This year I finally had a chance to do some run-and-guns (had been wanting to do one for a couple years but my work schedule didnt allow it till this fall) and figured I'd write up an AAR in case someone else like me is looking to start.

Background: I'm an engineer, not an operator; I have no tactical/LEO/MIL experience and only kicked a couple of doors when I was on the fire department.  Shot a couple of three-gun matches a few years ago and I've taken a couple defensive pistol classes, but otherwise not super-experienced.  Used to shoot regularly till the virus hit (which put a real cramp on my shooting budget) and basically hadn't shot at all until from then till the first race.  Regular exercise routine is 3-4 bootcamp-style workouts per week through F3, and rucking or running on other days.

Gear:
My loadout was basically unchanged for both races, with the exception of the sling.

Del-Ton 16" carbine-length HBAR kit (my first rifle from 2007), HS403GU, fixed backup sights, standard handguards and M4 stock.  Used a backpack sling for Race 1, and a standard generic 2-point for Race 2.  Got a compliment or two on going "old school" compared to all the tricked-out kit everyone else had

Pistol: Stock Glock 19 gen 4, Safariland ALS holster

Surplus FLC vest carried four piggyback mag pouches (sized for a 30-rd rifle mag and a double-stack pistol mag).  Tourniquet went in one of the rifle mag pouches because I didn't have a separate pouch for it.

Basic battle belt with holster adapter and one taco pistol mag holder that I'd picked up in a trade somewhere.

Three more pistol mags in my pockets


Race 1: Sweat and Bullets (at my home range, 17 South)
Race was held mid-August, and even though my start time was fairly early in the day it was already warm and muggy.  I hydrated a lot beforehand but decided to skip the water as it was only a 5k (not a good idea in hindsight).

Overall I didn't have trouble with the run portion, though the stretch between stages 4 and 5 I was feeling the lack of water and was probably close to being in trouble.  

Frankly, most of my shooting sucked; I DNF'ed 4 of 6 stages.  I was badly out of practice, and on top of it my safety glasses kept getting fogged and sweat-covered so I couldn't see targets or the sights.  I also got fouled up on a rifle-only stage that I otherwise did well on, due to my mag not seating fully.

Things that went well: Loaded running performance and performance after the obstacles/challenges (wall climb, pushups, etc); big props to the fitness routines here.  Offhand rifle shooting in the 50-100yd range had high hit percentages even if I was not shooting as fast as some others.  In the few matches I've done in the past I always did better here (relative to the pack)--it seems a lot of guys mag-dump with their same close-quarters techniques?

Things that went badly: Pistol shooting was poor; weak-hand-only shooting absolutely terrible.  As noted, you can't shoot if you can't see--need a better solution for this.  Finished with three pistol rounds left.  Lack of water was bad but  could have gone much, much worse.  Backpack sling is good for running and handling other gear while doing so, but a real pain to get on and off (or it bounces around too much if rigged for easy manipulation).  Decided to unsling for the final obstacle (creek crossing within sight of the finish line) and bashed myself in the lip with my stock, in full view of everyone



Race 2: Jingle Balls
Same location, course run the other direction.  Used a "regular" sling like everyone else this time.

I think overall this race was better.  Ran without water again but this time that was ok given the cooler (low 70s) temps.  Shooting definitely improved compared to August but still DNF'ed 4 of 6 for reasons below.  I had much better hit percentages with the pistol, up to the last stage.

Things that went well:  As noted my pistol shooting greatly improved compared to last time (better splits, much better hit percentages) and I finished with a couple of full mags.  I hit the 200yd target on the long stage twice in three shots.  Cat Crap on the glasses worked pretty well, but not perfect.  Standard sling was easier for manipulation but was a little harder with obstacles and when trying to top off mags.  Tried doubly-hard not to bash myself in the face again, and succeeded.

Things that went poorly:  Was quite happy with my stage 1, up until I put the ejection port of my rifle against a tree and jammed up the works (with one hit left to clear!).  I don't practice rifle malfunctions nearly enough and I ran out of time before I could clear the jam.
My shin splints acted up, and my left shin was on fire between stages 2 and 3.  Cleared up eventually.
This time there was a long-range stage - one target at 200yd, one at 300.  Idea was two hits on each from prone, then two more on each from supported kneeling.  Hit the first two at 200 without much trouble, but then with the glasses fog I couldn't really see the 300yd one.  Spent many shots on it to no effect.
DNFed another stage because I hit a no-shoot--forgot about the height over bore offset at really short ranges.
Last stage we got to put 8 rounds through an Uzi ( ) but then had some one-hand pistol shooting.  When I got to the weak-hand-only part my hand was shaking so damn bad I looked like a Parkinson's patient and could't aim better than minute-of-berm.


In both matches my run was roughly top 30%, but my poor shooting dragged me down to the upper end of the bottom 50%.  Considering how out of practice I am, and that a reasonable portion of the competitors are active-duty, including several Rangers, I was reasonably pleased.  More shooting practice and experience should improve that side of my score.


Overall I had an absolute blast and highly recommend these to anyone.  It's a good test of your gear and conditioning.

Lessons learned:
Practice!  (this is obvious)
Don't put your ejection port against a tree
Magnified optic is probably a good idea if there's a chance of longer shots (I have a rifle built just for this but still haven't zeroed it)
Still need to work on anti-fog solution for the glasses
Backpack sling probably not worth it unless the run stages are significantly longer
Double the suggested round counts, and add even more for pistol (I did this but repeating for emphasis)
Need more pistol mag pouches (pockets don't work too well) and a dedicated tourniquet holder to free up a mag pouch
RDS for the pistol seems like it might be a good idea but might foul me up more (e.g. if it gets muddy)
Need to dig out my brightly-colored hydration pack...

Assuming to do these two again, plus one or two more, and bring friends and family next time

Nice IceBrain. I've done 45 RnG's and they are a great way to vet your training, both fitness and shooting. You'll be hooked and start planning all your vacation time around your RnG schedule.