Durham Pistol & Rifle Club |
Alaska Tactical
|
2022 Classes at DPRC were canceled by the instructor.
We'll schedule Steve to come back in 2023 and announce the dates.
Course |
Days |
Start Date |
End Date |
Cost |
Rounds of ammo to bring |
Comments |
Handgun Stage 1 |
2 |
Saturday, 10/22/2022 |
Sunday, 10/23/2022 |
$525 |
500? |
CANCELED |
Shotgun |
1 |
Tuesday, 10/25/2022 |
Tuesday, 10/25/2022 |
$325 |
TBD |
CANCELED |
Intro to Red Dot for Handgun |
1 |
Weds, 10/26/2022 |
Weds, 10/26/2022 |
$325 |
TBD |
CANCELED |
EDC handgun |
1 |
Thursday, 10/27/2022 |
Thursday, 10/27/2022 |
$325 |
TBD |
CANCELED |
Carbine Stage 1 |
2 |
Saturday, 10/29/2022 |
Sunday, 10/30/2022 |
$525 |
TBD |
CANCELED |
For details, see the Alaska Tactical website: https://alaskatactical.com/courses/
Contact DPRC Education Committee at education@dprc.org for additional questions.
If you ever searched the internet and dreamed of traveling to another state for professional firearms instruction from one of the premier firearms training academies, you will find this training from Steve McDaniel to be extremely cost effective.
Course Location:
Durham Pistol & Rifle Club (aka, DPRC)
3973 South Jim Minor Road
Haw River, NC 27258
Range 1Professional Firearms Instructor Who Will Instruct The Classes:
Steve McDaniel is the owner of Alaska Tactical in Anchorage, Alaska. He also teaches outside Alaska. In May 2018, Steve first taught his Defensive Handgun Level 1 course at DPRC. In May 2019, Steve taught his Defensive Handgun Level 1 and his Advanced Defensive Handgun courses at DPRC. In 2020 and 2021 Steve taught multiple courses at DPRC. For four years in a row, these classes have been a huge success based on comments from all the students and various observing DPRC leaders. Steve also received high praise from Louis Awerbuck and Leigh Lambert of the Yavapai Firearms Academy.
Maximum # Of Students:
The maximum number of students for each class will be 20. The classes will be filled on the basis of qualified persons who pay first (once the registration process begins).
Reasons To Take One or More Of The Courses Being Offered:
Why Should I Take Courses From Steve McDaniel, Owner And Chief Instructor Of Alaska Tactical, Of Anchorage, Alaska?
Steve is a consummate professional and has been in the firearms industry for over 37 years. He was formerly an adjunct instructor at both the famed Gunsite Academy in Arizona and at Thunder Ranch. He has many more credentials and certifications. For example, he is a certified NRA law enforcement firearms instructor in the disciplines of:
Steve has many other certifications, with two of those being he is a:
For more background on Steve, please visit the Alaska Tactical website at the URL just below.
http://www.alaskatactical.com/stevemcdaniel.html
Some of you knew and trained under Louis Awerbuck of Yavapai Firearms Academy before Louis passed away in 2014. Louis and his partner, Leigh Lambert, both sang the praises of Steve McDaniel. From my experience with Louis and Leigh, this is from two people who were otherwise generally quiet and reserved and who upheld the highest principles of honor and integrity. Their praise is what initially sold me on Steve McDaniel because I trust their word. What connects me to Steve now is having observed for years his honor and integrity as a human being and the passion with which he imparts his extensive knowledge to his students in ways the students readily understand, leading to their improvement. Please visit the Alaska Tactical website to see what Leigh said about Steve. Also, many of us saw Steve’s teaching ability, teaching style and expertise as an instructor , teacher, and coach for the last three years at DPRC and how he improved the shooting skills of the students.
DETAILS (for those who want to know much more.
The ammunition round counts are the minimum the student should bring. You may shoot more or less, depending on the class size and how well the trainees perform. All ammunition must be lead-based, with no steel core, steel jacketed and no armor piercing. Some drills will involve shooting steel targets. Due to range safety and the need to avoid damage to expensive steel targets, it is imperative we avoid steel projectiles.
For Handgun Stage 1 (2 day course from 10/23/22 through 10/24/22)
For Red Dot Shooting With A Handgun (1 day course on 10/26/22)
Please see the Handgun Stage 1 description above for much of what is relevant for this one day class. Ammo ammo count for this one day class is 300. Also, the major focus of this class is the trainee’s use of a red dot sight while shooting a handgun. This is different than shooting with iron sights. Shooting with a red dot sight, after receiving professional training and appropriate practice, can be very advantageous. It has the capability of increasing the speed of acquiring the target and greater accuracy, particularly at a distance. Steve will provide valuable insights on the use of red dot sights such as when drawing the handgun from a holster how to present the firearm so you can most quickly acquire/see the red dot sight as you’re coming onto the target. He will also address the size of the red dot sight (as different sizes are available) and what is recommended to optimize speed and accuracy. There will be many drills in which trainees will draw the handgun from their holster and shoot their red dot sight equipped handgun and Steve’s coaching to enhance the trainee’s performance.
