Controlled Chaos Arms – Tactical Rifle 1 - July 14-15 2012

Location – Big Springs Range (Brownells) Searsboro, IA

Instructors – Rick Largesse and Keith Romp. Both are Police officers currently assigned to SWAT teams and have TONS of training and operational experience to share. A testament to how good these guys and their classes are was all the people taking the class were return shooter and had taken several of CCA’s other great classes.

Round count – The class listed 1000 rifle and 200 handgun. I went through 800-850 rifle and about 75 handgun during class drill and a little more with a mad min and checking out other guys rifles at lunch and breaks. This might be different with how you shoot and how many times you went through each drill.

This class is a follow up to their Basic Rifle course. It takes all the fundamentals learned and pushes them to the next level. The basic class is more focused on marksmanship and precision working from 100 to 25 yards and the basic operation of the semi-auto rifle. This class takes those marksmanship and fundamental skills and puts it into a “tactical” environment working from 50 yards to 3 yards.

Class started with a safety brief and a quick overview of how that day was going to go and then we were off and running. We started by checking our zero at 50 yards. We quickly moved on to shooting at 50 yards slow firing 4 position on a small bulls eye for score. Once we were all warmed up the timer came out. One thing that was stressed during the class was accuracy is good but speed and accuracy is better. Training to shoot combat accurate at speed was a big focus. After each string we would go score our targets and both Rick and Keith would explain what we needed to do to improve our score. If there was a common theme they would explain what needed work with the whole class. If there was something an individual shooter was having issues with they would spend as much time as needed to help that person improve and understand how to fix the situation.

One of the big things I like about Keith and Rick is their experience in not only firearms but teaching really shins during class. They both have the ability to help you understand what to do, how to do it, and why they choose to do it that way. They are also open to the fact not everyone is able to do things the same way and will come up with alternatives. Some instructors have an its my way or the highway or a look at what I can do attitude but not these guys. They are truly excited about sharing their knowledge and helping everyone improve their skills. Both guys explained each drill and would also shoot the drill to show you how it worked. This is something that some instructors are not willing to do. This is done not to show you what they can do but how the drill is supposed to be shot. Top notch skill and being able to humbly teach it is something I greatly appreciate. They are more than willing to share some good stories during lunch and breaks too.

Back to the range. Once the basic fundamentals were cover at 50 we moved up to for the majority of the class to between 25 yards and 3 yards. While the closer you are to the target the quicker you can shoot, you were still held accountable for all our rounds. Shoot as fast as you can while keeping your combat accuracy was stressed during both days. The way to get better is to push yourself to failure then work to push that line farther. High over Bore was something that really takes thought if you’re not used to shooting up close. Many drills were shot at distances that made you compensate for the height over bore or mechanical offset of the rifle. Drills like 1-4 rounds on command, turn drills, shooting on the move, and one of my favorites see how many rounds you can put in a 6” circle in 5 secs. Other things we worked on were working around barricades and positions to help you maximize the cover, malfunctions, transitioning to a handgun, working on support side options, reloads, and a fun final drill but you will have to take the course to see what that’s all about.

The only real negative to the course was some of the drills were run for time on an individual basis which meant some added down time during a few drills. However since summer in Iowa is HOT and we all got pretty cooked a little extra time in the shade with some much needed water really didn’t hurt.

Bottom line is this is a quality class taught by great guys that not only REALLY know their stuff but love to teach. I saw my accuracy increase and my time decreased. This was the same with all the students. Everyone saw marked increase in their skills set and I was very impressed with the end results of not only myself but with everyone in the class. While only a two day class our skills increase to a level of some 5 day classes I’ve taken in the past. I have taken a number of classes and CCA’s have all been top notch. I always learn something from these guys and have a great time doing it. This class is applicable for anyone from the civilian that is looking to increase their skill set to law enforcement and military that want to keep sharp and learn new things as well.

Take a class with CCA I promise you won’t be disappointed. When Iowa and the Midwest needed someone to fill the tactical training whole Rick, Keith, and CCA stepped up. I recommend them without reservation.

Check’em out
http://controlledchaosarms.com/

Some pictures and videos were taken and should be on their facebook and or youtube shortly.