NEW! - Jeffersonian

THE
DILLON
RL 450
Progressive reloading at
an affordable price
coprAUC
MASSAD AYOOB
IN SELECTING A StiOOTING.SCHooL
BE SURE TO ASK MANY QUESTIONS
Takes the
punishment
out of
reloading
on~$365.00
Uses
STANDARD
DIES.
This is a true progressive reloader
using four station rotary shellplate
to carry the cartridges through the
four die positions-producing a
loaded round with each stroke of
the handle.
Powerful compound linkage permits
reloading of both pistol and rifle
calibers
Complete for one caliber with
powder measure and primer feed
(except dies.)
DILLON PRECISION
PRODUCTS, INC.
7755 East Gelding Drive
Dept. AH
Scottsdale, Arizona 85260
Editor's note: We present in this issue of
the American Handgunner the first of an
exclusive three-part series by Massad
Ayoob on shooting schools. They're places
where pistol and revolver shooters-both
police and civilians-go either to learn the
basics, or brush up on their marksmanship
skills. The series will cover everything you
will need to know, with respect to the selection
of available schools with courses designed
to meet your objectives.
Jeff Cooper recently sent a letter to Editorial
Director Jerry Rakusan suggesting
a series on how to pick a shooting
school, mainly because there are so many
sleazy ones that bilk unsuspecting students.
I heartily agree with Jeff; so here
goes.
In what is called "the fear boom:' more
people than ever are interested in learning
how to shoot-seriously. It's like the
martial arts boom of 10 years ago, where
almost anyone who had 10 karate lessons
declared himself a master and opened his
own dojo to cash in on the fad. Many people
were ripped off in the process, and
soured forever on the martial arts.
The first thing you must understand is
that you can't ask someone like Jeff
Cooper or me to recommend a specific
school, since we run our own: we would get
a conflict of interest, and you would get
advice ofquestionable objectivity. Instead,
let's look at the general guidelines for selecting
an effective training progr'l-m-a
school for shooters.
As Jeff points out, "many people are
teaching things they haven't learned themselves."
Would you pay $400 a week to
learn karate from someone who didn't
have his own black belt? There are many
"handgun white belts" out there, promoting
training courses that purport to make
you a wizard at gunfighting.
The first thing you should request is a
resume ofthe instructor. Is he certified by a
national organization to instruct? There
are thousands ofNRA-accredited pistol
instructors who can do a fine job of teaching
handgun safety and the basic principles
of marksmanship; yet they are unprepared
to teach combat shooting, match
shooting, or the judicious use of deadly
force in self-defense. The resume should
contain the individual's track record in
competitive shooting, if that's an aspect of
what he's teaching. Ask for a resume and
several references,-then check on them. A
few long-distance phone calls are relatively
inexpensive, compared to paying
$1,500 or so including travel and lodging to
waste a week with an "instructor" who can
neither shoot nor teach.
ASK STUDENTS
Next, ask for references from students.
This can get a bit tricky. In my case, I give a
list ofreferences for mypolice course; civilians
who go to combat shooting schools
usually don't want their names given out to
strangers. If a prospective civilian student
wants references, I send him clippings,
from national gun magazines, of stories
done on my courses, or from publications
such as the Los Angeles Times, Cincinnati
Enquirer and Boston Magazine. Just because
someone gets national publicity
doesn't necessarily mean he's better than
some local fellow not so widely known, nor
publicized.
If you ask a shooting school for a list of
civilian references and they give it to you,
and if when you check it out you find the
names were given without the students'permission,
avoid that school like the ruddy
plague. Would you allow your name, address
and phone number to be given out
indiscriminately to any potential flake or
burglar who asks for lists of people who
have and carry guns? Never!
Recently, I received several calls about a
new gun dealer in my area who was putting
on a one-day course for $20 on
"Everything You A lways Wanted to Know
About Handguns." It was admittedly a
grandiose title and a low price for the
course; but the dealer had assembled a fine
lecture team, including the head firearms
instructor of the state's police academy, a
seasoned big-city chiefand a streetwise patrolman.
I recommended the course. .
Ifthe school you are considering doesn't
have a national rep, there probably should
be people in the area who have attended.
Contact your local gunshop or gun club,
and you're sure to find someone who has
taken its course and can give you an honest
appraisal.
THE 'TOP DOG'
Next, make sure you're being taught by
the master instructor himselfifyou're paying
top-dollar tuition. You don't want to
pay $400 for a week's training by Champion
Joe Jones, and only see Jones for two
12 AMERICAN HANDGUNNER . JANUARYIFEBRUARY 1983