Note: I have not yet proof read this and probably will make some updates. But I wanted to get something posted, so here's the first draft. - Mark
AAR Overview
This After Action Report is written primarily as class notes for me and my fellow class students. Hopefully, others will find information contained in this AAR informative and entertaining too.
Class: Advanced Fighting Carbine using team tactics
Instructor: Chris Costa
Dates: March 15-16, 2008
Instructor and class format
Chris Costa is the new Director of Training for Magpul Industries’ new Training Division. Chris’ background includes teaching counter terrorism and close quarters fighting tactics to law enforcement and special military groups. I’ve taken several classes with Chris over the last year or so and can honestly say he I’ve gotten more out of his classes than any classes I’ve ever taken from other instructors. He has taught tactics and techniques that I’ve never seen from other instructors.
I’ve written AARs on two previous classes with Chris to include Team Tactics and Defensive Pistol.
Let me say that good instructors push students to try things out of the comfort zone. A good instructor will also listen to the student and adapt instruction to help the student what works best for him. What works for one guy might not be the best solution for another guy. To this end Chris offers different ideas and suggestions but ultimately lets the student figure out what gear and techniques works best for them. Chris also offers constructive criticism without coming across egotistical or condescending. I’ve attended some classes that were nothing more than an ego stroke job.
Class focus and goals
This was a private class for seven students who have all had advanced weapons training. The main focuses were proficient operation of primary and secondary weapon systems under stress while maintaining effective communication with team members. Students were pushed to points of failure in order to learn how to overcome those failures.
The class incorporated low-light and no-light shooting scenarios. A large portion of the class consisted of shooting while moving and team drills.
All but one student utilized AR-15 type weapons for their primary weapon systems. One person used an AK-47 until it suffered from a broken firing pin, which ended use of that weapon for more than just the day. So, when I’m mentioning primary weapons think AR15. ;-)
The Weather and the Range
The weather on day one sucked. We only had a couple hours without rain and when I say rain, I mean severe rain with hail and tornado activity. That is the weekend a couple twisters touched down in Atlanta and did massive damage. Needless to say we didn’t get as much done day one as we’d hoped. Therefore, instead of day two (Sunday) being a shorter day, we simply made that a really long day including shooting until well past dark.
The range we used is also used for machinegun shoots. There are several steel targets available on the range. There were also several vehicles on the range that were used as targets for a recent machinegun shoot. The vehicles provide good opportunities for certain team drills. Finally, the use of explosives on the range is allowed. Some reactive exploding targets were used during some drills to add an additional stress level and distraction for students. We even had flash bangs used. ;-)
”Check!”
Chris started us off very quickly with some warm-up primary and secondary weapon drills from static positions. We did the typical shooting small groups with our weapons and all verified our zeros with optics and irons. We also shot reactionary hand (i.e. “weak” hand) only, weapon hand (i.e. “strong” hand) only, etc. Included in this were drawing with our reactionary hand only, reloading with only reactionary hand, etc. We’ve all done this previously and are pretty decent at it, so we didn’t spend too much time on these type of skills.
Chris quickly got us all in the habit of using team communication very early in the day. This set the tone for the remainder of the class. I’ve covered this in other AARs, but the idea is that if your primary weapon stops firing, regardless of reason (including just running dry) the shooter should transition to his secondary weapon and engage the targets for at least a couple rounds. At this point the shooter is back in the fight but needs to get the primary weapon back in action. We don’t want to do that unless someone can cover for us.
The way we do this is to yell out, “Check!” The shooter is continuing to engage with his secondary until some other team member gives the response of, “Okay!” The “okay” response is telling the first shooter that he is being covered. Thus, he now has time to get the primary weapon back in action. The shooter might decide it is best to first top off the secondary. Why? When you draw that secondary you need to be relatively sure it is ready to go. If you are running a low-capacity handgun, such as my favorite Ed Brown Special Forces 1911, it doesn’t take long to deplete that magazine capacity. Next time you draw that weapon it would be nice to have eight or nine rounds in the gun instead of maybe two.
