glock_forty5
05-26-09, 18:30
AAR
Introduction:
I have been to several training classes all good and all different. Magpul Dynamics Advanced Rifle did not disappoint, it was all good and different. That being said, if you plan to take this course be sure you have a good understanding of the basics. Simply taking a basic course then the Advanced Rifle course will put I you in a position of drinking from the fire hose. The course was intense for those that have practiced the basic skills and overwhelming for the few that did not. These are my observation, feel free to disagree.
Instructors:
Chris Costa and Derek Ray (I am not to sure of the spelling of his name).
Chris is a great instructor. High energy and a good sense of humor. The movie quotes were killing me. Derek was the assistant instructor, he was Chris’ right hand and kept reinforcing the lessons. Both did their job well.
Day One:
The first day started a little slow as there was some confusion as to what was needed at the range. Some improvised target stands were assembled until the rest of the stands made it to the range. To me this was the only real let down, but I got over it. We started with zero check. This took a little longer than it should. Some of the students took Chris Costa’s advice and moved the optic to the front most position of the upper receiver. This strategy was to allow the shooter to pick up the dot much faster from the low ready position. Costa is a big advocate of the dot sight btw.
Side note: Only one student shot irons, he was a Sheriff’s Deputy from Maryland and could not run a dot due to State Police policy. A dot sight would mean he would need to be sniper qualified. He was a good shooter and did what he had to do to get his hits. He used Costa’s rifle for one of the drills and needless to say he sees the value of running a dot sight on his patrol rifle. I hope he can get the policy changed.
The next part of the day is the one that I got the most out of, a real breakthrough for me. Costa and Derek corrected/changed my stance and the way I held the rifle (more than once, old habits die hard). They had me hole my reaction arm above the bore and my hand further down the rail. This did not feel natural to me and 12 years of 3 gun/IPSC shooting scars were fighting some of the changes but by the afternoon I was starting to get it. By the end of the day my ability to get rounds on target at speed increased tremendously. Costa emphasized speed. Practice will tighten up the groups but getting fast hits on target by dominating the rifle was the goal of the day and I reached that goal. This was a huge step for me to make it to my next level of shooting ability. We covered a lot of ground positions, wearing my knee and elbow pads all day paid off as the range was gravel. Basic movement drills began, conga line on a steel target. The shooter shot the target (3 or 4 rounds depending on the drill) and then went muzzle down and pivoted on his rifle like a stripper on a pole then ran to the back of the line. This drove home muzzle discipline, this was built upon on the second day. We came the point in the day for dinner break an Costa put an option on the table, keep shooting and skip the night shoot as we could only shoot until 9pm (that would give us 30 of dark). Everyone one agreed, or at least no one spoke up to disagree, and we kept running drills. There was a shoot out at the end of the day, a SWAT team shooter with a trick LWRC SBR was the fastest. He won a Magpul stock (everyone got a new Magpul mag, patch and sticker). All in all a good day and my expectations were exceeded and my skill/proficiency was significantly better than the start of the day.
Day Two:
The second day started out with some accuracy/speed drills to get the day going. Costa then went over flashlight holds. This mostly consisted of using a secondary light (weapon mounted lights can fail). The positions were awkward and the ability to control the weapon was sacrificed in order to hold your light. There was a drill using your primary weapon light and your secondary firearm. This was developed in the military as the berretta did not have a way to mount a light at the time. Good skills to know. During these drills the clasp of my Troy Single Point Sling went tits up. The gate of the clasp is fabricated from a stamping and it was twisted to the point where my rifle fell free. Fortunately I had my hand on my rifle and was not doing a transition as my rifle would have hit the deck for sure! Being a good boy scout I had a spare HK style clasp in my bag and was up in running in no time, this was my only equipment issue. After lunch we began some additional movement drills and use of barricades. I continued to refine my hold and stance which now felt more natural. I understood what Costa meant by dominating the gun. The movement drills began in the afternoon with use of the barricades and positions (again, I was glad I wore elbow and knee pads the entire course). These were tough physically, mentally, and on equipment that was not sorted out. Costa lectured the group about their kit and that if they are having issues here it will only get worse in the really real world. Two point slings were the biggest issues as when the shooter went from their weapon side shoulder to their reaction shoulder they were choking themselves. Some were at this point we were visited by the local Sheriff (cute blonde girl). Costa went over and sweet talked her for 5 min and we were back in business (I think he got her phone number). The final drill of the day was a two man moving drill. Very intense and fast paced. Communication, moving, transitions, reloads, and situational awareness were all tested. We ended the day with a re-cap of all we learned and presentation of certifications.
Conclusion:
Over the past year I have done my best to break my shooting scars from 3 gun/IPSC/ and self taught. I have taken several level one rifle classes to relearn the basics. I will attend future level one classes to reinforce my basics. The foundation I built was needed by me to get the most out of this class. To me, classes teach skills that the student must then master (you cannot go to master school, you got to put your work in). I am beginning to master the AR platform rifle but I have a life time of practice in my future. I highly recommend this class and will take it again when the opportunity presents itself.
