AAR: Sentinel Concepts Practical Shotgun - Culpeper, VA 6/6/2021

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  • erwos

    The Hebrew Hammer
    MDS Supporter
    Mar 25, 2009
    13,866
    Rockville, MD
    Full post here:
    https://thehebrewhammer.net/2021/06/07/sentinel-concepts-practical-shotgun-aar/

    This was my first time training with Steve Fisher, and TBH, he's friggin' amazing. I am still figuring out what does and does not work for me with shotguns and support gear, but Yeti's breadth of practical knowledge was staggering, not to mention his raw proficiency is outstanding. I don't do a ton of shotgun work, so these courses really are how I maintain some sort of edge for the year. Highly recommend training with him when he comes to town.
     

    rkouns2003

    Member
    Jul 22, 2013
    93
    Pasadena
    Another great AAR. I did the carbine diagnostics class the day before with Steve. Its the 2nd class I have done with him and had a great time. Used my ak74 for the class. I wanted to do the shotgun class but had stuff to take care of on Sunday.
     

    hogarth

    Ultimate Member
    Jun 13, 2009
    2,504
    Nice write up. I had the pleasure of attending what was either the first or second class Fisher did under the Sentinel Concepts brand, back in 2014, right after he left Magpul. A two day handgun class. He is a fine instructor and, from what I've seen, has matured a bit since then (that's a good thing). I would definitely take another course with him.

    One reason why I still think Tim Chandler and Ashton Ray are THE best shotgun instructors out there right now is that recoil control/management is the FIRST block of instruction on their classes. That way, if you don't already know how to mitigate recoil, you don't get beat up by a single fired shell. I see that Fisher does it early, but not first. I think that's a mistake, but that's just me. Overall, seems like a solid class. Watch yourself in that heat!
     

    erwos

    The Hebrew Hammer
    MDS Supporter
    Mar 25, 2009
    13,866
    Rockville, MD
    I intentionally avoided a comparison of Tim and Steve because of the somewhat meh experience I had with Tim in my second class with him (even though I do regard Tim as a pretty good instructor in general). I think Steve is somewhat more of a pragmatist, versus Tim who has rather strong (even... inflexible!) opinions about gear and other things, and that worked a little better for me. I guess I ought to train with Rob Haught if the opportunity comes up, he does seem like the original that all of these guys are pulling from.

    As for recoil management, I dunno, letting people beat themselves up a little can prove motivational for the learning process. Early drills were not high round count.
     

    hogarth

    Ultimate Member
    Jun 13, 2009
    2,504
    I intentionally avoided a comparison of Tim and Steve because of the somewhat meh experience I had with Tim in my second class with him (even though I do regard Tim as a pretty good instructor in general). I think Steve is somewhat more of a pragmatist, versus Tim who has rather strong (even... inflexible!) opinions about gear and other things, and that worked a little better for me. I guess I ought to train with Rob Haught if the opportunity comes up, he does seem like the original that all of these guys are pulling from.

    As for recoil management, I dunno, letting people beat themselves up a little can prove motivational for the learning process. Early drills were not high round count.
    Different strokes I guess. As I mentioned, I trained with Fisher when he was fresh out of Magpul. The class was fairly large and there were a number of, ah, groupies there (don't know what else to call them). And he seemed to revel in their presence. Plus, when he found out on day one what I did for a living, he called me "Short Bus" every time I screwed something up. But, as noted, from what I've seen he seems to have matured a bit, so I would definitely take another class with him. Sometimes ya gotta have thick skin.

    Regarding the recoil control thing, in my first shotgun class there was, inexplicably, no block of instruction on recoil control. Almost as if the instructors lost track of the syllabus and forgot to talk about it. Predictably, my shotgun beat the shit out of me! Enough that I never thought I'd do another shotgun class and nearly sold mine. Thankfully, I kept mine and eventually found Tim and Ashton. Ever since, I've been a big fan of how they approach the shotgun, and now it may very well be my favorite platform to shoot.

    But, one good thing about there being so many instructors out there is you can find one that works for you.
     

    erwos

    The Hebrew Hammer
    MDS Supporter
    Mar 25, 2009
    13,866
    Rockville, MD
    I would agree with the premise that you can have a well-designed class with instructors who don't mesh well with you, and the opposite. Personally speaking, I'd rather have a slightly flawed class from an instructor that I respect, and perhaps more importantly, respects me. At the end of the day, I'm a paying student and not earning a cert; the instructor isn't doing me a free favor by showing up and teaching me. It's a business relationship as well as a personal relationship, and it's important for us to hold up both aspects of that.

    And, incidentally, I can absolutely see how Steve would still rub someone the wrong way. But I also saw the guy who abandoned that attitude when it got in the way of learning. Knowing when to shut it off and on is hard.
     

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