We got our pistols, checked to make sure that they were clear and spent the better part of two hours doing the dry-fire drill I described earlier. I soon discovered that there's nothing quite like the specter of flesh-eating zombies to really make you get on your front sight and smoothly operate the trigger. By the end of the film, I was totally exhausted. The next day at our match, Bruce came in first, and I took second.

The SIG 229 Equinox.

I used our lunch break to follow up with SIG's Chris Gosselin on the expansion of the SIG Academy's courses. He explained that they wanted to reach out more to responsible private citizens with classes on competition as well as start a league that would meet every month and put on matches. To complement this new direction, SIG has also opened up its excellent Armorers course to the public. In addition, the pro shop has been vastly expanded to include an extensive new line of SigTac concealed carry/tactical clothing and accessories.

The SIG custom shop recently introduced several new offerings including the P229 Equinox and the P229/P239 SAS DAK, which are finding popularity with the CCW market. Other new models like the P226 X-Five, the single-action P220 and the 1911 GSR Revolution should be hot tickets for competitive shooters.

After lunch everyone reconvened on the outdoor range for the practical application of what had been learned in the classroom. Bruce began by demonstrating proper trigger operation while shooting two five-shot groups offhand at 10 yards. During the first group, he maintained contact with the trigger a là the dry-fire exercise.

For the second group, he started each shot with his finger slightly off the trigger. While both of his groups were very tight, the first was the tightest. Now, I'll admit that this distinction may seem somewhat minute, but it's huge to those who really want to become good shooters. Judging by the reaction the students had when they took their turns firing the groups, they got the message.

These days Bruce Gray spends a lot of his time working on SIGs, but he built his reputation crafting 1911s like this Officer's Model.

The class then began some holster work with an emphasis on a smooth presentation of the gun. Bruce went around and helped the students weed out any unnecessary movement or hitches that would impede their ability to quickly acquire their targets. This was followed by one-shot and two-shot draws. The students were constantly reminded to "keep the sights aligned on the target as you press the trigger" and "think about the process of making a good shot rather than the results."

While getting these fundamentals across to the class, Bruce made an interesting observation: The goal of quickly and accurately hitting your target and the process that enables you to do it are the same in the tactical world as well as competitive shooting. While this makes perfect sense, it ruffles the feathers of those keen to protect their turf by making a distinction between the two. It's common knowledge that a cottage industry has sprung up involving top competitive shooters training elite military and police units. Indeed, Bruce was one of the first (that I'm aware of) to be employed in such a manner.

The class spent the balance of the afternoon practicing shooting on the move, reloads and malfunction drills. SIG then arranged for everyone in the group to test fire one of its SG550-series full-auto rifles. Needless to say, this was a popular way to end the day.

With the fundamentals over (not to mention 500 rounds sent downrange), the group was ready for what, in my opinion, is the heart and soul of the class--working on how to approach a practical pistol course of fire. Most courses or stages include multiple targets arrayed downrange and designated areas uprange from which the shooter must engage the targets. For example, sometimes you open a door or shoot through a window or shoot targets as you move from one place to another. There's a multitude of different scenarios.