Harv
05-16-08, 21:31
Well… it’s that time of year… time for my annual 3 day Carbine class with Pat… This year I decided to write down info at the end of each day so I would remember more details. This year’s class I got to try out a bunch of new gear that I was lucky enough to get from various manufactures’ to try out. I will make sure they get full credit for it and a good evaluation on how it worked.
Let’s start with my gear selection.
I ran the first day with my trusty 1st line belt set up (See Pic) with the following gear on it.
ICE tactical padded belt with BHG 2.5” enhanced GI pistol belt
2 Eagle FB Kydex M4 mag pouches
1 dual Tactical Tailor Kydex pistol mag pouch.
Modified 6004 high ride holster
CSM dump Pouch
Small Emdom Baby shingle (Holds 1 battle dressing, 1 Leatherman and one small bottle of lube)
With this rig I use a stand alone camel back along with my Sordin Supreme head sets (with Gel seals. Highly recommended for sound quality, durability and comfort)
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v494/harv24/IMG_1768.jpg
My second rig is a SOTech Callahan plate carrier. This runs with a Paraclete quad pistol mag pouch and an old beater up right utility pouch from Black Hawk. A Eagle Admin Pouch (1 battle dressing, 1 Swiss tool, 1 bottle of lube and a G-2 light along with a small Gerber Infinity LED red light, a Sharpie and a pen.) and a Black Hawk Hydration pouch with a Camelbak 100oz Storm.
Rifle
I normally run a 14.5” BCM Upper with a LMT lower, but this year I had an opportunity to run one of Pats LWRC gas piston guns. (See Pic)
It’s a LWRC 10.5 “upper with a Aimpoint T-1 /Larue mount.
The lower is a Magpul Industries Lower with a UBR stock. Pat had a VTAC sling and a Badger Tac latch on it. Since I hate the Badger Tac latch I swapped out the CH with the one of my gun that has a PRI Tac latch.
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v494/harv24/IMG_1963.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v494/harv24/IMG_1964.jpg
Thanks to Jason from JT industries, who was so generous and sent me a whole boat load of his slings to try (including his new GS-2P, and ASP slings) I replaced the VTAC sling with the GS-2P so I could run that for the entire course.
Pistol
My boringly reliable Glock G17. It goes bang every time and puts the bullet exactly where I point it…..Yawn….
Magazines
I normally run my standard GI Spec Aluminum mags with Magpul followers and green GI followers. (All numbered and with Gen 1 Magpulls)
Thanks to Scott V from Lancer Systems who sent me a pair of there new L-2 Clear 30 rd mags on his own dime and all he asked in return was to fill out a eval sheet he sent me so they could gather data on them. I marked them and topped them off in prep for day 1.
DAY 1 this was a small class with 14 students. Most all were LEO (I’m pretty sure everyone but me and 1 or two other shooters) the majority were all pretty experienced shooters with several SWAT team members. Just about everyone was running an AR system with the exception of a SIG 550. After Pat’s usual block of instruction which is very detailed and goes thru a lot of material to include terminology, different shooting positions, types of sighting systems, types of slings and magazines and an explanation behind why certain pieces of equipment work better then others and why different techniques are more viable then others, we “Kitted up” and proceeded to verify a 50 yd zero.
Pat is a big proponent of the 50/200 yd zero and explains that the AR platform really shines at 100 meters and closer, but that with proper training, can reach out further. He also explained that in the OIF operations the average engagement distance was less then 35 meters with shots at 3 meters!!! While in OEF operations, due to the terrain and lack of built up areas, the average engagement distance was 200 Meters.
I am a big fan of the 50 yd zero as well and have been using it for years. When I was employed by Uncle Sugar back in the day, I had to use the 25 meter zero, and it is still a viable zero, but I like the 50 yd much better and like the fact that my bullet trajectory is within 2.5” of my POA out past 200 yds, which for me allows good hits out to 300 meters with a 4MOA red dot…Close enough for .Gov work in my book.
After zeros were completed, we applied the lesson of offset. Since the line of the bore and the line of the sights (Irons or Red dot) is about 2.5”) if your aim center mass of a head target at 2-5 meters, you will hit low (Think Jaw instead of brain housing group) so to compensate for this offset, you aim approx 2.5” high. Now Offset only becomes crucial at about 15 meters and closer. At around 25 yds and farther, you are good to go and aiming POA is POI. Some folks make a big deal over offset, my own view; it’s not cold fusion…. You learn about it, and you apply it when needed. Simple stuff, once you engage your brain and practice it a few times.
