Closing Port Door

[BCmJUnKie]

Mr. Falla,

I noticed in your videos, running drills/Transitions, that you immediatley close the ejection port door.

I was wondering if you could give some detail to this and how you made it habit like that.

I realize that keeping the BCG free of dirt and dust is important.

Im curious how you picked it up.

Thank you

[Jason Falla]

When I was trained on the M16 going through my Commando training we were always taught to return the ejection port cover to its closed position. The weapons instructors would always let you know if you failed to close it!

It was part of the stages of learning during initial instruction with this weapon and all other weapons that have an ejection port cover; M249, M240/Mag 58.

In my own training now with RB1 part of my verbiage on the range when teaching is this:

"Scan, assess, systems check, safety catch and dust cover." I constantly beat it into you on the line until you remember to close it! It may be a small thing, but it's the 1%ers that make the difference between good and great!

[sboza]

Sir,

Do you train the system check, safety catch, and dust cover post engagement in an interior cqb environment?

Thank you for your time.

[Jason Falla]

CQB is a completely different animal. Sometimes what works in open warfare on the battle field does not translate to internal room combat. Mostly due to the close proximity to the enemy, the amount of information that needs to be processed within the stronghold and lack of time associated with the clearance.

In a CQB environment we must rely on the fact the our weapons function reliably. When the weapon stops for whatever reason we hardwire students to immediately transition to the secondary weapon.

We teach CQB as an advanced skill set. By the time a student is ready for CQB he is able to adapt quickly to new environments and techniques.

Because of the amount of situational awareness required to maintain security within the stronghold, we forgo the systems check and closing of the ejection port cover. After the room is clear and assault team members are covering up on the next threat, there may be an opportunity to complete a systems check as you are forming the stack.

If your not up front covering up on a door or down back providing rear security you are always looking to be proactive and fill any voids, there is always time to take a quick peek at the ejection port opening.

Just remember that conditions within the stronghold may vary. It may be pitch black, gas filled, smoke filled etc all of these factors may affect the ability of conducting a systems check.