Todd Burgreen

If there were only one piece of advice I could give readers, it is to receive professional training in the use of firearms intended for personal defense. Going to the range and firing a box of shells is relaxing and verifies basic shooting skills, but does nothing to prepare yourself for the dreaded day when you are presented with a life or death situation. I recently returned from an advanced Handgun III course at Storm Mountain Training Center (SMTC). The course reinforced my belief that quality training is critical.

Storm Mountain Training Center is located in Elk Garden, WV. Rod Ryan has been Storm Mountain'S VP of Operations since it opened in 1996. He also serves as the lead instructor in many courses. Rod has credentials that lend legitimacy to his training methods. Part of Rod's biography reads, "Rod has spent more than 20 years combined, active and reserve, in the US military, where he served as an operator and then NCOIC of all sniper elements at the Brigade Level in a Light Infantry Division. While employed as a police officer with the Metropolitan Police Department, Washington D.C., he served in patrol, training, and SWAT assignments. As an instructor with the U.S. State Department ATAP (Anti-Terrorism Assistance Program) and as a civilian consultant he has trained thousands of law enforcement, military, and private special operations personnel, both in the United States and overseas."

No matter the course level at SMTC, an offensive mindset is cultivated. SMTC is not a vacation shooting school. Rod and his instructors are very serious in what they do. Rod constantly emphasizes that an aggressive mindset supported by solid training is the key to surviving hostile encounters. Maxims such as, "Shoot until the target is down," and "Move forward to engage" illustrate this. One must remember in a defensive engagement you will more than likely be reacting to an opponent. Another key component in SMTC training is induced stress. Induced stress, whether it is putting a student on a timer or loud encouragement from staff, enables a student to learn and retain skill sets very quickly.

Handgun III's first morning consisted of a brief classroom session. Mandatory range safety rules were discussed. The principles of sight alignment, trigger control, grip, stance and presentation were covered in a power point presentation. As usual, the question of suitable caliber arose, with Rod answering that the caliber you can hit with consistently is the best. Storm Mountain Training Center espouses point shooting and aimed fire, depending upon engagement distance. I find SMTC's realistic handling of this hotly-debated subject refreshing. Rod admits each individual has his or her own effective range for point shooting before the sights must be consulted. Of course, this depends on size of target. I found my own distance to be approximately seven yards.

I attended the course with two friends I often train with--Bill Randolph and C.R. Newlin. They are owners of Stonewall Arms located in Winchester, VA. The advantages of going with other serious shooters from your own locale goes beyond the benefits of comradeship and sharing hotel costs; we can take what we learned and continue training together away from SMTC.

I chose to take my Glock 34 and Glock 17 for the course. The Glocks performed as expected with no malfunctions during the grueling three days of shooting. I find the Glock system of handguns, each with similar control features across the different models, easier to master. Skills learned using the Glock 34 are easily transformed into the same proficiency with my Glock 19 or even the Glock 26. I carried the Glock 34 in a BlackHawk Level 2 Serpa Tactical thigh holster. The Serpa's secure retention combined with quick presentation ability proved a great advantage during the course.

CR and Bill employed Smith & Wesson M&Ps chambered in 9mm and experienced no malfunctions. CR utilized a BlackHawk Serpa thigh rig and Bill used a Safariland thigh holster. I always observe the different firearms and gear used by the students during any course I attend. It often serves as a guide for what works, especially in advanced courses where the shooters usually revert to what is effective, not what is the latest fad. The class was 75% civilian with LE and military personnel making up the other 25%. Glock and BlackHawk holsters predominated in this class. Most students carried belt holster, with the rest going with the thigh rig style. Other firearms included various 1911 makes, SIGs, Beretta 92/96, H&K USP, and Springfield XDs. Overall, malfunctions were surprisingly limited among the different weapons used.

9mm seemed to be the caliber of choice for such an extensive shooting session, though there were a number of .45ACP shooters, with only a few shooters using the .40S&W chambering. Besides myself, I noticed several other students breaking out cases of Black Hills Ammunition. I expended at least two thousand rounds of Black Hills Ammunition 9mm, with no misfires. This is serious trigger time under the supervision of a knowledgeable staff. Your skills will improve.

