Cruel Hand Luke

Suarez International Defensive Pistol Skills August 18-19, 2012 Chattanooga, Tennessee Price $400 Instructor: Randy Harris All training must begin with fundamentals. This comprehensive fundamentals class is designed to prep you for the more advanced courses such as Close Range Gunfighting. Through a carefully designed and detailed curriculum we are able to bring you up to a level of skill in a short two day class that previously would take over 4 or 5 days to achieve at other schools. You will learn a complete presentation of the modern combative technique of the pistol which will put you in good standing for any defensive situations you may encounter in the real world. No experience or prior training is needed to attend this class and it is specially suitable for beginners, or as a tune-up for accomplished shooters. DURATION: 2 days TIME: 9:00AM to 5:00PM (CST) PREREQUISITES: NONE AMMUNITION: PISTOL: Approximately 300 rounds (Minimum) YOU NEED TO BRING: Spare clothing appropriate to the weather, lunch/snacks and water (minimum of 1 gallon per person) for the entire day, baseball or other style hat, sun screen, bug repellent, allergy medication (if needed), chair (if you have a problem with sitting on the ground, note taking paper/pen/pencil and a boo boo kit (band aids, gauze pads, antiseptic wipes, antibiotic ointment and tape) REQUIREMENTS: Modern Defensive Pistol, Holster specifically made for that pistol and designed to be worn on the belt at the "strong side", 3 Magazines and One Magazine Pouch, A Belt of the same width as the belt loops for the holster and magazine pouches, Range Safety Gear (Eye protection and ear protection) For more info and to sign up.....http://www.suarezint...tanooga-tn.aspx Then Saturday night....... August 18, 2012 GLOCK ARMORER Chattanooga, Tennessee Price $100 Instructor: Randy Harris If you own a Glock you'll thank yourself for taking this course. It's designed for the Glock owner and will give you an overall view of the Glock's history, performance and construction. The maintenance portion will teach you to troubleshoot and diagnose problems with your Glock handgun and then goes on to explain how to make repairs. Attendance and successful completion of this Suarez International class does not qualify students to register as a Glock Factory Armorer. DURATION: 4 hours TIME: 6:00PM to 10:00PM (CST) PREREQUISITES: NONE AMMUNITION: N/A YOU NEED TO BRING: Note taking supplies, water, snacks, anything to keep you comfortable. REQUIREMENTS: Bring your own Glock - everything else will be provided. To sign up for this class by itself....http://www.suarezint...tanooga-tn.aspx Or for both together at a discounted price ................http://www.suarezint...tanooga-tn.aspx

Problem is that pistols simply do not have the kind of energy to make that matter. A .308 has 2800 ft lbs of energy at the muzzle. A .45 has about 400 to 450. A 9+p has between 375 and 425. The 40SW has between 400 and 450. Really not that much difference in pistol calibers...but the rifle is off the charts compared to them. Unfortunately we often assign a mental "score" to .45 as being at or near 100 with all other pistols falling in somewhere behind. Does that then mean that if a .45 is a "97" that a 308 is a "450" or a "630"??? Comparing pistols that deliver within 75 lbs the same energy is like comparing who can hit harder?...A 7 year old or an 8 year? Or who is stronger? The guy who can do 100 pushups or the guy that can only do 95.....they are so close in performance it really does not matter. Add in the .308 and we would have to make the those 7 and 8 year olds punch it out with Evander Holifield.That is a performance difference that matters.....but 45 does not deliver 2800 lbs of energy..... BUt for some reason we assign high numbers to .45. When in reality when we include rifles the .45 now probably should score about .....45 to 50..... with rifles scoring near 100. But if a .308 won't stop EVERYONE......even though it delivers SEVEN TIMES the energy a .45 does.....then we see that maybe pistols don't do the damage from the ENERGY, but from what internal structures they hit. Just for comparison....a professional boxer will punch with between 800 and 1000 lbs of energy yet they do not knock down everyone they punch do they? It about what? Placement? A punch to someone's elbow is unlikely knock them down. A punch to the corner of their jaw may cause the requisite "brain shake" to make them drop to the floor. But even with punches it is placement , not energy.......guys...the ENERGY in pistols is NOT what does the damage. Five things stop people. 1. FEAR (largely up to the victim as to how it effects them) 2. PAIN (largely up to the victim as to how it effects them) 3. Loss of blood pressure/loss of blood to the brain (leads to unconsciousness...that is how a choke hold works. Can keep fighting...until brain is deprived of enough blood) 4. Central nervous system shut down (victiom has NO say in the matter) 5. Damage to spine (paralysis is hard to overcome) Of those 5 the top 2 are up to the victim to some degree. Most stops are in fact psychological. People CHOOSE to stop most of the time. The other 3 all require bullets going deep enough to damage major blood bearing vessels or hit the spine or brain. Pistols just simply do not have the kind of energy that a rifle does. That is scientifically measurable.As one fellow once said...."pistol bullets poke holes...rifle bullets tear 'stuff' up". In fact a .45 auto has about the same energy as a baseball dropped from 12 feet has. But talking about that scientifically measureable subject wouldn't sell many gun magazines would it? If you hit them somewhere important , and hit them a lot , it really does not matter what you hit them with as long as it penetrates deep enough to hit major blood bearing organs or the brain or spine.....holes in hearts, spines , and brains are still holes in hearts spines and brains...no matter what made them.

