first full 3 days down
a lot of educating happened as well as a lot of fun as well
round 2 underway
Do you know when you guys will be in Portland in 2012. Very interested in taking a class next year.
and is this Portland, ME or Portland, OR?
It’s the BEST of the Portlands, aka Oregon.
I’ll post some photos later tonight when I can.
Day one started with beautiful weather, a full class of eager students, and one missing Chris Costa. Chris had a last minute unavoidable conflict, and Steve Fisher and Caylen Wojcik were the guys all eyes were on. Im sure more than a few people were wondering if this class was going to be different without the iconic Costa. If any thoughts of skepticism were evident at the beginning, they certainly werent there at the end.
Fisher and Wojcik are no second team for Magpul whatsoever! Fishers Law Enforcement and street savy experience complimented Wojcik’s USMC Scout/Sniper background perfectly.
Weapons were zeroed and concepts were explained in such a manner that new shooters werent overwhelmed, nor experienced shooters bored. Believe me these guys will entertain as they train.
Fisher and Wojcik really pushed this class, and everday you could see the students become more confident in their abilities. Breaks were short and you could feel that these guys really enjoyed teaching. The warmth,love, and genuine care and concern was quite evident as these guys yelled at you! The drills were run until everyone was on plane with each other, then quickly on to the next.
Fisher will ride you, Fisher will demostrate in great detail to you, Fisher will motivate you, Fisher will get you to succeed,expect to be pushed. When you hit failure, (and you will) one of the two are there to critque you, and help you understand what you need to do to improve. Expect to trigger a lot of ammo. Wojcik will stress to you that the fundamentals, are the building blocks for precision shooting, and he damn well should know.
All in all, a pretty intense three days. There was stress, there was frustration, but the instructors knew how to get you through it and build your confidence to take on the next challenge. Bring extra ammo when training with these guys, because they pack a lot of drills into three days. I think everyone came away from this class having learned a lot, and improved their ability and confidence to run a carbine significantly better. Many now know what they need to work on, and talked about the anticipation of taking the next class.
Isaac Marchionna should be acknowledged for coordinating this class, and having things run as smoothly as they did. He and the staff of the Douglas Ridge range, put in a lot of hard work to make this a truly enjoyable experience. It is a superb facility and the hospitality is beyond reproach. If you get a chance to get into the quickly filled Magpul Courses do so. Worth the time, worth the travel, worth the money. Did I mention FUN ???
I have been to this range when I lived in Gresham back in the early 90’s. I sighted in there every year for deer season. Just wish I had done more then that there. Like become a member so I could shoot more and have a better confidence in my ability’s with a rifle. Right know I just go out in the woods as the nearest gun range to me is out in Clatskinie, OR. I should say the nearest decent one. There are places in the woods I can shoot but not the same format as it is at a range. I do plan on shooting this weekend with my wife and the Ruger 10/22. I got a small range set up at my buddy’s cabin that’s 50 yards. So for long range shooting it’s not all that great as I have to swim the river to set up targets. When’s the next time you will be doing a class there again. I need to take a rifle class as I know nothing besides what I was taught in the Army BRM.
Will you be going there again in 2012 around the same time for the Magpul classes.
We’re planning on a few classes around the same time next year for sure.
Why on Earth would they come to Portland, ME?! :rolleyes: