This past weekend, I was graciously invited by Stonewall Arms to participate in their Customer Appreciation Range Day held outside of Winchester, VA. Stonewall Arms has held this annual event for several years and recently hosted a Combat Focus Shooting course. I was invited to show up and meet some more of their customers and give a short presentation on the fundamentals of the Combat Focus Shooting program and my thoughts on defensive training in general.

The event was held throughout the day at Stonewall’s ranges just across the West Virginia Border, about 30 minutes from downtown Winchester. The range facility features two very well constructed pistol/carbine/shotgun bays and the capability of supporting precision rifle work out to about 400 yards. The property also boasts an extensive network of trails and challenging terrain which support off road vehicle courses offered by BCDS, Inc.
The main events of the day were 3 separate competitions that all attendees were encouraged to participate in, regardless of experience or skill level. The first event in the morning was a multi-stage carbine course. The course featured a variety of targets, some running, a reload and a transition to weak side for proper engagement of targets around an awkward piece of cover. The next event was defensive pistol, with competitors starting holstered and engaging several cardboard targets from several positions and around various pieces of cover. After a couple of reloads, the shooters ended up engaging steel targets of various sizes at the end of the bay and then, finally, needing to transition to a revolver (which was staged on a table) and engage a final cardboard target. Both of these events had about 30 shooters.

The final event was a 9 shot precision rifle stage with targets out to 300 yards. There were only about 10 entries into this stage so, in the alignment with the open and good-spirited nature of the day, the staff agreed  to let I.C.E. Training’s own Grit to enter at the last minute! She borrowed a new Savage rifle from the Brian at ATK and got some last minute coaching from good friend Jack McMillan (now with FNH and one of the best sniper instructors in the world) and  jumped into the competition with a bit of anxiety. The fact that she had never shot that rifle, never shot in a competition and fired less than 100 rounds from a rifle in her life were adding up to some understandable apprehension. After the cold bore shot missed its intended impact by only a couple of inches, however, she hit the hostage taker on the next 5 “know your limits” targets at 100 yards with ease and in good time. She proudly took the target home with her, as any new shooter who has a positive experience is likely to do!

Grit’s experience is really what these types of days are all about at their best, as far as I am concerned. Yes, it is great for experienced competitors to test their skills against one another. Yes, it is great for vendors to get to interact with potential customers. Of course, it is great for Stonewall to “pay a little back” to their best customers by setting up the outstanding event, providing lunch and making everyone feel like part of the family. But, the fact that a new shooter is encouraged, much less allowed, to participate really shows that these guys believe in what they are doing as more than just selling product. In talking to other attendees, I learned that Grit was not the only first time competitor and that several people have had their first competition experiences during these events over the years. Some attendees were even first time shooters, participating in the vendor demo which was held later in the day.

For my part, about half of the attendees gathered ’round after the awards and door prizes were handed out to hear me talk a bit about Combat Focus Shooting and the concepts of Intuitive and Efficient as they apply to defensive shooting. With the help of a random volunteer (Thanks Again, Carl!), we contrasted competition and training, went over some fundamentals of CFS and, of course, talked a bit about what students could expect if they attended a CFS Course in the future. Our next course with Stonewall is a 3 day CFS&APH, September 18-20.
I know that a lot of other “local gunshops” conduct events like this around the country, I’ve even attended a few others in the past. This one was definitely one of the largest and best run that I have attended. I have no doubt that the attendees appreciated it and that Stonewall’s business will benefit. I encourage readers of this blog to attend these types of events and bring a new shooter with them whenever possible! If you own a gunshop and don’t currently organize these types of days, you might seriously consider it… for ALL of the right reasons!

-RJP