AAR: VTAC Night Fighter Nov 6-8 2009-Pictures Added

[MTR7]

Viking Tactics: Night Fighter Nov 6-8, 2009

It is essential to attend the VTAC Carbine 1.5 class prior to attending the VTAC Night Fighter class. Carbine 1.5 creates the foundation of skills that are used in the more advanced Night Fighter class.
Night Fighter is advanced shooting class dealing with night shooting with white light and shooting and around vehicles.

Admin:
As smooth as one can hope for both Jack and Jeff ran a smooth show and provided all information in a timely fashion with no prodding needed. For some of the classes I have attended this is not always the case. Those who attended owe them thanks, and at least a beer.

The Range:
Clean, neat, easy to get to. I did not see one tick or ant hill. And someone put in for good weather and well we had it.

Head Instructor: Kyle Lamb

While Kyle certainly does not need me to pen his biography as it would surely be rife with errors. And for those who are interested just work your Google mojo.

Kyle possesses and utilizes a great gift which few people in or out of the shooting industry have. The oft used adage that those who cannot, teach does not apply here. His gifts are not limited to his shooting prowess. Clear and concise language is used to convey the techniques being demonstrated. Questions are encouraged and welcomed at all times. He is a natural at instruction and his students can feel this as at no time is he remote or unapproachable. The care used to create his programs and techniques is evident.
The instruction style is results driven; you are responsible for your performance. When one a bit behind individual constructive instruction was provided. This might a short remedial redo or just a quick critique depended on what the student (read me) missed. Everyone had plenty of instructor contact. Rounds were accounted for, timers were used and you were pushed. Kyle is big on going harder and faster within the safety parameters to see “when the wheels fall off”. At this point we were instructed to back it down just a bit. The class is pushed hard, but not to failure. And yet He is a professional and conducts himself as one, drives and expects safety, expects hard work at the same time enjoys and tells a good joke. After all what fun is a shooting class without just a bit of good natured ball busting.

Co instructors:
D and T
One of the most important differences for me from some of my prior training at other classes is the quality of the Co Instructors. Both Co Instructors for this class (D and T) are capable of running VTAC Night Fighter or Carbine 1.5 class with the same skill and execution as the head instructor .In my limited training this in an exception not the rule. Both were actively involved and offered constant instruction that was constructive and positive. They are both excellent instructors and I am grateful for their time and would gladly sign up to be a student in a class were they head instructor.

The shooting
We started with a confirmation of our zeros at varying distances and positions. This had an interesting effect in that there was typically some variance from ones bench zero or a single yardage or single position zero. This conglomerate zero provides interesting info one what your actual zero is. By this I mean your practical zero.
I will not recount specific drill as I will surely botch their explanation. The drills were challenging and mind bending. Some drills and techniques are detailed in Kyle’s book and may also be found on U tube (ignore the chickens).
Main take aways from the drills.
A-Shoot when you are shooting
B- Drive the gun. This kids is the big gem
C- Night time has the effect of causing a Chaos stack with gear. Sounds dumb, but darkness just makes everything harder.
D-Every pistol needs a light mounted with a pressure switch
E- P is for plenty

Gear notes:
A- 5.45x39 rounds do not come out of hot 5.56x45 chambers so well, ouch.
B- To quit improving my gear. For the love of God I made a Surefire light not work by making it better. Ask me how fun it is to shoot a carbine while doing dynamic drills while holding a G-2 flash light under the rail system.
C- How many rounds can one shoot with a 5.45x39 mm S&W extractor, 11,000, ask me how I know?
D -My bat belt had just too much stuff on it.

To sum up this is the most challenging thing I have ever done with a firearm. Heck it is the most fun you can have with your clothes on. Get on the list do not be scared. I am an average Joe, albeit one of larger carriage. If I can do it you can as well, just work and get trained up. The VTAC crew will push you to excel.
Drinking from a fire hose is a term that applies to VTAC classes, but not in a bad way. The training is top notch and the whole VTAC crew is gracious and professional. This is a class I will attend again. If the exchange between the student and the instructor is knowledge and skill development for dollars this class is greatly under priced

Regards
Matthew Renz

[Detmongo]

wow matt,
great AAR, i would love to take this class.

[ruf]

Still working on my AAR, but it's pretty much in alignment with what Matt has already posted. Amazing learning experience. I got the chance to figure out how to and what works for me in very challenging conditions. I'll be coming back for more, that's for sure.

[CarlosDJackal]

I agree what has already been said and more. This class was very challenging from the get-go both physically and mentally. How else would you describe a class that requires you to clear a double-feed-plus-stovepipe malfunction on your carbine using only one's support hand in darkness? Now that's challenging.

The malfunction was caused by the nut behind the trigger and was made worse by the same moron. And throughout my effort to try and clear this I can hear the Instructors continuously shout encouragements of, "Keep fighting through it, don't give up!!" as well as corrections. They did not allow me to cheat either; I had to work through the self-induced problem no matter what (I actually had to use my teeth).

I tell you what, that malfunction and what I had to do to get back into the fight was worth the price of admission. I learned more from those few minutes than in some of the carbine classes I have attended in the past.

If you've never taken a Viking Tactics class, you're missing out. JM2CW.

[ruf]

LT - There were 2 photographer/journalists in the class so there are lots of pictures. There were some videos taken as well. I don't know when they'll be available/uploaded though... Get ready for March, this is one hell of a class. I'm going to try to go through it a second time to refine techniques and try out some corrections.

[GLOCKMASTER]

I'm currently working on my AAR and it will post in the next day or so. Also I have quite a few pictures from the class and a couple of others are suppose to send me some pictures of the low light portion of the class. However, the pictures will be limited as Kyle always asks his students in specialty classes to limit the amount and types of pictures posted on discussion boards.

PJ you missed a great class with a great group of shooters.

[Boss Hogg]

Was there a consensus as to which rifle light and which pistol light work best? (with a realistic budget in mind)

I have a Surefire VTAC L4 light for my rifle and Streamlight TLR-1 for my pistol.

With that malfunction you described I think it would be best at that point to "Fix bayonets!"

Thanks for the AAR. BTW, my new C Products 5.45 mags have been working great.

[CarlosDJackal]

Was there a consensus as to which rifle light and which pistol light work best? (with a realistic budget in mind)...

I think we were all in agreement that the best rifle or pistol weaponslight is the one that you have THAT WORKS. Kyle did not spend much time in pushing any particular equipment although he did mention his preferences. But for the most part, he emphasizes that you should use whichever FUNCTIONING piece of equipment works best for you.

...With that malfunction you described I think it would be best at that point to "Fix bayonets!"...

METT-TWS. It's kinda hard to "fix bayonets" when all you don't have the use of your strong-side arm. There may be a time and place to use that carbine as a club; but there are also situations where fixing it is the best courseof action (ie: I am behind cover; the enemy is is far away and there is open ground between us; my buddies are able to continue engaging; I am backed up my some M-1s, Attack Helicopters, A-10s and a Spectre Gunship; etc.).

[ruf]

The only consensus about which light setup was that it MUST have momentary and on/off that can be accessible from both sides. The last thing you want is a "shoot here" spotlight at your feet when you transition to pistol. I managed to muddle through turning off the carbine light during transitions after getting scolded a few times on TD1. I'll be setting up my carbine with momentary switch shortly. Also, you need an on/off switch in order to operate the carbine one-handed.

For pistol, a dedicated light is the best way to go, but may not be practical for concealment. I'm thinking an X300 is great for a house pistol, but chances are I'll have to get by with a handheld for carry. I started the class off with a Harries technique but the lack of recoil management meant my followup shots were horrible. D set me straight with a modified Chapman technique that worked out GREAT. It felt 90% of my normal stance in terms of accuracy and recoil management. That in and of itself was worth the price of admission...

[Jmacken37]

I had the opportunity to attend this class and count myself fortunate.

This was the most fun I've EVER had shooting!

The line about the assistant instructors being top quality was true. I'd take a class with D and T in a heart beat. When do you get a chance to shoot the breeze with someone who's been in more than one REAL gunfight and can tell you the true, first-hand, value of shooting from the support side? I was also moved and impressed by the optional leadership seminar put on at VTAC headquarters. Picking up some of the new VTAC kit (love the new Troy/VTAC rail and the VTAC targets!) right at the source was an added bonus.

Jeff and Jack did a great job getting everything together for us. They even managed to haul three junker vehicles out to the range for us. Jack looked to being putting in a good bit of work and didn't even get to shoot. The other students were a very squared away and friendly bunch.

I was stretched well beyond my abilities and would have been even more lost if I hadn't attended VTAC's Carbine 1.5 course. Although I'm really only a 'poser' and 'gear whore' at heart, I came away with some valuable learning. The differences encountered when working your gear and shooting at night were a real shock. I fiddled around some before, but I learned a ton about moving and shooting at night. I am also going to move my light on the rifle...yet again.

A pistol mounted light is a really nice feature. I ran the much maligned TRL1 on a G17. It did fine. The Surefire 6PLED I used on my rifle wasn't the brightest and I ocassionally had trouble seeing some targets at night, but it ran well. A SBR was helpful inside the vehicles.

I was suprised to see the VTAC instructors and a good chunk of the class running EoTechs on their rifles. The EoTech reticle is still my favorite, but I used an Aimpoint T1. I'm anxious to hear how the VTAC instructors evaluate the XPS sight they were running. If it works out, I'll have to pick one of those up.

Jake