AAR FROM VSM CLASS 3-12-2011+ PICS

[Mr. Smith]

More to come.

[kwelz]

VSM 1 Day Basic Handgun Class
March 11th 2011
https://www.m4carbine.net/showthread.php?t=72993
Main instructor: Joe Barnsfather
Location: Silver Creek Conservation Club
Total in attendance: 8


Before I get into the meat of things I wanted to make one point. While I was there for this class I was not an official attendee. Due to a recent Medical procedure I felt it best not to attend this class. however last week I spoke with Mr. Barnsfather and offered to take photos for the class and write the AAR. He was grateful enough that he let me get some trigger time in as well.


Range conditions: Is there a word better than perfect? High 50s or low 60s. Sunny. Ground was a bit soft in places but not on the range itself. Sun was at our back for the morning and never got down into our eyes till very late in the day.

Weapons and Equipment: Weapons were the normal mix of quality firearms we usually see at these classes. There were about an even number of M&P and Glocks. I also saw 2 XDs and one student had a 2011 while at least one other had a 1911.

Gear was a mix of Padded training belts, standard belts and other custom setups.

There were no failures to speak of however there were a few minor points that I will get to later.

Class:

The class started as normal. With a safety briefing. Focus here was put on the two most important parts. Don't point our gun at anyone, and keep your finger off the trigger. You can break any number of safety rules but as long as you follow at least one of these two, then the chances of someone getting hurt are minimal.

This class was a basic Handgun class so we started off with the real basics. Remedial dry fires. We have all done them, and in my opinion a lot of people overlook them as a training tool. Mr. Barnsfather stressed throughout the class that trigger control is the key to accuracy. And dry firing can help teach you trigger control.

After a number of these we went Hot. At 5 Yards the goal was to put a single round into the 1 square on the head of the target. One student who had great trigger control in dry firing showed a flinch with live ammo that put the round about 18 inches low. Honestly it reminded me of where I was about a year ago.

But it gave us a good chance for a lesson. Joe took the students gun. Loaded it for them and then handed it back to them. When the student squeezed the trigger (on what ended up being an empty gun) you could see the flinch.

I am not talking about this to pick on this student. I just feel it is an important point in the class that showed us all what we need to work on.

This transitioned into the next drill which was having a partner putting an empty casing on top of the front sight and then squeezing the trigger without dropping the casing. It can be a very difficult drill depending on what type of trigger you have. But once you get used to it, it is very doable.

Most of the morning was spent covering the basics like this. Drawing your weapon, trigger manipulation. Reloads. All the things you need to know about using a handgun if you ever hope to be able to use one defensively. I am not going to lie. There were times that Mr. Barnsfather really road us about our shooting. Especially when we ran the test. I used to hate that drill. But I am coming to love it.

The shooting in the morning(and afternoon for that matter) was broken up by frequent breaks. Many of the shooters had never been to a class before and were not used to high round counts so it was important to give breaks in between. Shooters fatigue can set in very quickly when you are not used to a class environment. These breaks were also a great chance to ask questions about gear and shooting. They provided invaluable time to cover the topics without taking away from the range time.

By lunch time we were all feeling it. But I can tell you that when we came back from lunch everyone was energized and it showed. It seems like every person, including Mr. Barnsfather, was shooting better when we got back. The improvement from the beginning of the day was very visible in all shooters even by this point and it was decided to move on to more advanced drills.

Transitions were a big part of the afternoon. We shot weak hand supported and unsupported a lot. This is where one of those minor issues I mentioned earlier came into play. At least one of the shooters with an XD had problems shooting weak side because of the grip safety. Unlike a 1911 the grip safety on an XD is not very forgiving. And if it isn't held right the safety will not (dis)engage and the gun will not fire. This can become a real problem when not used to holding the gun weak side. Training of course is the cure for this, but it is another reason I am not a fan of the XD platform.

One fun drill we did was laying the gun on the (nice rocky) ground the way it would be if we were going to pick it up with our strong hand. We then had to pick it up weak side and engage the target.


And of course, as always, malfunction clearance was covered in detail. Mainly we focused on Tap/rack/bang and clearing a double feed. One other small issue that came up during this drill was magazines.

We have all had to drop a partially loaded mag for some reason or another. But it is very important to check them after we do. One student had a magazine where the top round stovepiped in the mag. It is an easy fix. But till that moment I had never thought to check closely. And I could see myself grabbing a mag and dropping in my dump ouch for later recovery without knowing it was screwed up.


The class ended on a high note. All of us were shooting remarkably better than we had been at the start. I was extremely happy with the improvement I was showing here, but not my shooting as a whole. I wish I could have shot the whole class but I had to step out many times. It gave me a chance to get some great photos (which I will upload soon) but did take away from ho much I would have liked to have shot.

As always I would like to thank Joe Barnsfather for being a great instructor, and the students of the class for being great shooting partners. I would also like to thank the SCCC for allowing us to use their range on such short notice. Our normal range at Knob creek was flooded and if not for the generosity of the Silver Creek range we would have had to cancel.

[Mr. Smith]

Nice AAR K Welz

[Appalachian]

Thanks for posting the AAR K...great as usual. Good seeing you again at the class.

And thanks to my fellow shooters, I didn't personally witness any high stakes grab-ass that made me fear for my life. Everybody had their heads on straight.

From my perspective:

This was my second event with him, again a great job from an excellent instructor. The consistency of concept and actions was on the mark. The same cornerstones were carried from the carbine to the pistol; ever present on the range was hearing "no near or far targets, only big and small targets" and emphasis on trigger control. Throughout the day it proved true that if you can keep your mind in gear and don't let the demons creep in you will get your hits.

My top 3 takeaways from the class are:

1. reinforced yet again for me that trigger control is everything
2. train as close to the way you carry as you can
3. dry fire isn't the greatest thing in the world, but man does it ever work when used properly

1. trigger control and 3. dry fire drills - if you start chasing / looking for holes in the target between shots you lost focus and will send a miss. If you don’t apply the trigger press fundamental correctly, a miss will always result. During the immediate action (tap rack bang) drill on the initial empty chamber I found myself being much more deliberate with my trigger. It sounds stupid, but it made me realize that I wasn't paying enough attention to it when firing. Joe wisely employed dry fire drills through the day that continued to reinforce. These are no cost living room drills, and yet I usually choose not to do them. 25 years of dime/washer M16/M4 drills (yawn) has left a training scar. However, for me personally I think I get a lot of value from doing them with a pistol. I will make an effort in the future and correct the deficiency.

2. train close to the way you carry. I have made several significant choices with regard to my defensive pistol in the last few months (caliber consolidation to 9mm and then even farther to gun consolidation to G19). I have trained with the setup on my own and once in a formal class in a limited capacity (used as a secondary in one of Joe's carbine classes). This class reinforced my choice for me. Ref. the XD grip safety comment in the main AAR...not ragging on XD/XDm, but one should make an informed choice and shoot it in a course so you know what it can/ cannot do with ANY gun (no class is all inclusive, but it will probably be the best workout you can give a defensive firearm). Same goes for gear, I am glad that I used my daily belt/holster/mag carrier. I know it works and have more iterations with what I wear (not concealed, but it was close to reality for me). Thanks to Joe for once again providing expert feedback on general things that do/ don't work.

There are some good pistol shooters out there, my left wingman hammered the center out of the target by the end of the day with his 1911/2011. Number 2 man was lethal on the 1x, definitely dialed-in as was the AAR author above. Looking forward to the next one. And yes Joe, I will be wearing my skirt.

[chuss]

Once again, Kevin has provided a great AAR on our class.

Everytime I attend one of Joe's classes, I learn something new. This class might be called "basic"...but the basics seem to be the most difficult to understand and/or master...especially for a newbie like me.

This was my 4th class with Joe, and it was still just as much fun and eye opening as the first.

Joe introduced a drill to us called the "ball and dummy". A training partner placed an empty casing on the front sight, and we were instructed to keep it from falling off, while engaging the target and pulling the trigger. It was the first time I'd seen the drill, but it sure helped me understand how "un-smooth" my trigger pulls were and how to focus on correcting it.

I wish I could say that that drill was all I needed to perfect my shooting technique, but sadly, I've got a long way to go...and many more things to learn, dissect, understand, and make part of me. Encouragingly though, each training session seems to reveal another piece to the puzzle. With enough of those pieces, one day, I'll put it all together and start shooting well enough to maybe make Joe and even Larry proud.

In every class, Joe manages to find someone (usually on lanes 1& 2), who are amazing shooters. It's encouraging to see people who can shoot that well, and reassuring to know that it is humanly possible. They help prove Joe's point that he's not asking us to do something impossible, because we are seeing it being done with our own eyes. It's not the gun, sights, ammo, etc...it's the person. It's hard to blame poor shooting on anything but myself, when I see shot after shot being placed in the center of the center all day from any distance, any hand.

It was fun meeting new shooters and seeing some familiar faces. Everyone is nice and encouraging to each other. I look forward to another class with Joe and the rest of the group.

Till then, thanks again everyone!

Chris

[kwelz]

I cna't believe I forgot the most telling drill of the day.

Near the end of the Day Joe had us complete cover our sights using target pasters. Without sights blocked we then fired groups. It was an excellent drill that I had never thought of before that day. It makes you realize just how important trigger pull is compared to everything else. I found myself chasing my bullet holes which shows me I am relying on the wrong things for accuracy still.

I will be doing this drill again on my own.

Looking forward to the next one. And yes Joe, I will be wearing my skirt.

Just don't bend over to pick up brass.

[kwelz]

Joe introduced a drill to us called the "ball and dummy". A training partner placed an empty casing on the front sight, and we were instructed to keep it from falling off, while engaging the target and pulling the trigger. It was the first time I'd seen the drill, but it sure helped me understand how "un-smooth" my trigger pulls were and how to focus on correcting it.

I was hoping no one would mention what Joe called it. Because he actually called it by the wrong name.
Ball and Dummy is what he demonstrated early on before we did this. Where he took the mag and then didn't tell the shooter if he had loaded it or not when he handed the gun back.

[Mr. Smith]

I was hoping no one would mention what Joe called it. Because he actually called it by the wrong name.
Ball and Dummy is what he demonstrated early on before we did this. Where he took the mag and then didn't tell the shooter if he had loaded it or not when he handed the gun back.

Thanks for the correction.
I did not realize I did that.

[Mr. Smith]

Thanks for posting the AAR K...great as usual. Good seeing you again at the class.

And thanks to my fellow shooters, I didn't personally witness any high stakes grab-ass that made me fear for my life. Everybody had their heads on straight.

From my perspective:

This was my second event with him, again a great job from an excellent instructor. The consistency of concept and actions was on the mark. The same cornerstones were carried from the carbine to the pistol; ever present on the range was hearing "no near or far targets, only big and small targets" and emphasis on trigger control. Throughout the day it proved true that if you can keep your mind in gear and don't let the demons creep in you will get your hits.

My top 3 takeaways from the class are:

1. reinforced yet again for me that trigger control is everything
2. train as close to the way you carry as you can
3. dry fire isn't the greatest thing in the world, but man does it ever work when used properly

1. trigger control and 3. dry fire drills - if you start chasing / looking for holes in the target between shots you lost focus and will send a miss. If you don’t apply the trigger press fundamental correctly, a miss will always result. During the immediate action (tap rack bang) drill on the initial empty chamber I found myself being much more deliberate with my trigger. It sounds stupid, but it made me realize that I wasn't paying enough attention to it when firing. Joe wisely employed dry fire drills through the day that continued to reinforce. These are no cost living room drills, and yet I usually choose not to do them. 25 years of dime/washer M16/M4 drills (yawn) has left a training scar. However, for me personally I think I get a lot of value from doing them with a pistol. I will make an effort in the future and correct the deficiency.

2. train close to the way you carry. I have made several significant choices with regard to my defensive pistol in the last few months (caliber consolidation to 9mm and then even farther to gun consolidation to G19). I have trained with the setup on my own and once in a formal class in a limited capacity (used as a secondary in one of Joe's carbine classes). This class reinforced my choice for me. Ref. the XD grip safety comment in the main AAR...not ragging on XD/XDm, but one should make an informed choice and shoot it in a course so you know what it can/ cannot do with ANY gun (no class is all inclusive, but it will probably be the best workout you can give a defensive firearm). Same goes for gear, I am glad that I used my daily belt/holster/mag carrier. I know it works and have more iterations with what I wear (not concealed, but it was close to reality for me). Thanks to Joe for once again providing expert feedback on general things that do/ don't work.

There are some good pistol shooters out there, my left wingman hammered the center out of the target by the end of the day with his 1911/2011. Number 2 man was lethal on the 1x, definitely dialed-in as was the AAR author above. Looking forward to the next one. And yes Joe, I will be wearing my skirt.

We will not look when you pick up your brass.

[Mr. Smith]

Once again, Kevin has provided a great AAR on our class.

Everytime I attend one of Joe's classes, I learn something new. This class might be called "basic"...but the basics seem to be the most difficult to understand and/or master...especially for a newbie like me.

This was my 4th class with Joe, and it was still just as much fun and eye opening as the first.

Joe introduced a drill to us called the "ball and dummy". A training partner placed an empty casing on the front sight, and we were instructed to keep it from falling off, while engaging the target and pulling the trigger. It was the first time I'd seen the drill, but it sure helped me understand how "un-smooth" my trigger pulls were and how to focus on correcting it.

I wish I could say that that drill was all I needed to perfect my shooting technique, but sadly, I've got a long way to go...and many more things to learn, dissect, understand, and make part of me. Encouragingly though, each training session seems to reveal another piece to the puzzle. With enough of those pieces, one day, I'll put it all together and start shooting well enough to maybe make Joe and even Larry proud.

In every class, Joe manages to find someone (usually on lanes 1& 2), who are amazing shooters. It's encouraging to see people who can shoot that well, and reassuring to know that it is humanly possible. They help prove Joe's point that he's not asking us to do something impossible, because we are seeing it being done with our own eyes. It's not the gun, sights, ammo, etc...it's the person. It's hard to blame poor shooting on anything but myself, when I see shot after shot being placed in the center of the center all day from any distance, any hand.

It was fun meeting new shooters and seeing some familiar faces. Everyone is nice and encouraging to each other. I look forward to another class with Joe and the rest of the group.

Till then, thanks again everyone!

Chris

Thanks.