Defensive Handgun and Advance Defensive Handgun, June 5 and 6 2010

MSTT covered the three main parts of concealed carry. Legal, psychology and skills.
Legal: Yup no too much up side carrying concealed. Probably you will need a lawyer after a shoot. Check.
Psychological: Warrior mindset. Several discussions and a reading list was suggested. Check.
Skills: Safety, Safety, Safety. All drills done dry then with live fire. The drills were fun and each had a serious lesson to impart. Check.

The first day I shot close to 280 and the advanced course about 250. So there is a lot of shooting in between 15-20 minute lectures, if you could called them that sitting a lawn chair enjoying the national forrest and the Colorado sunshine. The cadre at MSTT prepares you for carrying with more confidence than “Death by Powerpoint” courses. Situations we covered from home defense to a day at the mall. Day one we were shooting anywhere from 5 to 20 feet. On day two we got a little more personal. From tic-tac in your face personal, out to 20 feet.

I did not sign up for this class for a CCW. All I wanted is to run my gun better than I could before the class. I got that in spades. Am I a operator or a world class shooter after this class? No, but I can run my gun safely in the world I live in. Now I am going to apply for my permit. I am now more reluctant than ever to use my gun in a defensive situation, but I have confidence that I will win when I do.

I do recommend this training to my friends. They worked with the students that needed the extra help and was always encouraging with everybody. Part of the class is to shoot under pressure. The instructors stepped up the pressure without sacrificing safety. I don’t recommend this class to bad guys.

If you take a saturday and sunday course during the summer, you might want to think about camping in the Pikes National Forrest and avoid the close to 250 miles I did over the weekend.

Other observations: I saw a wide range of experience with handguns at the two days. From a few months of shooting to an other gun instructor getting tuned up. Most of the guys/gals were running either 1911s or Glocks. I will say this I did not see a single Glock malfunction. I ran over 800 rounds of ammunition in my Glock 19 in the last three weeks with no malfunctions. I love my 1911, but I got admit that Gaston Glock has got a place next to John Browning. To be fair their was an XD there and it ran fine. I think there should be a basic gun cleaning and maintenance section and also a talk about ammunition selection for new gun owners. Most students there probably didn't need it.

Thanks goes to MSTT, Tim, Mike and Mark.

- Scott “Sheepdog pup in training”