For Carbine Stage 1 (2 day course from 10/29/22 through 10/30/22)
Who Can Take These Defensive Firearms Level I Courses (whether it is for handgun or carbine), and the red dot handgun shooting course?
For Advanced classes, Steve will want to evaluate the trainee’s experience as part of the application process. As one example, if a trainee has limited experience with shooting and handling defensive carbines and has not had comprehensive formal defensive carbine training previously, the Advanced Defensive Carbine course would not be a good fit for such a trainee.
FYI, in the May 2018 and again in the May 2019 Defensive Handgun Level 1 course, there were multiple students for whom that was their first formal firearms training. They did just fine and were elated at what they were taught by Steve and which permitted them to enhance their skills. If you’re uncertain about taking the level 1 courses due to wondering if “you’re skilled enough”, the proper mindset is to be committed to one’s own skills development rather than have any concern about how your skill level will compare to another more experienced student. When I take these courses, I’m never the best shooter and I don’t stress over that. The objective is personal improvement as the “competition” is with yourself.
FYI, typically, these courses are taken by 70% to 75% civilians, who are not current military or law enforcement personnel. It’s not just a “man’s game” either. Women take and enjoy the course.
If you desire a specific waiver of one of the above eligibility criteria so you or a loved one can take the course, please contact Steve McDaniel directly. As one example, you may have a loved one you want to take the course with you and the person won’t be 21 years old as of the class start dates. Steve will make a decision on an individual case basis on whether the person is eligible. Steve’s contact info is at the end of this email.
When Must I Pay Alaska Tactical The Full Cost For The Course(s), What Are The Acceptable Payment Methods & What Are Other Administrative Things To Know?
How Nice Are The Facilities At DPRC?
DPRC is an excellent facility with multiple shooting ranges. There is also a clubhouse with nice, separate restroom facilities for women and men, and there are tables and chairs for the meeting space.
There is a refrigerator stocked with soft drinks, bottled water and snacks, all of which are available at a very nominal cost.
The remainder of this email is to promote your thinking in advance of the training so you can evaluate what you need for the course.
What Type Of Handguns Can Be Used During This Training To Meet Alaska Tactical Requirements?
Full-size semi-automatic pistols or revolvers can be used with a caliber of 9mm or larger. Steve does not want any sub-compact guns or any pocket pistols. An example of an acceptable, minimally sized “full-size” handgun for purposes of this class is a Glock model 19 or larger. Glock was used just as an example as you may prefer any of a number of full-size handguns from other excellent manufacturers. As long as it’s full-size, it’s recommended you use what you currently carry or intend to carry or train with after this training. Commonly on such courses, the most popular calibers are 9mm, 40 S&W, and 45 ACP while occasionally other acceptable calibers will be used such as 45 GAP, or 357 Sig, or 10mm. It is highly recommended for a student to bring two handguns in case your primary firearm experiences some type of malfunction or a part breaks during the course. If you bring two handguns in case your primary handgun becomes inoperable, it may be helpful for the second gun to be the same make, model and caliber. That would make your management of ammunition and holsters much easier to continue the course. However, those decisions are up to the trainee.
What Type Of Handgun Holster Can Be Used During This Training?
Steve expects all trainees to use a handgun holster that is sturdy and able to withstand the numerous draw strokes from and into the holster. It is recommended to go with kydex or leather. Cloth and nylon holsters are not recommended. The type of holster Steve is requiring at the beginning of the course is a strong side, outside the waistband (OWB) holster with a trigger guard mounted on the hip or just behind the hip bone. If you need to buy a holster(s) for this training, there are many excellent manufacturers. A few of them include JM Custom Kydex, Blade-Tech Industries, Fobus, and BlackHawk. There are many other manufacturers and sellers of quality holsters.
Due to safety being paramount and Steve needing time to assess the handgun handling and safety proficiency of each student, Steve is not approving the use (when other trainees are also on the firing line) of shoulder holsters, ankle holsters, inside the waistband holsters, fanny packs, cross draw holsters, small of the back holsters, and holsters positioned in front of the hip bone in what has become known as the appendix carry position. If a student wants to bring one of the holsters covered in the preceding sentence, Steve will gladly evaluate your use (involving live fire) of such a holster during a break or lunch time when others are not on the firing line. In such a case, only Steve and the one trainee would be on the firing line for safety purposes. Steve may authorize an exception to what is covered in this paragraph on an individual case basis if he has trained the person for several years and knows of the trainee’s professional proficiency.
It’s recommended you have a gun belt specifically designed and made to carry the weight of your holster, handgun, magazine carrier(s), and three or more spare magazines, and/or other equipment. Using a light weight belt not specifically designed and constructed as a gun belt will cause problems as it will not comfortably and reliably support the weight of what the belt must carry.
Equipment You Need To Bring (some of this has been covered above):
Advisable Equipment & Some Recommendations: