Urban_Redneck
05-13-13, 13:04
Who: Sights & Trigger Firearms Training and Consulting LLC
What: Carbine I
When: 11 May, 2013 0900-1800
Where: Bethlehem, PA USA
Price: $150
Class size: 8
Estimated rounds expended: 350 Carbine, 6 pistol
Weather: 70 degrees overcast/ intermittent rain/ thunder shower
Class demographics: 5 civilians, 3 active LEO- 100% Male, 35-50+years, 1 lefty
Instructor: Joe Riedy http://www.sightsandtrigger.com/About.html
Asst Instructor: Pete (active LEO)
My best recollection of the day's events.
We began with Joe's safety brief- the four rules and how they affect/protect our fellow shooters, innocents, and ourselves. In short, you can screw up a single one of the first three rules and no gets hurt. This was followed by indicating where the med kit was located and establishing that two of the LEO students would handle coms and initial first aid if needed.
We began the class proper with a discussion of Zero, trajectory, and line of sight/ line of bore and the effect of sight height above the bore. Joe explained why uses 50y zero.
Joe demo'd prone and various kneeling positions and discussed considerations as when to use each.
We were assigned targets (IDPA silhouettes with B-8 repair centers) and proceeded to confirm zero at the 50y line. My target had no holes! My rifle had been zero'd @ 100y, I had shot it several weeks earlier- obviously I was shooting the wrong target. Joe kindly taped an X instead of a ^ (dunce cap) on the head portion of my silhouette to allay any further confusion on my part. Two or three cycles and everyone was zero'd.
Next up was another safety brief as related to training and moving with a loaded carbine and how (especially for our LEOs) the idea that you will never muzzle a friendly or yourself, is a fantasy. This was further explained by several real world stories of sympathetic reflex responses leading to unintentional perforations. “Know the condition of your weapon and keep your finger off the effin' trigger until you are ready to shoot” was the take home/tattoo inside your eyelids message. This was followed by a brief discussion and live fire example of staying in your lane/knowing what's between you and your target. Joe's safety briefs are affirming and encouraging, rather than a string admonishments.
We moved up to the 25y line for instruction on stance and grip to best control the carbine during recoil and how if you are going take a bullet... front to back is better than a raking shot through both lungs/heart. Joe would sprinkle us with these tactical/mindset nuggets throughout the day. My form sucked, Pete took on the job of getting me squared away, reminding me to tuck my elbow and get my thumb on top of the forend between strings of fire- many thanks to him.
Joe explained the decision making process/factors that go into the decision to reload an empty carbine or draw a pistol and how to work with a partner. After a brief explanation of the movements We did 2 strings of carbine to pistol transitions. I'll interject here that Joe is acutely aware of the ammo situation. Throughout the course he pointed out skills and movements that are easily and effectively practiced at home with snap caps. With this in mind, 2 reps were enough and we moved on.
IIRC, we then move back to 25y and performed the Test 10 rounds/ 10 seconds on the B8 although it wasn't mentioned at the time, 90 is passing... no one passed*.
Lunch was bring your own, eat at the range.
After lunch, we worked on reloads. Joe's explanation focused on a minimum of steps, i.e. “If you shot a bunch, there's no need to look for an empty chamber, Reload! Strong side to support side transitions were a challenge for me, Joe helped me out a ton.
Then the skies opened up thunder and hard rain sent us under cover for a hour, Joe regaled us with tales from his LE career, several of the officers present were witness to many of the incidents, most of which, left Joe bruised, bleeding, or burning (my favorite).
Next was shooting while moving forward, back, left, right. This was run as a single drill demonstrating the obvious need for smooth footwork to get good hits and the importance of recognizing good guys moving in and out of your peripheral vision.
In no particular order, we worked on clearing malfunctions/jams in particular the double feed. Joe teaches a slightly different method that is simpler and faster than I had seen before.
We concluded with several timed drills using a combo of steel and silhouettes that forced us to use the skills taught throughout the day. These included an innovative array that came to Joe in vision (he's that switched on) the night before.
Personal notes:
I bought my carbine in June 2012 and had put 300-400 rounds through it. My basis of firearm experience is as a lifelong hunter, once upon a time competitive shot gunner, and former member of the the blue steel and fine walnut side of the gun business. Prior to 2012 I had never given much thought to owning an AR type rifle, something changed early in 2012 and I took the plunge. Thanks to M4Carbine.net and my prior firearms experience, I knew enough, to know I didn't know much about running the AR efficiently and effectively- I needed training.
I had the good fortune of taking the S&T LAV Basic Pistol class last fall, so I had a solid idea about how Joe runs a class. When he finally offered a carbine class that fit into my schedule, I jumped at it. Joe smiles a lot between the moments he offers up information that may save your life, I like that. Joe has been busted up quite a bit from his career in law enforcement and his mis-adventures in DIY home repair. He groans a bit getting into- up from prone, kneeling, etc. but, he does it anyway, at speed, on a muddy range, in short, he did everything we did, he and I are of the same vintage, I appreciate this.
The class- It was obvious everyone had more AR experience than me, I like to think my little screw-ups were very personal and never effected the class as a whole. Everyone was friendly and safe. When Joe addressed the class on tactics or mindset it was never LE specific. I appreciated the several times he brought the LEOs into the discussion since by definition, their experience with loaded guns in occupied dwellings and civilian streets tower over the private citizen (me). Great guys and real pros, their municipality is lucky to have them.
Sights & Trigger is a tremendous value for your training dollar.
GEAR: BCM Mid 16 Mod 0, Aimpoint PRO, Caracal F 9mm, RKBA Kydex holster &mag pouch, DSG Kydex AR mag pouch, Tactical Tailor single 30rd mag and dump pouches, all worn on my edc 5.11 instructor belt.
Everything ran great with one large and one small exception, the mount on my PRO kept loosening in spite of my best efforts (Call into Aimpoint today), the only change I'd make is to get a TT 20rd pouch as without a Magpul it takes an extra second (bang, bang, bang, bang) to fetch the mag. I toyed with the idea of buying a chest rig or a battle belt for the class, for the moment, I'm still sorting out what my actual gear needs and budget are. Joe runs a “hot” range, (always) a loaded mag in the carbine and two on my belt were always sufficient. The smartest gear decision I made recently was the TT dump pouch it was all I needed and budget friendly.
* The S&T pistol class I attended had a walk back contest for a prize at the end of the class, I inquired to Joe about this and was informed "The contest was The Test before lunch, you all sucked!". He was right :D
What: Carbine I
When: 11 May, 2013 0900-1800
Where: Bethlehem, PA USA
Price: $150
Class size: 8
Estimated rounds expended: 350 Carbine, 6 pistol
Weather: 70 degrees overcast/ intermittent rain/ thunder shower
Class demographics: 5 civilians, 3 active LEO- 100% Male, 35-50+years, 1 lefty
Instructor: Joe Riedy http://www.sightsandtrigger.com/About.html
Asst Instructor: Pete (active LEO)
My best recollection of the day's events.
We began with Joe's safety brief- the four rules and how they affect/protect our fellow shooters, innocents, and ourselves. In short, you can screw up a single one of the first three rules and no gets hurt. This was followed by indicating where the med kit was located and establishing that two of the LEO students would handle coms and initial first aid if needed.
We began the class proper with a discussion of Zero, trajectory, and line of sight/ line of bore and the effect of sight height above the bore. Joe explained why uses 50y zero.
Joe demo'd prone and various kneeling positions and discussed considerations as when to use each.
We were assigned targets (IDPA silhouettes with B-8 repair centers) and proceeded to confirm zero at the 50y line. My target had no holes! My rifle had been zero'd @ 100y, I had shot it several weeks earlier- obviously I was shooting the wrong target. Joe kindly taped an X instead of a ^ (dunce cap) on the head portion of my silhouette to allay any further confusion on my part. Two or three cycles and everyone was zero'd.
Next up was another safety brief as related to training and moving with a loaded carbine and how (especially for our LEOs) the idea that you will never muzzle a friendly or yourself, is a fantasy. This was further explained by several real world stories of sympathetic reflex responses leading to unintentional perforations. “Know the condition of your weapon and keep your finger off the effin' trigger until you are ready to shoot” was the take home/tattoo inside your eyelids message. This was followed by a brief discussion and live fire example of staying in your lane/knowing what's between you and your target. Joe's safety briefs are affirming and encouraging, rather than a string admonishments.
