We covered a lot of ground at this course. I was very happy with the pace and level of instruction. I look forward to any future classes Dave teaches.

Another great South Hill class. I was eager to take this one for the opportunity to work from concealment for a change. As Dave pointed out, so many guys take a class and show up in rigs they would never wear on the street. Is there value in having a training rig or a complete LBE kit? Of course. But for those of us non-mil or LEO types, we're shortchanging ourselves a bit by not practicing in the gear we carry with every day.

Getting an opportunity to work from concealment was, by itself, worth the price of admission. Ranges here in Tidewater won't allow anything dynamic (ie: shooting on the move, working from the draw or drawing from concealment) meaning nearly all of my practice on those subjects is done at home with a gun going click instead of bang. Not ideal.

We shot a bit more than I had anticipated, so I've been kicking myself for a while now for dragging down the rest of the class with my observations on round count. Fellas, I apologize for my lack of preparedness. I won't let it happen again. I brought 1000 rounds (granted, what the syllabus said, but we all know we should bring more) and when my ammo can started getting low I started getting nervous. I hate running out of anything. Total round count ended up in the neighborhood of 1100, most of that coming on day 1. Each round gave me good value, and I appreciated the repetition you don't always find in a class where an instructor can be tempted to want to move things along because there's a lot to cover. Repetition brings clarity.

I was really impressed by how well everyone in the class shot. I can't recall a class where everyone across the board shot so well. On any given drill it seemed like more than half of the class was able to shoot it clean. The early emphasis on marksmanship basics prior to getting into the meat of working from concealment really helped out, I think. Well done, all.

I gotta say, being in a small class is REALLY nice. You spend so much time on the line, you feel like you're getting much more for your money. With only one relay, there's more time to shoot or more time to instruct, so it seems like we cover more AND shoot more. Best of both worlds. Downside: sometimes you're rushed when you're jamming mags to keep it going. Boo hoo. I'll take that.

I learned a few important things: I can't just rely on always having a flashlight, I need some night sights. I should look into appendix carry (or at the very least, look at IWB carry again. I gave it up when I stopped carrying a 1911.). I need to get some of those kydex mag pouches Todd and Dave had (link please, fellas). I may need some new ears, as my new set of HL Impacts (bought to replace a set that died after 18 months) were a bit squirrely out of the box. One ear started cutting in and out, but fixed itself. Gotta spend the money on Sordins now, and damn if I want to do that.

That's about it. Great class. You should take it.