AAR: Vickers Tactical Pistol / Carbine - (PICS)

[USMC03]

I will let other students come in and post their AAR's. I'll start things off with some pics.

Larry doing what he does best:
http://i278.photobucket.com/albums/kk99/USMC03_photos/Vickers%20Tactical%2008/d641c2a7.jpg



A few pics from the pistol course:

http://i278.photobucket.com/albums/kk99/USMC03_photos/Vickers%20Tactical%2008/a1ac7e2c.jpg

http://i278.photobucket.com/albums/kk99/USMC03_photos/Vickers%20Tactical%2008/e063ad79.jpg

http://i278.photobucket.com/albums/kk99/USMC03_photos/Vickers%20Tactical%2008/1584fab4.jpg

http://i278.photobucket.com/albums/kk99/USMC03_photos/Vickers%20Tactical%2008/730cb097.jpg



And some more from the carbine course:

http://i278.photobucket.com/albums/kk99/USMC03_photos/Vickers%20Tactical%2008/451fd2dc.jpg

http://i278.photobucket.com/albums/kk99/USMC03_photos/Vickers%20Tactical%2008/04caacc7.jpg

http://i278.photobucket.com/albums/kk99/USMC03_photos/Vickers%20Tactical%2008/7d093d2a.jpg

http://i278.photobucket.com/albums/kk99/USMC03_photos/Vickers%20Tactical%2008/4f3b78e0.jpg

http://i278.photobucket.com/albums/kk99/USMC03_photos/Vickers%20Tactical%2008/b89c6c93.jpg




We had some outstanding training, nice weather, and good dudes in both classes.


I would like to take a minute and give credit where credit is due and thank some folks who supported the class.



First I would like to thank Rich Fitzpatrick, Drake Clark, and the crew at www.magpul.com. In the last 3 classes I have hosted (Larry Vickers Sept '07, Pat Rogers May '08, and Larry Vickers Sept '08) EACH STUDENT has received Magpul PMAGs and other Magpul related gear.

In this class each student received (3) Magpul PMAGs and Magpul also donated their fine stocks, pistol grips, magazine (and magazine accessories) and other cool swag as prizes for the winners of Larry's drills.




I would like to thank Paul B. of www.bravocompanyusa.com. The week before Larry's class I was ordering some stuff from Paul and he found out that I was the host for Larry's class. Paul offered to send some swag bags. A couple days UPS showed up at my door with enough swag bags for every student. Each student received a BCM hat, a BCM black magazine (with Magpul follower), a package of 3 BCM extractor upgrade kits, a BCM computer mouse pad, and BCM catalog.



(It's awesome that before sign in was even finished, each student had received approximately $100 in free gear)



I would like to thank Ashley Burnsed of www.blueforcegear.com who sent along padded versions of his outstanding VCAS sling that were handed out as prizes of Larry's drills.

I would like to thank Dan of 1 Source Tactical www.onesourcetactical.com who donated several of his Sneaky active shooter bags that were handed out as prizes of Larry's drills.

I would like to thank Rick M. of www.hivizsights.com who donated several sets of Hi Viz sights and hats that were handed out as prizes.

And I would also like to thank Richard T. from www.firinglineonline.com (Indoor Shooting Range and Colorado's Largest Gun Shop located at 20 South Potomac in Aurora) for their continued support for these classes and the shooting sports in general.



Hope to see many of you again next year and hope to see many more new faces.


Stay tuned for more pics of cool gear that has not yet been released to the public :D




S/F,
Jeff

[M4arc]

Looks like a great class!

[Heavy Metal]

Looks like a lot dryer place than the range at South Hill. Especially Saturday three weaks ago!

[TOrrock]

Very cool, great pics, and looks like you guys had some good weather.

:cool:

[TOrrock]

Any issues with the SIG 556?

[RT1]

A huge thank you goes out to Jeff, without whom none of these classes would be available. I do not know if many people TRULY realize just how much time and effort he spends to set these classes up!

Will try and post an AAR later on this week.