This is not something new. A few years back when either Obama or Hillary Clinton (sorry I can not remember which) gave a speech the troops IN A COMBAT ZONE were disarmed. It is WHO they ARE. NO ONE is trusted to be armed except their own body guards.

The classes in Chattanooga also get a discount if you take more than 1. They are $225 per class for 1 , $200 per class for 2, add the shotgun class for $175 So the more you add the more you save per class. Check it out here.......http://www.suarezint...tanooga-tn.aspx And it is true you do generally get what you pay for.

Thanks for the plug Lumber_Jack (and Chances R) . The classes in Chattanooga in March can be found here.......http://www.tngunowners.com/forums/topic/43523-high-intensity-combat-skills-weekend-march-23-25-chattanooga/. These are 1 day stand alone classes. That way you can come see what we do 1 day without having to stay for a whole weekend (or pay for a whole weekend) or if you like you can do 2 or 3 days.

Welcome from Chattanooga (Ooltewah actually). If you are looking for some local training look me up.

Reminder !!!!!!!!! These are getting closer! Get the Dynamics of the Shotgun class , Glock Armorers class, Combat Pistol Marksmanship and the ADVANCED Combat Pistol Marksmanship all in one place in one weekend for a convenient discount package! Learn to run the shotgun, work on your Glock, shoot your carry pistol accurately and then take it out to even longer distances.

If you have a range we can make it happen...........

Jan 13 Dynamics of the Shotgun -Jacksonville Fl Jan 13 Glock Armorer -Jacksonville Fl Jan 14-15 Defensive Pistol Skills- Jacksonville Fl Jan 28 Glock Armorer- Chattanooga Tn Jan 28-29 Close Range Gunfighting -Chattanooga Tn ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Feb 4 Alumni Training Day Chattanooga Tn Feb 17-18 Low Light Gunfighting Atlanta Ga Feb 25-26 Kalashnikov Gunfighting Louisville Ky +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ March 23 Dynamics of the Shotgun Chattanooga Tn March 23 Glock Armorer Chattanooga Tn March 24 Combat Pistol Marksmanship Chattanooga Tn March 25 Adv Combat Pistol Mksmanship Chattanooga Tn March 31-April 1 Defensive Pistol Skills Louisville Ky ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ April 14-15 Zero to Five Feet Gunfighting Columbia Sc April 28-29 Close Range Gunfighting Bald Knob Ar +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ May 5-6 Kalashnikov Gunfighting Jacksonville Fl May 19 Alumni Training Day!! Chattanooga Tn ONLY $50 +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ June 2-3 Advanced Rifle Gunfighting Bellevue Mi June 9-10 Advanced Close Range Gunfighting Chattanooga Tn June 16-17 Zero To Five Feet Gunfighting Crestview Fl June 23-24 Close Range Gunfighting Knoxville Tn ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ July 5-6 AR15/M4 Gunfighting Chattanooga TN July 6 AR 15 Armorer Chattanooga Tn July 7-8 Advanced AR15/M4 Gunfighting Chattanooga Tn July 28-29 Zero To Five Feet Gunfighting Louisville KY +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Aug 11-12 Advanced Close Range Gunfighting Pierpont Oh Aug 18-19 Defensive Pistol Skills Chattanooga Tn +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ New classes will be added as dates and locations are finalized. For more info and a FULL list of all Suarez International classes go to http://www.suarezint...ssschedule.aspx

Quick reminder...if you are a former student of Suarez Int we are doing an Alumni Training Day tomorrow. $50 for a 6 hour rifle skills workshop and some good fellowship with like minded individuals and familiar faces from classes. Hope to see you there.

Announcing the second meeting of the TN/GA/AL area Suarez Alumni regional training group. To attend this one you must have had a Suarez International rifle class. DATE Saturday FEB 4 What you'll need..... A rifle. Any rifle will do...well...any cartridge firing repeating rifle. No Kentucky long rifles or New England Handi Rifles unless you can reload REAL fast..... But any magazine fed rifle, whether it is a blind box mag (like a bolt gun), a detachable box mag or a tube mag like a levergun will be fine. About 100 rds of rifle ammo A way to carry that ammo Price $50 Time will be 10AM to 4PM with a break for lunch. Lunch will be a group expedition to either a local eatery called the "Cabbage Bowl" or the local Mexican restaurant (Don Chico.... IIRC) depending on how the "lunch vote" goes. NO steel core ammo please. We'll be shooting some drills on metal targets so leave the Chinese steel core 762 and the M855 Green tip at home. Looking forward to getting some rifle work done with the local alumni. I WILL make you a better shooter. Please let me know if you plan to attend and I'll send the address. You can either post here in the thread or PM me here . If you have trained with me before in the Chattanooga area in the last 3 years it is the same location, a private location 35 minutes from downtown Chattanooga.

