Review: Training DVDs from Panteao Productions

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    esrice

    Certified Regular Guy
    Rating - 100%
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    Jan 16, 2008
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    Indy
    Panteao Productions is a production company that has recently come on the scene offering training courses from many well-known firearms trainers in both the defensive and competition markets.

    These courses can be purchased as stand-alone DVDs, or by purchasing an online subscription that allows you to stream ALL of their content on-demand. With DVDs being priced $40-50 each and subscriptions being $17/month or $150/year, I think the online version is a much better value.

    So far I've been able to watch several of the available courses and I wanted to share my impressions of each one with my fellow INGOers.


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    This is the first series I've seen after Travis Haley's departure from Magpul Dynamics. If you've ever watched Art of the Tactical Carbine I/II then I think you will enjoy Adaptive Carbine. The format is a bit different in that TH is speaking directly to the camera/viewer, as opposed to actively teaching an observed class. Its more akin to receiving a one-on-one lesson (albeit a one-way lesson).

    As with any good course (and all those I've seen from Panteao so far), the lecture begins with a safety briefing. TH also speaks to carbine selection and accessory selection at the beginning of the video, as opposed to the end as I've seen before. He then moves on to administrative functions and zeroing.

    For me, the section on zeroing stood out the most. I've never seen it demonstrated quite like TH did. Not only were the mechanics of zeroing covered, but also the theory of zeroing at different distances, and picking the one that works best for your shooting style and "mission". He even takes it one step further and demonstrates what the different zeroes look like when shot at 25, 50, 100, 200, and 300 yards. For me it confirmed that the 50 yard zero works best for my application. But it also gave me a much better idea of when the other zeroes make more sense.

    He also covers such topics as height-over-bore, balancing speed and accuracy, reloads, malfunctions, shooting positions, movement, and mindset.

    One thing that I appreciate about TH's approach and teaching style is that he isn't afraid to fail on camera. He pushes his own shooting to its failure point and shows the viewer how they can too. He is every bit as much of a "thinker" as he is a shooter. I really enjoyed his mindset lecture and feel like the things he teaches all have a direct purpose and reason behind them. I also appreciate the "adaptive" quality of TH's theories, in that he's quick to recognize that everyone is different and therefore must be willing to adapt their shooting style or technique to be the most efficient shooter they can be.

    Although these one-way training courses are no substitute for actual live fire training out in the hot and rainy world, I feel that they can give a complete noob some inspiration and the seasoned training junkie some new aspects to consider.


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    Watching Paul Howe's carbine video right after the Travis Haley video was. . .interesting. While they are both respected trainers in the industry, they both have very different styles-- and the contrast was stark.

    PH's style was much more dogmatic, saying thing like "this is how you do this" and "this is how you do that", but without providing any real reason or theory. I felt like a noob could certainly learn how to shoot their carbine by using the techniques presented in the video, but would have little understanding as to why they were doing things that way.

    I would characterize PH and his style as more "old school military". None of his techniques were inherently dangerous or necessarily ineffective, but they didn't seem very efficient. He also had a way of overly complicating things into several steps that he kept repeating over and over again. His movements seemed slow and cumbersome, and unrealistic given the actual tempo of a gunfight. Many of the drills presented were good for going through the motions, but not for incorporating them into a fight.

    I'm a big fan of gear, and I'm always curious what the professionals are using. There was a section on gear selection where PH outlines all the pieces of gear that he used in the video. Unfortunately he never took it to the next logical step and explained why he picked those pieces of gear. I did, however, appreciate that he used actual brand names and wasn't coy about naming names.

    PH comes off as a very professional and squared away individual, and I do believe that he would be an asset in a fight. Unfortunately I think he has a tough time relaying that effectively in a teaching environment.


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    AR-15 Armorer Dean Caputo does a fantastic job in the video taking a look at the inner workings of the M16/AR-15 weapon system.

