Austin/San Antonio Preparedness Group Range Day

[Toki Wartooth]

I will be there. Looking forward to it.

Out of curiosity, does the preparedness group have any sort of political agenda aside from pro-gun?
Not really looking to get tangled up in a militia, you know?

 

[Ric_Knight]

Politics and religion are forbidden subjects at meetings and events. This group is about developing useful skills and building a network of trusted friends just in case.

In fact, if there are any members of militia groups thinking about coming you're welcome to, but leave the politics, rhetoric and paraphernalia at home. This event is to solidify our safety and shooting basics and have some fun. I opened the invitation to TGT because I know Travis and this seems like a good group of people. I am looking forward to meeting those that join us.

Oh, BTW, The benches on rifle and pistol ranges are covered so we are on rain or shine.

 

[dalto]

I will see you guys tomorrow

 

[Ric_Knight]

Thank you Sig and Texas1911, I have gotten some good feed back from people on the pistol range.

Thanks also to everyone who came. I hope you all had fun and were able to get something out of it. I have been considering the event and working on ways to make the next one better, especially for rifle shooters. I would appreciate any feed back.

 

[SIG_Fiend]

Recommendations for training events:

-Preferably no more than 2-3 shooters per Instructor or RSO (only so much 1 person can pay attention to)
-EVERY instructor or RSO needs to be on the same page as far as safety, range commands/terminology (hot/cold range, cease fire, etc, admin stuff)
-Environment needs to be strictly controlled
-ALL safety violations need to be addressed immediately, there is no slack here
-Ideally all instructors need to be on the same page and have the same comprehension of subject material so any instructor can convey it to the student effectively (this does not necessarily mean same experience or skill level, mainly comprehension of the material)
-Set a structure and time line for the day, be organized and time efficient (it's the only way to really get anything done and progress anywhere)
-Instructors should bring all necessary training tools, targets, staplers, blue guns, specialized task specific targets, or other training devices that will be needed
-Every firearms class NEEDS to have a medical brief. This means Instructors and RSO's need to know these things already. Brief should include instructions to students as well as Instructors and RSO's for what to do in an emergency, as well as how to reach the nearest medical center (IE - Map to nearest hospital, instructions for what everyone will do and who is designated for specific roles)

The key point here is structure. That's what makes these things run smoothly and effectively.

That's all I can think of for now. As far as this event went, I have to say out of all the shooting ranges I have been to, Dietz is hands down the most unsafe of all of them. I will not be going back to that range. I think BOTW in Liberty Hill probably represents the most expansive, complete, and well setup range for training events. Especially if it's possible to have one of the bays/ranges reserved as that allows the Instructors to focus on the class alone and not worry about random individuals showing up that are not on the same page and not associated with the class.

People either need to have the appropriate gear for their firearms, or if possible the Instructors should have a few extras to hopefully take up the slack. When running a pistol training event, every person should have a holster at the minimum, preferably extra mags and a mag pouch as well. Lack of holsters introduces a huge problem as the student must remain constant contact with the gun at all times which is a safety issue.

In addition, while you can't change everyone's mind, in pistol classes at least, I think it is important that the Instructors convey to the student the importance of mindset and start working towards encouraging the student to work on their mindset or at least actively think about it. The number one problem I've seen with so many of the people I've instructed in the past is quite a few of them have unrealistic ideas about their capabilities, how they think they will react under stress, unrealistic ideas about their mindset, etc. If you don't have the mindset, you have nothing, so I think it is important to stress this to people and encourage them to keep an open mind, give new techniques an honest try, etc.

As far as safety goes, here's a list, and there is probably much more to this:

http://www.texasguntalk.com/forums/training-competition/19053-shooting-range-incompetence.html

We're all guilty of safety violations at one time or another. The important thing is acknowledging this and actively as well as honestly working towards eliminating these issues as much of the time as possible. The Instructors and RSO's must have safety down pat! I cannot stress this enough. The training environment must be strict so as to not allow people to build bad habits. If the Instructors and RSO's do not have it down cold, they cannot be expected to convey this to the student or properly enforce it. We must be vigilant with ourselves. An important way to convey this to the student is to explain to them before hand that abrupt commands in regards to safety violations are not meant in a demeaning manner, and it is simply the most effective way to get someone to stop immediately. There are plenty of effective and positive ways to reinforce this, such as through repetition. Say someone has an issue with acquiring the trigger too early or when they shouldn't be. Just the simple mention, "Trigger finger", can be enough to snap the student out of it, get them thinking, and get them to self correct intuitively instead of just following commands like a lemming. The trick here is consistency and repetition. The whole perfect practice makes perfect analogy.

I think the next step should be that all those who will be Instructors and RSO's need to meet up at a range and get on the same page. If you'd like Rick, I would be glad to run the class (a Defensive Pistol 1 style class, 150-300rds), as long as everyone keeps an open mind and gives it some honest effort.

 

[Ric_Knight]

I am up for it.

I think a small class of more knowledgeable shooters getting together and getting up to speed is the right next step in the process. One weekend in mid December sounds good to me and Best Of The West is the place to do it. I will check my schedule and get back with a good time for me.