During this drill, we also learn about trigger reset. Trigger manipulation is one of the biggest secrets to accuracy. Being able to aim, press the trigger and then easing the trigger to reset the sear, to make the next shot is critical and minimizes your disruption of the aiming process. If a shooter worked on nothing else, working on trigger manipulation would improve there accuracy 10 fold.
After this drill we shot from the various positions. Standing(fastest position but the least accurate) and Prone (The most stable of all positions, but also the slowest to get in and out of) and several different kneeling (Braced kneeling and speed kneeling and the “Monica” (which is quick to get in and out of). We also practiced reloading (Both tactical and speed) the different techniques that are out there, the pro’s and cons of each and when is a good time to reload (Loaded guns always work better then empty ones)
We then discussed the different classification of Malfunctions that cause a stoppage (Defined as an interruption in the firing sequence) and the techniques used to clear them. Jam is a term that is used quite a bit to describe a malfunction. Jam is good on toast or a bagel, but is poor terminology that does not accurately describe what the malfunction is.
Pat explained the Type 1 and 2 malfunctions along with the Type 3 and finished with the Type “Ate” and demonstrated solid techniques to apply both immediate and remedial action on the guns to get them back in the fight. We practiced those until we had a good mastery of them and moved on to a drill that required firing 5 rds from standing, then speed reload with 5 rds fired from kneeling with a speed reload and then finishing with 5 rds from prone. All hits need to be center mass (Inside an 8” circle at 50 yds.) He calls it the Modified Navy Qual. I thought it was an excellent drill that really works your manipulation and reloading skills in all of the most common shooting positions.
After that we concluded with the training for Day 1.
Day 2
We started out verifying our zeros. This calls for firing 5 shots slow fire prone at 50 yards at the head of the target. After that he would run us thru a warm up drill. 2 rds standing, two rds kneeling from 50 yds. Next we worked on facing drills (turning from the left and right to engage targets and shooting on the move. Shooting on the move is a difficult skill to master as a lot of shooters found out. This is a skill I plan to work on using my .22 Ceiner kit on my AR during my practice sessions.
After that we worked on transitions. Pat is continually updating and modifying his TTP’s (Tactics, techniques & procedures) based on real world experience and one of the changes was the distance in pistol transitions. The rule of thumb generally was that if you had a rifle malfunction at 25 yds or closer, the standard SOP was to transition to pistol. But his observation have shown that a lot of shooters for what ever reason can’t hit shit with a pistol at 25 yds, so he has modified that distance to 15 yds and closer as a general rule. (Note, general rule and not 15.0 yds plus or minus 5inches). Outside of that range the shooters should Push/pull, rack Roll to clear the malfunction and get the gun back in the fight. This finished up Day two.
Day 3
Always start with a zero confirmation at 50 yds (5 rds slow fire prone to the head) and a warm up drill. From there Pat and Mike would run us thru various drills that incorporate all the lesson learned up to that point. Failure drills (Two rds center mass, one head) both stationary and on the move. NSR’s (Non standard response, No less then 7 rds as fast as you can get them in a 8” circle. We also ran thru the Modified Navy Qual Drill, twice as a group and then individually (with a shot timer). We also ran thru a Modified MEUSOC qualification course as well. After that we ran a serious of drills that started out at 50 yds and ends at 3 yds, these drills included every technique that was taught. At the end of the day the rd count on this course was just over 1500 rds. And I can tell you this was no blast fest. Each rd had a purpose and a teaching point and only went where YOU put it. If it wound up some where out, it was because of YOU. As Pat say’s “Repetition is the mother of all skill”
Equipment issues.
I saw very few gear problems other then the normal guys fighting with the gear lay out. Not having a “go to” mag pouch. Having to many pouches or poor placement. Gear placement is an ongoing and always evolving process.
LWRC 10.5” Gas Piston gun:
This was one of three T & E guns Pat is running in classes to get a good rd count on it.
I liked it a lot; it was way more accurate then I and was very reliable. I squirted a few drops of lube in the morning and at lunch and the gun ran like a charm for 3 days and over 1500 rds. Not one malfunction.. Zero.Zip..Nada. The UBR stock was nice, but heavy. It balanced this shorter gun well. This gun also had a Magpul lower on it. Pretty nice but to be honest, it was just another lower.
Everything worked on it like it should. One feature which some may like is the bolt release lever on the right side just above the mag release. I think it’s to close to the mag release and every time I tried to use it I felt like I was going to drop a mag I just inserted instead of releasing the bolt. I have way to many years using the standard bolt release with my palm. As far as I’m concerned, this is a feature I will never use. The release is to close to the mag release and makes it to easy to in advertently hit the mag release. The flared mag well is a nice touch.
