I was reminded of this thread last week. I escaped the Godforsaken gunshop as the Wuhan plague ramped up last March. Good riddance. It amuses me when I see threads on gunboards titled "Stupid things I've heard in gunshops". Wanna hear some weapons grade stupidity? Try working in one.
So, the new owners/manager of the local indoor range heard I was not working there any longer and offered me my job back as an adjunct instructor and to work there as a range officer/counter help a few days a week. Thank you sweet baby Jesus and bearded Jesus too! Best job I have ever had.
Last week a fellow came in and saw my 4506-1 on my belt. It was a warm day and I had no jacket on. He also saw the tag on my Black Ford and inquired if I was "18DAI from the gun boards?" I pled guilty and we spoke for a few minutes. He had his twenty something daughter with him and was teaching her to shoot. He mentioned this particular thread and said it was the reason he picked up his 5906. Very easy to shoot well, due to the weight, build and excellent trigger. He was using it to teach his daughter marksmanship and gun safety. She is moving to Charlotte for work. Charlotte is a liberal meca complete with the usual high crime rate that comes with liberal mecas.
A lot has changed since I started this thread. The Wuhan plague and the subsequent buying craze and ammo hoarding/scalping has changed the local landscape and the National landscape too. Particularly as it applies to firearms. There are more new shooters seeking instruction than there were back in 2009/2010 during the reign of Comrade Zero. So on my days off, where I am not on duty in the evening, I provide instruction. Teaching either basic pistol 101 or intermediate pistol. I don't teach bullseye or competition shooting as we have other instructors who provide those services. I only teach you to be safe, hit what you aim at, fight with your handgun and hopefully prevail. Whether the student will prevail depends on their mindset and how much effort they will put into the endevour. And a small percent of the outcome of any potential unfortunate incident depends on their hardware and understanding of it and proficiency with same.
Sadly, it appears that only a few are willing to put in the effort. And of those who wish to practice and develope skill, they are hampered by the slim availability and high price of ammo. When it can be found. This has caused the instructors to come up with different methods to teach the students as well as maintain their own skills. We have taken to getting the maximum training out of the minimum use of live fire. Typically, during an hour lesson, 40 minutes of it will be done in the classroom, using dummy blueguns, or dry firing with inert guns. Then, once the concepts are grasped by the student, we go out on the range and live fire. Typically 24 to 50 rounds with service caliber handguns. More often, the rental fleet of G44 22's are used.
Where my 4506-1 comes into this update is during the training drills the instructors have come up with. Their favorite is the "hostage rescue shot". Done cold bore, with the gun you are carrying with one round of carry ammo. Shot at a 3x5 "box", drawn next to a horrified looking hostage. At 10 yards, from the holster, on a shot timer, in under 3 seconds. Tougher than it sounds. Lucky for me, the weight of the 4506-1 combined with its excellent trigger, has enabled me to keep up.
And the local copshop has kept us in ammo to practice with. Two boxes of Winchester ranger, per customer. I never thought RA45T would be considered a bargain at $32/50 or that I would be shooting it as "range fodder". Strange times. But running it in my steel framed 45s tames the recoil. Perhaps we should start lighting our cigarettes with $20 bills too.
So what are you doing to maintain your skills and train newbys during this latest round of stupidity in the gun/ammo world? Are you rolling your own from components you had in storage, or standing in the line at Academy Sports - an hour before they open on Tuesdays and Thursdays?
Regards 18DAI
