policetested
10-03-11, 17:44
Recently I had an opportunity to train with Jason Falla, to his mates he or his company is known as Redback One. Some of you may have seen Jason on The Sportsman Channel’s Tactical Impact and Tactical Arms.
Redback One is more than firearms training; the company does security consulting, personal protection training, open hand combatants, it produces targets, consults on equipment, and Redback One is working to have various courses accepted for law enforcement P.O.S.T. Certification. While Jason is the heart of the operation, Redback One will have area specialists teach various courses. This will bring the latest and most current information to the students or clients; depending on what Redback One is contracted to do.
What gives Jason the background to run such a diverse operation? Put simply his real world experience. He spent six years in the Australian Army’s Commando Regiment and six years in the Special Air Service Regiment. He has seen numerous combat deployments in the War on Terror giving him a wealth of real world experience to draw from. Not only does did he receive years of training in mountain operations, CQB, hostage rescue, numerous counter-terror skills, but he has a wealth of combat medical skills to share. In addition to his military experience Jason is instructor qualified by the NRA, H&K, and Safariland for numerous disciplines. He has used all of these skills for the last five years to develop training programs for military, law enforcement and civilians.
As the saying goes, behind every good man is a good woman; such is the case here. His wife Giselle is the business manager and ensures the company runs smoothly and schedules do not conflict.
I have digressed from training with Redback One, but you need to know the company and its Director of Training are capable of meeting your needs, the needs of your unit or agency. The course I attended was held in Pittsburgh, it was a pleasant change to not have to travel for a class. Pitcairn/Monroeville Gun Club hosted the Two Day Pistol/carbine Class.
You will notice even in a Multicam BDU, Jason is in shape. Jason discusses keeping shape as part of your overall program, if you are an armed professional being out of shape is not an option. I was surprised to see that he is over six feet tall; when he was on TV the angles made him look shorter.
Normally “two day” classes are one day of handgun one of carbine; this was not the case with this course. Handgun and long gun use were operated as the scenario dictated. This is done because Jason believes your primary weapon is your long gun. You transition to your handgun only if you are close ranges or to get your long gun back in operation is not a simple fix. He does emphasize; at CQB distances you transition to your handgun; IMMEDIATELY should the long gun go down or if you are within your comfort zone with your sidearm. You do this because it is faster to transition to your handgun than it is to attempt fixing the carbine. Once you have moved to cover and have cover from a teammate or know the threat has ceased; you can get your long gun back up and running; then continue the operation.
After doing all of the required paperwork, we discussed the limitations of your handgun and carbine, support gear for each, what your application the weapons system is; police, military, personal protection, etc. This served to let the class and Jason know why each of us was in the course and what direction the course would run and what the goals for the class would be.
One thing that struck me about this course was Jason has a printed course plan/outline and each student received a copy. This let you know what you were going to be doing and approximately when. You might find this shocking, but this was the first time I had attended a mobile training course and knew what was on the agenda; other than shooting. His outline rivaled many well know fixed academies, must have been that “British” attention to detail thing; I know he is Australian. You will notice the queen’s influence over down under, especially in the military and it shows in Jason’s attention to detail and desire to put forth the best product he can.
Next on the schedule was to ensure the carbines were zeroed. When using an AR platform Jason is an ardent teacher of the “200 Meter” zero. For expedience, you zero the weapon at fifty yards and if all things play out, you will be near dead on at two hundred meters. Of course you verify this and make corrections. The reason for this zero is the flight of the bullet; from fifty to two hundred meters you will be within a couple of inches of point of aim point of impact and at distances inside of twenty five yards you will have a hold off of approximately three inches low from point of aim. This is simply the relation of the barrel and sights. The “200 Meter” zero gives you the least hold off over the useful ballistics of the .223Rem/5.56NATO round in a tactical environment.
From there we grounded the long guns and went to work with the handguns. Shooting started out a five to seven yards and we shot bull’s eye drills. This is simply shooting tight group on the selected target. Shooting this drill, quickly diagnosis a myriad of shooting issues; heeling the weapon, slapping the trigger, over gripping, etc., and what skill levels the class had. You will find this is also a good warm up in your own training. Mastering these simple tasks is what makes one a more proficient operator of his equipment.
These basics led into explanations of Jason’s manipulating the weapons. Essentially these are palm up, palm down, palm neutral. Palm up is the position you reload, it allows you to see the leading edge of the magazine well for a smooth positive reload without blocking vision. Palm down is used to clear weapons; this gives you a quick visual check of the weapon’s chamber area; allowing you to diagnose a jam, double feed, etc. and take appropriate action. Palm neutral is basically shooting.
