30 cal slut
07-27-11, 23:19
http://i846.photobucket.com/albums/ab25/greygroupcommunity/NewRedbackOnelogo2.jpg
Redback One
www.redbackone.com
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v74/va_dinger/logo.jpg
Grey Group Training:
www.greygrouptraining.com
Redback One Tactical Carbine
Senior Instructor: Jason Falla
Assistant Instructor: ******** :p
23-24 July 2011
Waterbury Police Department Range / Chase Rifle & Pistol Association
Waterbury, CT
Attendees: 21, of which 8 were LEO.
Summary: This intermediate (?) level class rocked. I believe Jason Falla is a superb instructor and he strikes me as a person with a deep knowledge of the subject matter. Specifically, I like Jason Falla's ability to break down carbine manipulation much like another well regarded instructor (known to the M4C community) is able to break down the elemental basics of accurate pistol shooting. (I hope the comparison doesn't offend anybody). Jason's pace is very relaxed, his verbal delivery smooth, he is very approachable and his interactions with students are active two-way conversations. I found Jason Falla to be attentive to the individual student. Therefore, I found it very easy to learn from him. I believe Jason is careful to teach drills that do not create training scars, and he tends to be no-nonsense when it comes to certain TTP's (he leans towards falling back on the basics and eschews that which might be considered gimmicky). I came into this class not knowing what to expect - but on TD1 I came away with a lot of usable ideas and refinements to carbine TTP which I will practice in an attempt to improve manipulation efficiency, target indexing and shooting speed, amongst other things. From TD2 I gained a better appreciation of target prioritization and learned a framework as to how one might respond to single or multiple threats. I believe the informational density on TD1 is very high. A notebook and spongy mind are strongly recommended if you want to get the most out of this class.
ETA: Our AI was pretty phenomenal too and offered a wealth of hands-on experience.
Note: I deliberately left some blanks in this AAR.
.
.
.
.
.
.
TD1 - Introduction/Review of Fundamentals/Basic Weapon Manipulation
08:00 - 18:30
Jason is somewhat unique amongst carbine instructors in that he begins class with an hour's worth of lecture. The classroom portion started with an overview of the safe handling, operation, carriage and control of the carbine and why unauthorized discharges occur. The safety discussion went well beyond "keep yer booger hook off the bang switch and keep yer blaster pointed in a safe direction." Being mindful of the specific causes of unauthorized discharges (including but not limited to inadequate training, errors in the drill, poor personal discipline, failure to apply safety standards, distractions and operator fatigue, etc.) is helpful whenever one is handling firearms with others.
Next topic was Jason's philosophy of what we should get out of training. Training should be relevant and, through proper practice, lead to instinctive processes built into the subconscious of the student. TTP should be so firmly ingrained that a student should be able to consistently verbalize it on command without any hesitation. Jason asked several students in the class to rattle off the procedure to clear a double feed - there were half dozen answers and each was a little different and everyone had to pause a little to recall the procedure. Lastly, Jason believes that training should be progressively challenging so that continuous skill improvement is attained.
Jason then reviewed the fundamentals of stance and grip (collectively referred to as "recoil management strategy"), sight alignment and sight picture, trigger control ("sight package") and follow-through, scan and assess and breathing.
Jason stressed that we should always attach a hit probability to each shot and to balance the need for accuracy vs. speed. "You should not be happy at all with your misses. Do not miss, but do not unduly compromise on speed. Also, if you are already shooting perfect slow-fire bullseyes, then try to see if you can push for more speed for a bit less accuracy." Presentation of the weapon is critical in the tradeoff between speed and accuracy. More time on the sight package requires a faster presentation. "For any given shot, what sight package do I need? Can I compromise?" Jason brought up the fairly obvious differences between a (high probability hit) point shot at contact distance with a pistol vs. attempting a head shot with carbine at 100 yards, and a head vs. (higher probability) upper torso shot with a carbine.
Before moving on to live fire, Jason reviewed the concept of optic point of aim vs. point of impact, and the merits of the ___ meter zero, which is his preferred zero because ___________________________.
The class then confirmed zeros from the prone at 25 yards (due to facility constraints, we shot the entire class 25 yards and closer). Jason then ran the class through some timed shooting and manipulation drills to assess overall class skill level.
Jason then reviewed the alert ready position (rifle slung muzzle down, stock just under the shoulder) and what this position/body language might communicate to a potential adversary (it's called "alert ready" for a reason).
We then covered the high ready position.