    He starts off with a brief history lesson on the system, detailing some of the long-held myths still surrounding the rifles. He also talks about the evolution of the system over the years, and the few design changes that were incorporated along the way.

    He breaks things down such that someone not familiar with the AR family-of-weapons could quickly learn the basics necessary to put their own rifle together.

    He covers nomenclature, field stripping, parts identification, function checks, cycle-of-operation, maintenance and cleaning, and troubleshooting. He even goes a step further by covering jams/malfs, cook offs, ballistics, sighting in, and complete assembly and dis-assembly of a Colt LE6920-- including the installation of aftermarket parts (LaRue rail and BUIS; TangoDown VFG, grip, rail covers, and magazine; Surefire light; Vltor stock; PR-4 sling mount; Aimpoint optic).

    The best part of DC's format is that many of the shots are uncut, so the viewer really gets a feel for not only how complicated the tasks are, but also how long they can take to accomplish. Its like you are standing there next to his bench. You see many of the specific tools that are needed to do a proper job demonstrated in the video. He also shares some of his own personal tips and tricks.

    Although he doesn't cover it in great detail (at least as much as its debated on internet forums ;)) DC does go over "milspec" and what it means to the AR weapon system. Because of this he is a big fan of using Colt parts when available.

    I would recommend this video to all the guys who have purchased ARs over the past several years and are needing to get a better understanding of their chosen weapon platform. It would also be helpful to those who are "on the edge" of purchasing or who may be interested in building their own gun.


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    I've always heard the name Bill Rogers but knew very little about the man before viewing his course. He's been around forever and has had some MAJOR influence over not only shooting techniques and training, but also many of the shooting products we are all familiar with today.

    As an FBI agent back in the 70's he is credited with inventing the kydex holster. He later sold his holster company to what is now Safariland. Ever heard of the "Rogers Technique" for shooting with a flashlight? He's also designed various steel reactive targets over the years and uses them at his training facility, Rogers Shooting School.

    The one thing that stood out most about this course was "This guy is FAST!" His basic technique involves "prepping the trigger" such that the shot breaks at the very moment the gun is brought up on target. He was able to demonstrate very fast and accurate hits on his reactive steel computer controlled target system.

    I appreciated BR's balance of teaching both technique and theory. He presented techniques that he's been very successful with, and explained in detail the theory of why he believes they work so well.

    Aside from many excellent lecture sessions on shooting mindset, he also covers eye dominance, grip and stance, muzzle control, dry firing, follow through, trigger manipulation, reloads, strong- and weak-hand shooting, and transitions. He also comments on such topics as the 2nd Amendment, concealed carry, gear selection, point shooting, and corrective lenses.

    I thoroughly enjoyed this video and would recommend it to those looking to enhance their pistol skills. His section on the dreaded "flinch" was especially helpful to me, as he presented a theory that I had not considered previously. I look forward to implementing his "fix" for this and seeing if it would help my shooting.


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    I first heard about "Super Dave" Harrington from a magazine article written by INGOer Steve MI who was covering one of DH's carbine courses. I respect Steve's opinion and was excited to view this course.

    Unfortunately I feel like the format used in this video bucked against DH's typical style and forced him into a block of instruction that didn't appear natural or relevant.

    The course is filmed inside an indoor range. This not only makes for a very loud video during strings of fire, but it also makes DH pour sweat, adding to the overall discomfort that he appears to be in.

    He starts off with a discussion on his chosen gear. He then moves on to his basic theory when it comes to pistol shooting. Rather than breaking down the fundamentals individually, DH groups them together into larger manipulations like holding, aiming, firing, and elements of timing. He then continues to show the viewer the way he manipulates the pistol through various tasks like reloading and drawing.

    My main gripe with his format was that he did lots of demonstrations, often times repeating them several times, without giving any real sense of why the drills would be useful in a gunfight. In fact many times he would start either from low ready position or in a holster with an empty chamber. :n00b: I did appreciate that he duplicated every exercise strong-hand only and then support-hand only. Unfortunately in doing so the exercises became monotonous and boring to the viewer.

    Another thing I found annoying was that, while you did see DH perform the drills with live fire, you never saw his target. I had no idea if his hits were finding their mark or not. It wasn't until the very last drill that the hits were shown. This was also the case in the Paul Howe video reviewed above and I found it unsatisfying. A dual-camera setup with one camera dedicated to watching the targets would've enhanced the viewers perspective and made the course feel "complete".

    Later I'll be reviewing Part 2 of this series to see if the material presented is enough to make up for the lack of useful format.

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    I've been a long-time fan of Massad Ayoob's work and have read his book In the Gravest Extreme along with many of his magazine articles. I find his advice to be sound, if not even a little conservative. As someone who has testified directly as a subject matter expert in dozens of actual court cases, I feel like I can trust his experience in the field of firearm self-defense and case law.

    This video is much more visually interesting and dynamic than some of the other videos I've viewed so far. He starts outside an actual Florida home, and walks the perimeter while giving some advice on 'hardening' a home, starting as the first layer of a complete defense. He covers burglar-proofing measures, including some helpful lighting techniques.

    MA then moves inside where he begins to cover the firearm's role in the home defense plan. He covers various types of firearms, from handguns to long guns, and even goes over some helpful accessories like lights and armor. Ammunition selection for all types of guns is also covered.

    The discussion is then turned to strategies and tactics, where family member roles, safe rooms, storing options, and dealing with first responders is explored. One of my favorite sections is on busting some popular home defense myths, such as the "shoot him on the porch and then drag him into the house" advice.

    Of all the videos I've viewed so far, and of all the videos Panteao Productions currently offers, this is the only one that is universal to the needs of all INGOers. I feel that everyone could benefit in some way from the material that MA presents in this video.


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    Louis Awerbuck comes to Boone Couny Indiana every August to teach several of his courses with Sheriff Ken Campbell. I've never been fortunate enough to attend one, but he's received very high marks from the INGOers who have.

    The title of this particular video is somewhat misleading. Although LA does spend the first half of the video exploring the theory behind surviving lethal-force encounters, the last half does indeed cover specific techniques of handgunning like drawing and reloading.

    You will need to stick with it though the first 10 minutes of the presentation, as LA's monotone cadence and South African accent wants to put you to sleep. You'll eventually get used to it. And once you do, you'll be treated to some really interesting pieces of history and theory.

    Although I may not agree with everything LA teaches or believes, I do appreciate his academic perspective to gunfighting. Topics like biochemistry in a fight, shooter movements, and target movements are addressed from a very scientific point-of-view. His lesson on target angles was especially interesting, and I enjoyed seeing how he tries to duplicate these on the static range with moving target stands and 3D humanoid targets.

    One thing I've often heard about LA is his uncanny ability to diagnose a shooter by observation. This was certainly seen in the video, as he was able to manipulate a moving target array while simultaneously observing a shooter trying to solve the problem he presented. Once the shot was taken LA broke it down for the shooter and was able to give him some useful feedback immediately.

    I would recommend this video to the shooter who is looking to expand his knowledge base and explore the scientific side of fighting with a gun.


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    Unfortunately Paul Howe's Tac Pistol Operator was more of the same as my review of his Tac Rifle Operator video. Dogmatic and boring.

    Rather than feeling like I was a student learning from a teacher, I felt more like I was watching my range buddy tell me exactly how he shoots his handgun. Many of PH's sentences started out with the phrase "basically you do this. . . . " Again I didn't hear anything about why he was doing it that way. Like before, it was shot entirely while looking uprange at PH, so I never got a chance to see what his hits looked like.

    He goes over the basics you'd expect in a "Handgun 1" type of course, and then proceeds to go over 11 different drills that had me skipping ahead when I just couldn't take it anymore.

    I wouldn't recommend this particular series to a noob looking for some basic instruction. Knowing why things are done is just as important as knowing how to do them, and this video only provides half that picture.


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    The second part of Dave Harrington's 360 Degree Pistol Skill was slightly better than Part 1. I attribute this increase in value to finally showing some shots with the target present, so the viewer can get an idea of what exactly can be accomplished with the presented techniques.

    In this part DH covers various ready positions such as SUL, high security, and FBI Low Ready. Unfortunately these sections really drag on and what could've been shown in just 5-10 minutes turns into 45 minutes. I would've much preferred a history lesson on how those techniques were adopted, but unfortunately the viewer gets to watch DH perform the technique over and over and over again. I ended up fast-forwarding through much of it.

    He also has an entire 10-minute section on carrying with an empty chamber and what's necessary if you choose to do this. What it really did was leave me thinking "we could all just avoid this by carrying in Condition 1 in the first place". The short bit on the assembly and disassembly of his 9mm 1911 was pretty much useless, as his demonstration was too fast to actually see what he was doing, and it served more as just a simple reminder to "know your weapon inside and out".

    I did enjoy learning about his Iron Cross and Siebel drills. They seem like an excellent way to incorporate weapon manipulation from a variety of positions in a short amount of time. I will have to give them a try.


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    Although I don't personally have any training time behind a shotgun like I do with the other previously mentioned weapon systems, I found this video to be quite interesting. Bill Jeans of Morrigan Consulting gives a well-presented lecture and demonstration on the use of a fighting shotgun.

    He kicks things off by looking at shotgun and ammo selection. The demonstration on wall penetration was helpful and visually appealing. BJ also covers the expected basics like manipulations, reloads, ammo storage, and marksmanship fundamentals.

    The meat of the course covers patterning and the appropriate use of buckshot vs. slugs. BJ does a thorough demonstration on how to pattern your shotgun. He is careful to stress that EVERY barrel/ammo combo is unique and therefore must be patterned individually. He does cover the select slug drill.

    Later segments included engaging multiple targets, pivots and turns, transitions, and shooting with movement.

    The one area where I fundamentally disagreed with BJ was in his recommendation for using birdshot for close-quarters work where overpenetration is an issue. I personally feel that any lead flying fast enough to penetrate human flesh is also flying fast enough to penetrate drywall. Using birdshot to keep drywall penetration to a minimum means that you're also keeping human flesh penetration to a minimum-- no thanks.

    One of my favorite segments was the 10-minute mindset lecture at the very end. BJ really shows his lecture and teaching skills here as he delivers a very good speech on the subject. It will get the blood boiling of any red-blooded American who feels they have the right to go home to their families at the end of every day. Even if shotguns aren't your thing I'd recommend taking the time to view at least this section.


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    About 1/3 of Panteo's offerings are geared toward the gun game crowd. Because I am not a competitor I decided to pick the one that looked least focused on the game aspect and more focused on the skills aspect. I had never heard of Bob Vogel before but I was curious to see what he had to offer.

    BV's delivery isn't as polished as some of the others, but he sure can shoot fast. He starts off talking about the basics of his chosen equipment and why he selected it. He then moves on to the fundamentals of marksmanship with blocks on accuracy, grip, trigger finger isolation, stance, and strong hand / weak hand considerations.

    Coming from a background of using a pistol to fight, I had a tough time with some of BV's techniques. Not that his techniques were bad, they were just geared for a different purpose. Like taking the time to set your pistol on a table exactly how you want it so you can pick it up in a specific way. Or speeding through a tactical reload.

    One thing that I noticed about BV's particular technique that he never addressed was that his gun was often canted just slightly to his right. I'd be interested to know if this is on purpose or if its just what works naturally with his body mechanics. I snapped a few stills for comparison.

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    He finishes up his course with blocks on reloads, shooting positions, balancing speed and accuracy, and shooting from awkward positions.

    If you can get over watching him incessantly chamber checking and manipulating the slide like a nervous habit, you can learn a few things and certainly get a different perspective. Those interested in the shooting sports would probably get more out of it than I did. He does shoot fast.


