAT JOB! :moil:

[Joe R.]

Thanks for the kind words. I felt the class went very well and believe that everybody was able to take something away from it.

There were a few fits and starts in the morning with equipment but that's to be expected, especially with students who are new(er) to training classes. Everything was worked out quickly and we rolled on with a purpose from there.

The students were eager to learn and everyone showed improvement throughout the day. I even got Cory to follow through on his targets without immediately bringing the gun back into a (picture perfect Magpull Dynamics) compressed ready position right away! ;) Fisher did an excellent job running a M&P 9mm compact. The gun just about disappeared in his big paws! Congrats to Cory for being last man standing in the walk-back drill and Fisher for his performance in "The Test".

Thanks again to all the students who attended and I hope to see you again in the future.

Look forward to more S&T VSM classes in the spring!