[SHIVAN]

Can someone explain what is being done in this picture?:

http://i278.photobucket.com/albums/kk99/USMC03_photos/Vickers%20Tactical%2008/IMG_0917.jpg

[John123]

Can someone explain what is being done in this picture?:



I believe its a reloading or malfunction drill. Not really sure from the picture. We did a lot of drills. It looks like I need to get my finger in the register position and away from the trigger.

It was my first training class. I spent most of the time correcting bad habits (el snatch-o). I came away with a ton of drills that Ill be practicing every time I go to the range. Being able to diagnose what you are screwing up on and correcting it was another big thing I took away from the class.

I would like to thank Jeff for hosting the class. It was the best vacation I've had in a while.
As Jeff has stated, the sponsors were fantastic. I really appreciate all the work everyone put into making the class top notch which it was.


John

[USMC03]

Any issues with the SIG 556?


There were 2 in this class. The other SIG556 not pictured was also used in Pat Rogers class back in May.

I didn't witness any problems (reliablity), in both classes students had difficulty running the platform efficiently and it was suggested that they look at the AR platform.

Doc (in the pic above 556 w/ Short Dot) talked to me about getting a AR platform.

Hopefully one of the guys shooting the SIG556's will chime in with their experiences.




S/F,
Jeff

[USMC03]

Can someone explain what is being done in this picture?:

http://i278.photobucket.com/albums/kk99/USMC03_photos/Vickers%20Tactical%2008/IMG_0917.jpg


Malfunction Drill. I was unable to do some of the malfunction drills so I grabbed the camera and started taking pics.




S/F,
Jeff

[Business_Casual]

Double-tap.

[Business_Casual]

http://i278.photobucket.com/albums/kk99/USMC03_photos/Vickers%20Tactical%2008/IMG_0906.jpg



No one else notices the irony?

Thanks for the AAR and photos!

M_P

[YVK]

Can someone explain what is being done in this picture?:

http://i278.photobucket.com/albums/kk99/USMC03_photos/Vickers%20Tactical%2008/IMG_0917.jpg

I got pretty confused by that too. I see at least three shooters with their finger inside the trigger guard, and they are not aiming or shooting...I almost thought that it was one-person trigger reset drill, if such drill exists.

[USMC03]

I see at least three shooters with their finger inside the trigger guard, and they are not aiming or shooting...I almost thought that it was one-person trigger reset drill, if such drill exists.


Fingers inside or in the area of the trigger guard was addressed by Larry after this drill.

Keep in mind that several of the students in this class had never attended any formal training.



S/F,
Jeff

[gyp_c2]

...and quite loudly as I recall..."finger straight, muzzle aware" is the first command of the drill...
Thanks for everything Jeff, it was the best yet!
More to follow...first day off since class..."slim" http://emoticons4u.com/smoking/rauch06.gif

[Larry Vickers]

Overall we had a great time - some new shooters had to get the finger out of the trigger guard thing down but by the afternoon of day 1 they were doing much better - until you get real instruction on the proper use of modern small arms most people have some bad habits ; that's why it is called training

thanx for Jeff for hosting - alot of great support from vendors already mentioned - thanx again from me

be safe

LAV

[SHIVAN]

Malfunction Drill. I was unable to do some of the malfunction drills so I grabbed the camera and started taking pics.

As soon as you said malfunction drills, the follow-up Q ,which has already been asked and answered, was not as important. ;)

Weather looks great! Shooters look focused. Would love to make it out to Colorado some time.

[UVvis]

Who's that weirdo shooting a pistol lefty with one arm while everyone else is shooting normal? :p

Looks and sounds like everyone enjoyed this course. I was hoping to be around for it, but things didn't work out this year.

Nick

[molsen]

Who's that weirdo shooting a pistol lefty with one arm while everyone else is shooting normal? :p

Looks and sounds like everyone enjoyed this course. I was hoping to be around for it, but things didn't work out this year.

Nick

I wasn't able to make it either. I had other plans that fell thru too late to get into this class.

