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Real-world Pistol Training

swoolard

Regular Member
Joined
Jul 21, 2008
Messages
45
Location
Gastonia, North Carolina, USA
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I'm looking for a real-world pistol training center around the Charlotte area. If you own a place, your buddy owns a place, etc... feel free to post it up, that's what I'm looking for.

By real-world, I mean a place that trains in real-world scenarios. For example, acquiring and responding to multiple threats at once. Clearing a house setup comparable to my own, preferably in low-light/no-light situations. Some statistic fan-boy once said, most attacks happen with more than one target and not in the middle of the day. And logic tells me that the target is not going to stand still and allow me line up my shot before pulling the trigger in a slow, controlled motion.

I could train at Blackwater, and it would be completely worth it, but I cannot afford that right now. I can dry-fire train in my own house all day, but without the stress, it's worthless. While the stress of a stopwatch is not the same level as someone trying to harm you, (that is the point of it, right?) it helps to condition your mind.
 

Caveman93

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Jul 2, 2008
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64
Location
Durham, North Carolina, USA
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As per Mr. Johnson in my CCWP class, 95% of all training does not require the use of ammunition.Practice setting up your own environment and save the cash. Practice drawing your weapon every day until you can do it with your eyes closed. Just my suggestion. So far, it's been very rewarding and I now have enough cash to take the tactical course I desire.Sorry, I don't know of any in you area but if I do hear of one, I'll be sure to post.
 

swoolard

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Jul 21, 2008
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45
Location
Gastonia, North Carolina, USA
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Caveman93 wrote:
As per Mr. Johnson in my CCWP class, 95% of all training does not require the use of ammunition.Practice setting up your own environment and save the cash. Practice drawing your weapon every day until you can do it with your eyes closed. Just my suggestion. So far, it's been very rewarding and I now have enough cash to take the tactical course I desire.Sorry, I don't know of any in you area but if I do hear of one, I'll be sure to post.
Heh, I shouldn't have said "I could dry-fire practice...," I should have said, I've dry-fire practiced to the point where I'm fairly certain that if someone comes in my apartment, I can certainly click at them... I've heard the firing pin click on my pistol so many times that I could determine my gun from random clicks of guns of the same make and model. Somehow, I don't think that will ever do me any good... but it could be a fun wager to stake.

Thanks for your reply.. hopefully someone will know of somewhere!
 

DreQo

State Researcher
Joined
Jan 8, 2007
Messages
2,350
Location
Minnesota
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Unfortunately I'm not familiar with the Charlotte area, as I'm out by the beach. I would suggest that you consider findingsome IPSC or IDPA competitions to take part in, though. Check out http://www.ncsection.org/. I use IPSC competitions as my defensive training. You get to engage multiple targets, avoid "no-shoot" targets, fire while moving, reload, take cover, and more. The one draw back is that you know where all of the targets are before hand, so you can't practice clearing an area and reacting to an unknown target. It's not perfect training, but it definitely helps, especially since you're actually putting rounds down range. IPSC competitions are also just plain fun lol.
 

Caveman93

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Jul 2, 2008
Messages
64
Location
Durham, North Carolina, USA
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:)It gets very boring but if from what he said in class is true to form, when the adrenaline kicks in a real life situation,I am sure that all of therepeated dry firing and positioning will help. I am afraid that unless you're actually being shot at, it will never come close to a real life situation. It was also mentioned that in that fight or flight situation atrained LEO's accuracydrops down to 11% from the average of26%. I believe it!

$175 for a tactical course is expensive but in a few more paychecks I am going to try it out.
 

RayBurton72

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Jul 28, 2008
Messages
235
Location
Greensboro, ,
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There is a local IDPA club that shoots the fourth Saturday of every month at the Mecklenburg Wildlife Club.

While I will be the first to admit that IDPA is a game, I feel it has a training value as it offers something very different from indoor range shooting.

Match fees are $15 and you do not have to join IDPA to shoot your first match.

http://www.mwcidpa.carolinacowboys.us/
 

swoolard

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Joined
Jul 21, 2008
Messages
45
Location
Gastonia, North Carolina, USA
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RayBurton72 wrote:
There is a local IDPA club that shoots the fourth Saturday of every month at the Mecklenburg Wildlife Club.

While I will be the first to admit that IDPA is a game, I feel it has a training value as it offers something very different from indoor range shooting.

Match fees are $15 and you do not have to join IDPA to shoot your first match.

http://www.mwcidpa.carolinacowboys.us/
That is certainly an option. Honestly, 175$ is very cheap compared to the Blackwater Tactical Pistol course I am considering, which is 5 days long, requires 2500 rounds of factory ammo (expensive at 30$ per 100 rds.) plus the course cost of $995 plus the cost of gasoline to drive from Gastonia to Moyock that is in the far top-right corner of NC. Talk about ass-to-elbow. That, and the 5 vacation days I would have to acquire before even considering it. On the up-side, Blackwater really is the best of the best... Thunder Ranch is very good, but on the other side of the country.

The course descriptions are available on BW's website, here: http://bwtrainingcenter.com/moyock/MYK_courses.html
 

DreQo

State Researcher
Joined
Jan 8, 2007
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2,350
Location
Minnesota
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I have a lot of bad opinions about blackwater. They reserve their active shooter, close quarters personal defense, and a lot of otheruseful trainingfor law enforcement and military only, and they charge up the butt fortraining that simply isn't worth that much. Maybe if the cost was $995 WITH ammo, it would be worth it. Maybe. $995 plus $750 for ammo (2500 rounds at .30 per round) is $1745!! I would love it if someone could justify spending that much money to have someone else teach you handgun tactics for5 days. Not to mention that we're talking about a group class, so that $1745 isn't getting you 5 days of one on one personal training, either.

It seems to me that blackwater is just taking advantage of a market monopoly for no good reason other than to cheat people out of money.
 

rangerdavid

Regular Member
Joined
Jul 27, 2008
Messages
21
Location
Boone, , USA
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Gabe's stuff is excellent.... If you're looking for something less expensive, we have IDPA competitions about every other week at the Watauga County gun club. check out the schedule at www.wataugagunclub.com the more the merrier!!

I've actually been looking for a combat pistol competition like that one that was at Ft. Bragg earlier this year, but I'm afraid that may have been the only one in the state of that nature. the IDPA events are pretty cool.. if you've never done one before, you should at least give it a try. I think there are several down in your area as well.
 
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