Stage I Handgun, Louis Awerbuck, Pelham, NH
9/8-9/10, 2006
I had the pleasure of spending the weekend of 9/8 - 9/10 attending Louis
Awerbuck's Stage I Handgun class in Pelham,NH.
The focus of the class was shooting problem diagnostic and engagement of irregularly shaped targets, culminating with the engagement of moving mannequins.
On the first day, after the introductions were finished Louis asked if there
were any shooters with an issue they knew. A few, including me, raised our
hands. Since I recently transitioned from a Glock 23 to a Walther P99C, I
noticed some anomaly with my shots from the P99C sometimes going low.
After a brief review of range protocol, it was time to head down to the
range.
Louis does not use markers for distance. However, we started
around 3-4 yards for the first string of fire. Surprisingly, my shots were
all right. One key point that Louis brought up - especially when dealing with
small targets - use the small target as an optical key. Do not get worked up
over its small size - that's a recipe for a miss. Just align the sights and
press the trigger. I came up with a phrase - think big and hit center. This is
probably a good way to sum up that idea.
Towards the middle of the day we started shooting at curved targets. This is
where angles come into play. Since the targets simulate bipeds (pc speak)
with curved body profiles, a hit that was good on a flat target can simply be
a graze or surface hit on a curved target, especially if the shooter is not head on. Therefore, strive for "deep" hits.
On day two we started shooting at "negative targets". These targets have
pieces of cardboard cut out, and you have to aim into the emptiness. They
make it clear if someone still has any issues left over. After the first
string I was shooting just below the hole. This was because I was aiming a
little lower, since I wanted to see the hole. When I changed my aiming point,
my hits improved. We also did drills with lateral movement while engaging the
negative targets.
After a few shooting strings, it was again my relay's turn. I went on the
line, drew, aimed and fired... "F*ck! where is my front sight?!!!!" Somehow
the front sight on my P99C separated. We organized a quick search party and
one of the guys found the #4 sight. I put about 500 rounds through the gun before the course with no problems. Unfortunately, I don't remember examining in detail whether the front sight had a screw through it or not during cleaning. A lesson learned however - always keep a spare front sight, and front sight screws for Glocks - since they use the same attachment system - and P99's.
Since my Glock was at home, I had no gun to go with. Luckily Doug from
NEShooters was kind enough to let me use his Kimber. This was the first time I used the M1911 weapons system for an extended period of time. It felt a
little large for me, but it handled well. The muzzle flip was even less than
on P99C, and it was fun stuffing the fat 0.45 rounds into the mag.
Despite different triggers, I did fairly well with the M1911.
As the dusk came around we geared up for the night shoot. Louis covered some
of the most common techniques including Harries, Ayoob, Rogers, neck hold,
and a few others I whose names escape me. I decided to try out the neck hold. It was
all right, however, I ended up blinding myself of my primary hand more than
once. Perhaps one of the disadvantages of neck hold is making sure the light
doesn't reflect too much off the gun hand.
On the last day the weather was cool and refreshing. I was using Glock 23.
We started off by shooting at the same targets as on day one and then did a number of front/back and lateral strings.
Afterwards Louis took us through the non-dominant hand draw stroke, kneeling shooting, and my favorite drill – shooting from retention followed by rearward diagonal movement and transition to two handed shooting.
After a break it was time for moving targets. Granted, it sounds more impressive than they really are, however, the moving mannequins taught a number of valuable lessons:
1. Angles.
2. Watch the backstop.
Also the height of an individual came into play here. A taller person could take a shot that a shorter one couldn’t and vice versa – because of the danger to the bystanders.
I have learned a lot over the three day course. Despite not using a large amount of ammo – I went through 500, my shooting has definitely benefited from the course.
This was the first time Louis was in the North East. Hopefully, he will be here again to offer his own unique perspective on the art and science of marksmanship.
I would like to thank everyone who attended the class.Special thanks to NEShooters for organizing this training. Thanks to Doug for allowing me to borrow his Kimber and complete the second half of Saturday.