"The weapon will angled diagonally across the body, the optic or rear sight assembly will be touching the shooters chest, the butt-stock will be under the arm, the barrel will be underneath head height and the weapon will be on safe."
This was new material for me, having been trained exclusively on low ready. The majority of the drills in this class were shot from high ready, and the benefits of the high ready position became apparent over the remainder of the class. High ready offers several advantages, including _________________________________________________.
High ready, as shown by Jason on his RB1 Carbine Shooting Standards facebook page:
http://www.facebook.com/notes/redback-one/redback-one-carbine-shooting-standards/223198381023776
http://a2.sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc6/250581_229355743741373_201698463173768_983926_635667_n.jpg
Jason breaks down the carbine presentation / shoot / scan and assess as follows. From the high ready, he teaches students to
1. Shoot
2. Scan with the head and muzzle 50 degrees to the left and to the right
3. Tilt the master hand palm down to help the operator check the status of the bolt/chamber (a "systems check")
4. If no threats, tilt master hand palm up and engage safety
5. Close the dust cover if there is time.
Jason instructs students to scan with the muzzle because __________________________________.
Jason spent some time covering the specifics of recoil management, which involves the physical act of recovery from the shot, the mechanical resetting of the trigger, and the tactical action of follow-through. The magazine well of a carbine is center of a fulcrum. Recoil forces tilt that fulcrum. Recovery can be facilitated by a mechanical device (such as a muzzle compensator) but the foundation for recovery (fulcrum immobilization) is proper ______, and positioning of the______ and _____. Following pic illustrates this foundation:
http://i44.photobucket.com/albums/f15/30calslut/RB1%20in%20CT%20Jul%202011/Matt2-1.jpg
One of the impediments to shooting fast is trigger stall. There comes a point for each shooter when the brain is sending signals to the trigger finger and the signals get confused. This is trigger stall. Jason had us shoot a drill in which we shot one round every second, then one shot every half second, then one shot every quarter second. We observed that trigger stall tripped up many of the students on the quarter second shots. We learned that the remedy for trigger stall is quite simple and that involves ______ of _____ and _______.
Jason stressed that while speed on target is important, the number of rounds on target is also a deciding factor in ending a fight. Jason believes that with a carbine, it can take up to ______ rounds on COM to reliably stop a threat.
The next fundamental topic was a review of the transition to pistol. Jason provided a subtle but very helpful refinement to facilitate the transition, and that is to simply turn the support hand palm down while moving the carbine out of the way.
The remainder of TD1 was spent covering carbine malfunctions, including the double feed, shooting with an unseated magazine, bolt over base/charging handle impingements, and left-handed clearances. Jason's approach to bolt over base/charging handle impingements is a little more aggressive than what I was previously taught - in the absence of special tools (like a Leatherman MUT), Jason prefers to mortar the carbines to move the BCG back prior to locking the bolt and pushing the charging handle forward to release the stuck cartridge.
Conditions on TD1 were oppressively hot and humid, with the heat index at 100 degrees. Jason breezed through TD1 in full kit while many of us were dragging.
.
.
.
.
.
.
TD2 - Manipulation Continued, Targeting Priority, Power Turns, Shooting From Cover
08:00 - 18:30
TD2 started off with a review of weak shoulder shooting. For those of us with adjustable two point slings, we started out each drill with the slack already out, the support hand out of the sling and neck loop already formed. Jason instructs students to first move the master hand to the magazine well and then move the support hand to the grip.
Jason then discussed target priority and engaging peripheral targets. Targeting is dependent on whether you have or can regain the initiative. If you have the initiative (and freedom of movement and are otherwise in control of the fight), you can take more risks with targeting. The amount of risk you can take is also related to the number of threats. You might first seek cover (in the case of multiple threats) or you might assault through (in the case of a single threat).
The third topic of TD2 was turning. Jason teaches a direct turning movement he calls a power turn. Rather than stressing footwork, which can often confuse students, Jason instructs students to turn their hips square into the threat, with the support side leg moving to the outside as needed.
Next topic was shooting from cover. Using a variety of police-style barricades, the class engaged in some static shooting from standing, kneeling, and prone positions, from both strong and weak side, supported and unsupported.
Jason then stepped up the pace with a lateral bounding drill, in which pairs of students shoot, leapfrog from cover, and communicate from range left to right. I think the class really enjoyed this drill. We learned a new position - high port - to safely carry our rifles while bounding.
