AAR Part-2
Day-3 started on the 100yd range. We went through the group and discussed cold & hot range concepts from the instructor perspective, when these are used, and everyone agreed to run a hot range for the class. We went through our range protocol of rules, commands, and got everyone on the same sheet of music of what is expected. We then went through a session on response to medical trauma issues, showed the trauma gear that we keep on the range and how to use each piece of it. We set a plan of how any medical emergency will be handled on the range should it be needed. This also led into a discussion of the need for having proper safety gear like good eyewear, hearing protection, proper clothing, body armor, hydration issues, and gear/firearm issues.
We covered the fundamentals of marksmanship of check weld, sight picture, sight alignment, optics, trigger finger placement & press, trigger follow through, dominant eye, one eye vs two eye shooting, cheek weld, breathing vs breath control, etc. We then went through our protocol of loading, mag changes, reloading, tac loads, etc. When loading magazines into a firearm, we teach to firmly push a magazine into the weapon, then give the magazine a good tug/pull downward to confirm that the make sure it is firmly seated & locked into place, this is something that was instilled in me several decades ago at HK school (I am a Phil Singleton Disciple). We went through malfunctions on the rifles, how to deal with them, we showed traditional methods (like the S.P.O.R.T.S. method, of which we are not a fan of and why ), and then showed our preferred methods and why. We also showed armorer level malfunction issues that instructors may have to deal with.
We discussed zeroing and ballistics as it pertains to the performance of the rifle, along with what the AR15/M16 weapons system was designed for, and gave options of different zeroing options. We discussed as a group of options for zeroing as it might pertain to Law Enforcement distance engagements, and discussed actual Law Enforcement shootouts as it pertains to distances & gear set up, along with training. We provided multiple types of zeroing targets for both iron sights and optics, and discussed zeroing distances and external ballistics. Everyone opted for the 50yd zero. During checking zeroes, we showed how to use the different targets, and how to adjust their different iron sights and optics.
The rest of the morning of day-3 was spent on going through standing positions. We ran everyone through a series of standing position drills, which showed strengths & weaknesses, what is natural vs unnatural, what recoil actually does during the cycling phase and how the body mechanic works in correlation to physics. We had students perform a series of hammer fire, and controlled fire drills, of which drove a point home that everyone seemed to like controlled fire better. Lastly we used these exercises on standing foundation to show how the shooter controls full-auto, dispelled the myth that full-auto climbs and sprays, by the time we were done everyone was running wide open full-auto and keeping groups tight with no climbing or spraying.
We showed a sampling of different slings, different methods and theories for mounting, and how these are used. This included single point, 2-point traditional, tactical 2-point variations, and 3-point (my personal favorite). We then ran a transition drill where everyone got to learn that having a sling on a rifle is a viable tool, as a rifle without as ling is like having a handgun without a holster.
We started the afternoon with learning to work in a 360 degree world, and did a series of drills that drove this home. This lead us into doing tactical reloads. It is theory that after being in a shooting, that you should that if you have extra ammunition present then you should do a reload when you have a lull in the action, before leaving cover, and before approaching a downed bad guy.
The rest of the day was spent on foundational shooting positions, starting from the ground up. We present over 20 different shooting positions with variations. These positions are used for stability, use of terrain, cover, concealment, and to provide the shooter any advantage that can be obtained. We went through a series of different prone positions, sitting, kneeling, squatting, etc. We went through when to use these positions and why, demonstrated how to get into these positions, instructor level of how to teach these positions and getting into them, covered how to demonstrate from the instructor perspective of what these positions are used for, and covered instructor & range training issues. We ran through several relays of all these shooting positions, and carried into them the follow up of working in a 360 degree world, as if you fought your way into shooting position on the ground, then you should fight your way back up. We finished the day with an instructor lecture of why to run a fun drill at the end of the day, then we ran a couple of different drills. The end of day-3 was spent with a review and debrief.
Day-4 started with a review of range rules, commands, medical gear & procedures, and we went over what we did on day-3. We rechecked zeros. Once zeros were tuned in at 25yds, we then confirmed them at 50yds and 100yds on some special targets. Once zeroes were confirmed at distance, we went back through all the shooting positions that we did on day-1. We reviewed each position, and showed variations that may pertain to better use of cover, and may work better with different gear or sizes and shapes of shooters, then let everyone shoot from all these positions at varying distances.
