The Threadless Nut

Well, I’m back from the Summit now and what a great time it was. Here’s a wrap up of what day 2 included, you can read day 1 here:

The first block of the day was all morning. An intensive 4 hour block from Rob Pincus of I.C.E. Training, yes that’s TV’s Rob Pincus. Rob’s program is called Combat Focus Shooting program. He spent quite a bit of time talking in the beginning about the program and how it developed as well as some specific thoughts equipment and safety. One point that was highlighted again was how congruent all the programs of the summit were. While there were some subtle differences, they could be attributed to a couple of things. As Rob pointed out, context is important, in day 1′s “Confined Space Shooting” block we did things a certain way because of the specific context, that is, dealing with threats at less than 2 arms reach when we are in a limited space. In Rob’s block we were dealing with a bit more distance and therefore some slight changes are warranted. The other factor is that there simply isn’t always one best way to do something in every situation. The differences are very subtle and there is a consistent training imprint from all the blocks during the summit. I was very impressed by Rob’s teaching style, he was very clear and articulate and injected humor to maintain engagement. It’s obvious that his courses are highly developed.

Once we were done with the talking, we started with the shooting. A key aspect of  Combat Focus Shooting is to not use the sights unless you need to. At very close range it’s important to get combat accurate hits on the threat very quickly. It’s not very important if your shot grouping is 1″ or 6″. At longer ranges, or with smaller targets, precision becomes more important. The fact that we aren’t using the sights does not mean that we aren’t aligning the gun with the target, it’s just that it’s a coarser grain of alignment based on the gun and our body positioning. We repeated several drills to practice this concept, fast shots on a large target, and slower, precise shots on smaller targets. The basic “Balance of Speed and Precision” drill was expanded over the course of the morning by adding additional actions such as the draw, off axis movement and after action checks.

One thing that Rob stressed during this, and all the drills, do not establish a training pattern. If you constantly train that your response to a threat should be 2 shots to the high center chest, then you are conditioning yourself to do that and only that. As we know, fights are chaotic and unpredictable, so when that response you’ve drilled into your head doesn’t work, you’re going to have a problem. We practiced shooting a self selected number of rounds for each command and actually visualized the threat stopping before we would stop shooting. This same concept applies to common gun handling. Every reload should be done as a combat reload, every time your gun goes dry you should initiate a reload, even if you’re out of magazines, every time the gun goes “click” instead of “bang”, initiate immediate action. Don’t let your brain be trained that “click” means anything other than “fix that gun NOW!”. This is a common theme I’ve seen with the quality instructors I’ve trained with.

After lunch, we were in the classroom for the rest of the day. The first block was Managing Unknown Contacts from Southnarc. This described and demonstrated how to effectively handle an unknown person approaching you. Obviously, everyone that might approach us is not a threat, so the response needs to be appropriate without compromising your own safety. Southnarc laid out a series of progressive responses that escalate as the probability of a threat escalates. This includes verbal commands from a simple, “stop right there, please” all the way up to something like “BACK UP RIGHT NOW!”. He also adds movement in a specific manner to maintain distance, and to help you identify additional threats. Remember, bad guys often work in pairs or groups. This module strictly covered the initial response, not what to do when the threat isn’t diffused by that. So there’s a future training opportunity. He also described some of the signs that may indicate that someone intends to do you harm. We concluded this block by pairing up and role playing these responses.

Lastly, William Aprill gave a presentation on the psychology of “Violent Criminal Actors”. There was a lot of information here that I had never considered and understanding how a violent criminal will respond to something that seems like “no big deal” to me was enlightening. It’s good to understand how the built up context of different lives can affect what one might consider a reasonable response to a given situation.

This summit was a great opportunity to sample a variety of instructors at a very reasonable expense and travel. Thanks to Mike & Jim of NE Shooters for organizing, all the folks that helped execute, the instructors, and Pelham Fish & Game for hosting it. I look forward to doing it again next year.

This weekend I’m attending the Northeast Shooter’s Summit in Pelham, NH. This is an event featuring several instructors teaching various training blocks. Here’s a quick wrap up of Day 1.