Student progress during Handgun III was continuously monitored using four different timed evaluation drills on steel targets placed seven yards distant. Hitting the target was stressed as the first priority rather than speed. Upon reflection, the drills serve as building blocks for all shooting scenarios encountered at SMTC or possibly on the street. Drill #1 consisted of two rounds on target from the ready position. Drill #2 was six rounds from the ready. This drill reinforces shooting for the maximum effect in the shortest time. It helps negate the tendency to shoot one or two and observe. Handgun cartridges often do not incapacitate an opponent immediately. Drill #3 was a reload exercise. The pistol was configured with one round in the chamber and one in the magazine. Upon command, engage the steel target from the ready, reload, and engage two more times. As with all of the drills, if the target was missed the student had to make up the shot with a hit. The last drill was simply two from the holster--easier said than done. The key time parameter for Drill #4 was 1.5 seconds. This based on the Tueller drill 21-foot rule, in that someone 21 feet away can close on you in 1.5 seconds inflicting harm. A shooter's basic skills such as grip, trigger control, presentation, sight alignment, and weapons manipulation all come into play. The instructors were constantly hovering around the firing line pointing out issues and how to improve.

A nightfire session took place the second evening of the course. A PowerPoint presentation was given highlighting different hand held flashlight techniques. SMTC favors the neck index method. Definite do's and don'ts were covered such as taking care not to backlight yourself and making sure the light did not interfere with the operation of the weapon. Weapon-mounted lights were endorsed, given that one's shooting stance is not altered. The importance of still having a handheld light available for general searching without covering a non-threatening target was also pointed out.

The great thing about SMTC is that the students were taken to the range and allowed to try all of the different methods to see what worked best for them. Most found the merits of the neck index method hard to argue with. The fact that most students have never experienced firing a weapon at night is a valuable learning point. I brought along a Glock 17 so I could use it in the nightfire portion of the class in conjunction with new BlackHawk Xiphos weapon-mounted light. BlackHawk's newest model Level 3 Serpa holster is crafted so that the Xiphos can be mounted on the Glock 17 even when holstered. This proves a huge advantage over handheld lights.

The BlackHawk Xiphos performed well until I started experiencing difficulties with it staying illuminated. A quick lesson on preparedness here at my expense: I did not refresh the Xiphos's batteries before the course, and as Mr. Murphy would have it, the batteries went dead. Luckily, in my shooting bag I had the new FNH-USA Viper X-11 handheld tactical light as backup. The instructors all commented on the solid, robust feel of the Viper X-11. One last point regarding the nightfire exercise is that basic marksmanship skills are even more important in ensuring rounds hit target in a lowlight environment. Proper grip, trigger pull and stance help to compensate for the deterioration of sight alignment. A solid press out to the target will reward a shooter with a hit.

Everything we learned during Storm Mountain's Handgun III course was designed to increase your chances of successfully defending yourself in a hostile attack. Keeping it simple took on more meaning when placed under stress. One can hear or read about the degradation of fine motor skills, but nothing reinforces this like having it happen to you personally. Yes, weaknesses are exposed in one's own skill and possibly equipment, but it is better to have this happen during training than when there is no re-set button.

Handgun training is the most relevant type of preparation for civilians who practice concealed carry. Ironically, proficiency with a handgun is the hardest skill set to learn combined with being the most perishable of weapon manipulation skills. One must constantly train and practice to maintain any hard-earned handgun skills. Storm Mountain's Handgun III course could be taken multiple times in an effort to hone one's handgun proficiency. The confidence gained from attending and successfully completing the Handgun III course is immeasurably important in being able to react to an attack. I may attend other training facilities in the future, but I know I will return to Storm Mountain.

SITES OF INTEREST:

Storm Mountain Training Center
www.stormmountain.com
304-446-5526

Stonewall Arms
www.stonewallarms.com
540-535-2190

BlackHawk
www.blackhawk.com

Glock
www.glock.com

Black Hills Ammunition
www.black-hills.com

FNH-USA
www.fnhusa.com

HG III students on the firing line at night using the neck index method.

A HGIII student understanding what it means to be under stress with a weapon malfunctioning and yet still having to engage the target.

Rod showing the class a “squib” load. Luckily, another round was not fired; firing a second round could have bulged the barrel or injured the student. To SMTC’s credit, this circumstance was covered during the classroom briefing on malfunctions. The bullet was removed with a cleaning rod and the pistol ran fine. The student did express an interest in Black Hills Ammunition after this happended.