This is the first time these HITS (High Intensity Training School) classes have been offered in this area. This is the best way to get A LOT of material for the least amount of time and money. a review of a recent HITS class I taught in Jacksonville Fla can be found here....http://www.warriortalk.com/showthrea...le-Jan-13-2012

Chattanooga TN March 23-25. Join us for Dynamics of the Shotgun, Glock Armorer, Combat Pistol Marksmanship and Advanced Combat Pistol Marksmanship. Learn to run the shotgun caveman simple and to deadly effect, learn all about your glock and how to work on it yourself, and become a more competent pistol shooter....even an EXCELLENT pistol shooter all in one weekend with Suarez International Tier 1 Instructor Randy Harris! It all starts on Friday March 23.... March 23, 2012 DYNAMICS OF THE SHOTGUN Chattanooga, Tennessee Instructor: Randy Harris Price $225 The shotgun is the best CQB weapon in existence today. This HITS class presents a reality-based, aggressive, close quarters combative method of deploying the shotgun. Most shotgun schools spend a great deal of time discussing modifications and additions to the shotgun, or try to turn this CQB weapon into some sort of a rifle. Such is happily NOT the case in this one-day version of Shotgun Gunfighting. In this class you will learn what the shotgun is really for, and perhaps as important, learn the weapon's limitations. After a brief overview of the fundamentals and a skill check, we progress quickly to advanced reality-based drills. Whether you are a private citizen, a police officer, or a soldier - if you rely on a shotgun for self-protection, this course is essential. DURATION: 1 Days TIME: 9:00am to 5:00pm (CST) PREREQUISITES: NONE AMMUNITION: Approximately 100 rounds of Birdshot, 50 rounds of Buckshot, 15 Slugs and 50 rounds of pistol ammunition. YOU NEED TO BRING: Clothing appropriate to the weather. Lunch, snacks and water (minimum of 1 gallon per person) for the entire day. Baseball or other style hat, sunscreen, bug repellent, allergy medication (if needed), folding chair, note taking paper/pen/pencil and a boo boo kit (band aids, gauze pads, antiseptic wipes, antibiotic ointment and tape). REQUIREMENTS: Shotgun (any caliber pump or semi-auto). All shotguns must be equipped with a sling and a stock. Pistol with at least two magazines, suitable belt, holster, and magazine pouches. A method of carrying extra shotgun ammo (for example: shoulder bag, ammo pouches, side saddle, or butt cuff). Ear & eye protection. Info or to enroll........http://www.suarezinternationalstore....anooga-tn.aspx Followed that evening by the Glock Armorer class... March 23, 2012 Time 6-10PM GLOCK ARMORER Chattanooga, Tennessee Instructor: Randy Harris Price $100 If you own a Glock you'll thank yourself for taking this course. It's designed for the Glock owner and will give you an overall view of the Glock's history, performance and construction. The maintenance portion will teach you to troubleshoot and diagnose problems with your Glock handgun and then goes on to explain how to make repairs. Attendance and successful completion of this Suarez International class does not qualify students to register as a Glock Factory Armorer. DURATION: 4 hours TIME: 6:00PM to 10:00PM PREREQUISITES: NONE AMMUNITION: N/A YOU NEED TO BRING: Note taking supplies, water, snacks, anything to keep you comfortable. Info or to enroll...http://www.suarezinternationalstore....anooga-tn.aspx REQUIREMENTS: Bring your own Glock - everything else will be provided. Then Saturday we'll make ourselves better pistol shooters with COMBAT PISTOL MARKSMANSHIP..... March 24, 2012 COMBAT PISTOL MARKSMANSHIP Chattanooga, Tennessee Instructor: Randy Harris Price $225 In this class you will learn how to fire an accurate shot with your carry handgun, in situations replicating what may be necessary to prevail in a proactive street gunfight. This course is perfect for the novice or new CCW licensee (although no licenses are necessary to attend). DURATION: 1 day TIME: 9:00AM to 5:00PM (CST) PREREQUISITES: NONE AMMUNITION: Approximately 150 rounds (Minimum) YOU NEED TO BRING: Spare clothing appropriate to the weather, lunch/snacks and water (minimum of 1 gallon per person) for the entire day, baseball or other style hat, sun screen, bug repellent, allergy medication (if needed), chair (if you have a problem with sitting on the ground, note taking paper/pen/pencil and a boo boo kit (band aids, gauze pads, antiseptic wipes, antibiotic ointment and tape) REQUIREMENTS: Modern Defensive Pistol, Holster specifically made for that pistol and designed to be worn on the belt at the "strong side", 3 Magazines and One Magazine Pouch, A Belt of the same width as the belt loops for the holster and magazine pouches, Range Safety Gear (Eye protection and ear protection) Info or to enroll....http://www.suarezinternationalstore....anooga-tn.aspx And then on Sunday take it farther and faster with ADVANCED COMBAT PISTOL MARKSMANSHIP.... March 25, 2012 ADVANCED COMBAT PISTOL MARKSMANSHIP Chattanooga, Tennessee Instructor: Randy Harris Price $225 This class picks up where Combat Pistol Marksmanship leaves off and will train you to take longer and more difficult shots as well as using cover and the environment to assist in keeping you safe from incoming gunfire as well as aid your marksmanship. DURATION: 1 day TIME: 9:00AM to 5:00PM (CST) PREREQUISITES: NONE AMMUNITION: Approximately 200 rounds (Minimum) YOU NEED TO BRING: Spare clothing appropriate to the weather, lunch/snacks and water (minimum of 1 gallon per person) for the entire day, baseball or other style hat, sun screen, bug repellent, allergy medication (if needed), chair (if you have a problem with sitting on the ground, note taking paper/pen/pencil and a boo boo kit (band aids, gauze pads, antiseptic wipes, antibiotic ointment and tape) REQUIREMENTS: Modern Defensive Pistol, Holster specifically made for that pistol and designed to be worn on the belt at the "strong side", 3 Magazines and One Magazine Pouch, A Belt of the same width as the belt loops for the holster and magazine pouches, Range Safety Gear (Eye protection and ear protection) Info and to enroll....http://www.suarezinternationalstore....anooga-tn.aspx But the best part is that there are multiple discounts available for multiple classes! Take all 4 and end up saving $125 dollars!!!!!!!!! INFO AND SIGN UP FOR VALUE PACKAGE.......http://www.suarezinternationalstore....anooga-tn.aspx

