This course was 8:30 am to 4:30 pm this past Saturday in Epping, NH. Although round count was expected to be 500, we ended up shooting only 300 due to torrential rain.
10 people in the class, all of whom were very safe with their weapons. The class took place at one of the 50 yard outdoor ranges with both steel and paper targets. The whole class is taught from the holster and all equipment is provided if you don't have any (including pretty much any common SIG handgun). Most were shooting the P320 and I was shooting Sig P226 enhanced elite. They will let you borrow 15-round mags if you only have 10.
After a 30 minute safety breifing in a clasroom next to the range, we went to the paper targets and practiced drawing, firing 1-3 rounds on command, scanning behind us before reholstering. 104 revolves around surviving a defensive shooting situation, so situational awareness is highlighted at all times. For the entire morning we had dummy rounds randomly mixed in with our regular rounds, drilling in the "tap-rack" method of clearing simple FTF, FTE malfunctions. We also went over double-feed recovery.
In the afternoon we spent a lot of time on clearing pistol malfunctions using only our strong or weak hand. They taught methods of getting the gun out of a strong side holster with only your weak hand and using your leg or a holster to rack the pistol with one hand to clear a malfunction. They spent a lot of time on this, which was not enjoyable but obviously valuable training.
We also learned the many options for shooting from a seated position, and from various prone positions, including the benefits and risks of each position. In the afternoon we did a lot of shooting multiple targets while moving in each direction. I missed all 10 targets while walking to my right, and hit all 10 while walking to my left. Obviously I was shocked by this and am glad I got to practice shooting while moving. This was from 20 yards on reasonably large steel targets. I would typically have an 8 inch spread at most from 20 yards. After a few adjusments, I was hitting center mass pretty easily while moving to my right.
Then we practiced use of cover and concealment, and got to see how much less of you is exposed when you stand a few feet away from the cover barrier. We did a lot of drills where we approached the cover and were told we had to engage the target on the left or right and then immediately fire 3 rounds from that side, utilize the cover again, and perform tactical reloads.
During the torrential rain we went to a classroom, removed all ammunition, and again practiced various malfunction clears.
The instructors, as always at SIG, were phenomenal and made the class much more fun. I also liked my classmates who were mostly from MA and NH, but a few had come from Minnesota. There were 2 women in the class and both were excellent shots. After taking 104, I can now take Skill Builder Pistol II. The Skill builder courses are also 8 hours and focus a lot more on accuracy and speed. Skill Builder Pistol I was my favorite class I've taken at SIG and requires that you have taken handgun 103. When you take a class, you can register for any other class for 15% off I believe. I highly recommend the academy and have been waiting for months for them to offer the weekend IDPA course, as I plan to sign up as soon as one comes available.
10 people in the class, all of whom were very safe with their weapons. The class took place at one of the 50 yard outdoor ranges with both steel and paper targets. The whole class is taught from the holster and all equipment is provided if you don't have any (including pretty much any common SIG handgun). Most were shooting the P320 and I was shooting Sig P226 enhanced elite. They will let you borrow 15-round mags if you only have 10.
After a 30 minute safety breifing in a clasroom next to the range, we went to the paper targets and practiced drawing, firing 1-3 rounds on command, scanning behind us before reholstering. 104 revolves around surviving a defensive shooting situation, so situational awareness is highlighted at all times. For the entire morning we had dummy rounds randomly mixed in with our regular rounds, drilling in the "tap-rack" method of clearing simple FTF, FTE malfunctions. We also went over double-feed recovery.
In the afternoon we spent a lot of time on clearing pistol malfunctions using only our strong or weak hand. They taught methods of getting the gun out of a strong side holster with only your weak hand and using your leg or a holster to rack the pistol with one hand to clear a malfunction. They spent a lot of time on this, which was not enjoyable but obviously valuable training.
We also learned the many options for shooting from a seated position, and from various prone positions, including the benefits and risks of each position. In the afternoon we did a lot of shooting multiple targets while moving in each direction. I missed all 10 targets while walking to my right, and hit all 10 while walking to my left. Obviously I was shocked by this and am glad I got to practice shooting while moving. This was from 20 yards on reasonably large steel targets. I would typically have an 8 inch spread at most from 20 yards. After a few adjusments, I was hitting center mass pretty easily while moving to my right.
Then we practiced use of cover and concealment, and got to see how much less of you is exposed when you stand a few feet away from the cover barrier. We did a lot of drills where we approached the cover and were told we had to engage the target on the left or right and then immediately fire 3 rounds from that side, utilize the cover again, and perform tactical reloads.
During the torrential rain we went to a classroom, removed all ammunition, and again practiced various malfunction clears.
The instructors, as always at SIG, were phenomenal and made the class much more fun. I also liked my classmates who were mostly from MA and NH, but a few had come from Minnesota. There were 2 women in the class and both were excellent shots. After taking 104, I can now take Skill Builder Pistol II. The Skill builder courses are also 8 hours and focus a lot more on accuracy and speed. Skill Builder Pistol I was my favorite class I've taken at SIG and requires that you have taken handgun 103. When you take a class, you can register for any other class for 15% off I believe. I highly recommend the academy and have been waiting for months for them to offer the weekend IDPA course, as I plan to sign up as soon as one comes available.