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    I was equally impressed with Travis Haley's Adaptive Handgun as I was with his Adaptive Carbine. His no-nonsense theory-based curriculum transfers well into the world of handguns.

    He again starts with the safety rules, and quickly moves into handgun accessories and administrative tasks.

    TH then simplifies old school dogma by grouping handgun marksmanship into a "Fundamental 3"-- feel, eyes, and finger. To demonstrate how these work together in concert he works through several accuracy drills. I have never seen someone with such a complete mastery of the basic fundamentals like TH. Sure he has limits, and he knows them, but watching him put single round after single round into a series of holes that were 9mm sized already was freaking impressive. As an added bonus, the targets he uses can be downloaded at his website: Haley Strategic Partners, LLC.

    Another aspect that he touches on is one of sight focus. So many times I hear trainers say "focus on the clear front sight no matter what!" Well I have always found that difficult, and downright impossible once stress is introduced. How am I supposed to shift my focus from the guy holding the gun to my tiny front sight? TH breaks down shots into two categories-- precision shots (15+ yards for him) and stress shots (inside 15 yards). Precision shots are taken with that clear "front sight focus", while stress shots are taken with a "hard target focus", wherein your manipulations and fundamentals stay the same, but you can't get that clear front sight. It was nice to see someone finally articulate what I've been noticing since I first sought professional training.

    More manipulations are then covered, including drawing, tac reloads, speed reloads, and malfunction clearance. Typical for me, the section on balancing speed and accuracy was a favorite. He also covers moving off the line of attack and moving to shoot.

    At the end TH performs a few homemade mindset shooting drills using colored targets and picture flashcards. This is a great chance to see his personal failure points, and watch him diagnose his own shooting. I think seeing this is valuable for a student.

    Overall I find myself most drawn to TH's theories and mindset ideals over those of other trainers. I really appreciate that the goes over the "why" when it comes to shooting. I would recommend this series to handgunners of all levels.


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    Marketing buzzwords-- Travis Haley sure knows how to use them. Finding a new way to skin and old cat, he does refer to the AK family-of-weapons as "kalash" a few times. But once you get past that, this video does have something to offer those who run AKs.

    Now, I did view this as an "outsider". I'm an AR guy, and while this video was instructional, it did solidify for me yet again why I prefer the AR platform over the AK. The first 15 minutes are dedicated solely to navigating the mess of different countries, different configurations, and different conditions the AK comes in. I much prefer the spec'd and interchangeable parts the AR has to offer.

    After the standard safety briefing, TH goes on to cover administrative tasks and zeroing. Again he does the most complete and thorough job of showing different zeros that I've ever seen from an instructor. He shows the differences between 25yd, 50yd, 100yd, 200yd, and 300yd zeroes, in both 7.62 and 5.45, and then goes on to explain why you might pick a certain zero for your own application.

    Then he moves on to cover grip, stance, manipulations, and shooting positions. I appreciate that his approach is one of "no absolutes". He doesn't stick to a single efficient technique, but rather trains with all popular techniques, realizing that some that are more efficient in different circumstances and positions. This is most obvious when he talks about various ways to charge the AK. While coming from underneath with your support hand is his preferred technique, he realizes that doing so from supine (on your back) is awkward and inefficient. This is when coming from the top is easiest and most efficient.

    AKs aren't accurate at distance, right? Better watch this video. TH demonstrates hits from 500 yards with both 7.62 (iron sights) and 5.45 (red dot) on a man-sized IPSC steel target, supported only by an old wooden table. He drives the point that knowing your zero is key to making such hits. He really makes it look easy.

    I would recommend this series to those whose main battle rifle is the AK, or to those who cross-contaminate (Mark :D). The information is presented in a way that is easy to understand, and easy to try during your next range session. So dig your Kalash from your backyard and get out there and train!



    You too can purchase or view these courses by visiting Panteao Productions . You can also watch trailers for free, or check out the free Pro Tips section here: Panteao Productions








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