Over the course of two days we did precision drills, speed drills, transition drills, non-dominate hand shooting, basic shooting on the move, and even turns to engage targets. While we discussed and worked on handgun stoppages, we went into great detail on clearing AR stoppages. Jason felt that because most AR stoppages are “catastrophic” and takes your best weapon out of the fight you need to know how to recognize, diagnose, and correct them. We even discussed the number one operator induced failure; lack of lubricant, yes ARs in particular run best when oiled, and not wiped dry like the military taught a lot of us. This section of the class was worth the price of admission.
Jason did address mounting your AR. It has become more accepted to get a longer reach on your long gun instead of cramping up using a vertical forearm. You basically extend your support hand out to the end of your forearm. This works best with a longer mid or rifle length forearm, short M4 will still cramp you. Once you grasp your forearm, you rotate your hand down the side of the forearm; just like you grip your handgun. This keeps your weapon’s grips the same from handgun to long gun and it gives you better recoil management as well as controlling transition from target to target. It should be noted that you do not want to lock out the elbow, you lose arm strength when you do that.
Throughout the course Jason did not address specific makes of equipment or your choice of a handgun or even its caliber. He stressed you have to be able to work with what you choose or are issued. If you are buying gear he did mention not doing it on the cheap. One item he did mention was having closures on your magazine pouches even if they have passive tension type retention; when going to ground magazines can still come out of these pouches. Other than that he did mention no matter what type of sling you choose to use on your long gun, they all pretty much suck. Get the one that sucks the least and will work for you.
There were two pieces of gear he suggested adding to your kit. First, there are three sections of your basic AR cleaning rod to facilitate clearing jambs. You can use the rod to force out a stuck case.
The second is a Leatherman MUT; AR specific there are a few versions of the MUT. This tool has a hook which is used to clear a bolt over ride jamb. Simply put the hook on the bolt carrier, grab it like an ice pick and pull…case comes right out. Much easier than beating your AR off the ground to clear the jam.
Redback One’s Two Day Pistol/Carbine will give you way more information than I can explain in a short piece. It is not a basic class, you need to know how to run your long gun and handgun; fairly well. Based on this class and discussions with Jason, I highly recommend taking any of the courses Redback One offers. Jason is passionate about teaching, he does not live on his past glory in the Regiment as he feels times have changed since he was there, he researches what he puts out, and if you look at his targets when he shoots; you will see that not only can he teach but he can do. You will find course information at RedbackOne.com or greygrouptraining.com. This will be money well spent and you will learn skills that will help you survive should you have to deploy your weapon
Redback One is more than firearms training; the company does security consulting, personal protection training, open hand combatants, it produces targets, consults on equipment, and Redback One is working to have various courses accepted for law enforcement P.O.S.T. Certification. While Jason is the heart of the operation, Redback One will have area specialists teach various courses. This will bring the latest and most current information to the students or clients; depending on what Redback One is contracted to do.
What gives Jason the background to run such a diverse operation? Put simply his real world experience. He spent six years in the Australian Army’s Commando Regiment and six years in the Special Air Service Regiment. He has seen numerous combat deployments in the War on Terror giving him a wealth of real world experience to draw from. Not only does did he receive years of training in mountain operations, CQB, hostage rescue, numerous counter-terror skills, but he has a wealth of combat medical skills to share. In addition to his military experience Jason is instructor qualified by the NRA, H&K, and Safariland for numerous disciplines. He has used all of these skills for the last five years to develop training programs for military, law enforcement and civilians.
As the saying goes, behind every good man is a good woman; such is the case here. His wife Giselle is the business manager and ensures the company runs smoothly and schedules do not conflict.
I have digressed from training with Redback One, but you need to know the company and its Director of Training are capable of meeting your needs, the needs of your unit or agency. The course I attended was held in Pittsburgh, it was a pleasant change to not have to travel for a class. Pitcairn/Monroeville Gun Club hosted the Two Day Pistol/carbine Class.
You will notice even in a Multicam BDU, Jason is in shape. Jason discusses keeping shape as part of your overall program, if you are an armed professional being out of shape is not an option. I was surprised to see that he is over six feet tall; when he was on TV the angles made him look shorter.
Normally “two day” classes are one day of handgun one of carbine; this was not the case with this course. Handgun and long gun use were operated as the scenario dictated. This is done because Jason believes your primary weapon is your long gun. You transition to your handgun only if you are close ranges or to get your long gun back in operation is not a simple fix. He does emphasize; at CQB distances you transition to your handgun; IMMEDIATELY should the long gun go down or if you are within your comfort zone with your sidearm. You do this because it is faster to transition to your handgun than it is to attempt fixing the carbine. Once you have moved to cover and have cover from a teammate or know the threat has ceased; you can get your long gun back up and running; then continue the operation.
