I went to my second ever civilian shooting training event …
As before I hit the target pretty well, but was not the speediest by any means. I won one of the exercises, because the rules were, if you missed, even once, you were disqualified. Well, everyone missed but me, so even though my time was the longest, the rules said I won. Even the instructor missed once. The really funny part is that, this exercise involved transitioning between rifle and pistol, which I had never done before. And everyone else missed at least once with the pistol and I did not and I am hardly a good pistol shot.
There were six students and three instructors or assistants. There were four declared first responders in the group. Two KBI agents (in the instructor group) and an EMT and a fireman, in the student group. So we were well prepared!!! And there were two giant trauma kits and one smaller one.
I had to switch to the (plastic) iron sights twice. Once was when we were shooting from a new position they called “junk yard”. This was where we laid the rifle on its side (ejection port facing the sky) and tried to hit the target. I couldn’t see the eotech reticle, so I flipped “out” the iron sites and engaged with those. In that case, I just wasn’t looking at the eotech at the right angle. I left the iron sights up. Later I was shooting at a target and the eotech reticle disappeared, so I switched to iron sites. Later I turned the eotech on and it came on. It had gotten turned off while I was shooting it. How could that happen!!?? Only two things I can think of … either I magically pushed both buttons at the same time (which I find hard to do even when I’m trying to do it) or the eotech shut off due to recoil. But I suspect that should not happen.
I fired 232 rounds of 5.56 and 41 rounds of .45acp, certainly the most rounds I’ve ever fired in one day (not including army shooting).
The new serpa holster worked great. I say that, because I was completely unaware of it other than a place to reach for my pistol and a place to put it back when done shooting. I guess that is how it is supposed to work. I did not shoot myself in the leg ?.
I learned that my whole life, I’ve been carrying slung rifles on the “wrong side” … as one of the KBI guys told me. So I tried carrying it on the other side.
My “idiot” moment of the day occurred at 4:45am when I tossed two gloves in my pack right before I headed out. It turned out they were both right hand gloves and if anything I needed one left hand glove, not two right hand gloves. I wore it on my left hand anyway, but these are pretty tight gloves and it was difficult to manipulate the bolt release, so I switched hands when I had to lock the bolt to the rear.
It was the most tiring day I’ve had in a long time (in a good sense). I was on my feet for 97% of 7 hours, on gravel. I was getting up and down and running around (most activities were timed). A typical exercise, was run to spot “A”, shoot targets X and Y 3 rounds each, then run to spot “B” and shoot targets P and Q 2 rounds each … then advance, firing while moving shooting and targets L&M, three rounds each, then switch to pistol and shoot targets F&G, 2 rounds each. It was hard as hecque to remember all the instructions!
For one exercise, we had to pick up two cinder blocks and carry them 25yds and then pickup one rifle magazine and run to the FP, where our rifle was and fire three rounds at a target, from “junk yard” … then run back the 25yds and grab our second mag and run back to our rifle and fire three rounds at a different target from kneeing, then run and get the third mag and back to the rifle and fire three rounds standing at the third target. We did this exercise twice. Oh and this one was a tandem, with two shooters racing against each other side by side in two lanes - as well as the clock. I was up against the instructor both times and he won both times, though it was close the second time. But I think he was huffin’ and puffin’ as much as I was and he is “thirty something” … whereas I am a few weeks beyond that ?.
At the end of the class, I went up to the instructor and asked for “Two things for Joe to work on” … and he said, “Your accuracy is fine … you should work on speeding up your times transitioning between multiple targets … and you should work on making your weapon manipulation more consistent, once I observed you using different hands to clear the weapon”.
He was right about both issues … I am slow on the timed exercises … though that is because I’m focused on doing things the right way and also on hitting the target … but I agree I need to speed up at some point. And I was using the wrong hands to clear the weapon, because I had the wrong glove!
I made no excuses … I accepted the feedback, after all, I had requested it !
Thank goodness I had no ammo issues this time … and no stoppages at all, except the ones induced by the instructors putting dummy rounds in our mags at random spots to force practice clearing stoppages. I had done a thorough cleaning and oiling the night before. I used lake city XM193 55gr 5.56 ammo. I only use three types of ammo in this rifle all equivalent to military rounds … the 55gr and 62gr green tips are from lake city and the 77gr SMKs are Black Hills. I’ve never had a problem firing any of these three rounds through the 5.56 rifle so I am sticking with them, when it counts. I might get some tracer rounds one day, we used to shoot those in the army at night and that was interesting, but they are not cheap, about $1 a piece, so hasn’t become a priority.
So, I got some needed exercise in stamina. I repeated my early class performance in being able to shut out any and all distractions, others shooting, others shouting, and focus on running the weapons and hitting the targets. From my perspective, this was what I did well, better than average … better than I do when shooting on my own land (why is that?). Firsts were firing from the draw from the Serpa holster, transitioning from rifle to pistol and the “junk yard” shooting position as well as running the sling on the “right” shoulder.
I repeated (from the first class) the issue with the eotech not being visible on occasion and having to transition to iron sights and that was successful. It was well worth the time and money to take myself out of my normal routine and do something else … with other shooters and see how I stack up. In truth, everyone that shot today was about equal. I was a little more likely to hit the target, but everyone else was faster, not so much in moving, but in shooting. But on balance, we were all roughly equal in effectiveness.
The follow ups are, drill into what happened to the eotech … that sucker is supposed to be the personification of reliability … did I do something wrong? And to figure out a way to practice firing at multiple targets under the clock. And to remember to take two pairs of gloves, so hopefully I wind up with at least one left hand glove !!!
