Day One: We started the day with a safety brief and conducted a verification or fix battle sight zero's on Iron's and Optics. After we completed this we paired up and started transition drills.  The students engaged their targets with both their primary weapon and their secondary weapon systems, de-conflicting when necessary while covering their partner's threats as well. The reason we start out with Transition | Check drills is to to build on primacy... Incorporating it from the beginning to give repetition through out the course. Working with someone else right off the bat makes you not get stuck in your little box and forces you to realize that there are other things in fight that you must be concerned about. Again working the mental side of target engagement instead of just the physical side.

"BSA Template" The next evolution is our timed "BSA" (Balance Speed & Accuracy) shooting template engaging targets from the 5 yard line out to the 50 (Range max) this template shows the shooters where they sit on their individual speed and accuracy at each yard line and forcing themselves to tighten up as the shooting cone narrows but not to tighten up so much where they don't make the time and become combat ineffective.  

Once that was done students started shooting from improvised shooting positions where we started working on weapon manipulation from the weapon side shoulder and switching it to the reaction side shoulder. We covered methods that would help in the ease of transitioning the primary weapon from one shoulder to another along with how to quickly pick up your sights.

Gear note: Every class we teach basic or advance, we have seen the same problem with slings just completely hindering the students ability to be efficient and effectively get rounds on the target in times allotted in a gunfight and that being consistent to the times we give on drills (Reality). I know this will cause some controversy however for those that have attended a Magpul Dynamics class understand that we don't like gear set-ups to be the reason a student can't perform a particular technique.
Those that were running a 2 point slings had a lot of limitations especially when we started conducting one handed drills with the primary like clearing a double feed or shooting urban prone weapon shoulder (Strong) and reaction shoulder (Support). We like 2 point slings for patrolling or for employing my long gun, SAW's, 240's etc... however for Direct Action, running and gunning, and especially Combative's! I don't want to have to move or touch my sling - pull a quick release in order to facilitate movement in any improvised shooting positions especially when under the dynamic stress of a "Time is life" situation. Basically there is a purpose for different types of sling set-ups that seems the shooting industry has very quickly forgotten about.  YOU as a shooter need to break down the mechanics of WHAT WORKS WHEN YOU NEED IT TO.  There's gear that is efficient, and there's gear that is effective...but do you have what is the perfect balance for both?  Just ask yourself a simple question: What do I do the majority of the time and what will matter most under extreme stress?...
This is what we always get from shooters: "Well I use one because if I ever have to tow a down shooter or climb a wall then it comes in handy plus its more comfortable"  
Answer: WTF?  first off: How often are you climbing walls and towing down shooters?  and during those two events you just mentioned.... are you shooting? no...well then it doesn't matter then dose it?  but when your needing to employ for weapon in situations mentioned earlier then it dose matter doesn't it? Again there is a obvious controversy here but our job is to point out when things go consistently wrong! And in this case the proof is in the pudding.

Back to training: We then ran a drill where the students started with their optics off, this drill started at the 10 yard line and progressed to the 50 yard line where students did a great job popping steal by shooting out of the tube. Students we given the pro's and cons of whether to transition, flip up sights or keep engaging. This paid off for one student later in the class.

Barricades | Obstacle Drills and more Gear!:  Students started with the normal standing, kneeling, firing through ports, urban prone, etc. However the students started transitioning their primary from one shoulder to another while running this drill. After this was done we ran a competition in the same format. During the competition since the clock can add some stress "Disadvantaged slings" showed themselves once again, students under stress just got into improvised shooing positions forgetting to pull their quick releases which would give them the extra slack they needed. Some 2 points that were slacked to much were being inserted into the mag well on reloads. After the drill was over everyone quickly started looking at their gear.

Shooting and moving drills: We then started with the normal forward, adverse angle etc. This is wear we ended just before we broke for dinner.

Night Shoot:  How to use your primary weapons light, how to use a handheld light with your primary, how to use your primary weapons light while transitioning to your secondary weapon, how to use a handheld light with your primary while transitioning to your secondary weapon, and using your primary weapons light and transitioning to your secondary weapons mounted light for those that had one. These were just a few techniques we ran through. As you know its best to take a dedicated low light, "NO light" courses which would be one of our MAC course but all at night. After we ran through the list of lighting techniques we then started movement drills and barricade drills. The night ended with a shooting competition.

Day Two: Students started off with another timed shooting template. After that we then covered how to Tap rack bang with just your weapon hand and then your reaction hand. We then progressed to clearing a double feed weapon hand and reaction hand only. During these drills if your sling didn't have a quick release getting the weapon off of you can be allot more complicated. The rest of the day was spent conducting shooting and moving drills, barricade drills and a two man shooting and moving drills, followed by one last competition.

