Durham Pistol & Rifle Club
3973 S. Jim Minor Road Haw River, NC 27258

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 1

Professional 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:

• To have fun.
• To learn new things and enhance existing skills.
• To challenge yourself to become a safer, more accurate, faster shooter with enhanced gun handling skills
• Some persons are already carrying (or are thinking about carrying) a handgun (or other firearm) for defense of yourself and your loved ones either inside the home or other locations.  If after being alert, trying to avoid the bad areas of town, trying to de-escalate and walk away from an issue, if an aggressor is intent on bodily harm of you and your loved ones, you must make a decision and act.  If you choose to use a firearm in such a circumstance after exhausting all other options, hopefully, you will have had sufficient, professional training to prevail.  If you use a firearm in what you believe is self-defense, you will be judged by our legal system as to whether your actions were justified, reasonable, and prudent.  Whether you have had professional firearms training, how much, and how recently could be evaluated by the plaintiff’s legal counsel.  This training could help you survive and it could help you relating to the preceding sentence.
• If you have a concealed carry handgun permit and you are not military and you are not a sworn law enforcement officer (LEO), each of us needs to evaluate how frequently we train with firearms, how realistic is our training, etc.  Many persons (myself included) don’t train enough, nor under the correct conditions and training scenarios.  It’s very important to receive on-going training from a professional instructor, who will provide invaluable coaching.
• If a trainee is already an excellent shooter and has an objective of eventually becoming a private sector paid, professional firearms instructor, this would be a great place to observe how Steve teaches, his interaction with students, etc.  This is something that cannot be learned from a book or the classroom but is best learned through experience and observation.

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:

• Tactical handgun
• Tactical shooting
• Tactical shotgun
• Patrol rifle
• Select-fire

 

Steve has many other certifications, with two of those being he is a:

• Certified edged weapons instructor
• Certified instructor in the martial arts discipline of hojutsu.

 

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)

• Minimum handgun caliber is 9mm; minimum handgun size is a Glock 19 (again, that’s from a sizing perspective – you can shoot any brand you wish)
• Bring a minimum of 500 rounds of handgun ammunition.
• Bring an outside the waistband holster, magazine carriers, and at least 6 magazines (one in your firearm and at least 5 others you should have in magazine carriers mounted to your belt on the support side or magazines placed in your cargo pants pockets, etc.)
• Think ahead of what you’ll do if your handgun experiences a malfunction.  Will you have the parts and the tools to fix it?  For handgun, if you have it, it would be a good idea to have a second handgun of the same make, model, caliber with you at the range so if one “goes down”, you can continue training, using the same holster and extra  magazines you already have.
• Meeting at range # 1 each day.
• Steve will cover safety and various course specifics
• On the firing line and under the watchful eye of Steve McDaniel:
• • Safely drawing the handgun from the holster to develop a smooth draw stroke
  • How to safely re-holster so the trigger is not inadvertently pressed
  • How to safely draw the handgun from the holster and fire multiple rounds at a paper or steel target and safely re-holster
  • Accurate shooting is part of the course objective.   Steve will help improve that through discussion, demonstration, your repeated practice, and his coaching and provision of specific tips for your particular need(s)
  • Various firearm malfunctions will be demonstrated by Steve, along with instruction on how to resolve them.  Then, the trainee will practice those.
  • You’ll shoot many diverse drills.
  • Some drills will involve close quarters and engaging multiple adversaries.
  • You’ll experience shooting while you’re moving (forward, backward, laterally, diagonally)
  • There’ll be an introduction to the use of concealment and cover.
  • In addition to working on all of the physical shooting applications, Steve will also touch on developing the proper mindset.
  • You’ll receive friendly coaching from Steve throughout the course when appropriate to enhance your skills.  For example, if you have an issue shooting accurately enough in a reasonable time, he will be looking to determine whether the issue involves your stance, your grip of the firearm, your alignment of the front and rear sights with the target, your smoothness of pressing the trigger, your trigger reset, your follow-through after taking a shot, etc.
  • Above are just some of what you’ll experience in a friendly, training environment by one of the best professional instructors in the USA and at one fantastic training facility (DPRC)
  • FYI, trainees will shoot whether it’s sunny or it’s raining so bring appropriate clothing.  We would stop shooting temporarily if there’s a lightning storm.