So, you hear someone yell out “Check!” and you know he needs covering fire. At least one other team member should be in a position to cover that man. If you are in a position to do so, you give the “Okay!” response and take up the covering fire.
When the team member being covered is back in action he should give a “Ready!” response. That response might also be accompanied by once again engaging targets.
This becomes just one of the dynamic aspects of a Chris Costa class. Just when you think your part of the drill is finished someone is yelling “Check!” and you are right back in action. This also stresses the need to keep your weapons topped off whenever possible.
Reloading
Chris covered with us his thoughts and techniques for performing a reload with magazine retention for both primary and secondary weapons. You should get in the habit of always grabbing magazines in a specific order. Typically, you are grabbing the closest magazine when performing a reload under stress. Your reloads with retention are typically performed when you have a lull in the action and you have time to perform the reload. Therefore, it is good practice to get the fresh magazine from the back of your magazine supply and not your closest magazines. Leave those closer magazines for the reloads where you are in more of a hurry.
Another good point is to never put the partially full magazine back in the supply of fresh magazines. If you do so, when you need a fresh magazine under a stressful reload you might be grabbing a magazine with only a few rounds remaining. Use of a drop-pouch or cargo pocket is recommended for partially full magazines.
Finally, where should the reload take place? Chris advocated high up in front of the shooter’s face, which he calls “the work space”. This places the weapon’s magazine well in front of the shooter’s face. This allows the shooter to not only better see the magazine area during the reload but helps the shooter also keep the threat in view.
Chamber Check
One important part of the primary weapon reload that Chris preaches is the chamber check. Don’t just assume the primary has run empty. When reloading the primary weapon you should roll the weapon to the side, look into the chamber to make sure we aren’t having some other problem like a double-feed or other jam. If the weapon is empty and the bolt is locked back, you can quickly flip the weapon which often results in the empty magazine ejecting from the weapon. This can make a reload a lot faster.
Lateral and Diagonal movement
It didn’t take us long to go from our static positions into performing lateral movement while engaging multiple targets. During these drills we incorporate everything we’ve been practicing thus far including our “Check” commands, reload with retention, reloading in our workspace, etc. Once the moving drills started we quickly incorporated other verbal commands into our habits. Just like the “Check” request for assistance, before moving we issue a “Moving” request which should be followed with a “Move!” response when it is safe to move. The command request could be followed with a direction, such as “Moving forward” or “Moving right”.
After lateral movement Chris has us setup barrels in a line diagonal to the target row. At the end of the barrels is a steel target. Cardboard targets on the main target row are numbered on the head. The shooter starts walking the line diagonal to the main row of targets. The shooter is engaging the steel target until Chris calls out a target number, round count and shot placement. For example, Chris might call out “Four; three to the body one to the head.” On this command the shooter engages that particular target with the appropriate shot count and placement. If the shooter can make the shots while moving, he should. Sometimes the shooter might need to stop, square up to the target and get the hits. If the shooter stops for his hits or for a reload, before moving he issues the proper command request. Chris will give the okay to the shooter.
Me posting up to get hits on the diagonal line:
Remember, when the primary goes down you are transitioning and then asking for cover to get the primary back in action. If necessary top off the secondary with retention reload then check the primary’s chamber, reload and press on.
I enjoy how Chris finds ways to make his drills dynamic. He is able to push every student to his own “melt down” point. Other classes I’ve attended were dumbed down to the point of feeling disorganized or just boring. Not so with a Costa class.
Training Scars
Chris pushes students to their individual limits. He is trying to push the student to a failure point so we can all learn from the experience. If you are walking away from a training class and you haven’t made mistakes, you aren’t training hard enough. Several of us had some training scars for sure. Is it a kick to the ego when it happens? It sure can be. But the important thing is to park the ego and learn from the mistake so hopefully we can avoid making the same or similar mistakes in the future.
