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An afternoon with Chris Tilley

Perfect Practice makes perfect, and to source that prefect practice you need training. Now there are a plethora of firearms instructors and many are well qualified, and some…well not so much.  There are all levels of training from basic to very advanced, You should always train to or above your skill level. I consider myself a very competent shooter and an above average local competitor.  There is always room for improvement so I sought out, world class shooter, Chris Tilley for an afternoon of instruction.

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Now Chris can tailor a class to whatever skill you are looking to improve upon or just general firearm instruction for the beginner. During our communication I expressed help for IPSC/IDPA type matches. The class was almost two hours, starting out with some very basic drills so Chris could get an idea of my skill level. He offered some small corrections that made an immediate difference and we went onto drills and some IPSC style stages on the timer.

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After we would run the drill and stage a few times, he would make corrections to my technique and run the drills and stages again. Taking his corrections to heart, my time improved each stage and by a few seconds. A few seconds may not sound like much but in the competitive pistol world, it is a lifetime.  Now in no way could one become proficient in just a few hours of class but there was more than enough information for me to take to the range and run these drills and stages on my own, thus gaining proficiency over time and rounds down range and gain even more time.

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Chris is a super nice guy and excellent instructor. Anyone who follows any type of shooting sports should know who he is. Suffice it to say, he has won more matches than I have ever signed up for. I can see taking a class from him every few months and in between spend plenty of time on the range, honing my skills. Anyone looking to improve on any specific firearm skill set or general instruction, it is worth booking a few hours with Chris.

 

By Hunter Elliott

I spent much of my youth involved with firearms and felt the call early on to the United States Marine Corps, following in my father's and his brother's footsteps. Just after high school I enlisted and felt most at home on the rifle range, where I qualified expert with several firearms and spent some time as a rifle coach to my fellow Marines. After being honorably discharged I continued teaching firearm safety, rifle and pistol marksmanship, and began teaching metallic cartridge reloading. In the late 1990s I became a life member to the National Rifle Association and worked with the Friends of the NRA. Around that time my father and I became involved with IDPA and competed together up until he passed away. I began reviewing firearms for publications in the mid 2000s and have been fortunate to make many friends in the industry. Continuing to improve my firearms skills and knowledge is a never ending journey in which we should all be committed. I am also credited as weapons master on a few independent films.

4 thoughts on “An afternoon with Chris Tilley”
  1. I have thought to take a few classes from Chris, but time an be a problem (I waste a lot of it.) This was a good article, and gets me motivated to improve my pistol shooting skill. Thanks, Hunter. BTW, the entire family are good people, and I always recommend Personal Defense Handgun Safety Center to anyone looking for a range.

    Wade

    1. Thank you very much for the kind words Wade. The class with Chris was well worth it and I appreciate you taking the time to let me know your thoughts. Stay motivated brother.

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