 

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)

• Bring a carbine with a barrel length of not less than 16 inches and designed to be fired with the buttstock mounted to the shoulder.  As an alternative, as long as it is legal with BATFE and state and local jurisdictions at the time of the training, It’s also ok to shoot an:
• • SBR (short barreled rifle), or
  • AR15 pistol or AR10 pistol or AK47 pistol that can be shoulder mounted and is in compliance with BATFE rules. 
  • A pistol caliber carbine (such as one chambered in 9mm).
• Any of the above firearms may be suppressed if you’re in compliance with BATFE rules. 
• A good quality 1-point or 2-point sling is required to be mounted to the firearm.  Typical carbines would be AR-15, AK-47, or AR-10 (or others).    Have an outside the waistband magazine pouch(es) mounted to your belt on the support side and three to four, extra 30 round magazines (to use typical AR-15 magazine sizing) in addition to the magazine that’ll be in the carbine.  Alternatively, you can use a chest magazine pouch(es) or a thigh magazine pouch mounted on the support side thigh.  For sighting, you can go with iron sights, or a non-magnified red dot, or a scope with fixed (or variable) magnification that works for you.
• Think ahead to what you’ll do if your carbine has a malfunction or parts breakage.  Will you have the parts and tools to  fix it?  For an AR-15, for example, it would be a good idea to consider bringing an extra bolt carrier group (BCG) so if you have a problem  that’s caused by some part breakage in the BCG, you can be back up and running after a short break to switch that out.   For those of you who have more than one carbine, bringing a “back-up” carbine is a good idea in case your primary carbine goes down and can’t be quickly fixed.
• Bring a minimum of 500 rounds of rifle ammunition (normal calibers used are 5.56 x 45, or .223 Remington, or 7.62 x 39, or 7.62  x 51) designed to safely operate in your carbine, or SBR, or AR15 pistol.  No armor piercing, no “green tip”, no steel jacketed, no bi-metal, and no steel core projectiles permitted due to range safety and damage that would be inflicted on the steel shooting targets.
• Meeting at range # 1 on the morning of 10/2/21 with Steve covering safety and various course specifics
• On the firing line and under the watchful eye of Steve McDaniel:
• • Safely applying the carbine’s safety and disengaging the safety and when those actions are to be taken
  • Safely loading and unloading the carbine
  • Speed reloading of the carbine with the least disruption to your firing grip and stance
  • Why a sling is important and how to use it most effectively for safety and accuracy; sling attachment points; single point versus two point sling attachments
  • Zeroing the sights on your carbine will be covered and the recommended distance at which the sights are zeroed
  • When taking shots from 10 yards or closer, the importance of your understanding how the “offset” (i.e., distance) between your muzzle and your line of sight through your optic will affect where the projectile impacts the target
  • You will shoot cardboard at various distances and steel targets at a minimum of 100 yards for safety reasons
  • You will shoot from different positions including standing, seated, kneeling, and prone
  • Accurate shooting is part of the course objective.   Steve will help improve that through discussion, demonstration, your repeated practice, and his coaching and provision of specific tips for your particular need(s)
  • Various firearm malfunctions will be demonstrated by Steve, along with instruction on how to resolve them.  Then, the trainee will practice those
  • You’ll experience shooting while you’re moving
  • There’ll be an introduction to the use of concealment and cover.
  • You’ll shoot many diverse drills
  • Some drills will involve close quarters and engaging multiple adversaries.
  • In addition to working on all of the physical shooting applications, Steve will also touch on developing the proper mindset.
  • You’ll receive friendly coaching from Steve throughout the course when appropriate to enhance your skills.  For example, if you have an issue shooting accurately enough in a reasonable time, he will be looking to determine whether the issue involves your stance, your grip of the firearm, your alignment of the front and rear sights (or your optic reticle) with the target, your smoothness of pressing the trigger, your trigger reset, your follow-through after taking a shot, etc.
  • Above are just some of what you’ll experience in a friendly, training environment by one of the best professional instructors in the USA and at one fantastic training facility (DPRC)
  • FYI, trainees will shoot whether it’s sunny or it’s raining so bring appropriate clothing.  We would stop shooting temporarily if there’s a lightning storm.

 

Who Can Take These Defensive Firearms Level I Courses (whether it is for handgun or carbine), and the red dot handgun shooting course?

• Men and women 21 years old or more who have a good attitude, who may be either a beginner or intermediate or more advanced shooter, and who are either:
• • Active military, or
  • Active sworn law enforcement officer, or
  • Non-military, non-sworn LEO “civilian”, who is a current holder of a concealed handgun permit (regardless of what state issued it), or
  • If none of the three preceding credentials describe your circumstance, if you provide evidence of no criminal history and you are 21 years old or more, that will qualify you.  More on this last aspect will come later in this email.

 

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?