After lunch, we reviewed everything we had gone through up to this point. We had students teach standing foundation principles. We recovered full-auto, how it is controlled, and dispelled myths of recoil management. We had everyone shoot more full-auto, and got them tuned to the point that they could run and entire mag one handed under control, not that we advocate doing this but it shows that with proper foundation the shooter controls the gun (not the other way around), and this helped show that the shooter doesn’t need to steer the front end of the gun if their foundation is solid as it pertains to body mechanics crossed with physics.
From there we moved into how to deal with multiple bad guys, showing traditional and our own spin on it, and where and why there may be differences in methods. This allowed a discussion of Boyd’s OODA loop, and Hick’s law. We then ran through some fail to stop drills of the traditional Mozambique drill, and we showed our methods, and with the use of a shot timer it showed differences, and the differences were correlated to Boyd’s & Hicks laws. The last drill of the day was our El Diablo that we have been doing for over 2 decades, of which no shooters completed the drill on the first run, so we showed them how to do it. With a repeat of the drill, everyone not only made the time window, but we had two shooters that were sub 10- seconds. The end of day-4 was spent with a review and debrief.
Day-5 started with a recheck of zeros. We then had everyone shoot a couple of qualification courses, yes I used the “Q” word of which makes some people vapor lock, but nobody in the group panicked. We discussed department policies, qualification standards, and possible legal cases and issues that may come up in court. A review of day-3 & day-4 was done, and we had students step up and teach portions of the fundamentals in front of everyone, and critiqued by everyone, we did this several times in this course to make sure that people understood the fundamentals, and how to teach them.
The rest of day-5 was spent on movement in all directions, starting with pivots and turns of working in a 360 degree world. We showed how instructors should teach doing this with weapons control, and how these pivots/turns relate to the real world in things like applying them to structures. This led us into several different types of forward movement, showing that the strengths and weaknesses of the traditional Groucho method, which led us into showing a different method that allows more accurate shooting and allows people to cover more ground at a quicker rate. We ran drills on rearward movement. We covered different methods of lateral movement , how these are sometimes used for moving around objects & vehicles, clearing structures, and something that was taught to me about 3 decades ago of where you find yourself in the path of the train then get off the tracks, which led us into doing some variations of lateral movement and showing where these can be applied. We covered how to run & spring with a rifle, techniques & applications or this. Lastly we covered small team concepts of working in unison, shooting positions, and movement, and how to teach these and why. The end of day-5 started with the traditional cleaning up the ranges, a review & debrief, and everyone received their certificates.
Here is a brief overview on what is covered on the range days:
Patrol and Tactical Employment Considerations
Sling usage
Shooting Positions
Sight and Distance Considerations
Position Shooting
Moving and Multiple Targets
Transition Drills
Malfunctions
Reloads
Firearms Safety
Qualification Training Course and Test
Instructional Guidelines
Rapid Deployment
Employment From & Around Vehicles
Team Concepts
Teaching Fundamentals
Working with Problem Shooters
Policy & Procedural Issues
Ballistic Issues
Maintenance
Setting Up Rifle Programs
Range Gun Notes:
We had no rifles fail or have functioning issues due to lack of proper lubrication. This is due to that we supply all students with a sample of Slip2000 "EWL" Extreme Weapons Lubricant. There was 2 students that brought Wolf ammunition to the course, of which ran fine for function, but these students had issues with obtaining a consistent zero.
There was a Bushmaster Carbon-15 in class that was agency issued. This rifle we previously mentioned in the armorer section review, as it had bad grip screw threads. During the range session, this rifle wouldn’t obtain a tight group or consistently hold a zero. Looking closer at this rifle, the flat top rail on top of the upper receiver was metal, but was screwed onto the polymer upper receiver, and was loose, and couldn’t be tightened without fear of stripping the screw threads out. This Officer notified his administration via phone during a break, and his administration was in disbelief. Luckily this Officer had brought his personal Daniel Defense rifle, and shot it very well.
CY6
Greg Sullivan "Sully"
SLR15 Rifles
TheDefensiveEdge.com
(763) 712-0123