The first event for my relay was Southnarc of ShivWorks. The block was entitled “Confined Space Shooting” and covered the physical mechanics required to defend yourself with a handgun in small spaces and at close proximity to both threats and innocents. The first part was the basic steps of drawing from a holster. While the pistol draw is something most shooters have a pretty good handle on, Southnarc has some very targeted specifics that keep the gun very close to the body and enable rounds to be accurately fired as early as possible. The focus here was being able to access your handgun while minimizing the opportunities for an opponent to interfere with the draw. We practiced each step of the draw and fired from both the compressed ready and extended positions. We covered the “nose over toes” stance that I’m familiar with and conducted several drills. One very enlightening drill was where we practiced engaging a target while surrounded by innocent bystanders, literally shoulder to shoulder. The mechanics of Southnarc’s draw stroke proved effective here as we were able to draw and fire in these very tight confines without sweeping any of the bystanders with our muzzles. Southnarc is very attentive during these drills, always right there to intervene if there is any hint of a safety issue as well as offering corrections. The session concluded with an overview of how to both shoot from, and properly exit a vehicle. The mechanics of this are way more complicated than you would think. Being able to exit a car without sweeping yourself or any of your (presumably friendly) passengers with your muzzle requires lots of forethought.

The entire Confined space block was very educational. Most of the techniques were small tweaks to what I’ve already learned in various other courses, but these small changes have big results. The only downside of this session was that I managed to slam my holster hard on the seatbelt latch when entering the car and I broke one of the screws. Having a pinwheeling holster isn’t conducive to range safety. Thanks to Chris for stealing a screw from one of his spare holsters and getting me back online!

The next block was taught by Chris Fry of MDTS Training, and I had the pleasure of assisting him teach. The class was based around dealing with carbine malfunctions. We started with a diagnostic test that shows basic gun handling at very close range.  A little tip if you ever find yourself in one of Chris’ carbine classes, at very close range, you need to account for the bore/site offset on the rifle and aim a bit high. We then covered what to do when your carbine stops functioning at various ranges from contact distance to 25 yards. This included muzzle strikes as well as both one and two handed pistol transitions. Finally Chris described and demonstrated all the common (and a few not so common) carbine malfunctions as well as his simple system to handle them without some of the problems of more traditional methods (like SPORTS). The culmination of this block is an exercise where students get a chance to handle multiple malfunctions under some induced pressure.

During a great lunch provided by the club, we enjoyed a lecture from Andy Langlois about Dealing with First Responders. Some good insights into what will be going through an officer’s mind if they are responding to a defensive shooting. Biggest takeaway from that, when an Officer says “DROP THE GUN!”, do it … now.

After lunch we had an overview of some of the many hardware options available for the AR platform. There are a lot of them.

After this I assisted Chris again with his carbine block for the 2nd relay of shooters, this meant I had to miss the block on Tactical Medicine, but I will be looking for more opportunities in that area.

Overall, it was a great day of training. The blocks of instructions were somewhat compressed, but there is a lot of information to be learned, and the opportunity to train with many instructors is a welcome one.

Thanks to the organizers and all the help from Pelham Fish and Game Club, which, incidentally, is a beautiful club.

Click here for day 2…

My buddy and trainer Chris Fry from MDTS recently authored a couple of excellent documents about AR platform malfunctions. He does a great job describing the malfunctions, how to clear them, and how to create them so you can practice. Until I took an MDTS carbine course, I had never even been exposed to one of the complex malfunctions he covers. Any AR15 operator would be well served by studying these documents:

• Part 1, simple malfunctions
• Part 2, complex malfuntions

One would also be well served signing up for any of Chris’ training. He does a great job providing excellent training at an affordable price.

Yesterday Ruger announced a new .22 rifle, the SR-22.

Nevermind that it looks like it’s just the Nordic Components kit around a 10/22 receiver, I’m actually OK with that (as long as Ruger properly licensed it). However, I don’t see the niche for this rifle. It sorta looks like an AR-15, but the safety, mag release, and charging handle are all different. This severely limits it’s usefulness as a low cost AR training platform.