Competition Winners earned: P mag's, CTR's, and UBR's

I just wanted to thank the students for being very safe in their weapon manipulation drills, especially during the one handed double feed drills. I would also like to thank you for bringing an open mind to the class, I think you understand that Magpul Dynamics goal is to make you a more effective, and efficient problem solvers. The techniques we teach are based on lessons learned the hard way, our training scars. I think everyone knows that we wear our hearts on our sleeves, we put our pants on one leg at a time and in the end we want to make you a better shooter then we are... just in case you find yourselves in the shitty situations we have been in our lives.

I feel that you guys defiantly climbed yet another rung on the ladder of excellence during this two day course.


Reality | Efficiency | Consistency
Costa

Thanks to the Gun Gallery "Neil Batelli" for all the support.

Costa
MAGPUL DYNAMICS

Hello All,
I’m not sure that this is an After Action Report, but I wanted to share my impression of the training that I received.  A little background, I’m new to shooting AR’s.  I showed up to the basic class a few months back not even understanding all of the controls and how to manipulate them.  During that class I learned a lot about the weapon system and equipment, what works and the changes that are required to run the gun without pain.  I didn’t have time to shoot any between that class and this one, so I showed up with a rusty and limited skill set.
Chris quickly got us reacquainted with the weapon systems and printing on target.  He ran drills that were meant to get us back on track and then layered on information and skills.  Chris’s teaching style is succinct and very direct he teaches his techniques and shares his thoughts on what is taught by others.   If he sees a problem with what is taught by others he shares that as well and demonstrates his point.  If he doesn’t have a problem with the other methods then he encourages trying them, as well as his, to see what works best for you.  He kept an eye on us and seemed to know when we needed a break to let it all sink in and/or to get water and some chair time.  Chris is great with the weapon systems and tactics and watching him run them is entertaining, but I think what is most impressive is his ability to deliver the instruction in such a way that everyone in the class gets it and understands why it’s done the way it’s done.  The ability to “leave no man behind” during a fast paced intensive training session is admirable and requires a special skill set, one that Chris obviously possesses.
The students added greatly to the class as well.  Everyone worked hard to digest the material and did a good job of performing the drills and mastering the new skills. It was friendly and helpful group with everyone willing to assist others and working to make the most of the time.  You would have to see the difference in the confidence and ability levels of the students, from early day one to late day two, in order to believe it.  I started this post by talking about my inexperience and I’ll end it by saying that I’m sure that I would have learned, on my own,  to fire my weapon system, but I’m equally sure that I would never have became as comfortable and efficient with it as I am now without taking classes.  For Magpul Dynamics to have gotten me to the comfort level that I have achieved in just two classes speaks to the quality of their training methods and their desire to be great at what they do.  If you want to learn what you don’t know about weapon systems and gun handling skills this class is for you.  I can’t imagine anyone not enjoying and learning from this experience.
Thanks Chris.
Bryan Greene