The first training scar for me came early on day one. I was trying a new Safariland 6004 holster to see if positioning the handgun slightly lower would help me draw the weapon easier to clear my chest rig. Well, it didn’t. I quickly found I was slower drawing from the new holster just because it was new to me. It didn’t hurt anything or slow down the class, but I sure struggled with that holster. I went back to my Safariland belt-slide holster and performed transitions a lot better.
Well, that might not have been much of a scar, but the next lesson learned sure was. Embarrassing to admit, but while running the aforementioned “diagonal” moving drill at one point I performed a reload with retention on my primary weapon. Guess who didn’t seat the mag properly? Talk about a remedial error too. I was running the drill hard and fast getting good hits. Everything was smooth. Well, it was smooth up to the point where I not only didn’t seat the mag, but the darn thing fell out of the weapon and I didn’t even notice. Chris sure noticed, but kept quiet about it. Chris calls out a target and I take one shot then the gun stops running. At least I quickly transitioned to secondary as some saving grace. Embarrassing lesson learned. Later in the class I saw some guys tugging on magazines after a reload, so in the end we all learned from my mistake.
And a picture of my worst training scar. Notice no mag in the AR. Doh! At least I transitioned and I’m big enough to post a picture of this mistake for all the world to see. Hell, why not? It’s on video!! LOL.
Another guy had a double-feed but thought he had simply gone dry. So, he reloaded but failed to check the chamber. When the reload didn’t get the gun working he fumbled with the charging handle, slapped the mag to make sure it was seated, etc. It took several seconds before he thought to check the chamber. Chris pushed the guy to a stressful level where he had a failure. We all reached those points during the class and we all learned from them. These are our training scars.
Barricade Drills
We setup barricades at 25, 50 and 75-yards. The barricades were setup in a line diagonal to the main target row much like the earlier diagonal line with the barrels. There was maybe 20 yards between each barricade. In front of each barricade on the main target row were two steel targets. In this drill teammates would engage the targets from behind the cover of the barricade. One of the team members would give a “Moving” request and when the other team member could provide cover, he’d give the “Move” command. The team is basically peeling to the next barricade position. Once a team member has taken up position on the next barricade and starts engaging the next series of targets, the second team member makes his move under his teammate’s covering fire to join the team member at the next barricade.
Chris working one side of the 25-yard barricade:
Chris peeling:
Chris getting ready to toss a surprise behind new-arguy:
This drill incorporates all the techniques including:
>”Check” – “Okay” covering requests
>”Moving” – “Move” communication
>Reloads with retention for primary and secondary weapon
>Chamber check
>Emergency reloads
>Secondary weapon transition
>Proper use of cover
>Reloading on the move
>Reloading in your “workspace”
>High ready position
>Low ready position
>Shooting from various positions
>Situational awareness
>Muzzle discipline
During one of these drills Chris even tossed flash bangs just to add an additional level of stress and surprise to the situation.
There was one point during a team’s running of this drill where the teammates had just gotten to the last barricade at the 75-yard line. One of the team members had a jam that could not be cleared without taking the weapon apart, so he was engaging the steel targets, very well I might add, with his Glock 19. When the second teammate got to the barricade his primary weapon ran dry. He did what we’d been doing all day, which was transition to secondary and called “Check”. When the drill was over I questioned whether or not the guy should have just skipped the whole “Check” drill and got his primary back in action. My reasoning was that in that situation one guy is already down to only a pistol and the targets are at 75-yards. Wouldn’t it be better to get the only rifle back in action as fast as possible?
We all discussed different opinions and decided it was the user’s preference. To give the guy credit he was getting great hits at 75-yards with his Beretta pistol. His thought was he can absolutely get the pistol into action faster than the AR. I have to admit he was fast and accurate.
