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Hunting Trip
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Front Sight After telling friends I was going to spend a week in Pahrump, Nevada, the response was “Where?” and then “Why?” Most people do not know where Pahrump, Nevada, is, and why a seemingly normal person would want to go there. This all started on March 5, 2011 at the S. F. Bay Area SCI Chapter Banquet, where I had the winning bid on a four-day defensive handgun and a one-day thirty-state CCW course donated by Scott Peterson. I arranged for my class to start on May 6 and arrived the day before. After checking into the Saddle West Casino and Motel, an older but clean and quiet unit, I took a drive out to the Front Sight location, about thirty minutes away. It was after hours, and all the gates were closed. What I could see from the gates were the repelling towers and some of the ranges and buildings. On the morning of the sixth, I rose early, had a light breakfast, and again, drove out to the range. I arrived around 6:15, some fifteen minutes early. As I drove up, there was about a quarter of a mile of cars and trucks already waiting to get in for the 6:30 opening. By the time they opened the gates, there was nearly a half a mile of waiting cars and trucks behind me. Once open, I drove up to the gates, where two Front Sight employees greeted me with instructions and a small packet that detailed what to expect for the next four days. The first hour was devoted to sign in and weapons inspections. Then we attended a welcoming classroom lecture where the paper work was handled. Once done, we attended a one-hour lecture on “Front Sight’s Purpose, and the Five Levels of Competence.” Then the fun started. The next four hours were at the range. We did what the instructors called “Range Activities.” I have never encountered a more intense class on the use of handguns. We were given handgun drills and instructed to “Do it our way.” We repeated drill after drill of acquisition, deployment, and firing two shots at a target from a distance of three to fifteen yards. We finally broke for lunch and a DVD presentation on “The Front Sight Story, Chapter One and Your Legacy.” After the DVD and lunch, we attended a one-hour lecture, “Code of Mental Awareness and Combat Mindset.” Once the lecture was done, it was back to “Range Activities.” This time, the activities were on clearing malfunctions and getting back into the fight. For nearly four hours, we created problems and corrected them. It was a man-on- man session, as most of practice sessions were. One student would perform an activity, while a second student became “The Coach.” The coaches, along with the Front Sight instructors, would set the drill and time limit, and we would work our way through it. By the time 5:00 came around, I was whipped. All we had was 45 minutes of classroom lecture left, “Moral and Ethical Decisions Associated with the use of Deadly Force.” Day two started at 8:00 a.m., and four-and-a-half hours of the instructors’ “Range Activities.” Once again, extremely intense practice, and a one-hour lunch and classroom lecture, “Criminal and Civil Liability.” At 1:30, we were back at the range until 5:00. Days three and four were similar to day two, range activities and classroom lectures. On day three, we entered a gun safe house for a home invasion simulation. I hate to admit, if it had been real, due to a major handgun malfunction, I could have been shot or killed. On day four as part of the skills test, we had a man-on-man, hostage, and hostage taker shoot using falling plates. It was very fast and very exciting. During the entire four days, safety was of paramount importance. On the fifth day, the only stress was the qualification period. I ran my 1911 dry and did a reload. Rather than dropping my empty magazine to the ground as there was no time limit, I pocketed it. Big mistake. One of the instructors was all over me. From about two inches from my left ear, he loudly informed me, “Didn’t you learn anything from the past four days? Empty magazines are dropped clear and fall to the ground, not pocketed.” Well, to say the least, the next time my gun ran dry, the empty hit the ground. There may not have been a time limit, but there was a training limit, “All the time.” In conclusion, the only down side, if there was one, was the never ending, time-share type sell of Front Sight memberships. The actual course is first rate, and that is what sold me. I bought a membership from a co-member that I met during the course. I am looking forward to going back.
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© Copyright: Ronald Machado - 2002
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