Posted: 4/24/2014 8:06:08 AM EDT
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Where to begin? First off, I have taken 4 classes that specifically dealt with carbines. These included: DRFT(Carbine 101), Tarrant County Sheriffs Department(Civilian Use of Combat Carbine 1 and 2), and one with an undisclosed group of bad-asses(Advanced Combat Carbine). Each being very unique and very helpful in their own ways. At the start of the day, the range where the class was held was kind of hard to find since it is relatively new and did not have any range markings. The address, that was given in the class conformation e-mail, lead us to an old oil well and left me and a buddy cussing because we thought we had been scammed. However, we were able to find a man who told us where to go and, after a nice drive through a cattle ranch, we found the range. We unloaded our gear and introduced ourselves to the other students while we waited for Stephen to get through hanging and bagging our first targets, it was raining so the bags helped keep the targets intact. When he arrived, he said hello to some of the students who had taken a handgun class the day before and introduced himself to us. He had us go around and say why we were there and I felt that helped Stephen assess where the class stood as a whole so he knew where to start with the instruction. We moved on to a safety brief, which I appreciate because I have been to a class where the instructors safety talk was, "y'all know firearms safety right?" and that was it. So, it was great to know that he took that very seriously. He then asked who had a med kit and, more importantly, the training to use it should we need to call careflight in the event of a student getting wounded. That was a great thing to see, I personally have had one combat first-aid class and I hate seeing dicks who think its a cool piece of kit and carry an Combat First-Aid/Trauma Kit yet they don't know what to do, in case they have to use it. Then he moved on to practicality, what we would use if we actually had to deploy a carbine in a defensive role. We don't want to be the idiots that show up to a class in a kit that a DEVGRU operator would be jealous of, decked out in multicam, with ops-core helmets with NODs flipped up looking like we were going to HAHO jump into the local Staples to refill our ink cartridges. That was also great to see because, I have been to a class with the local Sheriffs Department where they REQUIRED plate carriers. Totally unnecessary for the type of class we were taking but, I guess it was a liability thing and they just wanted to cover their asses in case a student took a round to the chest. Then we covered basic ballistics, and we "rough zeroed" @ 25 with an understanding of trajectory just to get close, but "fine zeroed" and confirmed at our actual zero distance of 100yrds. This was a GREAT talk. 1 because some guys that zeroed at 50 were also able to see where their rounds impacted at 100, which helps in developing a better appreciation for necessary hold overs/unders. And 2 because, out of the 4 other rifle classes I have taken, Stephen was the first one to actually show on paper what your dot would look like at different distances. I run a 2MOA Aimpoint PRO. Before the class, I never put together the different aiming points to compensate for dot size. If you don't know what I am talking about then I guess you need to take the class ;). We also did multiple drills from a 100-10yrd drill utilizing different shooting positions and the Oh-So-Popular "Bermuda Triangle" to a few more advanced drills covering accuracy and fixing malfunctions. I am not going to go into detail of some of the drills in order to secure class functionality and drill privacy on the side of the instructor. On another note, the flow of the class was a little slow do to the mud and the rain but I, along with maybe one or two other students, liked the weather. It helped us learn what to do when our optics get wet and if our rifle gets gunked up because of the muddy magazines or accidentally getting mud in the bolt. This was real world shit and I was 100% glad to get the knowledge. Also, I FUCKING LOVED the way Stephen ran the class. Like I said earlier, I have been to 4 previous rifle classes and I can still admit that I am not perfect. When I, or anyone else for that matter, was doing something wrong, he didn't call you out and make you feel like a complete idiot in front of the entire class. He would just come up to you, tell you how to fix it, tell you a reassuring, "Easy Day" *fist bump*. That, to me, was awesome. On Scales of 1-10, 1 being the least and 10 being the greatest: Instructor Knowledge - 9. There was an AK guy in the class, he felt a little left out because the instruction was mostly for AR guys. also the lefties felt a little left out as well. He did say that those were good points and he was working to remedy them. Class Fluidity - 8. That is not the instructors fault. The mud and the rain did make it hard for faster transitions to different drills. Knowledge for future use - 10. The drills for rough zeroing at 25m for 50 and 100 yards was a valuable lesson that I will remember for the rest of my life. As well as all of the improvements in my shooting, stance, and different position. my favorite being "Cinna-sticks". Like I also said earlier, if you don't know what I am talking about, take the class. Overall Enjoyment -10. the class was fun as hell and it was a very friendly environment both from the instructor and the fellow students. I have been to a class where the instructor intentionally created a hostile environment where the student was left feeling panicked and confused. This class was not like that and i appreciate it very much. All in all- Stephen WILL get my business again, no doubt about it. GREAT guy, GREAT class, GREAT knowledge. Reading this, you obviously cant hear the tone in my voice for how much I loved this class. It was hands down the best carbine class I've participated in. I would and will recommend M3 Strategies to anyone looking for a great training organization. On my list from 1 to 5, 1 being THE BEST and 5 being THE LEAST, the list goes at follows. 1. Bad-asses Class* 2. M3 Strategies 3. DRFT 4. TCSD 2 5. TCSD 1 *the only reason the Bad-asses Class holds top spot is simply because of the group of guys that I was with and the list of instructors included personal friends and former Army CAG operators that I worked with. Differences Found In: 1.008s |
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