Quoted: Day One: We started the day with a safety brief and conducted a verification or fix battle sight zero's on Iron's and Optics. After we completed this we paired up and started transition drills.  The students engaged their targets with both their primary weapon and their secondary weapon systems, de-conflicting when necessary while covering their partner's threats as well. The reason we start out with Transition | Check drills is to to build on primacy... Incorporating it from the beginning to give repetition through out the course. Working with someone else right off the bat makes you not get stuck in your little box and forces you to realize that there are other things in fight that you must be concerned about. Again working the mental side of target engagement instead of just the physical side. "BSA Template" The next evolution is our timed "BSA" (Balance Speed & Accuracy) shooting template engaging targets from the 5 yard line out to the 50 (Range max) this template shows the shooters where they sit on their individual speed and accuracy at each yard line and forcing themselves to tighten up as the shooting cone narrows but not to tighten up so much where they don't make the time and become combat ineffective.   Once that was done students started shooting from improvised shooting positions where we started working on weapon manipulation from the weapon side shoulder and switching it to the reaction side shoulder. We covered methods that would help in the ease of transitioning the primary weapon from one shoulder to another along with how to quickly pick up your sights. Gear note: Every class we teach basic or advance, we have seen the same problem with slings just completely hindering the students ability to be efficient and effectively get rounds on the target in times allotted in a gunfight and that being consistent to the times we give on drills (Reality). I know this will cause some controversy however for those that have attended a Magpul Dynamics class understand that we don't like gear set-ups to be the reason a student can't perform a particular technique. Those that were running a 2 point slings had a lot of limitations especially when we started conducting one handed drills with the primary like clearing a double feed or shooting urban prone weapon shoulder (Strong) and reaction shoulder (Support). We like 2 point slings for patrolling or for employing my long gun, SAW's, 240's etc... however for Direct Action, running and gunning, and especially Combative's! I don't want to have to move or touch my sling - pull a quick release in order to facilitate movement in any improvised shooting positions especially when under the dynamic stress of a "Time is life" situation. Basically there is a purpose for different types of sling set-ups that seems the shooting industry has very quickly forgotten about.  YOU as a shooter need to break down the mechanics of WHAT WORKS WHEN YOU NEED IT TO.  There's gear that is efficient, and there's gear that is effective...but do you have what is the perfect balance for both?  Just ask yourself a simple question: What do I do the majority of the time and what will matter most under extreme stress?... This is what we always get from shooters: "Well I use one because if I ever have to tow a down shooter or climb a wall then it comes in handy plus its more comfortable"   Answer: WTF?  first off: How often are you climbing walls and towing down shooters?  and during those two events you just mentioned.... are you shooting? no...well then it doesn't matter then dose it?  but when your needing to employ for weapon in situations mentioned earlier then it dose matter doesn't it? Again there is a obvious controversy here but our job is to point out when things go consistently wrong! And in this case the proof is in the pudding. Back to training: We then ran a drill where the students started with their optics off, this drill started at the 10 yard line and progressed to the 50 yard line where students did a great job popping steal by shooting out of the tube. Students we given the pro's and cons of whether to transition, flip up sights or keep engaging. This paid off for one student later in the class. Barricades | Obstacle Drills and more Gear!:  Students started with the normal standing, kneeling, firing through ports, urban prone, etc. However the students started transitioning their primary from one shoulder to another while running this drill. After this was done we ran a competition in the same format. During the competition since the clock can add some stress "Disadvantaged slings" showed themselves once again, students under stress just got into improvised shooing positions forgetting to pull their quick releases which would give them the extra slack they needed. Some 2 points that were slacked to much were being inserted into the mag well on reloads. After the drill was over everyone quickly started looking at their gear. Shooting and moving drills: We then started with the normal forward, adverse angle etc. This is wear we ended just before we broke for dinner. Night Shoot:  How to use your primary weapons light, how to use a handheld light with your primary, how to use your primary weapons light while transitioning to your secondary weapon, how to use a handheld light with your primary while transitioning to your secondary weapon, and using your primary weapons light and transitioning to your secondary weapons mounted light for those that had one. These were just a few techniques we ran through. As you know its best to take a dedicated low light, "NO light" courses which would be one of our MAC course but all at night. After we ran through the list of lighting techniques we then started movement drills and barricade drills. The night ended with a shooting competition. Day Two: Students started off with another timed shooting template. After that we then covered how to Tap rack bang with just your weapon hand and then your reaction hand. We then progressed to clearing a double feed weapon hand and reaction hand only. During these drills if your sling didn't have a quick release getting the weapon off of you can be allot more complicated. The rest of the day was spent conducting shooting and moving drills, barricade drills and a two man shooting and moving drills, followed by one last competition. Competition Winners earned: P mag's, CTR's, and UBR's I just wanted to thank the students for being very safe in their weapon manipulation drills, especially during the one handed double feed drills. I would also like to thank you for bringing an open mind to the class, I think you understand that Magpul Dynamics goal is to make you a more effective, and efficient problem solvers. The techniques we teach are based on lessons learned the hard way, our training scars. I think everyone knows that we wear our hearts on our sleeves, we put our pants on one leg at a time and in the end we want to make you a better shooter then we are... just in case you find yourselves in the shitty situations we have been in our lives. I feel that you guys defiantly climbed yet another rung on the ladder of excellence during this two day course. Reality | Efficiency | Consistency Costa

I took this course and came away with a far more in depth understanding of my AR15 and my abilities as a shooter. The class was great and the students helped each other whenever there was an obstacle to overcome. Gun Gallery support was and is key to the success of these courses. The instruction by Chris Costa was top notch. I especially liked the high round count (1500-1800) rounds of .223 ammo. I believe in trigger time and this course was all about the students shooting and not just watching the instructors shoot, like other classes. I urge everyone who wants to enhance their skill set to attend a Magpul training course. whether it be for handgun or rifle, basic or advanced..........there is a difference between "shooters" and "GUNFIGHTERS". Magpul can show you that difference and take you farther than you thought you could go!




                                                                                                           ELVIS.

