This is from my website, and i offer it as my advice to people coming to my classes.
Coming to Class?
What follows is based on my observations over the years, and the opinions are mine. These
opinions and guideline are, of course, related to my classes, though some may be relative to
others as well. If you are attending another’s course, contact that instructor directly for his read
on what to bring.
E.A.G. has a strict credentialing policy. Appropriate credentials include Active Duty Military ID,
Police ID, a pistol license from any state or a Certificate of Good Conduct from your local police.
DoD or non DoD other government agency identification are also accepted. Letters from your
priest, rabbi, minister, mayor, lawyer, police officer or green grocer are not acceptable. I need a
communication from an authorized agency, stating no criminal record.
This credentialing policy is necessary to ensure that we are not providing training to wackos,
criminals or those that would seek to destroy the United States. I do not apologize for any
inconvenience incurred- I have to be sure who is attending the class.
I reserve the absolute right to deny admission or remove a participant for any reason.
Administrative Issues
You need to submit a completed application, along with the required credentialing documentation
and deposit. You will receive a confirmation letter by electrons (or snail mail if requested) advising
that your seat is reserved. Under certain circumstances we will tentatively reserve space without
an application (deployed personnel, special job classification personnel etc), but you will be
required to get these items to us NLT 30 days prior to the class. We will provide range directions
and lodging information with the confirmation letter or shortly thereafter.
If you have any questions, contact us immediately at www.eagtactical.com, and we’ll do our best
to answer your questions.
Class Conduct
Training Day 1 will start promptly at 0800 -plan on getting to the range NLT 0715-0730.
Have your gear sorted out prior to the start of training. Loading your magazines the night before
will make life easier for you on the following day.
Ammunition Requirements
The ammunition requirements represent an average. What you shoot during the course will vary
according to overall competence of the class, weather, and your stamina and ability.
In order to learn, you need to have three things present.
You have to have a need for the training.
You have to believe that you can do it.
You have to have fun while learning.
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Your need may be as diverse as that you are someone who carries a gun for a living, or you just
want to see if you measure up to a certain standard. Or, you may just want to.
Shooting is relatively simple. The skill sets necessary to become a competent shooter can be
taught to those who possess average coordination and a desire to learn in a relatively short time.
Fighting is what’s hard.
SAFETY
Safety is the priority. While carrying a firearm, you have a legal, moral and ethical responsibility to
perform safely.
The Four Safety Rules
1. All guns are always loaded.
2. Never let the muzzle cover anything that you do not wish to destroy. This includes your
own body parts.
3. Keep your finger straight and outside the triggerguard until your sights are on target with
the intention to shoot.
4. Be sure of your target. Consider the background.
Range Rules:
If you drop something on the ground, leave it. If it is a magazine (the most commonly dropped
item), leave it and access another one on your body.
You are concerned with only one task. The instructor has the overall cognizance for the entire
line. By bending over you may put yourself in a dangerous predicament. The instructor will likely
see the dropped item and give you permission to retrieve it when it is safe to do so.
Do not pick up dropped ammunition. The cost of a single round is not worth the problems that can
result from picking up a round of ammunition not chambered for your gun. Leave it for the police
call.
Safety violations will not be tolerated.
Personal Issues
Attitude:
Have a good attitude. While it is the instructor’s job to teach, it is the student’s job to learn.
Come with a clear mind. There are only so many ways to perform a certain task, but everyone will
have a different slant on what needs to be done. See what is being offered. If you like it, roll it into
your trick bag. If not, give it a fair shake while at class. Whether you use a particular Tactic,
Technique or Procedure (TTP) is up to you.
Physical Condition:
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My courses are of medium to high energy. You need to be in reasonable physical shape to
complete the course, but you do not necessarily need to be an athlete.
If you have any physical issues and are unsure of your ability to perform, contact me directly.
With age and hard work come injuries. If you have bad knees or a bad back you may not want to
perform certain drills, such as kneeling or running. Accept the fact that you won’t be able to do
everything and do what you can. Don’t further hurt yourself while training.
Your attitude and desire to learn far outweigh most physical issues.
Equipment
Gear can be broken down into the following sub groups:
Guns/ Related Gear
Support Gear
Personal/ Snivel Gear
Guns/ Related Gear
Guns:
Not all manufacturers are alike. Certainly all are capable of turning out a quality item, just as all
are capable of turning out a piece of garbage from time to time. The key is in the consistency of
the reliability.
It would be nice if you bring a carbine that you have already put 1000 rounds downrange with, and
are using the same magazines and ammunition. Certainly that would reduce the potential for
having a non working weapons system, but it is not always possible.
You can mitigate the potential for disaster to a certain degree by purchasing quality equipment.
My Dad used to say “Buy cheap, buy twice” and he was dead nuts on about that.
Murphy lives on the range and is a constant student at class. You may have a carbine that ran like
the proverbial sewing machine yesterday, but it may not function at all today. If you can, bring a
second gun. Failing that, bring a spare bolt and bolt carrier.
Lube:
Your carbine is a machine, very much like the motor in your ride. Your engine requires lubrication
and so does your carbine. The gun will require more lube at a class where you are firing 400-600
rounds per day than if you are plinking at a range. Shooting will blow lube off the bolt and you
may have to re apply lube during the day.
As with guns, not all lubricants are equal. My preference is to stay away from the petroleum based
CLP and use instead Slip 2000 for cleaning and lubrication. The TW25B grease is the only non
viscous lube that I would recommend.
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You need to be able to apply the lube properly. Generally, place oil on the inside of the bolt
carrier, the bolt cam pin slot, on the underside of the bolt carrier and on the bolt itself, especially
around the gas rings.
The gas rings do not need to be staggered, a myth that is now accepted as fact. A good gun will
run fine with one gas ring.
Weapon Mounted Lights
Certain classes require a weapon mounted light for the primary weapon. There are lights and
there are lights. Bring something that is robust, dependable and provides sufficient light for the
task.
Cleaning:
Starting off with a clean and properly lubricated carbine will go a long way to ensuring that you
will maximize your learning experience.
At the end of the training day wipe down your bolt/ bolt carrier and clean the chamber. Re- lube as
necessary. Obsessive/ excessive cleaning may do more harm then good.
Sights:
Iron sights are simple and rugged- as well as being difficult to use. Optical sights offer many
advantages, including the ability to increase the certainty of first round hits. As with all things, not
all optics are equal. Buy smart and save yourself a lot of grief in the long run.
If you have a battery powered optic, put fresh batteries in before the class starts, and have
another set available. Batteries are pretty reliable, but some lesser brands have been known to be
dead when shipped from the factory.
Slings:
A sling is to a carbine as a holster is to a pistol. Slings are generally classified into two types- a
Parade Sling or carry strap, and a Tactical Sling.
The Parade Sling is a leftover from days of wood stocks and iron sights. It is meant to carry the
gun administratively.
The Tactical Sling is meant to carry the carbine operationally. Tac Slings can be 3 Point, 2 Point or
Single Point. Each has its place in the line up, and each sling has both pro’s and con’s.
Magazines:
Bring at least six (6) serviceable magazines. Bring more if you can - having more magazines will
permit you to pre load ammunition, and thus allow you to actually rest during breaks.
Don’t bring any beater mags - something that doesn’t work will only make you aggravated, reduce
your ability to process information and generally piss off the other students while you suffer
through your malfunction drills.
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USGI magazines are acceptable, as are Brownells and H&K. Avoid aftermarket magazines,
especially those made by USA. Plastic magazines (Thermold and Orlite) are iffy, and may not be
useful.
If you use USGI magazines, consider replacing the followers with the Magpul anti tilt follower.
Ammunition:
Bring serviceable ammunition. While the majority of the training takes place at 50m and under,
you need ammunition that works. Some off shore ammunition is horrible, and some is pretty
good. My preference is for Black Hills, but as always, you use what works.
Support Gear
Body Armor:
Armor is required for certain classes. This needs to be soft armor with in conjunction rifle plates
(recommended) or stand alone rifle plates (acceptable).
We regret that we can not provide armor for loan.
Load Carriage:
You need to have a way to carry at least two loaded carbine magazines on your body. If you are a
SWAT cop or military, you’ll probably already have a handle on this, and you need to wear in
training what you will when the fight starts.
If you are an average Joe, you need to put some thought into it.
The odds of an average civilian using a carbine for defensive purposes are extremely slender.
Pistols are used, and occasionally a shotgun, but you might be hard pressed to consider that it
has happened much in the recent past.
That does not mean that it can’t, or won’t happen in the future. Just try to put things in
perspective. Your carbine will probably never be used defensively. Therefore the “train as you
fight” adage may have no significance here.
If you want to wear a LBV or a sub load and a dump pouch it will probably add to your efficiency,
but you do not have to get them for my classes.
You are not required to spend a whole lot more of your hard earned money to buy a tac vest and
multiple pouches. If you have a sturdy belt (such as a Riggers Belt) or a War Belt or Duty Belt, you
can probably get buy with a Kydex or nylon magazine pouch or two. Single cell mag pouches are
easy to access, but two can take up a fair amount of real estate. A two cell mag pouch requires
less space, but is thicker, and if not properly designed, can cause the loss of a magazine.
Stay away from mag pouches that hold three or more magazines- they are not worth the trouble.
A sub load (a leg pouch) is a convenient way to carry magazines. However, carrying more than
two magazines on a leg panel can make movement and getting into/ out of positions difficult.
Placing magazine in your trouser pocket may work for you, but is inefficient and will slow you
down.
Dump Pouch:
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A dump pouch is optional, but is a very good thing to have. Expended or partially expended
magazines have to go somewhere, and leaving them on the deck invites damage or loss.
Holster:
You need a holster that provides positive retention while getting into and out of positions. You do
not necessarily need a tactical (drop leg) holster.
Pistol Magazine Pouch:
You need the ability to carry two pistol magazines on your body.
Personal/ Snivel Gear
Eyepro:
You came into this world with two each eyes. It is very uncool to depart with less then that. Like
guns, not all eyepro is equal. At a minimum, get something that meets ANSI Z87.1 specs. Do not
use optical glass- it is a hazard on the range.
I strongly prefer Oakley eyepro because of their superior QC/ QA.
Earpro:
Powered earpro will permit you to hear range commands more easily. If you use powered earpro,
face the microphones to the rear so that they are facing the instructor who is talking to you.
Cover:
Wear a baseball type hat. Not only will it keep the sun out of your eyes, but it will keep that pesky
hot brass from finding its way down between your eyepro and your face. This presumes, of
course , that you read the instructions and wear the brim to the front. If you wear the brim to the
rear you may also prefer to hold your weapon gangsta style - in which case, you are in the wrong
class.
Neckerchief:
Regardless of the weather, wear something around your neck to keep your shooting buddy’s hot
brass from sliding down your back. Pain may be temporary, but a serious burn on your back will
make concentration difficult.
Knee and Elbow Pads:
You must have knee pads. The hard shell types are a must. Elbow pads are optional, but
recommended.
Clothing
Wear big boys’ trousers. Minor scrapes have a habit of becoming infected quickly. Besides, no
one cares about how your legs look.
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Footwear
If your feet aren’t happy neither will you. Wear shoes/ boots that are comfortable, broken in, and
provide sufficient support.
Climate Specific
Bring Gore-Tex tops and bottoms- rain occurs, and you are attending to learn new TTP, not how to
be miserable. Bring sufficient warm clothing (fleece, sweat shirts etc) for those unexpected cold
spells.
If space permits, it is always better to have and not need then the other way around.
Hydration
Failure to hydrate properly can lead to confusion, disorientation and worse. You can carry water
on your body in a Camelbak and drink when you want to, or use a yuppie canteen and drink when
you can, but you need to get fluid into your body. Using Gatorade, Gookenaid or similar products
will help greatly.
Food
This is not the time to go on a diet. Snacking during the day, along with proper hydration will keep
you healthy and alert.
Lickies and Chewies
Hard candy, Skittles, M&M’s, Snickers and the like can provide energy and not a little pleasure
during the training day.
Sunscreen
A sunburn is sure way to ensure that your stay at class will be miserable in the short term, and
possibly much worse in the long term. Apply twice a day for proper protection.
Meds
Certain medications and shooting don’t mix. Contact your health care provider for more
information.
Owie Kit
Have a small first aid kit with Neosporin, band aids, pain meds and the like for those aggravating
injuries that you will collect.
Decon
Discharging a weapon, handling ammunition, and cleaning and lubricating your weapons will
make your paws dirty. Make sure that you bring- and use - a waterless anti bacterial soap with you
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Summary
The purpose of training is to acquire certain skill sets that will permit you to win the fight. Don’t
buy/ bring things to class to impress me- rather, bring what meets your mission requirements.
If you have specific questions about gear, training or related tasks, contact me directly and we’ll
try to get it sorted out.
SOURCES:
Vendors
Mid South Tactical Network
www.mstn.biz
G and R Tactical
www.gandrtactical.com
Load Carriage
www.eagleindustries.com
Rails/ Mounts
www.laruetactical.com
Eyepro
www.oakley.com
Slings
www.thewilderness.com
www.blueforcegear.com
Magazines, stocks etc
www.magpul.com
Magazine Loaders
www.betaco.com
Pistol grips, VFG’s, Bipods and Rail Panels
www.tangodownllc.com
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Lighting Tools
www.surefire.com
Optical Sights
www.aimpoint.com
www.eotech.com
www.trijicon.com
Lube/ Cleaning
www.slip2000.com
Copyright Patrick A. Rogers. 2006