Or actually the old.... Midwest?

NO worries at all . I am more interested in truth than fiction and appreciate you filling me in. And with what I know of King Fisher ...that sounds like something he'd do. He's yet ANOTHER gunman of some repute killed in ambush. Interestingly enough he was ambushed and killed in a theater in San Antonio along with Ben Thompson....Thompson was Phil Coe's (who Hickok killed) business partner in Abilene Kansas at the Bulls Head saloon..........it's a small world.

That's cool. Well in that case I will certainly kindly defer to your local first hand knowledge on that stuff as I got it from books not from the locals.

I'm not sure why you say that about doing it with a cover garment. I use a slight variation of that draw stroke and have no issues with it at all with even a closed front cover garment. In fact I shoot IDPA matches with a closed front cover garment and have no issues with clearing the garment enough to bring the gun to my pectoral muscle to drive it forward. And my 1st shot from the holster normally breaks at between .70 and .80 so lifting it to pec level certainly is not slow. And yes, I used a timer not just guessing how fast it was. On shooting from the #2..... if you really pressure test this stuff against a live opponent with Sims or Airsoft guns you'll see that if they are REALLY close enough to NEED to shoot from the #2 then they are close enough that the shots from #2 Paul shows will still hit them and do it without hitting your off side hand that will most likely be up defending your high line. If you take a look at Paul's video posted here at TGO about retention it will make sense.

