Home Defense AAR

[C4IGrant]

Thanks for the information Grant.
I'm going to try like hell to make one of them.

We have a couple open slots in the Hackathorn class so let me know.



C4

[mkemmerl]

I'm going to try like hell to make one of them.

It is absolutely worth it. I know I'm going to revisit this as soon as I am able. After this AAR and the word-of-mouth sure to happen, I think there will be long lines when the next is announced.

Regarding my Glock malfunctions; I pulled everything apart this morning. Turns out you need to clean these things. Who knew? There was a couple years worth of crud binding up the extractor.

Another take away for me is ; standing in a doorway in clear view of the bad guy to clear a jam is a bad idea. But better to be embarrassed than interred I suppose...

[Complication]

I'll only add a few observations (I typed up 11 pages of notes and observations for my own future reference):

1) People took it very seriously. It would have been easy to walk into the house saying, "Okay, no worries, I'm just shooting paper." And I think that really speaks to the caliber of guys we had come out that people were sweating and shaking. People were cussing themselves out when they realized they were reloading in terrible locations and getting seriously freaked out and amped up even though none of the targets shot back. And without that it would have been easy to miss a lot of the lessons which we all felt were "hard learned" (even though this wasn't even force-on-force training let alone the real deal!). I think it was a terrific learning experience for myself that the first time through I was so charged up. Without that I would never have recognized the critical need to calm down, slow down, and take a few deep breaths from time to time.

2) Watching people negotiate doorways and deal with the door that wouldn't open all the way made me realize that a great deal of this training is simply having seen a problem or obstacle before. Walking up to the dual open doors I had no clue how best to handle it and knew only that my best idea was an awful one. I actually turned around to Grant and asked, "Any advice?" But now that I've done it wrong and seen how best to do it, I'll never make that mistake again. Similarly, the door that wouldn't quite open all the way flustered me the first time and I made sub-optimal entry into the room. But when Grant suggested a better method, I had no problem the second time through. I think there's great value in throwing problems in our faces, watching is cluster-**** our way through them, and saying "well, maybe this would have been better." Whether negotiating a door or a particular obstacle, seeing it even once feels like it enhanced tenfold my ability to problem solve similar situations in the future.

3) I always thought that scene in Men In Black where everyone shoots the alien targets but Will Smith shoots the little girl was unfairly ragging on the skills of our armed forces. But after talking to Ben and after seeing my own failings at target discrimination, it's so ungodly easy to pop the wrong people, whether its because one's a petite white chick (with a gun) and the other is a big black dude (without a gun) or because you saw the gun and not the badge. Imagine how hard it is for people who never have this sort of training despite strapping on a gun every day when they go to work. I think that's a critical lesson to take out into the world from two perspectives:
a) you need to be really careful who you decide to shoot
b) you need to be really careful whenever your gun is out that another CCW or the first cop on the scene doesn't burst your mellon just because your gun is still out.

4) A lot of people forgot the fourth rule of gun safety. I accidentally killed a few kids in the school hallway with a few stray rounds and I saw more than a few bullet holes in the patrons of that jewelry store. I'd like to think in real life that if a masked man with a gun (pointed at the ground no less) ran out of a jewelry store with huge glass windows I'd wait for a clear shot or at least take a lot more time aiming. But I don't think a single one of us hesitated to light that fool up. Grant harped on us (rightfully so) for every stray round we let loose but I think we all need to be harder on ourselves when it comes to accuracy, ESPECIALLY when the photo we're staring at has innocents crowding the target's background.

I think it has been, so far, the best shooting experience I've ever had. Sadly it leaves me sitting here hungering for more. But I think it's a great idea as a stepping stone for more advanced classes. I think I would have completely come apart at the seams had it not been for my previous experience with the M4C spring shoot and the summer classes that Grant and others have been offering.

I think you can only truly recognize how valuable training is when you go out, get some, and have a handful of "oh shit, I suck at this" moments. And I know I had my fair share this weekend.

Thanks again to Grant and Ben.

[6933]

Humbling. Lots of work to do. This type of class puts things in a new light. Didn't shoot as well as I'd like, but if one can't bring it when necessary, it's time to regroup and rethink. Going to put in much, much more range time incorporating lessons learned.

The basics, the basics, the basics. Like I've heard at TS classes, and apparently didn't learn well enough: There is no such thing as advanced shooting skills, only flawless execution of the fundamentals under stress.

Plan on shooting better at the next shoot house. Can't wait.

Wife is already tired of me pieing corners and working the doors.

[1911pro]

Good point about being fundamentally sound. Under stress we witnessed:

1. Poor malfunction clearing.
2. Poor Tactical Reloads.
3. Poor Emergency Reloads.
4. Poor Accuracy.
5. Poor decision making.

If one is NOT a good shooter (meaning fundamentally sound and can routinely put a round where they aim), then they will fall apart in a shoot house (as there is just too much for the brain to remember/do).


C4

Yes. It was way easy to get overloaded. I relearned this on the square range. I did not shoot half bad slow fire relaxed no timer. Once we started doing figure eights it was not so good for me. Add in the shoot house rush and things got worse in the accuracy dept. It really did make you think how fast you can go thru 17rds and be non effective. Second time thru the house I had made my mind up that I was going to get hits on target and have enough ammo in the gun. Did both of these things,but killed alot of good guys( we got tricked ) and did my reload in the hall and dropped the half full mag (stupid). Brain took hold of a couple of things and lost others. Like anything new with practice I believe it will eventually come together better. Hopefully we can do some moving and shooting at Tusco. Even with all the stress it was a super fun time. Thanks again for doing this class.

[Leonidas]

Anyone else having dreams about the shoothouse?

[Complication]

Not yet, but I watched a cop movie this evening and cringed every time they entered a room incorrectly or did something which was tactically retarded.

[C4IGrant]

Anyone else having dreams about the shoothouse?

Doors were what got me for weeks after my first class. I opened them and looked for something to shoot.


C4

[AR-15Tom]

Anyone else having dreams about the shoothouse?

I did the first couple nights. But last night the shoot house was my home and I had to clear additional obstacles like closets, navigating the stairs to the second floor and to the basement, checking behind furniture and underneath beds, not tripping over toys, etc.

[1911pro]

Anyone else having dreams about the shoothouse?

No dreams for me,but I think my wife had nightmares after I scared her with one of the bad guy targets. Waited around a corner with it. It was the guy in the overalls from the kitchen. Scared the hell out of her,