The last drill of the day was a target prioritization exercise in which Jason gave his perspective on the management of single (assault through) and multiple threats (moving to and shooting from cover).
We wrapped up TD2 with some timed RB1 shooting standards, which can be found here:
http://www.facebook.com/notes/redback-one/redback-one-carbine-shooting-standards/223198381023776
.
.
.
.
.
.
TD3 - I wish. :( :D
.
.
.
.
.
.
Other miscellaneous notes:
-Jason suggests you load AR magazines to 28 rounds to ensure reliable seating
-He considers the Safariland 6004 the best pistol holster for retention
-Thinks Yanks waste too much time debating what style of sling is best. According to Jason, there is no perfect sling. Each type has its benefits and disadvantages. As long as the sling is doing its job and not preventing you from doing yours, use whatever single or two point sling works for you.
-Position SUL. Jason doesn't like it for CQB, and prefers high port for pistol carriage. On a related note, Jason is the second instructor I've run across who does not like the "NRA Circle of Safety" grip.
-Stacking up for CQB - Jason doesn't like the "nuts to butts" approach - more space in between team members is preferable.
-Barricade shooting - Prefers that the shooter be longer than one arm's length away from cover.
-"Junkyard prone" position: Believes it's too dangerous to use based on his experience.
Class Gear: Most of the students were running AR's in both legal non-ban and ban-state configurations (the latter being pinned stock and a permanently attached and very loud muzzle brake). There was one SCAR-L and a Sig. Almost everyone was running an optic, with the class about evenly split between Aimpoints and Eotechs. IIRC one carbine went down with a broken extractor. We had some impressive (deliberately induced as part of malfunction clearance drills) charging handle impingements that took some effort to clear.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
Jason -----> Yank English Glossary:
"Detail" = Relay
"Master hand" = the non-support hand. For right-handed shooters, the right hand.
"Serial" = string, drill.
"Straightaway" = Immediately, right away, RFN.
"Tray" = Target holder/target stand
"Unauthorized discharge" = AD/ND
"Untenable" = No go
"Redback" = Redback spider (Latrodectus hasselti) - one of the most dangerous spiders in Australia. The Redback spider has a neurotoxic venom which is toxic to humans with bites causing severe pain. It is a member of the genus Latrodectus or the widow family of spiders. The Redback spider is one of few arachnids which display sexual cannibalism while mating. :eek:
Redback One
www.redbackone.com
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v74/va_dinger/logo.jpg
Grey Group Training:
www.greygrouptraining.com
Redback One Tactical Carbine
Senior Instructor: Jason Falla
Assistant Instructor: ******** :p
23-24 July 2011
Waterbury Police Department Range / Chase Rifle & Pistol Association
Waterbury, CT
Attendees: 21, of which 8 were LEO.
Summary: This intermediate (?) level class rocked. I believe Jason Falla is a superb instructor and he strikes me as a person with a deep knowledge of the subject matter. Specifically, I like Jason Falla's ability to break down carbine manipulation much like another well regarded instructor (known to the M4C community) is able to break down the elemental basics of accurate pistol shooting. (I hope the comparison doesn't offend anybody). Jason's pace is very relaxed, his verbal delivery smooth, he is very approachable and his interactions with students are active two-way conversations. I found Jason Falla to be attentive to the individual student. Therefore, I found it very easy to learn from him. I believe Jason is careful to teach drills that do not create training scars, and he tends to be no-nonsense when it comes to certain TTP's (he leans towards falling back on the basics and eschews that which might be considered gimmicky). I came into this class not knowing what to expect - but on TD1 I came away with a lot of usable ideas and refinements to carbine TTP which I will practice in an attempt to improve manipulation efficiency, target indexing and shooting speed, amongst other things. From TD2 I gained a better appreciation of target prioritization and learned a framework as to how one might respond to single or multiple threats. I believe the informational density on TD1 is very high. A notebook and spongy mind are strongly recommended if you want to get the most out of this class.
ETA: Our AI was pretty phenomenal too and offered a wealth of hands-on experience.
Note: I deliberately left some blanks in this AAR.
.
.
.
.
.
.
TD1 - Introduction/Review of Fundamentals/Basic Weapon Manipulation
08:00 - 18:30
Jason is somewhat unique amongst carbine instructors in that he begins class with an hour's worth of lecture. The classroom portion started with an overview of the safe handling, operation, carriage and control of the carbine and why unauthorized discharges occur. The safety discussion went well beyond "keep yer booger hook off the bang switch and keep yer blaster pointed in a safe direction." Being mindful of the specific causes of unauthorized discharges (including but not limited to inadequate training, errors in the drill, poor personal discipline, failure to apply safety standards, distractions and operator fatigue, etc.) is helpful whenever one is handling firearms with others.