From an early age I have always been intrigued by the Old West and western movies and western culture. Most red blooded American boys grew up watching westerns on TV and reading about the Old West in books. After all, the American Culture is somewhat the Cowboy way. We fight for what is right. We put in a full day's work. We don't let our friends down, and we keep our word when we give it. We'll fight to right a wrong, but don't go looking for trouble.My heroes have always been cowboys and I spent many an hour in my childhood with my toy six shooters keeping my back yard free of rustlers and robbers. As I got older I began getting into martial arts and specificly the combative use of the gun. I practiced long and hard to develop my shooting skills, but there is more to it than the hardware aspect. I looked for books to read on mindset and technique and tactics and stories of shootings and what worked and what didn't. What I realized was that even though the west was not always as WILD as popular culture makes it out to have been, there were a fair number of folks getting into a fair number of gunfights. Maybe we could learn something from them? After all, if you learn from those that have done it, then maybe looking back at some Old West gunfights might be a good place to go for things that might help keep us alive today. So What did I find? Well, I started reading everything I could get my hands on. I soon found that there were a few individuals that were involved in multiple gunfights and seemed to always come out on top. So the obvious question was" why?". My research led me to find that the dynamics of the confrontations are really no different than they are today.So if the dynamics are the same, then we can look at what they did to survive their fights and apply that to ours today. I could go on for many pages using scores of historical gunfight examples but I will keep this confined to a few examples of fights involving two individuals. On one hand we have a famous lawman. A Civil War veteran and peaceofficer who developed a reputation as the "Prince Of Pistoleers". This man was James Butler Hickok, better known as "Wild Bill".The other was a man of considerable skill with a pistol who was just as short tempered as he was fast and accurate. This man was neither a lawman nor served in the army, but developed his skill at arms on his own from regular practice and combined that with a fierce will to win to become possibly the most dangerous man in the Old West....John Wesley Hardin. We'll look at Hickok first. In his famous gunfight with Dave Tutt July 21, 1865 in Springfield, Missouri they both met in the street "showdown" style. This was actually not very common regardless of what TV westerns lead us to believe. This fight stemmed from a watch won in a poker game,stoked by a rivalry over the same woman and ended with a man lying dead. Hickok had lost the watch to Tutt in a card game the previous night due to the fact that Hickok was unable to pay a debt he owed. Tutt took the watch as collateral. Tutt also went about town making a spectacle of wearing the watch and telling all who would listen that Hickok could not pay his debt. Hickok warned Tutt to cease and desist, but Tutt would not stop. So when they met in the town square the next day the fight was on. Hickok told Tutt to take the watch off, Tutt responded by pulling a pistol and firing. Hickok pulled his pistol, took careful aim and fired, sending a bullet through Tutt's heart from a distance of about 75 yards! Hickok immediately wheeled and pointed his pistol at Tutt supporters to his rear and they decided discretion to be the better part of valor and left. So what is there to learn here? A non gun culture guy might say "Hickok was a good shot" and they would be correct, but there is more here. Hickok was reported to have aimed carefully while Tutt fired wildly at him. Hickok fired a single decisive shot while his opponent fired wildly hitting nothing. So maybe accurate shooting wins gunfights? This is what we teach in the long distance shooting module of our Advanced Close Range Gunfighting class. And we see that Hickok turned and did a 360 degree scan after his opponent was down. How many of us practice this today in order to not be the victim of your opponent's possible accomplices? This is a basic tenet of gunfighting and we drill it in depth in our Close Range Gunfighting class. Another gunfight Hickok was involved in was July 17,1870 while he was town Marshal in Hays, Kansas. In this one the classic saloon brawl turns deadly. Hickok had previously angered members of the 7th cavalry (Custer's command) by roughing up and arresting one of their comrades.Three soldiers planned revenge and approached him, jumped him in a barroom and came close to ending his life. One jumped on his back another grabbed him by the arms as a third pulled a 1863 Remington Army issue pistol and stuck it to Hickok's head and pulled the trigger. The gun misfired and in the confusion Hickok was able to free his pistol and shoot two of the soldiers and make his escape back to his hotel room where he retrieved his rifle in case of further attack. Here we see a case where multiple assailants end up in a grappling situation with their victim. The victim has to access his weapon mid fight and shoot his way loose of the villians. Fortunately the bad guys had a faulty weapon. Does this sound very similar to what we see today with multiple assailants. Not all fights are one on one affairs. Sometimes the bad guys bring friends. And do you work on in-fight weapons access? Anyone can draw a gun from an exposed holster on the range, but things get more difficult and desperate when attacked by multiple opponents and you have to fend them off in order to access your pistol. This is where something like our Zero To Five Feet Pistol Gunfighting comes into play. We also see here the intangible element of luck, as the misfire saved Wild Bill. Sometimes luck is what saves you. Gunfights are dangerous affairs.Sometimes luck is all that seperates survivors from losers. The last item here is we see Wild Bill, faced with superior numbers did not stand and shoot it out. He got clear and