Just to add more work to our already struggling brains, Dave had us salting our magazine with dummy rounds so we had induced malfunctions to clear. Just because the gun stops working doesn't mean you should stop moving. In fact, if you do stop moving you'll hear Dave asking you "What is going on? Why did you stop? Clear it and get on with the exercise."

Dave does not spend a lot of time discussing the theology of shooting, nor in working on the classic drills, but there is one he does have, named after a friend of his. The Siebel Drill is an extended Bill Drill. Three magazines of six shots each. At 25 yards, you shoot to slide lock, reload, shoot to slide lock, reload and shoot to slide lock in 15 seconds. To be considered a good shot, you'll need all hits.

Then repeat at 15 yards in 12 seconds, and seven yards in nine seconds. The idea is to get used to having to deliver a high volume of hits, fast. And to reload when you run out because in the real world you aren't going to count your shots nor do a fancy tactical reload.

So how did I do? We all judge ourselves, and we all compete at some level. Some of us are just more open about how much we wish to prevail over our class cohorts. I did all right. As I said, my night-vision shooting is just plain lousy, but now that I know it I can work to improve it. I can hit just fine right- or left-handed, moving in any direction, and I clear malfunctions just fine.

That last part is a benefit of being an old fart; I learned to shoot when malfunctions were common. The pistol did fine, too. I shot with the high-mileage Wilson CQB you have been reading about for some years now. I fed it more than 1,000 Wolf 230-grain FMJ steel-cased rounds and had no problems.

For a holster I dragged out a Blade Tech dropped-and-offset belt holster. Yes, it is considered by some to be a ladies' holster, but if you had spent the time weightlifting that I have, you'd need a dropped and offset holster too.

Dave is different. Dave is intense. If you view a firearm as a gunpowder-burning sporting tool like a golf club, don't bother going to a class. Yes, you'll shoot a lot, but you aren't going to learn the finer points of match shooting.

If you have a remedial problem that needs work, such as a flinch, or an eye-dominance problem, don't go to Dave's class assuming that all the shooting is going to magically fix your problem. You need someone else for those.

Don't go looking for legal advice in a defensive situation, Dave isn't a lawyer, he's a shooter, and he doesn't even live in your state. Go to Dave for the things he teaches: how to prevail in a fight.

Oh, and the quote I mentioned at the beginning of the article? "Look at things as they are." Sounds like a pretty good way to run a class, or your life, to me.

For info on Dave Harrington's classes, call 813-434-6126.