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My Former Students Are the Best!
For fifteen years they have told family and friends that all they have to do is go to cwpclass.com to find out about getting a South Carolina Concealed Weapons Permit. My classes continue because they have spread the word. My classroom and range facilities have improved because they have spread the word.
To extend a heart felt "Thank You!" to all my former students, I am giving you ten hours/visits to our Pistol Range. All you have to do is bring a copy of this newsletter to the range with you. If you call/e-mail us in advance, you can rent the guns listed on the above link.
Next Scheduled CWP class: June 11, 20011
Keep telling your family and friends about: cwpclass.com
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Get the most out of your training
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The eight hours of training required to apply for a CWP is enough to get you started but if you don't continue to train you cannot sustain the necessary knowledge and skills to survive a violent encounter.
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 I have two goals for students taking my Concealed Weapons Permit classes: one, teach the the basic knowledge and skills necessary to apply for a South Carolina Concealed Weapons Permit (CWP) and two, instill the need to continue training their minds through reading and honing their skills on the range. The first goal is easy to assess; I just look at the scores on the written test and the range qualification at the end of the day and see that everyone met the standards set by SLED. The second goal is much more difficult to achieve and to assess. The bottom line is that if the required eight hours class is the only training a student has, they are in no way ready or able to defend themselves against a violent attack. Most are not even ready to handle a gun safely because it takes time and experience to learn to "Always" practice the rules of gun safety.
To help the serious students continue their training, Foothills Firearms Training Center encourages students to make use of our Pistol Range with both static (paper) targets and Action Target's reactive steel targets, at no cost, under the direction of an Instructor. We also offer Advanced Concealed Weapons courses to take CWP holders to the next level of training.
Also, once students complete our Concealed Weapons Permit class, they are welcome to return at no cost to refresh their training as often as they wish. I furnish my students with reading lists, DVD titles, and websites to help them feed their minds because one's mind is the first line of self-defense. Are you getting the most out of your CWP training? Train to fight; fight to live! |
Foothills Firearms Training Center is the oldest professional firearms training organization in the Upstate of South Carolina, and we offer a variety of basic firearms and tactical firearms courses. We were one of the first organizations to teach the South Carolina Concealed Weapons Permit classes as soon as the law was passed in 1996, and we have taught more students than any other organization in the state; that is why we are the best at doing what we do. Concealed Weapons Permit (CWP)
We are a "one stop shop" for Concealed Weapons Permit classes. You can walk in with a driver's license, and we will provide you with every thing you need to apply for your permit except, of course, the $50.00 fee you send to SLED for the permit. Yes, that means gun, ammo, fingerprints, copies, and even a pizza lunch.
Our scheduled CWP classes are held on the second Saturday of each month. You can register for a class by mail with a check or online with a credit card. The cost is $85.00, and since we furnish everything, you do have to register prior to the class. Private classes for individuals and small groups can be arranged for a slightly higher cost.
After completing a CWP class at Foothills Firearms Training Center, students are given 10 hours of free range time on our Pistol Range. Students can also return, without charge, to update their classroom training as often as needed
Remember: cwpclass.com
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The Grip
The grip is the foundation of shooting a handgun. It ties the handgun to the body so that the handgun and the body can work together; it allows the handgun to be a natural extension of the arm so that the handgun can be brought to bare quickly against an adversary. Because of the size of the hand, it is important that the handgun be the correct size to fit the hand. Often times people who join military or law enforcement agencies are forced to use equipment issued to them because equipment is purchased in bulk. I experienced that problem when the Army changed to the M9 Beretta. When properly griped, my index finger just barely touched the side of the trigger when the gun was decocked and in the double action mode. I never knew where my first shot went. I had to rely on my ability to shoot a tight enough group with nine rounds so that no one would try to count the number of hits.
When you purchase a handgun, be sure you do not buy the most popular gun, the one all your friends are using, or the one Bruce Willis used in his last movie; only buy the handgun that fits your hand. How do you know if it fits? When you hold a handgun in your firing hand with the back strap of the grip in the web of your hand, you should be able to draw a straight line through the apex of the barrel and straight up your arm. When you do that, you should be able to bisect the first pad of your index finger with the center of the gun's trigger. If you are buying a semi-automatic handgun, you should also be able to set it far enough into your hand so there is no light between rear tang of the gun and the web of your hand. If you are purchasing a revolver, you should be able to lay your index finger beside the frame of the gun above the trigger so that lines drawn through the apex of the barrel and your index finger would be parallel. Using a one handed grip, the thumb should be comfortably high to prevent the gun from rolling left during recoil.
All the energy against the front strap of the gun's grip should be done with the center two fingers of your shooting hand. These are the only fingers you have that can exert force straight to the rear and up your forearm. Pressure with the little "pinky" fingers will most often cause the barrel to dip low. How much pressure should you use to grip a handgun? I tell my students to use about the same amount of force they would use griping a hammer to drive a sixteen penny nail into yellow pine. Another way to determine grip is to grip your gun to the point you begin to tremble, then back off enough to cause the tremble to subside.
I can tell you that I have fixed many malfunctioning semi-automatic pistols by teaching the owner how to properly grip the gun. Today with the increase in new models of small, light weight, semi-automatics like the Ruger LCP, Keltec 3AT, and the S&W Bodyguard, you can pick them up a a pretty cheap price because they frequently malfunction. They malfunction mostly because the owners do not know how to grip them properly. You grip the small, light weight, semi-automatic just like you grip a 1911 45 ACP-firmly.
In tactical handgun training and most of the tactical handgun competitions, the two handed grip is the norm. It gives better control over recoil, more natural center of gravity pointing, and faster engagement and recovery time.
To achieve a two handed grip, you need to start with your proper one handed grip; then wrap the fingers of the non firing hand around the firing hand so that the tips of the non firing hand fingers reach past the knuckles of the firing hand. The base of the non firing hand should fit in the open area of the firing hand between the finger tips and base of the hand. When done properly with a proper fitting handgun, the tip of your trigger finger and both thumbs will point toward the intended target. The amount of griping force should be equal in both hands. When your arms are extended straight from your shoulders, your wrists will break slightly downward and strengthen the the platform you have built from the grip up.
Train to fight; fight to live!
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