armed himself with a rifle in case of further attack. The rifle has ALWAYS been a more effective tool than the pistol and still is today. A reason we put so much emphasis on having a rifle handy and knowing how to use it in our Rifle Gunfighting series of classes. The final Hickok fight we will look at is the October 5, 1871 gunfight in Abilene Kansas with Texas gambler/gunman Phil Coe. Phil Coe and Ben Thompson (another gunman of some fame from Texas) owned the Bulls Head Saloon in Abilene Kansas.There had never been any love lost between the three as Hickok was a Union veteran and the two Texans were Confederates. The 6 years since the end ofthe war had done little to make feelings any better about the war. Coe had once bragged to Hickok that he could "kill a crow on the wing" with a pistol, as a warning to Hickok. Hickok replied "Did the crow have a pistol? Was he shooting back? I will be". The animosity just grew and grew. The argument began over the sign in front of the Saloon depicting a bull in a "indelicate" pose. Hickok ordered that part of the sign be painted over and Coe said "no". Hickok requisitioned 2 painters to paint over the bull's offending anatomy and Coe was infuriated. He began stirring up trouble for Hickok among the texas cowhands in town and a general disturbance insued. That night as the cowhands all but rioted in the street Coe stood in front of the saloon firing his pistol. Hickok came up asking who was firing. Coe said he had shot at a stray dog. Hickok demanded his pistol, and in a flash Coe fired at Hickok. Hickok returned fire striking Coe in the stomach. Coe shot too quickly and the bullet had gone between Hickok's legs striking the dirt. A fast miss is no match for a solid hit. This is a basic concept that we convey in our Defensive Pistol Skills classes. As Hickok turned and did his 360 degree scan to insure he was not shot from behind ,a man with a pistol ran toward him. Hickok aimed and fired. Suddenly he realized he had just shot Mike Williams -his own deputy- who had heard the shooting and came running to Hickok's aid. From this we can learn a few more things. When we scan for other opponents we need to look closely so we do not shoot without identifying the target first. This can prevent a friendly fire incident from happening.The guy approaching with a gun may very well also be wearing a badge. We can also apply the reverse of this. It might not be a bad idea to present our gun "low profile" as we turn and scan. That way we will be less likely to get shot by responding officers. Again we see Hickok taking aim and making good center of mass hits. Accurate shooting still stops opponents...unfortunately even friendlies too. We see most of Hickok's fights generally being line of duty affairs where he is trying to either apprehend someone or disarm them. On the other hand the majority of John Wesley Hardin's fights were a case of an argument turned deadly, or him trying to keep from being apprehended. John Wesley Hardin grew up in a very violent period in east Texas during and just after the Civil War. Back then there was little order and what order there was , was the occupation force of the union army and afterwards their political appointees backed up by federal troops. This was during the lawless days of reconstruction. Hardin grew up with gun in hand and a resolve to survive. It would serve him well in the years to come. Whether Hardin was a homicidal maniac or just a guy with a quick temper that gambled and drank is open for debate, what is not open for debate is his skill with a pistol or his fighting mindset. We will now take a look at a couple of Wes Hardin's fights. His first gunfight was at the age of 16 in November 1867. He had been visiting an uncle and had gotten into a friendly wrestling match with an ex slave named Mage who was employed there chopping cotton. Hardin and his cousin both wrestled Mage who happened to be a very large man. Somewhere along the way Mage got angry and threatened to kill the two boys. The next day as Hardin rode his old horse home he was confronted on the road by the ex slave. Hardin says Mage charged him witha large stick.Mage took hold of the reigns and tried to hit him with the stick. Hardin drew his pistol and fired, but Mage kept coming. Hardin fired several shots finally felling the attacker. Mage died later that month. We see pistols are not terribly powerful stoppers. Here we see a large attacker with a contact weapon who requires more than one or two rounds to stop. Isn't that what we work in Force on Force drills today? Shoot until the threat is down. Hardin is believed to have been carrying a Colt Dragoon. So even multiple rounds from a .44 didn't immediately stop this enraged attacker. Something else to consider. Maybe placement is more important than bore diameter? It is also interesting to note that after this Hardin was more likely to shoot for the head. Many of his future victims were felled with a bullet in the brain. This is why we teach a burst to the chest followed immediately by a burst to the head if the assailant is still up. This is a basic tenet of our Close Range Gunfighting curriculum. We now skip ahead a few years to late 1870 and see Hardin travelling. The hotel he has stopped in has a bar and a very attractive woman sits in there apparently upset. Hardin approaches her and strikes up a conversation. She claims to be having relationship problems and he tries to comfort her. She asks if he'd like to go upstairs and apparently the prospect of a pretty and vulnerable young woman was more than he could resist. Upon enterring the room however there is a loud banging on the door. She says it is her boyfriend and he will kill Hardin. The boyfriend enters and confronts Hardin, pistol pulled. Hardin says he didn't know she was his girl and apologizes. The man asks Hardin to hand over his money.Hardin agrees and says he does not want any trouble. Hardin then drops the money at the man's feet . As he takes his eyes off Hardin and bends down to pick up the cash, Hardin draws a pistol and fires a round through the man's head. Turns out the man and woman had been running this same scam for some time. Here we see how