Defensive Handgun Class (Day 1)

Lovelywife and I recently picked up a couple of Kahr Arms handguns. She has an MP9 and I have a P40. We're used to shooting Kimber 1911-pattern handguns. The 1911 has a single-action trigger. The Kahrs have long-sweep double-action-only triggers. So we've decided to get some training before carrying the Kahrs for self defense.

Today was our first day at the Firearms Academy of Seattle (FAS). We're taking the Defensive Handgun two-day class. It's an entry-level class, but that's OK because it's been six years since our Gunsite 250 experience.

Some impressions from the first day:

• Best practices have apparently changed in the last six years. For example, At Gunsite we learned the so-called "Mozambique" drill, where you shoot two rounds into center mass of the target and one round to the head of the target. The FAS instructors said that they don't teach that anymore; instead, they expect students in a deadly force situation to continually assess whether their shots are having the desired effect and shift fire appropriately. Lesson learned: training is perishable and things change, so it's a good idea to continue taking classes.
  
• Gunsite is in the Arizona desert, much like Tri-Cities Washington. FAS is in the wetter part of Washington State. It's a lot greener than we're used to, but it's great to be in the wetter forest for a few days.
• The Kahr is a lot harder to shoot than the Kimber. The long trigger sweep slows me down, and gives much more time for the sights to wobble off target. But both LovelyWife and I were able to put plenty of rounds on target. Our group sizes were quite competitive with other people in the class, even those shooting 1911-pattern guns. We're pretty pleased.
• We need to consult with an attorney about the appropriate use of lethal force to protect our dog. Kiko's fight was a significant motivating factor for LovelyWife to get her Kahr in preparation to use her concealed carry permit. Our FAS instructors were quite clear about situations for the use of deadly force against humans, but weren't as sure about when it would be appropriate to shoot an attacking dog.
  

We're staying at the Morton Seasons Hotel, since we drove in from Tri-Cities Washington over White Pass on US Highway 12.

AT&T Wireless does not have 3G service available in Morton. I measured 178 kilobits/second download and 84 kilobits/second upload speeds to the Internet using the AT&T EDGE service. The hotel wireless provided 512 kilobits/second download and 270 kilobits/second upload, so that's what I'm using to post this blog entry.

We go back tomorrow for the second and final day. Unfortunately I won't be able to post any class pictures, because the legal release we signed included our agreement not to photograph anything.

UPDATE 19-September 2008: Day 2's post is now available!