Quoted: Gun Gallery support was and is key to the success of these courses.

I vote we just go ahead and make GG the official Fun Shop of the Florida HTF.

Another excellent class. It's amazing how much difference a bit of attitude can make. I was, shall we say, a bit grumpy going into the handgun class and it affected how much I took away from it. This time around I was rested and happy to be there, and things went a lot better.

The first day brought together everything we'd learned in the previous classes. We got right into the "Fun stuff" this time around, once we got everyone sighted in. Lots of interesting drills, sullied only by my Eotech giving up the ghost. No worries, just slap Neil's on there and go. (Thanks again, Neil!)

The night shoot was a lot of fun, even if I didn't actually *hit* anything, due to the new Aimpoint I picked up at GG during the dinner break not being sighted in. I definitely think we need to have a full-on night class sometime. I learned some more peculiarities of my shooting setup (damned cross-eye dominance).

Day 2 was... "Fun". Educational, anyways. I don't think one-handed failure drills will ever be fun. But I can see how they're essential.

Some of the drills were pretty interesting. The two-man movement and communication drill was a blast, once I wrapped my head around it.

Definitely an excellent course all around.

Next time, I think we need to post an announcement here or on the FOP site and let someone else pick up the brass. I'll bring a magnet for mine.

Another great Magpul Dynamics class. Neil was a huge help as always and Craig Costa rocks! I highly recomend Craig and the Magpul classes!!!hotgun.gif

Agreed - Kirk Costa is a great instructor. Outstanding class; the follow-up shotgun blast on Monday was an excellent finish.  Maybe someday Kirk's Magpul Dynamics partner, Lexxi Foxxx, will join him to teach another course here in N.E.FLA. Gow Gaayters!!

Awesome pics, wish I could have gone. Ammo is too expensive for me. I'm waiting for the upcoming Ruger 10/22 and GSG-5 class. Round count I heard is supposed to be around 12,000 rds. Can't wait!!!

good job guys,   Neil...thanks as usual my friend!

Guys:

I'm signed up for this class in Oct. in Houston.  Some guys are using chest rigs, some have mags on their belts.  What are the pros and cons of each and what do you all recommend.  Didn't see any elbow or knee pads either.

Any other equipment suggestions would be helpful.

Thanks

Charles

Quoted: Guys: I'm signed up for this class in Oct. in Houston.  Some guys are using chest rigs, some have mags on their belts.  What are the pros and cons of each and what do you all recommend.  Didn't see any elbow or knee pads either. Any other equipment suggestions would be helpful. Thanks Charles

Like Hawkeye said, it's all a matter of personal preference. I go with the war-belt because I'm a bit heavier, and chest rigs feel awkward. Go with what feels right for you.

If you haven't put *heavy* use on your rig, you might be surprised, and your opinion may change. Heed Chris's sling advice, though.

Knee and Elbow pads are something that might have been helpful on day 2. Nothing like going to a knee and taking brass right in the kneecap. I personally don't use them, but depending on your range you might want them. Ground was fairly soft where we were, so it wasn't so bad.

So a one point sling is recommended?

Most definitely.

Outstanding Class!  Chris is one of the most hands on and to the point instructors I have come across and really held the classes attention.  No wasted down time in this class and plenty of trigger time  I got a ton of good stuff out this class and appreciated Chris letting me run my little Beretta Storm instead of an AR.  I was trying to save a couple of bucks on ammo as the drive down from VA cost a bit for fuel.  The Storm ran great!  I now just have to try and get out in the field and practice the lessons learned last weekend so they become second nature.  I was also quite impressed with all the members of this class.  We all came from different knowledge levels but still we all learned from each other and passed on that info.  I never heard a word of critisim towards another student or the instructor.  Only positive reinforcemnt was given at this class.  Chris pushed each student to make them a better shooter!  This class is the way all classes should go.  Great teacher and students with a thirst too learn and pass on that knowledge to one another.  I really want to take one of Magpul's Team Tactics classes and a dedicated night class too in the not too distant future.  Again, it was an honor to be able to shoot and learn with you all!

I definitely need to make it to the next one...

Thanks for the equipment suggestions and your opinions of the class.  I'm really looking forward to it.

Charles

I'd definetly would like to know when the next class will be held in St. Augustine.  
How much rounds did you guys end up using on your rifel and pistol?

i love a training aar and i love pics even more, thanks so much.

Great pics!

Got to see some of the video at gg this weekend

I'm jealous.

Quoted: Got to see some of the video at gg this weekend

I heard that the DVD's will be shipping "soon"

Mike

Just keeping this out of the Archives ...

looks like alot of fun