Next topic was Jason's philosophy of what we should get out of training. Training should be relevant and, through proper practice, lead to instinctive processes built into the subconscious of the student. TTP should be so firmly ingrained that a student should be able to consistently verbalize it on command without any hesitation. Jason asked several students in the class to rattle off the procedure to clear a double feed - there were half dozen answers and each was a little different and everyone had to pause a little to recall the procedure. Lastly, Jason believes that training should be progressively challenging so that continuous skill improvement is attained.
Jason then reviewed the fundamentals of stance and grip (collectively referred to as "recoil management strategy"), sight alignment and sight picture, trigger control ("sight package") and follow-through, scan and assess and breathing.
Jason stressed that we should always attach a hit probability to each shot and to balance the need for accuracy vs. speed. "You should not be happy at all with your misses. Do not miss, but do not unduly compromise on speed. Also, if you are already shooting perfect slow-fire bullseyes, then try to see if you can push for more speed for a bit less accuracy." Presentation of the weapon is critical in the tradeoff between speed and accuracy. More time on the sight package requires a faster presentation. "For any given shot, what sight package do I need? Can I compromise?" Jason brought up the fairly obvious differences between a (high probability hit) point shot at contact distance with a pistol vs. attempting a head shot with carbine at 100 yards, and a head vs. (higher probability) upper torso shot with a carbine.
Before moving on to live fire, Jason reviewed the concept of optic point of aim vs. point of impact, and the merits of the ___ meter zero, which is his preferred zero because ___________________________.
The class then confirmed zeros from the prone at 25 yards (due to facility constraints, we shot the entire class 25 yards and closer). Jason then ran the class through some timed shooting and manipulation drills to assess overall class skill level.
Jason then reviewed the alert ready position (rifle slung muzzle down, stock just under the shoulder) and what this position/body language might communicate to a potential adversary (it's called "alert ready" for a reason).
We then covered the high ready position.
"The weapon will angled diagonally across the body, the optic or rear sight assembly will be touching the shooters chest, the butt-stock will be under the arm, the barrel will be underneath head height and the weapon will be on safe."
This was new material for me, having been trained exclusively on low ready. The majority of the drills in this class were shot from high ready, and the benefits of the high ready position became apparent over the remainder of the class. High ready offers several advantages, including _________________________________________________.
High ready, as shown by Jason on his RB1 Carbine Shooting Standards facebook page:
http://www.facebook.com/notes/redback-one/redback-one-carbine-shooting-standards/223198381023776
http://a2.sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc6/250581_229355743741373_201698463173768_983926_635667_n.jpg
Jason breaks down the carbine presentation / shoot / scan and assess as follows. From the high ready, he teaches students to
1. Shoot
2. Scan with the head and muzzle 50 degrees to the left and to the right
3. Tilt the master hand palm down to help the operator check the status of the bolt/chamber (a "systems check")
4. If no threats, tilt master hand palm up and engage safety
5. Close the dust cover if there is time.
Jason instructs students to scan with the muzzle because __________________________________.
Jason spent some time covering the specifics of recoil management, which involves the physical act of recovery from the shot, the mechanical resetting of the trigger, and the tactical action of follow-through. The magazine well of a carbine is center of a fulcrum. Recoil forces tilt that fulcrum. Recovery can be facilitated by a mechanical device (such as a muzzle compensator) but the foundation for recovery (fulcrum immobilization) is proper ______, and positioning of the______ and _____. Following pic illustrates this foundation:
http://i44.photobucket.com/albums/f15/30calslut/RB1%20in%20CT%20Jul%202011/Matt2-1.jpg
One of the impediments to shooting fast is trigger stall. There comes a point for each shooter when the brain is sending signals to the trigger finger and the signals get confused. This is trigger stall. Jason had us shoot a drill in which we shot one round every second, then one shot every half second, then one shot every quarter second. We observed that trigger stall tripped up many of the students on the quarter second shots. We learned that the remedy for trigger stall is quite simple and that involves ______ of _____ and _______.
Jason stressed that while speed on target is important, the number of rounds on target is also a deciding factor in ending a fight. Jason believes that with a carbine, it can take up to ______ rounds on COM to reliably stop a threat.
