I completed my second Babes with Bullets Practical Handgun 101 camp two weeks ago, and once again, WOW, what an amazing experience!
For those not familiar with Babes with Bullets, it is an almost all inclusive (instruction, room and most meals included) two and a half day hands-on shooting class for women (sorry guys) held in several areas around the country each year. The Babes with Bullets instructors are among the top women shooters in the world. Yes, I said world. It’s the equivalent of taking golf lessons from Tiger Woods, learning to QB from John Elway or taking a NASCAR driving course with Tony Stewart, Jeff Gordon and Jimmie Johnson as your instructors.
In addition to learning safe gun handling skills and basic shooting techniques, Babes with Bullets camps also teach the art and skill of USPSA competition style shooting. What is USPSA? It’s a run-and-gun type of sport, where your score is based on how quickly you can shoot through a “stage”, as well as the accuracy of your “hits”. Here’s an example of Babes with Bullets senior instructor shooting a stage at a match in Florida this year:
Last year, I walked in to my first Babes with Bullets camp just a few months after deciding to learn to shoot, and I was still very uncomfortable holding and firing a pistol. Three days later, I walked out a safe and competent pistol shooter, comfortably drawing from a holster, and I had completed a USPSA style mini-match (where I surprisingly came in third).
And now I’m completely addicted to competitive shooting.
I jumped at the chance to attend another Babes with Bullets camp this year, and during my second camp, we once again worked on many of the physical and mental aspects of shooting. This year, I was able to work on fixing some bad habits I had picked up while improving my speed and accuracy, smoothing out and speeding up my choppy and painfully slow draw and resetting my stance, which had somehow become strangely exaggerated. We also received some great mental tips, including concentrating on getting the sights properly aligned before squeezing the trigger, rather than just trying to shoot as quickly as possible. This one was particularly important for me, as I have become very proficient at missing quickly.
And did I mention it’s only $675.00? I know that’s a pretty good chunk of change (especially in the midst of these hope-n-change times), but if you can manage it, I promise it’s worth every penny, and then some.
So whether you’ve never held a gun, or if you are an experienced shooter looking to up your game, this camp is for you. If you’re female, that is. I will be back next year for sure, and with a few more years of practice, perhaps I’ll be one of the women wearing the yellow instructor shirts.
P.S. I would like to thank Babes with Bullet’s sponsors. Their generosity makes it possible for Babes with Bullets to offer this high caliber training at well below market rates (see US Training Center or Gunsite’s prices for comparison). Smith & Wesson provides equipment, including the loaner .22 and 9mm pistols, Hi Viz donates fiber optic sights for the pistols, Safariland provides holsters, mag pouches and belts, Howard Leight provides loaner hearing protection, Otis Technology provides Elite cleaning kits for the givaway (yes, there are prizes!) and financial support, Insight Technology donates their M6X laser light for flinch and low light training, Atlanta Arms and Ammo provides 9mm ammo that campers can purchase (at very affordable prices) and USPSA helps fund the instructor airfare and promotes the camps through its magazine, Front Sight.
I am still searching for the right words to describe the Babes With Bullets Ladies Action Shooting Camp I just completed. The word Phenomenal comes to mind, but a single word doesn’t seem to do it justice. This class was worth every penny and then some.
The instructors, Kay Clark Miculek, Lisa Munson, Annette Aysen, Deb Keehart, and camp founder Deb Ferns were all incredible, and worked with all 20 of us to significantly improve our shooting, regardless of skill level. There were Women there that had never touched a gun, and Women that had been shooting and competing for years. Everyone got a great deal out of the class and no one felt left out.
Anyone that can get a group of 20 females to simmer down and pay attention for two and a half days deserves an award just for that accomplishment, in my book.
Within the first 24 hours of the class I went from having very limited pistol experience (less than 10 times at the range shooting bullseye) to comfortably and confidently drawing a 9mm handgun from a holster, loading and making ready (inserting a loaded magazine, engaging the slide to put a round in the chamber and returning the pistol to the holster) and drawing and firing at the desired target. The next 24 hours brought me to shooting (and hitting) 8 inch steel plates, shooting while moving and actually shooting through a practical pistol match stage. By the end of the course, I had competed in and completed a 3 stage practical pistol match. I don’t have the results from the match back, but I am very satisfied with my performance.
If you had told me last week that I would be able to do all of the above in a matter of a few days, I would have told you to seek professional mental health assistance.
I would also like to give a quick shout out to Mother Nature and thank her for blowing over the entire third stage as I was shooting it so I could get a second chance to run it.
I have to give a big THANK YOU in to Lisa, Annette, Debbie and Kay for taking the time to work with me one-on-one to get rid of my bad habits. Somehow, I had already developed a slight flinch and a bit of a trigger slap. Each of these wonderful instructors took me aside and gave me tips on how to break these habits. I was able to take each piece of information that the ladies gave me and put it all together – which has almost eliminated both issues. They even taught me some exercises that I can do at home to ensure that I am rid of these bad habits for good.
If you are female and thinking about taking this class, DO IT. If you have never touched a gun and want to learn, TAKE THIS CLASS. If you shoot all the time and want to get better, SIGN UP FOR THIS CLASS.
I’ll be getting practical pistol training from the top Women shooters in the country – Deb Ferns (founder of BWB), Kay Clark Miculek, Lisa Munson, Annette Aysen, and Deb Keehart. Words can’t describe how fortunate I feel to be getting instruction from these amazing Women.
I completed my second Babes with Bullets Practical Handgun 101 camp two weeks ago, and once again, WOW, what an amazing experience!
