Yesterday I took the Sig Sauer Academy – Intermediate Defensive Handgun Class 103 in Epping, NH. Here is my review…
The Intermediate Defensive Class I took was an all day class 8:30AM to 5 PM at the SIG SAUER ACADEMY In Epping, NH.
It was just what I was looking for, a course jam packed with shooting skill builders for self and home defense with a great deal of safety instruction too beginning with Muzzle Management (where you pistol points) and Trigger Management ( finger off the trigger till your going to shoot). Below we prepare to engage targets from behind barriers.
The class instruction also touched upon the serious nature of having to defend our family and life with a firearm and it’s personal psychological and legal impact.
Here’s to being prepared and ready… but hoping that time never comes.
Personally, I received “hands-on” training with the Sig P320 I am testing, but you can use any approved semi-auto pistol.
Courtesy Cabelas Image
Many students had their own SIG pistol, one had the Glock 17 or similar in 9mm or 40 cal. There were no 1911 or 45 cal shooters today and most all shot 9mm pistols. We had attendees that were lawyers, engineers and educated folks from local and far.
Before class I met a student that just arrived after a 26 hour drive from Texas to take a week long instructor class. They come from around the world too. Below our instructors Justin Christopher and assistant instructor Julia Banks. Justin, a former policeman and martial arts instructor and Julia an active NH police woman. Justin teaches all levels of Pistol to both military and civilian. Very Impressive!!
This course is serious training and has you shooting at torso silhouettes targets as soon as safe handing practices and a discussion among the students and expectations were completed.
We covered a wide array of topics while at the outdoor range such as:
- Review and reinforcement of SIG Principles
- Presentations and recovery from the holster
- Sight picture and its relationship to size and distance
- Trigger control
- Shot delivery
- Refining shooting fundamentals
- Reloading techniques
- Malfunction clearance procedures
- Single hand techniques
- Moving then shooting
- Target to target transition drills
We covered shooting fundamentals quickly as we are already have some skills. But moved to hone our grip, shot delivery, trigger control for the SIG and keeping the bullets in the core of the targets.
We all made improvements rapidly with Justin’s leadership and had fun too.
Every gun will eventually have a malfunction or a jam of some kind, for many reasons, so we practiced with each-other clearing the malfunction safely and continued shooting.
I have to say that I was simply delighted with the SIG P320 handling with very low recoil to my hands and came back on target so much faster than my Kimber 1911 in 45 Cal. The P320 I was shooting had a 15 round capacity in each of the two magazines provided. I did find loading the new magazines by hand to be very difficult, thus I recommend that a speed loader tool is an essential purchase if you wish to shoot volume like we did. I was impressed with my improved shooting skills with at P320 in my hand. The second target in from right is mine, yes, the one with the center punched out with a big hole. Nice group!
We each shot around 300 rounds of ammo!!
Here is a photo of the successful students in attendance. I’m the chubby old guy in the middle!
This course is worth every penny!!
I highly recommend it!!
I give it an A plus!
Other classes such as Conceal Carry and other special training such as competition follow this course.
Go to https://www.sigsaueracademy.com/
And sign up!
Look for more on New Hampshire Rifleman’s further testing of the SIG P320
Good Shooting!