It looks like a great class, and even though I wasn't there, I'd like to thank everyone that helped contribute to it. Hassle-free classes make it a lot easier for Jeff to bring instructors back every year giving those of us in southern Colorado some quality training.

[blake6551]

As said earlier, huge thanks to Jeff for setting up the class and to all the folks who generously donated free gear. I had a great time.

Larry was awesome and I can't recommend him enough. If you haven't taken a course from him yet, do it now! You'll get some awesome training and laugh your ass off at the same time. He'll definitely be seeing more of me (and my bright UA shirts ;) ).

I'll put together an AAR soon, but figured I'd post a little teaser first.

Me and the ACR...
http://web.missouri.edu/~brbtk8/ACR_resize2.jpg

[USMC03]

Magpul Massada (aka) Bushmaster ACR in FDE:
http://i278.photobucket.com/albums/kk99/USMC03_photos/Vickers%20Tactical%2008/15b64daa.jpg

Putting the Bravo Company USA swag mag to good use:
http://i278.photobucket.com/albums/kk99/USMC03_photos/Vickers%20Tactical%2008/484ce687.jpg

Larry Vickers demoing the sling that bears his name.....Blue Force Gear Vickers Combat Applications Sling (VCAS):

http://i278.photobucket.com/albums/kk99/USMC03_photos/Vickers%20Tactical%2008/48cf48d3.jpg

http://i278.photobucket.com/albums/kk99/USMC03_photos/Vickers%20Tactical%2008/ccb1cc9d.jpg

http://i278.photobucket.com/albums/kk99/USMC03_photos/Vickers%20Tactical%2008/4058aeb1.jpg



More cool pics to come............



S/F,
Jeff

[USMC03]

I got pretty confused by that too. I see at least three shooters with their finger inside the trigger guard, and they are not aiming or shooting...I almost thought that it was one-person trigger reset drill, if such drill exists.



The camera doesn't lie and catches everything......

The next drill, after Larry re-emphasized the high register position with the index finger:

http://i278.photobucket.com/albums/kk99/USMC03_photos/Vickers%20Tactical%2008/33a4f3b1.jpg



S/F,
Jeff

[M4arc]

The camera doesn't lie and catches everything......

The next drill, after Larry re-emphasized the high register position with the index finger:

http://i278.photobucket.com/albums/kk99/USMC03_photos/Vickers%20Tactical%2008/33a4f3b1.jpg



S/F,
Jeff

I see a lot of hands over the top...was Larry teaching this or rather letting them use what worked best for them?

[blake6551]

I see a lot of hands over the top...was Larry teaching this or rather letting them use what worked best for them?

I believe this was a malfunction drill (Tap,Rack,Bang). He let us use whatever we were most comfortable with. Obviously, most preferred the overhand method.

[Detmongo]

Jeff,
is that you with your arm in a sling? hope all is well.

[mustang26]

I ran the Sig 556 with the Short Dot optic. I had no issues with reliability whatsoever. It is a little front heavy and slightly awkward in some of the malfunction drills when compared to the M-4/AR15.

I have been pleasantly surprised at how reliable this weapon has been from the start. No issues at all.

[USMC03]

Jeff,
is that you with your arm in a sling? hope all is well.


Yes...........unfortunately:
http://i278.photobucket.com/albums/kk99/USMC03_photos/Vickers%20Tactical%2008/e2e11bca.jpg


*****************************************************************************************


http://i278.photobucket.com/albums/kk99/USMC03_photos/Vickers%20Tactical%2008/d55eddfb.jpg

http://i278.photobucket.com/albums/kk99/USMC03_photos/Vickers%20Tactical%2008/c21e280a.jpg

http://i278.photobucket.com/albums/kk99/USMC03_photos/Vickers%20Tactical%2008/fb4e9449.jpg

http://i278.photobucket.com/albums/kk99/USMC03_photos/Vickers%20Tactical%2008/0fe5ae9c.jpg

http://i278.photobucket.com/albums/kk99/USMC03_photos/Vickers%20Tactical%2008/9860564c.jpg



S/F,
Jeff

[d90king]

Man that looked like a great class. I cant wait to do a carbine class soon.....

[parker7777]

I always look forward to USMC03's AARs; lots of good info and pictures.:)

[USMC03]

http://i278.photobucket.com/albums/kk99/USMC03_photos/Vickers%20Tactical%2008/201ecc5d.jpg

http://i278.photobucket.com/albums/kk99/USMC03_photos/Vickers%20Tactical%2008/37504a18.jpg

http://i278.photobucket.com/albums/kk99/USMC03_photos/Vickers%20Tactical%2008/9042b893.jpg

http://i278.photobucket.com/albums/kk99/USMC03_photos/Vickers%20Tactical%2008/7728721c.jpg

http://i278.photobucket.com/albums/kk99/USMC03_photos/Vickers%20Tactical%2008/af621b43.jpg

[Robb Jensen]

http://i278.photobucket.com/albums/kk99/USMC03_photos/Vickers%20Tactical%2008/af621b43.jpg

I spy someone using a 3-gun 'gamer' grip/stance! Rock on! :D

[USMC03]

Support side drills:
http://i278.photobucket.com/albums/kk99/USMC03_photos/Vickers%20Tactical%2008/0928ea23.jpg

Dan-o from 1Source using one of his outstanding active shooter bags:
http://i278.photobucket.com/albums/kk99/USMC03_photos/Vickers%20Tactical%2008/ed318362.jpg

Lowlight getting busy on one of several movement drills:
http://i278.photobucket.com/albums/kk99/USMC03_photos/Vickers%20Tactical%2008/0fe97b85.jpg

Drake from Magpul rockin' the Magpul Massada, now known as the Bushmaster ACR:
http://i278.photobucket.com/albums/kk99/USMC03_photos/Vickers%20Tactical%2008/785ba2a5.jpg

What was being said? ....Well it depends on who you ask ;)
http://i278.photobucket.com/albums/kk99/USMC03_photos/Vickers%20Tactical%2008/37cb5d2f.jpg



S/F,
Jeff

[USMC03]

http://i278.photobucket.com/albums/kk99/USMC03_photos/Vickers%20Tactical%2008/c7d4eda7.jpg

http://i278.photobucket.com/albums/kk99/USMC03_photos/Vickers%20Tactical%2008/285e62c5.jpg

http://i278.photobucket.com/albums/kk99/USMC03_photos/Vickers%20Tactical%2008/0c904c71.jpg

http://i278.photobucket.com/albums/kk99/USMC03_photos/Vickers%20Tactical%2008/77cab4e5.jpg

http://i278.photobucket.com/albums/kk99/USMC03_photos/Vickers%20Tactical%2008/025c4bd3.jpg



S/F,
Jeff

[bwswanson]

Dan-o from 1Source using one of his outstanding active shooter bags:
http://i278.photobucket.com/albums/kk99/USMC03_photos/Vickers%20Tactical%2008/ed318362.jpg


What kind of bag is that?

Thanks

[John123]

What kind of bag is that?

Thanks

It is a Sneaky Bag. Not sure which version.

Here is a link to them.

http://www.onesourcetactical.com/index.asp?PageAction=VIEWCATS&Category=241

John

[Stretz Tactical Inc]

What is LAV using as a light mount? Also what back up irons does he use on his NON hk guns?

[John_Wayne777]

What is LAV using as a light mount? Also what back up irons does he use on his NON hk guns?

In the pictures here it appears that he's running a Surefire G2 in a VLTOR mount. I run a similar setup after watching him use it effectively. I've also seen him run the Surefire X300 in the 12 o'clock position.

[USMC03]

I spy someone using a 3-gun 'gamer' grip/stance! Rock on! :D


I stole the "gamer grip" from 3-gunners / skeet shooters and have been using the last couple years. I shared my experiences (in conversation) using the 3 gunner grip with a few guys in class.

Notice the guy in the bright polo shirt in the pics above using the same grip. From the feedback I got, it worked well for the guys that tried the gamer grip.



S/F,
Jeff