John AKA JT
Introduction:
I have been to several training classes all good and all different. Magpul Dynamics Advanced Rifle did not disappoint, it was all good and different. That being said, if you plan to take this course be sure you have a good understanding of the basics. Simply taking a basic course then the Advanced Rifle course will put I you in a position of drinking from the fire hose. The course was intense for those that have practiced the basic skills and overwhelming for the few that did not. These are my observation, feel free to disagree.
Instructors:
Chris Costa and Derek Ray (I am not to sure of the spelling of his name).
Chris is a great instructor. High energy and a good sense of humor. The movie quotes were killing me. Derek was the assistant instructor, he was Chris’ right hand and kept reinforcing the lessons. Both did their job well.
Day One:
The first day started a little slow as there was some confusion as to what was needed at the range. Some improvised target stands were assembled until the rest of the stands made it to the range. To me this was the only real let down, but I got over it. We started with zero check. This took a little longer than it should. Some of the students took Chris Costa’s advice and moved the optic to the front most position of the upper receiver. This strategy was to allow the shooter to pick up the dot much faster from the low ready position. Costa is a big advocate of the dot sight btw.
Side note: Only one student shot irons, he was a Sheriff’s Deputy from Maryland and could not run a dot due to State Police policy. A dot sight would mean he would need to be sniper qualified. He was a good shooter and did what he had to do to get his hits. He used Costa’s rifle for one of the drills and needless to say he sees the value of running a dot sight on his patrol rifle. I hope he can get the policy changed.
The next part of the day is the one that I got the most out of, a real breakthrough for me. Costa and Derek corrected/changed my stance and the way I held the rifle (more than once, old habits die hard). They had me hole my reaction arm above the bore and my hand further down the rail. This did not feel natural to me and 12 years of 3 gun/IPSC shooting scars were fighting some of the changes but by the afternoon I was starting to get it. By the end of the day my ability to get rounds on target at speed increased tremendously. Costa emphasized speed. Practice will tighten up the groups but getting fast hits on target by dominating the rifle was the goal of the day and I reached that goal. This was a huge step for me to make it to my next level of shooting ability. We covered a lot of ground positions, wearing my knee and elbow pads all day paid off as the range was gravel. Basic movement drills began, conga line on a steel target. The shooter shot the target (3 or 4 rounds depending on the drill) and then went muzzle down and pivoted on his rifle like a stripper on a pole then ran to the back of the line. This drove home muzzle discipline, this was built upon on the second day. We came the point in the day for dinner break an Costa put an option on the table, keep shooting and skip the night shoot as we could only shoot until 9pm (that would give us 30 of dark). Everyone one agreed, or at least no one spoke up to disagree, and we kept running drills. There was a shoot out at the end of the day, a SWAT team shooter with a trick LWRC SBR was the fastest. He won a Magpul stock (everyone got a new Magpul mag, patch and sticker). All in all a good day and my expectations were exceeded and my skill/proficiency was significantly better than the start of the day.
Day Two:
The second day started out with some accuracy/speed drills to get the day going. Costa then went over flashlight holds. This mostly consisted of using a secondary light (weapon mounted lights can fail). The positions were awkward and the ability to control the weapon was sacrificed in order to hold your light. There was a drill using your primary weapon light and your secondary firearm. This was developed in the military as the berretta did not have a way to mount a light at the time. Good skills to know. During these drills the clasp of my Troy Single Point Sling went tits up. The gate of the clasp is fabricated from a stamping and it was twisted to the point where my rifle fell free. Fortunately I had my hand on my rifle and was not doing a transition as my rifle would have hit the deck for sure! Being a good boy scout I had a spare HK style clasp in my bag and was up in running in no time, this was my only equipment issue. After lunch we began some additional movement drills and use of barricades. I continued to refine my hold and stance which now felt more natural. I understood what Costa meant by dominating the gun. The movement drills began in the afternoon with use of the barricades and positions (again, I was glad I wore elbow and knee pads the entire course). These were tough physically, mentally, and on equipment that was not sorted out. Costa lectured the group about their kit and that if they are having issues here it will only get worse in the really real world. Two point slings were the biggest issues as when the shooter went from their weapon side shoulder to their reaction shoulder they were choking themselves. Some were at this point we were visited by the local Sheriff (cute blonde girl). Costa went over and sweet talked her for 5 min and we were back in business (I think he got her phone number). The final drill of the day was a two man moving drill. Very intense and fast paced. Communication, moving, transitions, reloads, and situational awareness were all tested. We ended the day with a re-cap of all we learned and presentation of certifications.
Conclusion:
Over the past year I have done my best to break my shooting scars from 3 gun/IPSC/ and self taught. I have taken several level one rifle classes to relearn the basics. I will attend future level one classes to reinforce my basics. The foundation I built was needed by me to get the most out of this class. To me, classes teach skills that the student must then master (you cannot go to master school, you got to put your work in). I am beginning to master the AR platform rifle but I have a life time of practice in my future. I highly recommend this class and will take it again when the opportunity presents itself.
John AKA JT