My point to this is that Chris and everyone in the class had an open mind and we all discussed techniques and mindset after every drill. Chris isn’t a closed-minded instructor. He actually was asking us after drills why we did things they way we did. He makes the student think and is also looking to learn from the class. These discussion sessions didn’t feel like a student asking a teacher for the one correct answer. With Chris you just get open dialog so together you can figure out the best solution for each individual in each unique situation.
As said earlier, Chris likes to push people out of the comfort zone. Here I’m running the barricade drills from my left side (I’m a right-handed shooter). Chris wanted me to not take off the sling but see if I could make my three-point sling work this way. It was very uncomfortable, but I was able to do it. Made me think about how I have my slings setup. Doubt I’ll change, but it was nice to try something different.
Vehicle Drills
We ran drills around the range vehicles. These were team drills that brought everything we’d learned and practiced together much like the barricade drills. However, there were multiple targets all around the vehicles. The team members had to “leap frog” down the line of vehicles using cover, concealment, communication, etc. while neutralizing all the targets. Many targets were engaged on the move as well. Chris spiced things up by placing some explosive reactionary targets on some of the cardboard targets. Every now and then someone would hit the small charge and the target would explode. Really raised the stress and surprise factor, but in a good way.
Pictures (courtesy of chromeluv!) from one of the vehicle runs with me and Allen-PSI:
Low/No Light Drills
We ended Sunday with low-light and then no-light shooting drills. We took our cans off to see the difference with muzzle blast without use of the suppressor. Suffice to say a quality flash suppressor is an essential piece of kit and a quality silencer certainly acts as a great flash suppressor too.
Chris had us run drills using weapon mounted lights on our primary weapons. We would illuminate, engage, and then kill the light. We also tried techniques for using our primary weapon’s mounted lights in our support hand while engaging targets with our strong hand only. I was surprised how well this worked.
I do not run a weapon-mounted light on my secondary weapon. I am used to running the weapon with a small SureFire light (like an E2e). I hold the light by the bezel with my thumb and index finger. My remaining three fingers wrap around the pistol like my normal grip and I can push the tail cap into the palm of my weapon hand pretty easily for momentary light. This still gives me a strong grip won the gun with my support hand and the light rides close to the weapon.
Equipment and failures
One the secondary weapons one guy had a Beretta 92, two used G19s and the rest of us had 1911s. My Ed Brown Special Forces never skipped a beat.
Round count varied for us all, but I went through about 1500 rounds of rifle ammo and about another 400-500 of .45 ACP. I shot a mix of Georgia Arms and S&B 5.56 ammo. At one point I press checked my AR following a drill and when I let go of the charging handle the bolt wouldn’t seat. It was a GA Arms round and the bullet was stuck in the chamber. I needed a cleaning rod to beat the round out. This was not a squib. The bullet popped out of the case when the round entered the chamber. I ended up with a nice mess of powder all through my receiver. Would this have been a problem if I hadn’t press checked but rather just fired the round? Who knows? Probably not. We inspected some of the remaining GA Arms .223 ammo and found several not crimped well (or at all). I shot only GA Arms .45 ammo without problems.
My chamber:
One guy had an AK break the firing pin. No more AK for the class.
Most guys were running a silencer on their primary weapons. Cans used were three AAC SPR/M4s, M4-2000 mod ’07, KAC NT4, and an Ops Inc 15th Model. The use of a silencer made team communication much easier for me and many other guys felt so too.
Chris’ classes
Look for Chris Costa MagPul classes at a range near you! My company has already hosted a couple classes and everyone has been VERY happy with the results. Chris is an instructor like no other.
Closing thoughts
I write these AARs for myself and my classmates, but obviously publish them because I think they might be of interests to other serious students and instructors. If you have any questions, comments or suggestions, please feel free to shoot me an e-mail or phone call.
Mark
copyright 2008; Polite Society, Inc.
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