• By 8/31/22, Steve must have in his hands the following:
• • A completed, signed, and dated application.  When we get to the registration process at a later date, my recommendation for you at that time is to email the application(s) as well as your concealed carry handgun license (as evidence of your having been “checked out” by law enforcement) as a pdf file to Steve using his email address of akshooter@gci.net
  • If circumstances require cancellation of a class, Steve will very quickly make things right financially for those that have already paid.  If cancellation occurs, Steve would return checks to trainees (since he has not cashed them yet for those who paid by check) and he would issue an Alaska Tactical check to trainees who had paid electronically by debit or credit card.  Your money is safe as Steve is a man of honor and integrity and has been in business for decades.
  • Give Steve two or 3 business days to review the emailed paperwork.
  • Then, call Alaska Tactical at 907-338-3458, state your name, the date you emailed Steve your application(s) and that you’re calling to make an electronic payment over the phone by debit or credit card for the full payment for the course(s) you’re going to take.  There are no refunds.  There’s a good reason for that.  One of them is Steve incurs substantial expenses to travel from Anchorage, Alaska to NC to teach and non-refundable airline tickets are purchased by him months in advance to obtain the best price.
  • If you take the above approach (email application(s) and a copy of your concealed carry license, wait 2 or 3 business days, call the # listed above, and pay the full payment by debit or credit card), then you’re done without physically mailing anything and hoping your paperwork and payment don’t get lost in the US Postal Service.
  • Alternatively, if you wish, you can mail the application(s), a copy of your concealed carry license and your full payment via the US Postal Service.  In that case, acceptable payment methods for the full payment to Alaska Tactical include personal check, or U.S. Postal money order, or certified bank check.  Any of these forms of payment made payable to Alaska Tactical are to be mailed to Alaska Tactical at the address of:  Alaska Tactical, 210 Muldoon Road, Anchorage, Alaska  99504, along with any other required documentation listed below.   Payments would be processed by Alaska Tactical reasonably soon following receipt.
  • If you have a valid, current concealed handgun permit issued by any state, a copy of that permit must be included in the same envelope (or in your emailed file) with the completed, signed and dated application(s) to Alaska Tactical.
  • If you are not active military, are not an active law enforcement officer (LEO), and are not a holder of a valid, current concealed handgun permit issued by any state, you must include in the envelope(or in your emailed file) with your payment and course application evidence of no criminal history.
  • FYI to active military or active LEO:   by the 8/15/22 deadline, you only have to pay the full payment and mail (or email) Alaska Tactical the completed, signed, and dated course application(s).  Your proof of being active military or active LEO can be shown to Steve on day 1 of whichever class (or classes) in the fall of 2021 without you having to mail (or email) or make a copy of such proof.

 

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):

• A safe, properly functioning, full-size handgun as previously described (two are very strongly recommended in case your primary handgun experiences a parts breakage or some other malfunction that cannot be quickly fixed; see the above discussion).
• If you’ll be shooting with a red dot sight, ensure the battery is fresh and have a new, back-up battery.
• Holster(s); see the discussion above; it’s not a bad idea to bring two holsters for your primary handgun in case your primary holster experiences a malfunction.  Chicago screws (or other fasteners) can loosen and fall out, old Kydex can crack, etc.   If your holster has fasteners (such as Chicago screws) that can work loose, it’s recommended you use some blue Loctite on those screws, train with the holster(s) and ensure such fasteners do not loosen.  Take those steps well in advance of taking the course.
• Handgun ammunition appropriate for the full-size handgun(s) you bring.   It’s recommended to use service, “ball” ammunition that you know functions flawlessly in your firearms.  Handloads/reloaded ammunition are permitted but no tracer, incendiary, explosive or armor piercing rounds may be used.   Don’t try and save money by utilizing cheap but questionable ammo.
• Belt mounted magazine carrier(s) and a minimum of five spare handgun magazines you know work flawlessly.  Remember that magazines can become defective (feed lips getting “bent”, springs becoming weak and failing to properly feed the ammunition, etc.).  If you’re going to shoot a revolver rather than a semi-automatic pistol, bring speed loaders and associated, belt mounted carrying cases.
• Appropriate gun belt as covered above.  Wilderness Tactical Products belts from Arizona, Kramer Handgun Leather,  Beltman, Inc., MitchRosen.com, Blade-Tech Industries and other manufacturers make excellent gun belts.  You may also want to check out High Speed Gear as they offer excellent belts, magazine carriers, etc.
• A serviceable flashlight. Should be end cap push button operated. If you are using a weapon mounted light, you are encouraged to also bring a detachable light so you can practice both light techniques. Sure-Fire, Fennix and Streamlight all make good units. The Sure-Fire 6P, Fennix PD series and Streamlight model Scorpion all work well.  We will not be shooting at night to comply with range rules but the training will cover the use of a flashlight or weapon mounted light.
• Hearing protection.  Can be plugs, muffs or both.
• Eye protection.  Can be safety or shooting glasses.
• Appropriate clothing (remember, we’ll shoot “rain or shine”).  You may also wish to wear a hat with a brim and a shirt you can button at the neck to prevent a shooting buddy’s hot, ejected brass from going down your shirt and burning you multiple times during the course.
• Brass container. Something to hold empty cartridge cases
• To reiterate -- ensure you have ammo and a holster suitable for your spare/back-up firearm.