You might have seen a google ad or a Facebook ad recently for “InstantAccuracy.Org” a website which makes some pretty outlandish claims about increasing your shooting skill. Just be warned, if you click on that link it’s going to autoplay what is likely the most boring video ever, and it’s a video you can’t fast forward. Here are some of the claims made by Instant Accuracy:
- Many handgun shooters will that 300% to 600% improvement in handgun accuracy using this training method
- An incredibly fast way to build handgun accuracy
That sounds great! I’d love to increase my accuracy by 600%. If I increased my accuracy at Bianchi Cup by 600% I’d go from a 1694 like I shot this year to a mathematically impossible 10164-492x. That would be impressive to say the least, especially considering that a perfect score is 1920-192x.
So, when a website starts off with a statement that says “Improve your accuracy by 600%” I immediately want to take a further look at what’s going on and who’s behind it. Thankfully, they make that pretty easy. See, on the about us page of Instant Accuracy, you find out that it’s run by Patrick Kilchermann, formerly of US Concealed Carry Association. Patrick’s extensive qualifications as an instructor include being a chiropractor, a profession known for it’s 100% honesty and absolute lack of shysters. In fact, if you scroll to the bottom of Instant Accuracy, you’ll find that it’s “Copyright 2013 the Sciatica Institute”, which seems weird for a gun website, right? So it’s off to the www.sciaticainstitute.org which looks EXACTLY like Instant Accuracy. The Sciatica Institute exists to sell you a 3 DVD box set that will teach you an in-home remedy for your sciatica. This miracle DVD cure for what is a serious medical problem is only $77, slashed in price from $174.99!
Which brings us back to Instant Accuracy. You see, if you suffer through enough the video, you’ll eventually get to the point where Patrick explains what he’s all about. See, Patrick wants to sell you his amazing two-disk DVD. You can tell because around 13 minutes into the video, he tells you it’s not a sales pitch…and then proceeds to try and sell you “Incredible Handgun Accuracy from the Ground Up” for the low cost of $97, which is of course slashed from $147. Man, what a great deal! Except for one little problem. They actually tell you on the site what the DVD program consists of. This is a direct pull quote, word for word:
We provide training to qualified law enforcement and military personnel, as well as to lawfully armed private citizens, through our two-disc DVD program titled “Handgun Accuracy: from the Ground Up”. In our program we teach the 7 Foundations of Handgun Accuracy, and then guide the user through a 15 minute dry-fire training program. If followed 4 – 5 times per week for 4 weeks, we guarantee results from our program.
It’s a dry fire program. It’s a $97 dry fire program put together by a chiropractor who sells shady back-pain “cures” for $77 through an identical website.
I’m all for capitalism. I want people to make money. What I don’t want is people, shooters, my readers and customers to waste their money. Because that’s what Instant Accuracy is. A waste of 100 bucks. For the 100 bucks you spend on this guy’s program, you could buy Mike Seeklander’s competition training book, Brian Enos’ book, and both of Ben Stoeger’s dry fire books. All books writing by guys with actual shooting credentials to their name and proven track records.
The bottom line: InstantAccuracy.Org is a waste of money. The owners of InstantAccuracy.Org are taking what they do best from their Sciatica Institute, and they’re using it to bilk gun owners out of money using a lot of buzzwords and outlandish claims. I do agree with them that dry-firing 4-5 times a week will make you a better shooter, but you don’t need to spend 100 bucks on some DVDs to do that. Mike Seeklander’s Competition Handgun Training Program
is $23 on Amazon. Get that instead, and use the 50 bucks you saved yourself to buy two boxes of 9mm ammo.
I was particularly a fan of “Just a bit of a fair warning: Given the political climate, I don’t know how much longer this presentation is going to be available, so please watch it now while you still can.”
Caleb, I feel your pain… that product looks pathetic. But in the same spirit which you encourage your dear readers to man/woman up, take the high road, sling less mud and carry on, I wonder if you should make a clear distinction between “scam” and “crap” for this one simple reason:
Doctor Crackodopolous could easily refute and defend against someone calling his product a scam — which by definition is fraudulent and dishonest* — by virtue of the fact that he does deliver a couple DVDs and that, ummm, technically a beginner could improve by 600% based on the fact that newbies shake and pull like a Polaroid picture.
Conversely, however, he can NOT defend against all of us saying that his product effing sucks. There’s no defense for that, and there never will be. Case closed!
* Here’s the thing: Pelvis Popper M.D. erm, I mean D.C., could very well be convinced that he is honestly dispensing advice worth $77 or even $175. Caveat emptor and all. My shrink charges $175 an hour and I think he’s prolly worth $50 an hour, but I have trouble doing anything about it because I don’t want to upset him. Oh wait, that’s what I’m seeing a shrink for. Nevermind. But you get the point… as long as the DVDs show up, and they ostensibly attempt to give out some knowledge on the subject, then capitalism is still intact. Don’t be confused, I’m not defending the product or the guy… I’m trying to preserve the validity of Caleb’s argument, which is, to reiterate, that this product both sucks and blows.
I actually thought long and hard about whether or not to use the word “scam” – I eventually decided to for a couple of reasons. The first obviously is the nature of the product offering, which just feels shady. But what really set my mind is I actually sat through all 45 minutes of the video that autoplays on the sight. He describes in great detail what’s in the DVD set, and here’s the thing – it’s information that’s readily available for free. This guy didn’t do any actual legwork of his own.
He went around the internet, copied techniques that professionals, writers, and trainers have posted for free in the public realm, and then is claiming he invented this form of secret dry-fire kung fu that you have to pay him 100 bucks for. To me, that’s a scam. It’s not Ignatius Piazza level of scam, but it’s damn close.
Totally agree with your reasons. I’m just debating semantics because I want your standpoint to remain clear. I come from a journalism background and married a lawyer who reminds me of the theory of “unclean hands” all the time when I go on a rant. Basically, a good and valid point gets torn down because of a mistaken approach. And being the husband, of course, my approach is *never* correct 😉
I recall seeing the video in my internet wanderings, listening for a few minutes before thinking, “I bet it’s a dry firing regimen”. To his credit, of the many shooters out there, this probably never occurs to them (and every now and then I see someone who adamantly insists that dry firing your pistol will just about make it fall apart in your hands), it is likely WOULD help a number of people perform a bit better. But as you mention, Seeklander’s book and many others I’ve read, offer a lot more than the DVDs are likely to cover. Of course, these same people who refuse to spend money on a decent class or buy and read a book might get sucked in by the image of watching TV and becoming a magically better shot…so hopefully this discussion will start popping up when people search around for it.
Hello friends!
This is Patrick Kilchermann, of InstantAccuracy.org 😉
Caleb, I appreciate your review of Instant Accuracy – the chance to talk guns among fellow patriots is always welcome. I would like to offer your readers a few corrections:
1) I am not a chiropractor- I’ve never been to one in my life. In fact, the Sciatica Institute exists to give people an alternative to chiropractors (and especially back surgeons). I am only the front-man for this business- the real pro is my business partners’ father in law, who is a medical doctor. Reading the testimonials of our customers there has made me weep, and being in a position to generate so much happiness and healing in such a clouded industry is something that I thank my Christian God for.
2) Caleb, buddy, you didn’t even check out our product- Incredible Accuracy From the Ground Up! You didn’t email us asking for a demo copy, or even for more information on the core of our training method: the 7 Foundations of Handgun Accuracy (which builds on engraining steadiness from your feet up through your body into your muscle memory).
Caleb, as a professional, you should know better than this, mate… I was Director of Marketing for the USCCA for almost 5 years, and it’s a well known fact in the industry that you never review something without ever having tried it. I understand that you strongly disagree with our primary sales tool (the video), and so complaining about that is perfectly fine. However: I would challenge you to email us and ask for a free copy, and do an actual review of our product. I know you have our contact information, because of the message you sent that brought me here:
“Just wanted to let you guys know I posted a review of your training videos at my blog : gunnuts.net
Thanks for amusing the hell out of myself and my readers!”
3) As one of your commenters stated: the 300%-600% increase claim targets the majority of handgun shooters- those with a beginner to moderate skill level. Most people can’t shoot a 1694 at the Bianchi Cup- and those who can would probably never respond to our advertisement anyway.
4) Finally, RobG above is correct- we’re not a scam, whether you agree with our training philosophy or not. We offer a very solid product (which is now in use by three police departments), and we back it up with a 100% refund guarantee. We have a customer service employee who works with us here in Michigan whose job is simply to help people- whether it’s to get the most out of our program, or to refund their money if it doesn’t work for them.
Caleb, most certainly the books you recommend are of good quality- of that, I have zero doubt. However, I do not believe that learning how to shoot a handgun is something that can be done from a book. That is, I believe, where our 2 DVD course comes in handy, with its dozens of camera angles, slow-motion views, and vocal instructions. For that reason, I believe our program is more comparable to an on-sight training course- which you care very rarely find for less than $200.
I notice the link to the book you recommend is an affiliate link, where you make money per sale. I hope that isn’t clouding your vision here…
I hope this helps everyone, and I appreciate having the chance to talk guns – even if the circumstances are a bit less than desirable 😉
Pat
In the words of Samuel Jackson “allow me to retort.”
1. What three police departments are currently using your program?
2. If people can’t learn to shoot better from books, how come Steve Anderson’s dry fire book has been recommended over and over and over by competition shooters who have used it to…wait for it…learn to shoot better?
3. You’re charging people 97 dollars for information that’s readily available for free on the internet, and worse it’s not even information you came up with. How to grip your gun? The importance of a solid stance? This is “marksmanship 101”.
Most importantly, what are your qualifications to teach this material? Ben Stoeger has a dry fire book, and he’s a 2 time national USPSA champions. Steve Anderson has a dry fire book and he’s a USPSA Grandmaster. Mike Seeklander has a training book (that also has DVDs) and he’s a GM and champion shooter as well.
What are you qualifications? What top level instructors have you trained with? Do you compete? I am giving you an opportunity to prove that you’re more than just an opportunistic scam artist trying to jack gun owners out of 100 bucks they could spend on ammo and real training.
You’re the guy who ran the marketing for USCCA?
Are you telling us that because you think it argues that you wouldn’t use questionable marketing methods? Because USCCA has a bad reputation of its own in that area.
Clearly he’s begging the question!
Quis custodiet ipsos custodes?
“I am giving you an opportunity to prove that you’re more than just an opportunistic scam artist trying to jack gun owners out of 100 bucks they could spend on ammo and real training.”
Caleb… “Scam Artist”? Aren’t you concerned at all with finding and fighting for Truth? My team and I spent 6 months developing, filming, and producing a 140 minute training program that we guarantee will tighten the groups of the average shooter by 3 to 6 times. We then packaged it in a beautiful 2-Disc hard case… we mail it to them for free (we pay shipping)… and then we advertise a 100% guarantee before and after the purchase, where we refund 100% of the purchase price for up to one year- without requiring that the DVD set even be returned to us to get that refund (though it is appreciated!).
Doesn’t that seem like an awful lot of work for a scam? With the incredibly high cost of advertising, wouldn’t I be a pretty silly scam artist? Heck… wouldn’t I be a pretty silly business man, if pure profit were my goal?
How many on-sight trainers do you know who offer a 100% refund if a student isn’t satisfied with their class?
Caleb, my friend, I am saddened by your combative attitude, and your lack of commitment to your readers in actually trying the products you review. How can you expect them to trust anything you review? This was always one of the most frustrating aspects of being in the mainstream firearms industry: firearms instructors band together in small packs, and everyone outside of that circle is a threat.. an enemy. Heck, you can’t even go into the Media Room at the SHOT Show without being glared at by the different camps.
The enemy is at our doorsteps. Our Republic is at a pivotal moment… a fork in the road… and we need all hands on deck. And yet, rather than stick together and work on the task at hand – cultivating a nation of marksmen – self described firearms trainers instead turn and lash out at each other. Who Watches The Watchmen?
Sir, I removed myself from that ‘scene’ for a reason, and my favorite part of that reason is that I have no need to join the din and justify myself to anyone else. I will let my product – and my 100% refund guarantee – do all the justifying.
Cheers,
Patrick Kilchermann
Patrick,
The readers of this blog likely are not you target market, but you would do well to answer Caleb’s questions plainly rather that insinuating that he is not letting you sit at the cool kids table with the other gun people at media day. By being forthright in this forum you could win some of the more serious gun people, like the readers of this blog, to your side and actually increase your business. Instead you have chosen to evade plain questions and point the finger at Caleb as the bad guy. Maybe you should look at your pricing and your promotional spot and evaluate if your marketing tactics are accomplishing what you want. If you truly believe that your program is better an what was on the market from vetted professional instructors then maybe you could get some of them to endorse your product and use it as curriculum or their classes, or the very least as a resource for their students to improve away from the range. When you decide to answer Caleb’s questions regarding your qualifications and those of your team we will be waiting to read you response. Until then you will seem like a slimy opportunist with enough money and gear to make a DVD, but not enough common sense to get out of your own way.
Regards,
Sean Lucas
Wow . . . you wrote that entire thing in back-of-a-magazine/unsolicited-junk-mail-solicitation language, right down to calling people your friends. I am impressed.
“Scam Artist”? Aren’t you concerned at all with finding and fighting for Truth?
Non sequitur, and not an answer to the questions put to you.
My team and I spent 6 months developing, filming, and producing
Irrelevant, and not an answer to the questions put to you.
We then packaged it in a beautiful 2-Disc hard case… we mail it to them for free (we pay shipping)…
Really irrelevant, and not an answer to the questions put to you.
and then we advertise a 100% guarantee before and after the purchase, where we refund 100% of the purchase price for up to one year- without requiring that the DVD set even be returned to us to get that refund (though it is appreciated!).
Wow . . . I have to admit, that’s as good as Enzyte. But it’s still not an answer to the questions put to you.
Doesn’t that seem like an awful lot of work for a scam? With the incredibly high cost of advertising, wouldn’t I be a pretty silly scam artist? Heck… wouldn’t I be a pretty silly business man, if pure profit were my goal?
Nope. Flashy packaging and wild-eyed advertising are actually hallmarks of people pushing products somewhere on the continuum between shoddy/overpriced and fraudulent.
How many on-sight trainers do you know who offer a 100% refund if a student isn’t satisfied with their class?
Irrelevant. Your offer to give money back just isn’t relevant because all indications so far are that you’re not providing information of value in the first place–and that you’re targeting consumers who don’t have the knowledge or experience required to catch on and ask for their money back.
Caleb, my friend, I am saddened by your combative attitude, and your lack of commitment to your readers in actually trying the products you review. How can you expect them to trust anything you review?
Concern trolling works with sadness trolling, too . . . I *am* learning a lot today.
This was always one of the most frustrating aspects of being in the mainstream firearms industry: firearms instructors band together in small packs, and everyone outside of that circle is a threat.. an enemy. Heck, you can’t even go into the Media Room at the SHOT Show without being glared at by the different camps.
But it’s not too late! We can solve these problems by not asking to see the qualifications of people who propose to sell us, for $100, information that’s widely available for free . . . if we can just *believe!*
The enemy is at our doorsteps. Our Republic is at a pivotal moment… a fork in the road… and we need all hands on deck. And yet, rather than stick together and work on the task at hand – cultivating a nation of marksmen – self described firearms trainers instead turn and lash out at each other. Who Watches The Watchmen?
Wayne? Wayne LaPierre, you old dog, is that you?
Seriously, this is less relevant than the rest of your comment, and that’s saying something.
(And you still haven’t answered the questions put to you.)
Sir, I removed myself from that ‘scene’ for a reason, and my favorite part of that reason is that I have no need to join the din and justify myself to anyone else. I will let my product – and my 100% refund guarantee – do all the justifying.
Uh . . . . starting now, right?
Caleb,
Granted I think this is probably a scam, but the way you reference it to chiropractic, like all of us are scam artists, is insulting and incorrect. I don’t know what you do for a living, but I would venture a guess that not all of your colleagues are reputable either. I don’t think painting all D.C.’s with the same broad brush is anything but narrow-minded, and then to find out he’s not even a chiropractor should warrant some kind of apology to the profession. Don’t get me wrong, I know there are charlatans in the chiropractic arena, I just don’t think we have the exclusive on them, I can point to many MD’s, Atty’s, etc that I have encountered over the years that were every bit as bad, if not worse.
Kurt (yes, a DC, and proud of it)
Kurt, you’re absolutely right and I do owe you, and chiropractors in general an apology for comparing you guys to this clown.
Patrick,
Thank you for your polite responses. As this nation sits at the crossroads of entropy we need more dynamic combat trainers who are slick. Meanwhile perhaps you could actually answer one of his plain questions. Nicely avoided though and slick.
Yours in Christ, Phil
1. I spend some time at my chiropractor and it helps. I am sure there are good and bad in the business.
2. Scam probably was not the best choice of words. Hard to argue with 100% money back on something that was shipped for free.
3. Probably should have at least looked at the DVD before slamming it.
4. Would I spend $100 to learn the basics of pistol shooting. No, but I have spend 3 years reading and practicing to try and learn them. It is possible that the guy has a pretty good beginner course in how to shoot a pistol. Again, you should have looked at the DVD’s before slamming them.
5. Are his advertising tactics shady, to me yes.
To the accusations that I should have looked at his DVDs before slamming them, I want to make something clear. I have no doubt that if you follow a well laid out dry fire program for 15 minutes a day, 5 days a week that you’ll become a better shooter. I’m not disputing that at all.
The reason why I very intentionally called it a scam is twofold: the ridiculous price, and the “super secret kung-fu.” If you watch his entire 45 minute promo video, he talks at great length about how he’s invented this awesome way of shooting that uses “muscle memory” and dry fire and teaches you “the secrets of the top pros.” The problem is that the “secrets of the top pros” aren’t secret. They’re on the internet, frequently for free. So some guy with absolutely no credentials whatsoever goes around and collects a bunch of instructor tips, puts them in a sexy DVD, and charges you 100 bucks for it?
That is a scam.
I keep coming back to Mike Seeklander’s training program. It’s $25 bucks for the book, and 30 bucks for the DVD. And you get a lot more than “Secret Kung-Fu + Dry Fire.”
Another book I’d like to recommend is Michael Bane’s book Trail Safe. It’s not a competition book nor will it show you wizbang ways to put the “high-speed” in “high-speed low drag” but it teaches solid mindset theories. Plus, for the 15 bucks you spend you can still have enough scratch left out of that 100 dollar budget to pick up a sweet Woolrich vest off of Amazon as well.