Lancer Mags:
I ran these mags pretty hard. They were used in just about every drill and dropped on to a concrete and gravel deck. These two mags probably saw about 500 rds thru them with out one hiccup. A few times they accumulated a bit of dust/dirt in them and the follower would nose dive a little, but no malfunctions occurred. Due to the ring around the mag, these do not fit in Eagle FB open top Kydex Pouches or similar type pouches. I may take a dremel and grind them off, but wanted to leave them stock for the class.
I do think these mags need a Magpul type follower in them as the potential for rds to nose dive is there. But overall they worked well and I will continue to use them.
JTSystems GS-2P two point sling: This sling worked quite well. The softer material was much easier on my neck then the normal VCAS sling I use. The adjustment system worked well and the loop with the nylon D ring on the end did not get hung up on my gear as I had anticipated. There was more then enough adjustment and if you’re looking for a good 2-point sling that won’t cost an arm and a leg, I can recommend this sling. Nice piece of kit.
Aimpoint T-1: I had a chance to run this optic on Pat’s T & E gun and let me tell you… I cannot say enough good shit about this sight. It’s a 4MOA dot (actually about 3.7 or 3.8MOA) and sits on a LaRue mount. This thing works very well. The dot was crisp. The rotary on/off/intensity dial is not gonna get bumped or move out of position unless you move it and it’s like not having a RDS on your gun at all. I will be getting one of these sights. There is no down side to this optic and in my opinion makes the bigger M3 and M-4 obsolete. With a 5 yr battery life and a LaRue mount that gives a lower 1/3 Co Witness, it’s an excellent set up. Aimpoint really hit a home run with this one.
I also got to shoot with Paul B (Popeye) Owner of Bravo Company USA. What can I say, he’s a great guy and a great shooter and should be your go to guy for all things AR related. He goes out of his way to help out his fellow shooters and is generous to a fault.
And also thanks to Pat K and the crew at the Dane County SO. Great bunch of guys and good, hard solid shooters. I had to let Pat K beat me in the Navy Qual so he could feel better about himself, it’s the least I could do…
And as always thanks to Pat and his AI Mike (One of the best instructors you’ve never heard of) who were in top form to keep me on track and I always come away with something new and I always walk away thinking. ”Man, I need more work on this”
And in closing, let me add a little safety tip… don’t use a knife for a screwdriver… they don’t work that good.
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v494/harv24/IMG_1977.jpg
Let’s start with my gear selection.
I ran the first day with my trusty 1st line belt set up (See Pic) with the following gear on it.
ICE tactical padded belt with BHG 2.5” enhanced GI pistol belt
2 Eagle FB Kydex M4 mag pouches
1 dual Tactical Tailor Kydex pistol mag pouch.
Modified 6004 high ride holster
CSM dump Pouch
Small Emdom Baby shingle (Holds 1 battle dressing, 1 Leatherman and one small bottle of lube)
With this rig I use a stand alone camel back along with my Sordin Supreme head sets (with Gel seals. Highly recommended for sound quality, durability and comfort)
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v494/harv24/IMG_1768.jpg
My second rig is a SOTech Callahan plate carrier. This runs with a Paraclete quad pistol mag pouch and an old beater up right utility pouch from Black Hawk. A Eagle Admin Pouch (1 battle dressing, 1 Swiss tool, 1 bottle of lube and a G-2 light along with a small Gerber Infinity LED red light, a Sharpie and a pen.) and a Black Hawk Hydration pouch with a Camelbak 100oz Storm.
Rifle
I normally run a 14.5” BCM Upper with a LMT lower, but this year I had an opportunity to run one of Pats LWRC gas piston guns. (See Pic)
It’s a LWRC 10.5 “upper with a Aimpoint T-1 /Larue mount.
The lower is a Magpul Industries Lower with a UBR stock. Pat had a VTAC sling and a Badger Tac latch on it. Since I hate the Badger Tac latch I swapped out the CH with the one of my gun that has a PRI Tac latch.
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v494/harv24/IMG_1963.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v494/harv24/IMG_1964.jpg
Thanks to Jason from JT industries, who was so generous and sent me a whole boat load of his slings to try (including his new GS-2P, and ASP slings) I replaced the VTAC sling with the GS-2P so I could run that for the entire course.
Pistol
My boringly reliable Glock G17. It goes bang every time and puts the bullet exactly where I point it…..Yawn….
