Class Choice Advice

Training Training and Tactics
1

Im signed up for the Vickers carbine class and still have some money left over for a couple more classes next year. What I have on the table are:
[ul]
[li]Benny Cooley - Urban Tactical Rifle
[/li][li]Southnarc / Shivworks
[/li][li]Tiger Swan - Tactical Carbine
[/li][/ul]

sadmin,
What do you intend to get out of a course / application? What previous training do you have? What do you do for a living? These are not apples to apples…

I hope to be able to deploy my weapon with greater proficiency and take away an understanding that I have a foundation that I can train and build on. None, the Vickers will be my first. Im a civi, so home defense, border breakdown…random acts of violence are the events I want to be slightly more prepared for. I have read AARs and course descriptions and understand its not apples to apples; but if you were going to eat a piece of fruit in general, which would it be?

Thanks for any info.

2

Given that your a civi and that im guessing you CCW, Southnarc is the most realistic choice for what you may encounter.

PJ

3

TigerSwan does an excellent job in relating to civilian circumstances. I haven’t taken a SouthNarc class(yet) so can’t compare the two.

4

This.

5

Paul Howe’s place in Nacogdoches,TX.

I took the tactical pistol instructor course in 08 .
It was top notch. At the end of the instructor course the instructor students and Paul teach the tactical pistol course.

The ratio is 3 or 4 students per instructor with Paul walking the line, The instructor students in my course were very competent. A retired SF medic who teaches full time , Two SWAT officers and a physician who was very knowledgeable.

I have been through several pistol courses over the last 15 years and the CSAT course is one of the best.

http://www.combatshootingandtactics.com

6

I don’t know if you have had extensive HG training or not, but I would find a HG class that is geared towards accuracy.

If you have never taken a home defense class and learned that art of the single man (defensive) clear, I would look for one of those classes. Typically Vickers Tactical and Hackathorn teach them once a year.

C4

7

My own take would be to make the decision after taking the Vickers class. There are two reasons for this.

First, the LAV class is a great opportunity to ask the instructor and other students about good trainers/courses for certain skills. They may be able to recommend someone who is close to your home turf. From a scheduling perspective, this increases your ability to attend such training.

Second, the end of the class normally results in a revised training plan. Based on your experience during the course and the coaching you get from the trainer, you may see a need to modify your kit, purchase more ammo for weekly/bi-weekly practice, get into a gym to improve physical fitness, see a doctor for vision problems, etc.

Also, Kyle Defoor wrote a blog articlethat gives good advice.

8

All excellent advice, thank you all. I like the idea of making the decision post Vickers to see where im at. Im all for a CSAT class, but I was under the impression even the level 1 classes were more for an intermediate shooter…No? I didnt want to counter the flow of the class due to being green with a carbine.

9

I’ve trained with all your choices quite a bit and for you and your current circumstances I would train with LAV, then take a TigerSwan class, and then train with Southnarc. Larry will give you the basics you need, TS will reinforce them and push you a bit more, and SouthNarc will give you more of the close in fighting and tactics. That’s just my opinion, but an experienced one.