Re: RO Combat Carbine & Handgun Course?
I was one of the lucky few to attend the Combat Carbine & Handgun Course at Rifles Only this past week. My experience was very much enhanced by the participation of three of the United States Air Force's finest. These men were highly capable, clearly professional and they came to party. It was an honor to spend a week training with and getting to know them. And, I might add, these particular Zoomies could throw down some serious barbecue. Damn ... it was good!
As this was my first in-depth experience training with a carbine, much like my very first visit to Rifles Only, this course was an eye-opener for me. I learned quickly that some of the cool shit I bought for my AR-15 was just that ... cool ... shit. More often than not, simple gets it done the best. The various furniture/accessories/gadgets you can get for your weapon may be useful under some circumstances. But there is no substitute for a command of the fundamentals. Everything else is secondary. If/when you've mastered the Fundamentals of Marksmanship, you can pick up any gun and make it do your bidding. This simple truth is brought home to roost each and every time I visit Rifles Only.
I've learned that whenever I'm not getting a desired result with a firearm while at RO, it's best not to suggest there's something wrong with the gun. Because, inevitably, Jacob will ask to shoot it. And, inevitably, he will make a new hole exactly where he points the gun. Inevitably ... it ain't the gun.
One of the best aspects to RO is Jacob and Company's ability to gauge their student's abilities and to orient the level of training accordingly. While there's likely a defined curriculum for standard courses, they're able to shift gears, as appropriate, to see to it that each student's training time is maximized. As this class had some professional warriors in attendance, we seemed to move at an enhanced pace. And while some of the training, such as contact drills, are geared more for MIL/LE operations, Jacob and Frank kept them relevant to civilians as well. Contact drills, box drills, condition drills, all tested the student's ability to combine various skills; sometimes individually and sometimes as a team.
We also spent some time going over malfunction drills, including one-handed drills. I don't think the importance of knowing your weapon and being able to effectively clear a malfunction and get it back into the fight - even when injured - can be overstated.
The various handgun drills we practiced quickly identified a flinch that I've had for awhile. Jacob spent some quality time with me, helping me to clearly see it and understand how to eliminate it. My shooting improved immediately thereafter.
A continuing focus on presenting one's handgun like you mean it - every time it leaves the holster - was a singularly valuable lesson. Every draw from your holster (whatever the reason) is an opportunity to burn neural pathways in your brain, for better or for worse. Make each draw count.
And I was introduced to an entirely new concept ... <span style="font-weight: bold">don't lose time</span>. I've trained at several other schools and this concept is unique to Rifles Only. It applies to any weapons system. This alone would be worth a trip to RO. I'm not sure I could do it justice by trying to explain it here. Perhaps it'll be covered in the Sniper's Hide Online Training section.
The week's training culminated in several runs through the shoot-house. This is where one's level of experience and mindset (or lack thereof) becomes blindingly clear. Any delusions of grandeur you may have developed while playing ninja in your basement will be quickly extinguished in a blaze of pink and blue detergent pellets.
As in the past, I left my week at RO with a laundry list of skills to practice, concepts to cogitate on and a myriad of new tools for my shooting toolbox. And, as in the past, one day after leaving the range ... I'm already looking forward to my next visit to Rifles Only.
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Cool-shit observations notwithstanding, here's some kit I feel I can vouch for:
Blue Force Gear's padded VCAS sling; simple, versatile and comfortable.
Viking Tactical's LUSA; a compact sling adapter that will connect to just about any sling-connector. I can also recommend the
Viking's Light-Mount; it's light-weight and very useful for adapting handheld lights for use with a vertical grip on an AR.
SKD Tactical's version of the Eagle Chest Rig; short of an LBV or Plate-Carrier, this is one of the most cost-effective, and yet comfortable, chest rigs you can get. Eagle makes a couple of different versions, but SKD's model has a great combination of pouches for AR/Pistol mags. There's also enough room to add a dump-pouch and an admin-pouch (or whatever). And I've found SKD's customer service to be outstanding. I can recommend them for other gear as well.
Maxpedition's Rollypoly folding dump-pouch has become an indispensable part of my kit. I found their
admin-pouch useful for keeping a pen, notepad and versitool handy too.
DuoStock's CQB buttstock; its very light-weight and I found the extended surface quite useful. I highly recommend adding some
grip-tape to the back-end.
Novatac lights. While not related to my shooting kit, per say. Whenever I show my Novatac to people, they seem to like it ... so I thought I'd mention it. And it works well with the Viking light-mount mentioned above.
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General Observations:
Superman is faster than a speeding bullet.
<span style="font-size: 8pt">[Note to self: You are not Superman.]</span>
Corollary: Getting hit with Simunition kind of hurts and tends to leave pretty pink and blue marks on the skin as well as under the skin too. Getting bitten by Fire ants, on the other hand, really F'ing hurts and tends to leave angry red welts. Given the choice, I'll take a run through the shoot house. But next time around, I will be better prepared. And there will be a next time ... Frank.
Your thumb lives on the safety.
Corollary: I've installed ambidextrous safeties on several of my AR's. One advantage to an ambi-safety, is that I find it easier to put the weapon back on Safe with my trigger finger rather than with my thumb. I also found it easier to manipulate the safety when shooting from my support-hand side. One disadvantage to an ambi-safety, however, is that you can't flip the weapon over during transitions in order to ensure the safety doesn't get snagged on your kit. This is not insignificant.
Why are you doing that?
Drinking your morning coffee out of an official Jake Bynum camoflauged coffee mug will vastly improve your shooting capabilities. This is a proven fact.
Don't. Lose. Time.
If the various levers, switches and controls aren't where you left them the last time you manipulated your weapon, you should have your gun checked out by a competent gunsmith. If, on the other hand, you find the controls are always in the same place, then you don't need to look at them to use them. You should be able to load mags, change mags, manipulate controls, press-check, whatever, while keeping your attention on potential threats.
Speed is fine. Accuracy is final.
Each time I visit Rifles Only, I leave smarter than a arrived.
<span style="font-size: 8pt">[Note: This is not entirely related to specific firearms instruction.]</span>
There is no such thing as better firearms instruction than what you'll find at Rifles Only.
<span style="font-size: 8pt">[Note: This is not entirely related to specific firearms instruction.]</span>
And appropo of nothing at all, the new
TAB Gear sling is the shit! If you're not using one ... TISk, TISk.