Magazines
I normally run my standard GI Spec Aluminum mags with Magpul followers and green GI followers. (All numbered and with Gen 1 Magpulls)
Thanks to Scott V from Lancer Systems who sent me a pair of there new L-2 Clear 30 rd mags on his own dime and all he asked in return was to fill out a eval sheet he sent me so they could gather data on them. I marked them and topped them off in prep for day 1.
DAY 1 this was a small class with 14 students. Most all were LEO (I’m pretty sure everyone but me and 1 or two other shooters) the majority were all pretty experienced shooters with several SWAT team members. Just about everyone was running an AR system with the exception of a SIG 550. After Pat’s usual block of instruction which is very detailed and goes thru a lot of material to include terminology, different shooting positions, types of sighting systems, types of slings and magazines and an explanation behind why certain pieces of equipment work better then others and why different techniques are more viable then others, we “Kitted up” and proceeded to verify a 50 yd zero.
Pat is a big proponent of the 50/200 yd zero and explains that the AR platform really shines at 100 meters and closer, but that with proper training, can reach out further. He also explained that in the OIF operations the average engagement distance was less then 35 meters with shots at 3 meters!!! While in OEF operations, due to the terrain and lack of built up areas, the average engagement distance was 200 Meters.
I am a big fan of the 50 yd zero as well and have been using it for years. When I was employed by Uncle Sugar back in the day, I had to use the 25 meter zero, and it is still a viable zero, but I like the 50 yd much better and like the fact that my bullet trajectory is within 2.5” of my POA out past 200 yds, which for me allows good hits out to 300 meters with a 4MOA red dot…Close enough for .Gov work in my book.
After zeros were completed, we applied the lesson of offset. Since the line of the bore and the line of the sights (Irons or Red dot) is about 2.5”) if your aim center mass of a head target at 2-5 meters, you will hit low (Think Jaw instead of brain housing group) so to compensate for this offset, you aim approx 2.5” high. Now Offset only becomes crucial at about 15 meters and closer. At around 25 yds and farther, you are good to go and aiming POA is POI. Some folks make a big deal over offset, my own view; it’s not cold fusion…. You learn about it, and you apply it when needed. Simple stuff, once you engage your brain and practice it a few times.
During this drill, we also learn about trigger reset. Trigger manipulation is one of the biggest secrets to accuracy. Being able to aim, press the trigger and then easing the trigger to reset the sear, to make the next shot is critical and minimizes your disruption of the aiming process. If a shooter worked on nothing else, working on trigger manipulation would improve there accuracy 10 fold.
After this drill we shot from the various positions. Standing(fastest position but the least accurate) and Prone (The most stable of all positions, but also the slowest to get in and out of) and several different kneeling (Braced kneeling and speed kneeling and the “Monica” (which is quick to get in and out of). We also practiced reloading (Both tactical and speed) the different techniques that are out there, the pro’s and cons of each and when is a good time to reload (Loaded guns always work better then empty ones)
We then discussed the different classification of Malfunctions that cause a stoppage (Defined as an interruption in the firing sequence) and the techniques used to clear them. Jam is a term that is used quite a bit to describe a malfunction. Jam is good on toast or a bagel, but is poor terminology that does not accurately describe what the malfunction is.
Pat explained the Type 1 and 2 malfunctions along with the Type 3 and finished with the Type “Ate” and demonstrated solid techniques to apply both immediate and remedial action on the guns to get them back in the fight. We practiced those until we had a good mastery of them and moved on to a drill that required firing 5 rds from standing, then speed reload with 5 rds fired from kneeling with a speed reload and then finishing with 5 rds from prone. All hits need to be center mass (Inside an 8” circle at 50 yds.) He calls it the Modified Navy Qual. I thought it was an excellent drill that really works your manipulation and reloading skills in all of the most common shooting positions.
After that we concluded with the training for Day 1.
Day 2
We started out verifying our zeros. This calls for firing 5 shots slow fire prone at 50 yards at the head of the target. After that he would run us thru a warm up drill. 2 rds standing, two rds kneeling from 50 yds. Next we worked on facing drills (turning from the left and right to engage targets and shooting on the move. Shooting on the move is a difficult skill to master as a lot of shooters found out. This is a skill I plan to work on using my .22 Ceiner kit on my AR during my practice sessions.
After that we worked on transitions. Pat is continually updating and modifying his TTP’s (Tactics, techniques & procedures) based on real world experience and one of the changes was the distance in pistol transitions. The rule of thumb generally was that if you had a rifle malfunction at 25 yds or closer, the standard SOP was to transition to pistol. But his observation have shown that a lot of shooters for what ever reason can’t hit shit with a pistol at 25 yds, so he has modified that distance to 15 yds and closer as a general rule. (Note, general rule and not 15.0 yds plus or minus 5inches). Outside of that range the shooters should Push/pull, rack Roll to clear the malfunction and get the gun back in the fight. This finished up Day two.