The next fundamental topic was a review of the transition to pistol. Jason provided a subtle but very helpful refinement to facilitate the transition, and that is to simply turn the support hand palm down while moving the carbine out of the way.
The remainder of TD1 was spent covering carbine malfunctions, including the double feed, shooting with an unseated magazine, bolt over base/charging handle impingements, and left-handed clearances. Jason's approach to bolt over base/charging handle impingements is a little more aggressive than what I was previously taught - in the absence of special tools (like a Leatherman MUT), Jason prefers to mortar the carbines to move the BCG back prior to locking the bolt and pushing the charging handle forward to release the stuck cartridge.
Conditions on TD1 were oppressively hot and humid, with the heat index at 100 degrees. Jason breezed through TD1 in full kit while many of us were dragging.
.
.
.
.
.
.
TD2 - Manipulation Continued, Targeting Priority, Power Turns, Shooting From Cover
08:00 - 18:30
TD2 started off with a review of weak shoulder shooting. For those of us with adjustable two point slings, we started out each drill with the slack already out, the support hand out of the sling and neck loop already formed. Jason instructs students to first move the master hand to the magazine well and then move the support hand to the grip.
Jason then discussed target priority and engaging peripheral targets. Targeting is dependent on whether you have or can regain the initiative. If you have the initiative (and freedom of movement and are otherwise in control of the fight), you can take more risks with targeting. The amount of risk you can take is also related to the number of threats. You might first seek cover (in the case of multiple threats) or you might assault through (in the case of a single threat).
The third topic of TD2 was turning. Jason teaches a direct turning movement he calls a power turn. Rather than stressing footwork, which can often confuse students, Jason instructs students to turn their hips square into the threat, with the support side leg moving to the outside as needed.
Next topic was shooting from cover. Using a variety of police-style barricades, the class engaged in some static shooting from standing, kneeling, and prone positions, from both strong and weak side, supported and unsupported.
Jason then stepped up the pace with a lateral bounding drill, in which pairs of students shoot, leapfrog from cover, and communicate from range left to right. I think the class really enjoyed this drill. We learned a new position - high port - to safely carry our rifles while bounding.
The last drill of the day was a target prioritization exercise in which Jason gave his perspective on the management of single (assault through) and multiple threats (moving to and shooting from cover).
We wrapped up TD2 with some timed RB1 shooting standards, which can be found here:
http://www.facebook.com/notes/redback-one/redback-one-carbine-shooting-standards/223198381023776
.
.
.
.
.
.
TD3 - I wish. :( :D
.
.
.
.
.
.
Other miscellaneous notes:
-Jason suggests you load AR magazines to 28 rounds to ensure reliable seating
-He considers the Safariland 6004 the best pistol holster for retention
-Thinks Yanks waste too much time debating what style of sling is best. According to Jason, there is no perfect sling. Each type has its benefits and disadvantages. As long as the sling is doing its job and not preventing you from doing yours, use whatever single or two point sling works for you.
-Position SUL. Jason doesn't like it for CQB, and prefers high port for pistol carriage. On a related note, Jason is the second instructor I've run across who does not like the "NRA Circle of Safety" grip.
-Stacking up for CQB - Jason doesn't like the "nuts to butts" approach - more space in between team members is preferable.
-Barricade shooting - Prefers that the shooter be longer than one arm's length away from cover.
-"Junkyard prone" position: Believes it's too dangerous to use based on his experience.
Class Gear: Most of the students were running AR's in both legal non-ban and ban-state configurations (the latter being pinned stock and a permanently attached and very loud muzzle brake). There was one SCAR-L and a Sig. Almost everyone was running an optic, with the class about evenly split between Aimpoints and Eotechs. IIRC one carbine went down with a broken extractor. We had some impressive (deliberately induced as part of malfunction clearance drills) charging handle impingements that took some effort to clear.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
Jason -----> Yank English Glossary:
"Detail" = Relay
"Master hand" = the non-support hand. For right-handed shooters, the right hand.
"Serial" = string, drill.
"Straightaway" = Immediately, right away, RFN.
"Tray" = Target holder/target stand
"Unauthorized discharge" = AD/ND
"Untenable" = No go
"Redback" = Redback spider (Latrodectus hasselti) - one of the most dangerous spiders in Australia. The Redback spider has a neurotoxic venom which is toxic to humans with bites causing severe pain. It is a member of the genus Latrodectus or the widow family of spiders. The Redback spider is one of few arachnids which display sexual cannibalism while mating. :eek: