Review of Close Range Gunfighting Charlestown IN July 21-22 2018 by Aron Bright (Bright Firearms Training)

This was a very good class. It is not for a new shooter. There were a few guys in the class that this was their first class but they were shooters and were recruited by J Bishop. So he knew them and their abilities and he was correct in his choices. They did fine. If you have never had training of an intermediate level prior to the class get some first. If your gun handling (different from marksmanship) is lacking get some training and fix that first. If your marksmanship is lacking get some training and fix that first. Don’t be the one holding the whole class back because Randy has to teach you how to get hits. We did not have that person in this class and we were all relieved that we did not. Although I would have enjoy watching Cedartop (Mike Swisher) do some mentoring.

This is a tactics, concepts and live fire class. It is a fairly narrowly focused class on the topic of Close Range Gun Fighting, but there is a lot of stuff to this topic. It was a full two days. There is more left to cover and to deal with after the class but that is always the case. You need to know how to draw, re-holster and hit the target before you show up. Randy is going to teach you how to apply those skills in the arena of using a pistol to fight to protect yourself and your family. This class expands the borders of the square range more so than any other class I have taken, and with does so without silly risks like have people down range and pointing guns at each other.

There is great instruction on shooting from retention positions that is valuable and that you will not get from watching youtube video. This is worth the price of admission if you feel shooting from retention is something you need to know how to do. The proper use of cover is another topic that Randy dealt with in the class. The use of cover is something that many people have no idea about and this class does a lot of good on that topic.

A major point of emphasis for the class is dynamic movement off the X, or the line of force. There is a lot of instruction on how to do it and how to do it well while getting hits on the target. There is considerable teaching on the technique involved with getting those hits while moving. For the details, take the class.

Getting off the line of force, shooting from retention positions, using cover, competing in the final drill or drills all is explained in depth, and in the context of an armed citizen using a pistol. It is not from a LE or Military context. It would be useful to LEO or military folk because it would be a skill building enterprise, but it is designed for John/Jane Q Public.

Randy Harris is a subject matter expert that is teaching a class that is right in his wheel house. Randy is a nice guy who does not let his ego get involved in the class and what he is doing. He is a fine teacher. He can get the material across to a wide range of folks. I saw this first hand in class this past weekend. Randy can shoot as well as he can teach. He is probably the best firearms teacher that you have not heard of, and he is better than many you have heard of.

I would be willing to attend or even host other classes that he teaches. If you are looking for great training check Randy out.

Aron Bright