not all bad guys are even guys and you can be rused into really bad situations if you are not careful.Girls can be bad guys too! However Hardin showed calm under duress and was able to use misdirection and a ruse of his own to reclaim the initiative and shoot a man who had him held at gunpoint. This "under the gun" situation is exactly the type situation we look to solve in our Zero to Five Foot Pistol Gunfighting classes. Next we will look at an incident in 1871 on a cattle drive to Abilene. Hardin's herd has been getting mixed up with a mexican herd that was coming up the trail behind them. An argument insued and Hardin was shot at by one of the vaqueros. He rode back to his own camp and with his cousin, armed himself with a pair of pistols. As the mexicans got closer Hardin and his cousin mounted their horses and charged them. Hardin ended up killing 5 of the 6 vaqueros, his cousin killing the other.This made Hardin a bit of a celebrity and word of this exploit soon found its way to Abilene and Marshal Hickok. Not exactly the best way to handle a livestock dispute these days, but if a fight is imminent it is best to be on the offensive not the defensive. That is something that Hardin was always prepared to do. He had no qualms about shooting first when a fight became apparent. If we wait too long to act, we can dig ourselves into a hole we cannot get out of. We all have to develop our "line in the sand" where if it is crossed we are prepared to fight. Otherwise we end up so far behind the curve that we can never catch up. That is why being able to pick up on pre assault cues and see the fight coming is so important. Once you know the fight is about to be on it is time to get proactive, not reactive! The final one we will look at is the May 26,1874 killing of Brown County Texas deputy Charles Webb. This was the shooting for which Hardin was convicted and sent to prison in 1877. That day Hardin had spent his birthday gambling on horse races and generally carousing and having a good time. That evening he was approached by a deputy from another county while standing in front of a saloon.He recognizes the man who approaches with one hand behind his back. Hardin asks Webb if he has any "papers" on Hardin and Webb says no that he is not thereon business he was just there to enjoy a night on the town. Hardin asks him then to join him for a drink and turns to walk toward the doors of the saloon.As Webb approaches he points the pistol he was holding behind his back and fires hitting Hardin in the side.At that moment one of Hardin's friends yells for Hardin to "look out"! Hardin lunges sideways at the same moment drawing and firing from probably a retention type position and shoots Webb in the face with his Smith and Wesson .44 American. Just looking at sheer dynamics and not getting bogged down in the obvious questions surrounding the shooting of a law enforcement officer (even if he was not on official police business and shot first from ambush), we have an assailant with pistol already drawn employing a ruse to get close to the victim. When the victim turns , leaving an opening, the assailant raises and fires his pistol. The "victim" here got off the line of attack and was hit with a peripheral hit instead of center of mass and was able to draw and return fire from a "stanceless" retention position while getting out of the way and score a headshot to end the altercation. This is very similar to what we teach with the Pistol Inquartata technique . How similar is that to a mugging/murder attempt in an alley in any city in America today? The ability to get off the "X", get your gun into play and fire quickly is just as important today as it was back then. While not all the scenarios are still something we would run into on a daily basis (I doubt I'll ever get in a dispute over cattle) they all do share characteristics of dynamics that we do still encounter in physical confrontation today in 2011. Just as it was in 1869 accurate shooting still ends fights.Hits to the chest and head stopped people then and tend to do the same today whereas peripheral hits may or may not. Sometimes you will not be able to just "Don't let them get close and shoot well" like is taught in some places, but may have to physically fight off multiple assailants in order to even access your weapon and shoot from retention to make space to get away. Rifles are still best if they can be accessed. When the shooting is over make sure no one is coming up behind you bydoing a 360 degree scan. And LOOK at who is coming not just glance and shoot if someone is approaching! The life you save may be a brother officer or a family member. We also see where we need to be aware of our surroundings and don't be quick to trust unknown contacts. They may just be employing a ruse to get close enough to be able to overtake you. If the fight is on, then the fight is on! Get proactive! You owe them no mercy.Get off the "X" and shoot them to the ground! If you are hit, keep fighting! Handguns are still underpowered when compared to long guns. Even if you get hit, odds are you will survive. But only if you keep from getting hit multiple times. Finish the fight! And practice is essential. Both Hickok and Hardin practiced with their armaments religiously. It is an interesting side note that both men were eventually killed by ambush from behind. They had developed the skill that made their killers so fearful of their ability that they had to resort to shooting them from behind. It is interesting to look back at where we came from. Sure we carry Glocks and AKs today and not 1851 Navy Colts and Winchesters. We have smokeless powder and 15 to 20 rd mags,instead of six shooters and big clouds of smoke when we pull the trigger, but the software hasn't really changed much since Cain and Abel. People still fight much the same.The dynamics of confrontation are still the same.The badguys still get close to rob rape or pillage and often bring friends. You still are less likely to get hit if you move. You still have to hit the badguys in important places to reliably stop them.So maybe looking back at where we came from will help keep us safe while we get to where we are going.