Andrew.
9/8-9/10, 2006
I had the pleasure of spending the weekend of 9/8 - 9/10 attending Louis
Awerbuck's Stage I Handgun class in Pelham,NH.
The focus of the class was shooting problem diagnostic and engagement of irregularly shaped targets, culminating with the engagement of moving mannequins.
On the first day, after the introductions were finished Louis asked if there
were any shooters with an issue they knew. A few, including me, raised our
hands. Since I recently transitioned from a Glock 23 to a Walther P99C, I
noticed some anomaly with my shots from the P99C sometimes going low.
After a brief review of range protocol, it was time to head down to the
range.
Louis does not use markers for distance. However, we started
around 3-4 yards for the first string of fire. Surprisingly, my shots were
all right. One key point that Louis brought up - especially when dealing with
small targets - use the small target as an optical key. Do not get worked up
over its small size - that's a recipe for a miss. Just align the sights and
press the trigger. I came up with a phrase - think big and hit center. This is
probably a good way to sum up that idea.
Towards the middle of the day we started shooting at curved targets. This is
where angles come into play. Since the targets simulate bipeds (pc speak)
with curved body profiles, a hit that was good on a flat target can simply be
a graze or surface hit on a curved target, especially if the shooter is not head on. Therefore, strive for "deep" hits.
On day two we started shooting at "negative targets". These targets have
pieces of cardboard cut out, and you have to aim into the emptiness. They
make it clear if someone still has any issues left over. After the first
string I was shooting just below the hole. This was because I was aiming a
little lower, since I wanted to see the hole. When I changed my aiming point,
my hits improved. We also did drills with lateral movement while engaging the
negative targets.
After a few shooting strings, it was again my relay's turn. I went on the
line, drew, aimed and fired... "F*ck! where is my front sight?!!!!" Somehow
the front sight on my P99C separated. We organized a quick search party and
one of the guys found the #4 sight. I put about 500 rounds through the gun before the course with no problems. Unfortunately, I don't remember examining in detail whether the front sight had a screw through it or not during cleaning. A lesson learned however - always keep a spare front sight, and front sight screws for Glocks - since they use the same attachment system - and P99's.
Since my Glock was at home, I had no gun to go with. Luckily Doug from
NEShooters was kind enough to let me use his Kimber. This was the first time I used the M1911 weapons system for an extended period of time. It felt a
little large for me, but it handled well. The muzzle flip was even less than
on P99C, and it was fun stuffing the fat 0.45 rounds into the mag.
Despite different triggers, I did fairly well with the M1911.
As the dusk came around we geared up for the night shoot. Louis covered some
of the most common techniques including Harries, Ayoob, Rogers, neck hold,
and a few others I whose names escape me. I decided to try out the neck hold. It was
all right, however, I ended up blinding myself of my primary hand more than
once. Perhaps one of the disadvantages of neck hold is making sure the light
doesn't reflect too much off the gun hand.
On the last day the weather was cool and refreshing. I was using Glock 23.
We started off by shooting at the same targets as on day one and then did a number of front/back and lateral strings.
Afterwards Louis took us through the non-dominant hand draw stroke, kneeling shooting, and my favorite drill – shooting from retention followed by rearward diagonal movement and transition to two handed shooting.
After a break it was time for moving targets. Granted, it sounds more impressive than they really are, however, the moving mannequins taught a number of valuable lessons:
1. Angles.
2. Watch the backstop.
Also the height of an individual came into play here. A taller person could take a shot that a shorter one couldn’t and vice versa – because of the danger to the bystanders.
I have learned a lot over the three day course. Despite not using a large amount of ammo – I went through 500, my shooting has definitely benefited from the course.
This was the first time Louis was in the North East. Hopefully, he will be here again to offer his own unique perspective on the art and science of marksmanship.
I would like to thank everyone who attended the class.Special thanks to NEShooters for organizing this training. Thanks to Doug for allowing me to borrow his Kimber and complete the second half of Saturday.
Andrew.