Hanson does Blackwater USA: DAY 1

Buckeye Firearms Association Legislative Chair Ken Hanson recently attend Blackwater USA’s 5 day pistol/carbine class.

While attending class, Ken kept a blog of his experiences. Since most visitors to this site take training very seriously, we thought you would enjoy his ramblings.

Ken's five day experience will be published on this website on Tuesdays and Thursdays through the end of the month.

Click on 'Read More' for the first installment.

Day 1

If you have trouble reading this it is because my fingertips feel like bloody stumps.

Today was the day to forget everything you have ever learned, because it sucks. I know that is a fairly typical setup to any training, so I try to take it in stride. I am physically unready for this class. I had tried to get the range 3 times a week for a month to build up some conditioning. I made it a total of 2 times. I hate being self-employed sometimes. After spending this money and time for the training, I couldn’t even properly get ready for it. I switched to the Sig P229R in 40 SW from the Glock in 40 SW a month ago, so I got here having shot it maybe 100 rounds. I have found out it is a very heavy gun compared to the Glock, plus they make you shoot the first shot double action for all guns with a de-cock, so I probably shot 200 rounds double action today. OK, enough whining.

My instructor is Bill, a Marine for 20+ years, and oh, by the way, he finished 6th this year at IDPA nationals in stock class. His Glock is mostly silver from holster wear. There are also two 20-year SWAT guys as assistant instructors. Bill is excellent. Not only can he drive the gun, but he is a very good communicator and teacher, and coming from me that is saying something because I am a communications snob and have the college degree to prove it. If the college says I know communications, I guess I must know it, right?

I soon discovered everything I have ever done with my thumbs is wrong, as is my non-trigger trigger finger. It was unnatural as hell, and it hurt for a while, and I really had to battle it, but damn if it doesn't work as far as grip stability.

The class is 15 people, 1 police officer, several Iraq contractors, ex-military types, and quite a few EMT types heading over to the sandbox.

The orientation made my head spin. Blackwater is up to over 40 ranges here on property - 7,000 acres. They are building a separate airstrip to service C130 transports - 5,500 feet. This place is pretty full, quite a few uniforms. Many Navy and Army guys. We were pointedly told not to take any pictures or approach groups that were off to the side anyplace.

Today was just pistol. 500 rounds. Mostly ones and twos. A lot of drawing. Also did Mozambique/failure drills, and did the Bill Drill repeatedly. I'm probably in the 75th percentile in skill here. Bill still picks apart my thumb placements. Hard habits to break in a few hours. On the good side, I rocked the failure drills, even double feeds. He was generous and said my thumbs might be freaking retarded but at least I can unfreak my gun in a heartbeat. Marines and language, you know. We learned lots of new words this week.

The targets here are wonderful. Full barndoor size targets, but they break it up. They have one with 36 2-inch circles on it, all numbered. This is for the "3 on 7" type drills. Then they have one with off center 8 inchers and 2 inchers scattered across. Again, "2 on 5 then 2 on 6" and they can mix up right, left, big, small. Very challenging, moves the focus and speed around.

The draw drills really smoothed my stuff out. They showed me a trick on the draw with double action on trigger slack and pressing into the presentation. Damn, the 50% of the time I actually did it right it drilled the shot dead center before I even had realized I had finished pressing into the presentation and I was back on target. This resulted in my double action shots often being better than the follow up single. So much for alibis.

Lots of work on tactical/retained reloads. No single hand/goofy hand work today. The stance is not my understanding of the TDI stance. It is what they call modified isocoles but it is like a cousin to what I have seen they teach at TDI. I frankly would call it more weaver than isocoles. No upper body blading but your feet are certainly in a fighting stance. This is what I call modified weaver, they call it modified isocloes. Whatever. Good stance.

We did a lot of turn/spin drills. Kind of nervous in a line of 15 students spinning 180 degrees from the holster to blaze a target.

They do not teach chest ready. They teach a low ready, a high ready, and kind of a port arms/executive ready up by your head. (Later in the week we get indoor/CQB ready added with the rifle.) They have something they call "the work station." Any gun manipulation is done about eight inches from your nose, particularly reloads, eyes shift between gun and target as needed. They also stress a press check prior to each string. No finger in trigger or front slide press checking, slingshot it or pinch the hammer and rear sight. The failure IAD is tap rack assess, not tap rack bang. They only have two types of failures, soft and hard. Hard failure is basically feed pathway jams, soft is a dud, misseated magazine etc. So soft failures are tap, rack assess. Hard failures are tap, rack, assess, lock, strip, reload, close and assess. This is where I lit them up, being a handloader and competition shooter who was stuck with a Lee press for years, I had plenty of failures of all kinds in competition. Lots of practice clearing bad ammo, don't ya know.

Stay tuned for future installments of Ken's time at Blackwater USA, Tuesdays and Thursdays through December.