EAG Tactical 15-17 Oct 2010 Carbine Operator Course AAR

[MidwestPX 172]

TD1 started at 1130 with the standard release/waiver signature, range rules, firearms safety, etc. Pat went into discussion about major components such as magazine, optics, BCGs, etc. He's a huge proponent of Aimpoints even over the current EOTech XPS models. The XPS still has issues such as with a horizontally mounted battery, the shock absorbing design of the shell is negated.

 

We went over rifle handling and his preferred method of shouldering the rifle runs a bit contrary to what I have trained myself to do. He likes to bring the stock as high up into the shoulder as possible to minimize how far down you have to move your head. Not NRA high-power high but higher than what the Magpul Dynamics guys teach.

 

Stances included normal, braced kneeling, unsupported kneeling, both knees, and two different prone positions. I have issues standing up from a kneeling position as I have a tendency to put my strong foot backwards rather than forward.

 

After zeroing the rifles (50yd zero), we got to the drills: controlled pair (two sight pictures, two shots), hammer pair (one sight picture, two shots), failure drill (two CoM, one headshot) and the NSR (non standard response, 7 shots CoM as fast as possible). One thing I really liked was the fact that he went over WHY and WHEN you would employ each. He also stressed constantly surveying downrange to build the habit of always staying engaged even after the rifle is at low ready and the immediate "threat" is neutralized.

 

We went over pistol transitions which was pretty standard (roll the rifle out with the support hand while the strong hand goes to the pistol).

 

After dinner, we got ready for low/no light shooting. This was a late change to the course (we were notified two weeks ago) and was AWESOME. We started with pistols and were taught four methods of working a handheld light with a pistol. The standard Harris (backs of hands against each other, you see this alot on TV), the light in a fist on the jaw, shined over the sights, the syringe method (hold the light like a syringe and activate the tailcap with the heel of your hand) and the FBI method (held overhead). We shot 50ish rounds to figure out which method we preferred. Did some controlled pairs, hammer pairs and a couple NSRs. Also worked on engaging adjacent targets.

 

After the pistol training, we switched to carbines. Hammer pairs, controlled pairs, NSRs at ranges anywhere from 3 to 25 yards in low-light (two of seven lights on) to full illumination in the standard and prone positions.

 

We started at 1030 sharp on TD2 with speed reloads. Pat taught two methods: drop the mag, reload and yank the mag, reload. I asked about rolling the rifle inboard and visually checking the chamber before reloading. His response, "Why?" Do you know what the bolt locking back feels like? Yes. Can you visually check the chamber in the dark? No. Then why do it?

 

This was a good segue into malfunction drills. Pat reviewed the first three: Type 1 - pull trigger, *click*; Type 2 - pull trigger, *mush* (stovepipe); Type 3 - pull trigger, *mush* (double feed)

 

The first two can be resolved with immediate action or "Tap rack bang"; hit the bottom of the mag, roll the rifle outboard, rack the charging handle. Double feeds are more insidious. Apply IA which likely will not solve it. Lock the bolt back and call, "Malfunction malfunction malfunction" while kneeling. Rip the mag out, rack the handle three times, locking it back on the last rack. Digitally check the chamber (this is crucial at night). If clear, new mag, release the bolt and get rounds downrange.

 

Multiple target engagement was a fun drill. Road house rules involved one CoM to the target on the left, hammer the right CoM, and one more CoM on the left. Pat called it, "Everyone gets some before seconds are served" He's hilarious. Hammer-hammer is pretty self-explanatory. Finally, the box drill, my favorite. Hammer-hammer, straight up, headshot, straight across, headshot. These were repeated at night.

 

Shooting on the move was something I sucked at until I figured out the cadence that worked for me and how to properly roll the balls of my feet. Groups still opened up alot so this will be something I will be working. 15 yards to 10 yards, controlled pair. 10 yards to 5 yards, hammer pair. 7 yards to 3 yards, NSR with six CoM and one to the head.

 

Static turns preceded dynamic turns and involved a bit of footwork. When turning from the strong side, head snaps to the target and puts eyes on, support side foot comes forward a half step, pivot on the balls of the feet, carbine comes up. When turning from the support side, the support side foot takes a full step forward, pivot and the support side foot takes another step forward as the carbine comes up. Throw in a mandatory pistol transition for funsies then repeat at night. At night, I intentionally allowed my carbine to run dry a couple times so I could work pistol transitions a bit more.

 

Before dinner, we ran the Navy qualification drill. Five rounds CoM standing, speed reload, five rounds CoM kneeling, speed reload, five rounds CoM prone. All in 25 seconds or less at 25 yards (the actual Navy drill is run at 50 which we did on TD3). Pat called my screwup before the buzzer sounded. I nearly skipped the five rounds kneeling due to my focus on speed.

 

After sunset, we repeated the drills then threw a couple new ones in the mix. The first was transitioning from the carbine to a handheld light and pistol. Weaponlights on the handguns were ignored for this drill. Draw the light first then go UNDER the strong hand which is wrapped around the pistol. No sense in shooting your support hand. We switched this up a bit to use the carbine weaponlight supported by the support hand while the strong hand brought the pistol up. With modern weaponlights, it isn't necessary to completely illuminate the target. There's enough splash from a 135 lumen TLR1 that aiming it at mid level or lower provides enough light to effectively run a failure drill (two CoM, one headshot) with the pistol.

 

TD2 was a blast and built on the fundamentals of TD1. Pat and his crew are fantastic instructors who really know their stuff and do a good job of not only telling what to do but WHY. By this time, I see how this is a class focused on fighting with the rifle rather than just shooting. We shoot alot but the focus is on threat neutralization and surviving the fight by leveraging the tools and setting the right mindset.

 

We took to the field at 0800 on TD3 and immediately recapped some of the drills we learned from the previous days. This was in preparation for running the EAG qual course which was a 50 round, timed, two stage course. I sucked up the first half with eight of 25 rounds not counting. Made up for it partially on the back half with only three out of place. I think my issue was for the first string, I ran it as fast as I could and my accuracy suffered. What I found was I was finishing each individual drill well before time was up so I slowed down for the second half and made my shots count. My accuracy leaves much to be desired. Basic trigger control is fundamental and my lack thereof under pressure is evidenced by my first round in a multiple round drill...it's always low. At any rate, the EAG qual course was not a pass-fail affair. Instead, it was a series of drills we had gone over during the course and meant for the instructors to evaluate our skills toward the end of the class.

 

We also shot the Navy qual course at 50 yards and I suffered the same issue as the EAG qual course: I sacrificed accuracy for speed. 5 rounds standing, speed reload, 5 rounds kneeling, speed reload, 5 rounds prone with a 25 second max. While a number of students went beyond the alloted time (we were told time wasn't a factor, get good hits...see how well I listen?), I drove myself to stay within those 25 seconds. I'm pretty sure three of the five shots standing were out of the 8" CoM target and two of the five kneeling suffered the same fate.

 

We did a few CQB drills simulating the carbine going down (Type 1 malfunction) which forced a transition to the pistol. Pat then hammered us with CQB Type 3 (double feed) malfunctions. A typical drill would be: setup the double feed at 10 yards, shoot on the move to 5 while transitioning to the pistol, shoot a failure drill, assess/observe, tac load the pistol, clear the malfunction as fast as possible, and shoot another failure drill at the 5 yard line. We did alot of this because frankly, most people suck at clearing a Type 3 malf and the practice is good.

 

One of the last new drills we were introduced to was optic failure. The first was the front of the optic gets covered (ex: shoot a BG in the head, gore covers the front lens). For this drill, you really relied on shooting with both eyes open (as you should anyway); one eye sees the target, one eye sees the dot, brain puts them together. Then we tried the optic going down. For most, this wasn't an issue because the optic was properly co-witnessing the front sight post. Then it was a matter of centering the front post in the bottom third of the empty tube. The last new drill we did was shooting strong hand only. This involved bringing the carbine in, pressing it against the body and using tension to support the rifle. We shot box drills like this. Not easy but fun.

 

We were hammered with alot of CQB, shooting on the move, and dealing with malfunctions on TD3. While there wasn't much new content, I am glad we spent so much time going over what we learned on TD1 and TD2. All in all, a phenomenal class put on by Pat Rogers/EAG Tactical. This class was a proof of concept class that will be rolled out as EAG Tactical's Carbine II in 2011.

 

A little about the participants. The one female shooter was a long-time student of Pat's. This was her sixth course with him which has to be gratifying for him as an instructor to see his student progress. We had a doctor who was a former SF member and he shot like it. Two SWAT members from different states, both extremely good shots. There was an IT guy who had taken a class or two previously. Finally, there was the female shooter's boyfriend who honestly, I'm not sure what his background was though based on his handling and abilities, was likely the same as mine.

 

A bit about my gear. I was extremely pleased with two Fast Mags on my duty belt with the Bladetech two-mag pistol holster and Glock holster. My Vertx pants with the inner cargo pocket held three AR mags easily and I used the right, rear pocket as a dump pouch which held two mags without issue. I was even more pleased by my LMT/MOE keep-it-practical carbine's performance. After TD1, I broke it down and pulled the BCG out for a quick wipe and inspection. All was as it should have been with positive ejection and no rifle-induced malfunctions. I re-lubed and dropped it in for TD2 and TD3. It fed and spat out the next 1000 rounds like a top. The extra power recoil spring with a heavy buffer made for a midlength-like recoil impulse and the use of both a 5-coil extractor spring and o-ring was probably overkill but that rifle fed, fired, extracted, ejected, and cycled with a reliability that makes me confident that should I ever need to reach for it in defense of myself or my family, it will function as it should. The only unintentional malfunction I had during the course was when I picked up a nearly-full mag that I had dropped from the magwell (drill was to shoot two, speed reload, shoot two) hit the ground and canted the first couple rounds. I shoved this in as-is and while the first round fed, the second stopped the carrier. IA was applied incorrectly as I was on the three yard line and should have dropped the rifle and transitioned. This was where I earned my #1 status for a few hours until I was bounced down by a dumber mistake by someone else. Those who have taken a Rogers/EAG class know what being #1 means at the end of the class.

 

So what did I learn other than "alot"? I have a ways to go as a shooter and as a fighter. I need to work on basic trigger control (squeeze vs. pull) when under pressure and not rely so much on the nicely tuned SSA to make up for my shortcomings. I need to be situationally aware. Am I inside 10 yards? If so, if my big gun takes a dump, I need to pull the blaster. This needs to be hardwired. I need to learn to fix the rifle (Type 3s especially) faster. I need to practice applying IA...something as basic as push/pull or rack 'n roll. This ties in with the situational awareness. When the rifle goes dry, I need to be pre-programmed to realize, "That felt like the bolt locking back, dump the mag" instead of "Hmm, let's see what we have here? Oh, empty mag. Reload. ... Crap, I'm on the 5, TRANSITION". The last big thing I learned was this isn't about learning to handle a rifle. This was surviving a gunfight and I'm on the lower end of the power curve. Pat said it best but to paraphrase, the BG brings a stunning level of violence very fast and being the GG, you're on the receiving end and automatically, behind the power curve. Your training and tactics are what you rely on to re-position at a higher level, win the fight, and live/survive. I can certainly appreciate Pat's perspective given the fact that he works with alot of LEO/MIL folks and they are typically the ones faced with the need to deal death to the BGs on a more regular basis. In fact, one of the students had to bow out of the class the day before TD1 because he popped a perp with his M4 after the perp shot a cop.

 

I have a Vickers carbine course that I'm hosting in May but I enjoyed myself entirely too much these past few days and am on the hunt for a winter course (will likely be indoors since midwest winters suck).

[Tosser 61]

Great review!

 

I have been looking to take a EAG class but it has yet to come together. Have any details on the LAV class you are hosting? When/Where/Which?

 

 

Thanks!

[MidwestPX 172]

Great review!

 

I have been looking to take a EAG class but it has yet to come together. Have any details on the LAV class you are hosting? When/Where/Which?

 

 

Thanks!

I drove two hours for this class and would have driven five or six based on what I got out of it. If Pat comes to town or anywhere near, get a spot in his class!

 

As for my LAV class, that's being held in May, here in Missouri and is a custom carbine course that he's putting on based on the participants' median skill level. It literally went from an idea on at 1500 on a Monday to full with a wait list at 1100 the following Monday.

[Krdshrk 3,877]

Sounds like a lot of what was taught was contrary to what Magpul teaches.

[MidwestPX 172]

Sounds like a lot of what was taught was contrary to what Magpul teaches.

Speed reloads, malfunction clearing and rifle positioning, off the top of my head. I haven't taken a MD class in person yet and am hesistant to. Due to their popularity, you get large class sizes meaning a poorer student:teacher ratio. At this class, we have seven students and three instructors. Pat taught us a method of employing the rifle but not "the" method. He said if previous training techniques work better for the individual student, roll with it. But, if it's slow, cumbersome, not repeatable, etc., give his method a chance.

[Caine 147]

Great AAR, Ty. Pat's on my short list of people to train with

[Tactical Monkey 51]

Great AAR, Ty. Pat's on my short list of people to train with

 

+1 Thanks for taking the time to write that up

[MidwestPX 172]

+1 Thanks for taking the time to write that up

My pleasure. I kinda cheated and wrote up an AAR after each day then combined them all. I did it partly to share with others but also to document what I learned while it was fresh so I could refer back to it and train on my own.