After doing all of the required paperwork, we discussed the limitations of your handgun and carbine, support gear for each, what your application the weapons system is; police, military, personal protection, etc. This served to let the class and Jason know why each of us was in the course and what direction the course would run and what the goals for the class would be.
One thing that struck me about this course was Jason has a printed course plan/outline and each student received a copy. This let you know what you were going to be doing and approximately when. You might find this shocking, but this was the first time I had attended a mobile training course and knew what was on the agenda; other than shooting. His outline rivaled many well know fixed academies, must have been that “British” attention to detail thing; I know he is Australian. You will notice the queen’s influence over down under, especially in the military and it shows in Jason’s attention to detail and desire to put forth the best product he can.
Next on the schedule was to ensure the carbines were zeroed. When using an AR platform Jason is an ardent teacher of the “200 Meter” zero. For expedience, you zero the weapon at fifty yards and if all things play out, you will be near dead on at two hundred meters. Of course you verify this and make corrections. The reason for this zero is the flight of the bullet; from fifty to two hundred meters you will be within a couple of inches of point of aim point of impact and at distances inside of twenty five yards you will have a hold off of approximately three inches low from point of aim. This is simply the relation of the barrel and sights. The “200 Meter” zero gives you the least hold off over the useful ballistics of the .223Rem/5.56NATO round in a tactical environment.
From there we grounded the long guns and went to work with the handguns. Shooting started out a five to seven yards and we shot bull’s eye drills. This is simply shooting tight group on the selected target. Shooting this drill, quickly diagnosis a myriad of shooting issues; heeling the weapon, slapping the trigger, over gripping, etc., and what skill levels the class had. You will find this is also a good warm up in your own training. Mastering these simple tasks is what makes one a more proficient operator of his equipment.
These basics led into explanations of Jason’s manipulating the weapons. Essentially these are palm up, palm down, palm neutral. Palm up is the position you reload, it allows you to see the leading edge of the magazine well for a smooth positive reload without blocking vision. Palm down is used to clear weapons; this gives you a quick visual check of the weapon’s chamber area; allowing you to diagnose a jam, double feed, etc. and take appropriate action. Palm neutral is basically shooting.
Over the course of two days we did precision drills, speed drills, transition drills, non-dominate hand shooting, basic shooting on the move, and even turns to engage targets. While we discussed and worked on handgun stoppages, we went into great detail on clearing AR stoppages. Jason felt that because most AR stoppages are “catastrophic” and takes your best weapon out of the fight you need to know how to recognize, diagnose, and correct them. We even discussed the number one operator induced failure; lack of lubricant, yes ARs in particular run best when oiled, and not wiped dry like the military taught a lot of us. This section of the class was worth the price of admission.
Jason did address mounting your AR. It has become more accepted to get a longer reach on your long gun instead of cramping up using a vertical forearm. You basically extend your support hand out to the end of your forearm. This works best with a longer mid or rifle length forearm, short M4 will still cramp you. Once you grasp your forearm, you rotate your hand down the side of the forearm; just like you grip your handgun. This keeps your weapon’s grips the same from handgun to long gun and it gives you better recoil management as well as controlling transition from target to target. It should be noted that you do not want to lock out the elbow, you lose arm strength when you do that.
Throughout the course Jason did not address specific makes of equipment or your choice of a handgun or even its caliber. He stressed you have to be able to work with what you choose or are issued. If you are buying gear he did mention not doing it on the cheap. One item he did mention was having closures on your magazine pouches even if they have passive tension type retention; when going to ground magazines can still come out of these pouches. Other than that he did mention no matter what type of sling you choose to use on your long gun, they all pretty much suck. Get the one that sucks the least and will work for you.
There were two pieces of gear he suggested adding to your kit. First, there are three sections of your basic AR cleaning rod to facilitate clearing jambs. You can use the rod to force out a stuck case.
The second is a Leatherman MUT; AR specific there are a few versions of the MUT. This tool has a hook which is used to clear a bolt over ride jamb. Simply put the hook on the bolt carrier, grab it like an ice pick and pull…case comes right out. Much easier than beating your AR off the ground to clear the jam.
Redback One’s Two Day Pistol/Carbine will give you way more information than I can explain in a short piece. It is not a basic class, you need to know how to run your long gun and handgun; fairly well. Based on this class and discussions with Jason, I highly recommend taking any of the courses Redback One offers. Jason is passionate about teaching, he does not live on his past glory in the Regiment as he feels times have changed since he was there, he researches what he puts out, and if you look at his targets when he shoots; you will see that not only can he teach but he can do. You will find course information at RedbackOne.com or greygrouptraining.com. This will be money well spent and you will learn skills that will help you survive should you have to deploy your weapon