Concealed Carry Tactics: The Class Every CHL Holder Should Attend
After the initial briefing, Jeff instructed us to charge our magazines (50 rounds was a full load), holster our empty pistols (I was using Freddie’s Glock 19 Gen 3 for the class), and assemble at the 3 yard line down range.
My gear: ball cap, cargos, tactical belt and holster, 2 mag pouch (thanks again to Freddie), shooting glasses and electronic ear muffs.
Freddie, Jeff and I had a plentiful supply of great quality 9mm ammo thanks to Richard Gans of Atomic Ammo in Phoenix. My budget is so tight, I was EXTREMELY grateful for those rounds (the class requires 1000 rounds of serviceable ammunition).
Once on the range, I took a deep breath, willed myself to man up and concentrate. But boy did I have a lot to learn.
My grip was sufficient, but not optimal, as evidenced by the many ensuing malfunctions and stoppages (NOT jams, people) on Friday. I was the blonde on the range and a regular malfunction junction. If the line of shooters was told to make ready, but not fire, all heads turned toward me.
This was my own mini-crucible: my sub-optimal (Jeff instructed that was the nice way of saying WRONG!) grip was not allowing the polymer Glock to cycle properly. Add to that, by mid-day I had some VERY optimal blisters (some blood blisters which popped…if CSI inspects your Glock, Freddie, there will be traces of blood).
The good news? By Saturday my grip was much improved, the malfunctions limited, and when a stoppage DID occur I could tap, rack and roll and resume fire.
I won’t go into all of the details of the course — you’ll need to sign up and learn first hand.
But we learned how to draw properly from both our OWB holster and IWB holster, how to clear the garment for the draw (t-shirts, polos, button downs, hoodies and jackets), how to draw in a car or restaurant and more.
We learned to rack the slide violently and holster softly (the holstering took longer to learn). We also learned the proper usage of small flashlights with strong hand only shooting.
We practiced chest shots and face shots and failure drills from varying distances: as can be expected, the shot placement accuracy was greatly diminished at the 25 yard line.
My shooting was reasonably accurate from the 3 and 5 yard lines: my goal is to become AS accurate at the 10, 15 and 25 yard lines.
This course was an absolute saturation class, every bit of information invaluable.
The guys in the class were terrific shooters, and all of them encouraged me throughout the 3 days. By Sunday, Jeff knew I meant business and could see marked improvement in my mechanics and results.
L to R: Danny, Mike, Jason
I was not a little bit shocked when I hit the 8″ metal target at 25 yards in the duel drill (2 shots per shooter, the first to hit the target with both shots wins the round). I didn’t win, but I DID hit the target on 3 of my 8 tries.
The plinking sound, followed by Jeff’s shocked, “Nice shot Tam!!” solicited maybe my biggest grin of the entire class.
On the flight home, sad to leave both the sunshine and my wonderful friends, my mind was racing and reconsidering what I had learned.
My grip was solid, I was (mostly) not slapping the trigger but rather taking out the slack and pulling in a controlled manner, I could hear the trigger reset, I could perform a combat reload decently, I could draw properly and reholster.
Before the class I was one of millions of people who believe in the Second Amendment, who love to shoot, and who want to take ownership of my own protection. But I lacked the skills to do so in a safe and efficient manner, skills which would stop a threat without danger to myself or other innocents.
The Concealed Carry Tactics class, taught so well by Jeff Gonzales, gave me the foundation and basic skills to eventually carry daily in a low-profile.
I would admonish EVERY single shooter who has not had a CC tactics course to do so before carrying: the weapon will only fend off threats if your skill is appropriate to do so.
As for me? I’m a work in progress. But I’m thrilled to be farther down the road, closer to my own daily, low-profile, loadout routine.
All thanks to Jeff (and Freddie and Robbie who made this trip and class possible).
I may not quite be a sheepdog yet, but I will be. Mark my words.
