Hex Tactical's Low Light Familiarization Training Class [A Girl and a Gun Annual Conference]

Gene and I had the privilege of being Safety Officer's for Hex Tactical's Low Light Class at the A Girl and A Gun 2nd Annual Conference.  The class was led by instructors Mike Pendley and Branden Grimes.  In addition to being instructors, Mike and Branden are full time law enforcement officers so they bring real world experience to their teaching.   Not only do they offer classes for beginners through advanced civilian shooters, but they are also law enforcement instructors.

The class began as the sun was beginning to set.  Mike and Branden utilized the remaining available light to show off the box of flashlights that they had brought.  The lights ranged from old school incandescent light to the latest offerings in high tech LED lighting.  They demonstrated the performance differences all of the lights and talked about the good and bad points of each.  This was extremely helpful since a vast majority of the students had never seen a demonstration of the different lighting options.  They talked about the importance of a high quality lighting because as we all know you get what you pay for.

Of course, no class about flashlights could take place without brightness (lumens) being discussed.  LED flashlights are preferable because of their durability, battery life, and brightness.  For those in the class who did not have their own flashlights they were able to select a demo flashlight of their choice.  Most of the people in the class who chose a flashlight with an incandescent bulb were having a difficult time seeing and quickly exchanged it for an LED flashlight.  This proves in real life situations how important good flashlights can be.

As soon as every student had a flashlight in hand we moved on to the various ways to present a flashlight.  The instructors demonstrated several popular techniques and then allowed each student to practice these techniques while dry firing.  Some techniques work better than others depending on the person, the flashlight, and the situation.  This practice allowed the students to find what felt comfortable and worked best for them.

Once everyone had practiced and felt confident, they allowed the students to live fire with the flashlights.  As Mike and Branden were instructing, Gene and I walked up and down the firing line to make sure that everyone was being safe and provided assistance to the students as needed. A lot of the students had questions since this was the first time most of them had shot or manipulated a firearm with a flashlight in hand. They all quickly settled in and found their groove with these new found skills.

Most people do not get the opportunity to train in low light environments mainly because most outdoor ranges close well before dark and indoor ranges are brightly lit.  This is unfortunate do to the fact that most self defense scenarios rarely play out in a brightly lit room.  We can't express enough importance in taking a low light training class because it will give you the opportunity to shoot in conditions that most people do not get to train in under normal circumstances.

Overall everyone left with a much greater knowledge of low light techniques and tactics.  This is not only due to the knowledge that Branden and Mike imparted on the students, but also about how they engaged the class with a lot of interaction and humor. This was a great learning experience for everyone including ourselves.  Gene has shown me low light techniques in the past and this was a good refresher for me. We truly enjoyed working with Mike and Branden of Hex Tactical as they are very down to earth, extremely funny, and of course knowledgeable. We hope to have another opportunity to work with them again and take some of their classes in the near future! Be sure to check out Hex Tactical's  website [click the link] for a list of classes, dates, more information about Mike and Branden, and their online store [for some cool swag].

Branden, Gene, Christy and Mike