We moved up to the 25y line for instruction on stance and grip to best control the carbine during recoil and how if you are going take a bullet... front to back is better than a raking shot through both lungs/heart. Joe would sprinkle us with these tactical/mindset nuggets throughout the day. My form sucked, Pete took on the job of getting me squared away, reminding me to tuck my elbow and get my thumb on top of the forend between strings of fire- many thanks to him.
Joe explained the decision making process/factors that go into the decision to reload an empty carbine or draw a pistol and how to work with a partner. After a brief explanation of the movements We did 2 strings of carbine to pistol transitions. I'll interject here that Joe is acutely aware of the ammo situation. Throughout the course he pointed out skills and movements that are easily and effectively practiced at home with snap caps. With this in mind, 2 reps were enough and we moved on.
IIRC, we then move back to 25y and performed the Test 10 rounds/ 10 seconds on the B8 although it wasn't mentioned at the time, 90 is passing... no one passed*.
Lunch was bring your own, eat at the range.
After lunch, we worked on reloads. Joe's explanation focused on a minimum of steps, i.e. “If you shot a bunch, there's no need to look for an empty chamber, Reload! Strong side to support side transitions were a challenge for me, Joe helped me out a ton.
Then the skies opened up thunder and hard rain sent us under cover for a hour, Joe regaled us with tales from his LE career, several of the officers present were witness to many of the incidents, most of which, left Joe bruised, bleeding, or burning (my favorite).
Next was shooting while moving forward, back, left, right. This was run as a single drill demonstrating the obvious need for smooth footwork to get good hits and the importance of recognizing good guys moving in and out of your peripheral vision.
In no particular order, we worked on clearing malfunctions/jams in particular the double feed. Joe teaches a slightly different method that is simpler and faster than I had seen before.
We concluded with several timed drills using a combo of steel and silhouettes that forced us to use the skills taught throughout the day. These included an innovative array that came to Joe in vision (he's that switched on) the night before.
Personal notes:
I bought my carbine in June 2012 and had put 300-400 rounds through it. My basis of firearm experience is as a lifelong hunter, once upon a time competitive shot gunner, and former member of the the blue steel and fine walnut side of the gun business. Prior to 2012 I had never given much thought to owning an AR type rifle, something changed early in 2012 and I took the plunge. Thanks to M4Carbine.net and my prior firearms experience, I knew enough, to know I didn't know much about running the AR efficiently and effectively- I needed training.
I had the good fortune of taking the S&T LAV Basic Pistol class last fall, so I had a solid idea about how Joe runs a class. When he finally offered a carbine class that fit into my schedule, I jumped at it. Joe smiles a lot between the moments he offers up information that may save your life, I like that. Joe has been busted up quite a bit from his career in law enforcement and his mis-adventures in DIY home repair. He groans a bit getting into- up from prone, kneeling, etc. but, he does it anyway, at speed, on a muddy range, in short, he did everything we did, he and I are of the same vintage, I appreciate this.
The class- It was obvious everyone had more AR experience than me, I like to think my little screw-ups were very personal and never effected the class as a whole. Everyone was friendly and safe. When Joe addressed the class on tactics or mindset it was never LE specific. I appreciated the several times he brought the LEOs into the discussion since by definition, their experience with loaded guns in occupied dwellings and civilian streets tower over the private citizen (me). Great guys and real pros, their municipality is lucky to have them.
Sights & Trigger is a tremendous value for your training dollar.
GEAR: BCM Mid 16 Mod 0, Aimpoint PRO, Caracal F 9mm, RKBA Kydex holster &mag pouch, DSG Kydex AR mag pouch, Tactical Tailor single 30rd mag and dump pouches, all worn on my edc 5.11 instructor belt.
Everything ran great with one large and one small exception, the mount on my PRO kept loosening in spite of my best efforts (Call into Aimpoint today), the only change I'd make is to get a TT 20rd pouch as without a Magpul it takes an extra second (bang, bang, bang, bang) to fetch the mag. I toyed with the idea of buying a chest rig or a battle belt for the class, for the moment, I'm still sorting out what my actual gear needs and budget are. Joe runs a “hot” range, (always) a loaded mag in the carbine and two on my belt were always sufficient. The smartest gear decision I made recently was the TT dump pouch it was all I needed and budget friendly.
* The S&T pistol class I attended had a walk back contest for a prize at the end of the class, I inquired to Joe about this and was informed "The contest was The Test before lunch, you all sucked!". He was right :D