Day 3
Always start with a zero confirmation at 50 yds (5 rds slow fire prone to the head) and a warm up drill. From there Pat and Mike would run us thru various drills that incorporate all the lesson learned up to that point. Failure drills (Two rds center mass, one head) both stationary and on the move. NSR’s (Non standard response, No less then 7 rds as fast as you can get them in a 8” circle. We also ran thru the Modified Navy Qual Drill, twice as a group and then individually (with a shot timer). We also ran thru a Modified MEUSOC qualification course as well. After that we ran a serious of drills that started out at 50 yds and ends at 3 yds, these drills included every technique that was taught. At the end of the day the rd count on this course was just over 1500 rds. And I can tell you this was no blast fest. Each rd had a purpose and a teaching point and only went where YOU put it. If it wound up some where out, it was because of YOU. As Pat say’s “Repetition is the mother of all skill”
Equipment issues.
I saw very few gear problems other then the normal guys fighting with the gear lay out. Not having a “go to” mag pouch. Having to many pouches or poor placement. Gear placement is an ongoing and always evolving process.
LWRC 10.5” Gas Piston gun:
This was one of three T & E guns Pat is running in classes to get a good rd count on it.
I liked it a lot; it was way more accurate then I and was very reliable. I squirted a few drops of lube in the morning and at lunch and the gun ran like a charm for 3 days and over 1500 rds. Not one malfunction.. Zero.Zip..Nada. The UBR stock was nice, but heavy. It balanced this shorter gun well. This gun also had a Magpul lower on it. Pretty nice but to be honest, it was just another lower.
Everything worked on it like it should. One feature which some may like is the bolt release lever on the right side just above the mag release. I think it’s to close to the mag release and every time I tried to use it I felt like I was going to drop a mag I just inserted instead of releasing the bolt. I have way to many years using the standard bolt release with my palm. As far as I’m concerned, this is a feature I will never use. The release is to close to the mag release and makes it to easy to in advertently hit the mag release. The flared mag well is a nice touch.
Lancer Mags:
I ran these mags pretty hard. They were used in just about every drill and dropped on to a concrete and gravel deck. These two mags probably saw about 500 rds thru them with out one hiccup. A few times they accumulated a bit of dust/dirt in them and the follower would nose dive a little, but no malfunctions occurred. Due to the ring around the mag, these do not fit in Eagle FB open top Kydex Pouches or similar type pouches. I may take a dremel and grind them off, but wanted to leave them stock for the class.
I do think these mags need a Magpul type follower in them as the potential for rds to nose dive is there. But overall they worked well and I will continue to use them.
JTSystems GS-2P two point sling: This sling worked quite well. The softer material was much easier on my neck then the normal VCAS sling I use. The adjustment system worked well and the loop with the nylon D ring on the end did not get hung up on my gear as I had anticipated. There was more then enough adjustment and if you’re looking for a good 2-point sling that won’t cost an arm and a leg, I can recommend this sling. Nice piece of kit.
Aimpoint T-1: I had a chance to run this optic on Pat’s T & E gun and let me tell you… I cannot say enough good shit about this sight. It’s a 4MOA dot (actually about 3.7 or 3.8MOA) and sits on a LaRue mount. This thing works very well. The dot was crisp. The rotary on/off/intensity dial is not gonna get bumped or move out of position unless you move it and it’s like not having a RDS on your gun at all. I will be getting one of these sights. There is no down side to this optic and in my opinion makes the bigger M3 and M-4 obsolete. With a 5 yr battery life and a LaRue mount that gives a lower 1/3 Co Witness, it’s an excellent set up. Aimpoint really hit a home run with this one.
I also got to shoot with Paul B (Popeye) Owner of Bravo Company USA. What can I say, he’s a great guy and a great shooter and should be your go to guy for all things AR related. He goes out of his way to help out his fellow shooters and is generous to a fault.
And also thanks to Pat K and the crew at the Dane County SO. Great bunch of guys and good, hard solid shooters. I had to let Pat K beat me in the Navy Qual so he could feel better about himself, it’s the least I could do…
And as always thanks to Pat and his AI Mike (One of the best instructors you’ve never heard of) who were in top form to keep me on track and I always come away with something new and I always walk away thinking. ”Man, I need more work on this”
And in closing, let me add a little safety tip… don’t use a knife for a screwdriver… they don’t work that good.
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v494/harv24/IMG_1977.jpg