We did out first ever Colorado class at Pueblo West on 19-21May 2007. This was an open enrollment class and had what is almost normal for these classes in population. Almost, because one of the students was a guy who I came in the Marine Corps with and was with in RVN. I hadn’t seen him in over 41 years…..
There were a number of others in that class that I haven’t seen in a while, and it was nice to be able to train with them again.
I’ve changed planes in Denver before, but this was my first time in CO and the geography was breathtaking (as was the WX…)
The Pueblo West Sportsmen’s Range was very much an oasis in a sea of liberal nonsense, and a great place to shoot.
As always, most people can shoot- that is a relatively simple task. The problems arrive when we stroll into fighting with a gun. Poor reloads, insufficient or poorly defined malfunction clearances and failing to transition to a workable secondary weapon are all things that have to be overcome when developing a combat mindset.
Fortunately, most who take the time to receive adult education will come to understand this, and repetitive drills will build the required skill sets.
It only takes one or two guns that are poor performers to slow a class down. Having a spare gun/ spare BCG would go a long way to keeping things on track, but starting with a good gun would be a lot better.
I continue to be unimpressed with the PRI charging handle. While useful for running a can, they are more difficult to use then the Badger Tac Latch and to add insult to injury, I broke two on this swing- one at Memphis and one here at Pueblo (both involved the role pins breaking- grrrrrr).
Bad magazines are the nemesis of students, and this class was no exception. Magazines wear, feed lips spread, and manufacturers are subject to the law of averages.
Ammunition problems likewise continue, with popped primers (indicative of pressure problems as well as bad cases) plagued some. There is no easy answer to this, and it is likely to get worse before it gets better.
Cheap optics produce cheap results. In one case this was a test to see if an off brand tubular red dot would hold up. It worked until the morning of TD2, when it failed big time.
The Ned Christiansen MOACKS tool continues to earn its keep. One RRA gun had an obvious gas problem and the bolt key was the obvious culprit. We staked a total of 3 bolts that had no/ insufficient stakes.
Another bolt was found to have a crack at the cam pin hole, but prior to suffering a catastrophic failure. FWIW, this was not a bolt that had been MPI’d. Cutting corners on some things may be only penny wise.
Many thanks to Mike Hueser and Josh for keeping the class running and maintaining guns.
Kudos to Jeff Carpenter for getting this class off the ground, and to the board and members of The Pueblo West Sportsmen’s Club for their hospitality and use of their terrific facility. There are few clubs that allow realistic training to take place, catering instead to hobby shooters and hunters. The fact that all can coexist is a tribute to the board- Thanks guys!!
Also thanks to CamelBak, Viking Tactics, Larue Tactical and TangoDown for their continued support!
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