And God forbid you think just having a gun makes you safe and you pull it and extend it to within reach of someone who knows something about gun disarms. Extend only as much as necessary to make the shot. There are criminals out there who are dumber than a sack full of left handed screwdrivers. And there are criminals out there that have a "PHD" in violence. Unfortunately they don't let you know which they are in advance.

Just a quick reminder for all you guys in the TN, GA, AL area (and everywhere else for that matter!) that this class is coming up soon. Close Range Gunfighting is the quintessential Suarez International class. If you have not taken it then you may know how to shoot...but do you know how to FIGHT? This class is about FIGHTING with a pistol, not just target shooting.

Mav, yes I'll be doing another Advanced CRG class again next year...in warmer weather.

Awesome. Looking forward to seeing you there!

It is a private range about 35 minutes from downtown Chattanooga. The mailing address is Pisgah Alabama. But it is about 5 minutes from Ider High School. It takes me EXACTLY 35 minutes to get there from where I 24 and Highway 27 split in downtown Chattanooga. You go to Trenton Ga and go up the mountain to Alabama. The directions can be found here.......January 28-29, 2012 - Close Range Gunfighting - Chattanooga, TN

Start out the New Year with the class that put Suarez International on the map.This is the class that turned the defensive pistol training world upside down by focusing just as much on NOT GETTING SHOT as it focused on shooting the Bad guys! January 28-29, 2012 CLOSE RANGE GUNFIGHTING Chattanooga, Tennessee Instructor: Randy Harris Price $400 This is our flagship course and goes as far as you can safely go on a square range with live-fire pistols. The dynamic curriculum surpasses the traditional handgun methods commonly taught in most institutions and focuses of the use of the pistol in aggressive close range applications likely in individual civilian street encounters. The class begins with a tune-up of the fundamentals, then we progress quickly to new skills such as Proactive and Reactive Manipulations, Shooting While Moving Off The X, Reality-Based Multiple Hostiles Engagement, 360 degree CQB Movement, Danger-Close Fighting, Bilateral Shooting, 360 degree After Action Assessment Methods, and Integrating the Flashlight and Other Tools into the Firing Platform. This is the life-saving material that is often ignored in many other programs. In two days, you will receive more information than most armed professionals ever get! We must point out that THIS COURSE IS NOT FOR THE NOVICE SHOOTER. If you have not received basic instruction, or have a question about your skill level, please call us first. [TABLE=width: 100%] [TR] [TD]DURATION:[/TD] [TD]2 days[/TD] [/TR] [TR] [TD]TIME:[/TD] [TD]9:00AM to 5:00PM (CENTRAL)[/TD] [/TR] [TR] [TD]PREREQUISITES:[/TD] [TD]NONE[/TD] [/TR] [TR] [TD]AMMUNITION:[/TD] [TD]Approximately 500 rounds (Minimum)[/TD] [/TR] [TR] [TD]YOU NEED TO BRING:[/TD] [TD]Spare clothing appropriate to the weather, lunch/snacks and water (minimum of 1 gallon per person) for the entire day, baseball or other style hat, sun screen, bug repellent, allergy medication (if needed), chair (if you have a problem with sitting on the ground, note taking paper/pen/pencil and a boo boo kit (band aids, gauze pads, antiseptic wipes, antibiotic ointment and tape)[/TD] [/TR] [TR] [TD]REQUIREMENTS:[/TD] [TD]Modern Defensive Pistol, holster specifically made for that pistol and designed to be worn on the belt, 3 Magazines and Magazine Pouch, A Belt of the same width as the belt loops for the holster and magazine pouches, Range Safety Gear (Eye protection, and ear protection)[/TD] [/TR] [/TABLE] To sign up..........January 28-29, 2012 - Close Range Gunfighting - Chattanooga, TN Also on the evening of the 28th we will be offering our Glock Armorer class. January 28, 2012 GLOCK ARMORER Chattanooga, Tennessee Instructor: Randy Harris Price $100 If you own a Glock you'll thank yourself for taking this course. It's designed for the Glock owner and will give you an overall view of the Glock's history, performance and construction. The maintenance portion will teach you to troubleshoot and diagnose problems with your Glock handgun and then goes on to explain how to make repairs. Attendance and successful completion of this Suarez International class does not qualify students to register as a Glock Factory Armorer. [TABLE=width: 100%] [TR] [TD]DURATION:[/TD] [TD]4 hours[/TD] [/TR] [TR] [TD]TIME:[/TD] [TD]6:00PM to 10:00PM (CENTRAL)[/TD] [/TR] [TR] [TD]PREREQUISITES:[/TD] [TD]NONE[/TD] [/TR] [TR] [TD]AMMUNITION:[/TD] [TD]N/A[/TD] [/TR] [TR] [TD]YOU NEED TO BRING:[/TD] [TD]Note taking supplies, water, snacks, anything to keep you comfortable.[/TD] [/TR] [TR] [TD]REQUIREMENTS:[/TD] [TD]Bring your own Glock - everything else will be provided.[/TD] [/TR] [/TABLE] To enroll in the Armorer class......January 28, 2012 - Glock Armorer - Chattanooga, TN Sign up before Jan 1 to still get 2011 pricing on 2012 classes!!!

Cool. I'll shoot a PM to you this evening.