Ok, so that’s not where it fits, maybe it’s just a cool looking plinker for folks who want something “tacticool” but don’t really care about AR training. Fine, but the MSRP of $625 puts it way higher than it should be for that. You could buy a standard 10/22 and  number of accessories to acheive the same affect for quite a bit less. The S&W M&P 15-22 is only $499 MSRP and is actually an AR pattern rifle.

In fact, the only advantage I can see of this rifle is that it can take 10/22 mags if you already have a bunch of those. Since a modified 10/22 will do that too for less money, I just don’t see where this rifle fits.

Regardless, I’m glad to see Ruger coming out with so many new products and responding to the market. I sincerly hope I’m wrong about this rifle and that they sell piles of them.

This past weekend I participated in great class, Combative Pistol 1&2 led by Chris Fry of MDTS hosted by the Marbletown Sportsmen’s Club in Stone Ridge. I was very happy with this class and the instructors. We had 15 students of mixed skill levels and 3 instructors. This was a good ratio for this type of class. The range had 8 shooting positions, so we shot in 2 relays. This led to just about perfect pacing as you had just enough time to top off mags and get a drink while the other relay shot an exercise.

We started off with a brief introduction of the instructors and an overview of basic safety rules. It was made clear that safety was the top priority and any student could be removed if safety rules were violated.  Chris then explained his philosophy and approach. His methods are based on no-nonsense techniques that get the job done with a minimum of complexity. He also maintains very similar stances and movements with pistol, carbine, knife and empty hand. Such simplification leads to a common set of muscle memory movements that are more easily ingrained.  Additionally, Chris is secure enough in his methods that he doesn’t get upset if you have a different way that you like to do something. A common theme that was repeated throughout the class was “it is not THE way, it is A way”. Chris also strives to provide effective training at an affordable price.

Next we covered some basics like grip, sights and trigger control as well as stance and position. The shooting stance or “Dynamic Contact Position” was demonstrated as well as the basic low ready stance. The dynamic contact position is designed to not only proved a stable base for “administering ballistic counseling”, but also to allow rapid movement and absorb the energy of a rushing attacker.

This was not a lecture class, so after this, we moved out to the range, where the rest of the class would be conducted. We practiced shooting from the dynamic contact position. This was basic slow fire, and the instructors evaluated and addressed any basic problems. This was from 3 and 5 yards. Since most self defense shootings involve very close ranges, we never shot at anything further than 7 yards. It was emphasized that each distance has it’s own requirements for time and accuracy. At the longer range you have a bit more time and the target is smaller, so you need to take the time to acquire a sight picture and carefully fire. At 3 yards you just cover the target with the back of the slide and fire.

We then moved on to some gun-handling exercises, loading, unloading and reloading. Everything was conducted as if it were being done in a gun fight., there were no casual reloads here. The point being that you will perform how you practice, so every technique should be done as it would need to be done in a fight. We loaded up mags with 1, 2 & 3 rounds and mixed them up so we wouldn’t know when a reload would be needed.

The next block emphasized the need to have a plan for your defensive responses, in fact several plans. You can’t just keep blazing away until the problem, hopefully, goes away. The first response is the “Standard Defensive Response” and consists of 2 shots to the “center of visible mass” (read that as chest).  We drilled this at all ranges with their appropriate pacing. At this time we also added the after action drill. Basically this is looking around to make sure that there are no more threats. It’s designed to break the affect of stress induced tunnel vision and keep you aware of the larger situation.

The last item for Combative Pistol 1 was an introduction to “Bilateral Weapon Operation”. This is really just a fancy term for shooting with your support hand (“don’t say weak hand, there is nothing weak on me”). It included a method for transferring the pistol and practice shooting and manipulating it with the support hand. This was quite difficult and it’s really eye opening how hard simple things get when you have to do them with the wrong hand. More practice needed here (and everywhere else too).

Combative Pistol 2 began with the tactical reload, reload with retention, or a half a dozen other names. This is incorporated into the after action drill as a method of topping off the gun when there is a lull in the fight. This concept has a certain amount of controversy as it requires some fine motor control (which goes away under stress). Some say that you’re better off just letting the magazine drop and retrieving it after the reload if time allows. I’m not sure how I feel about it as I can see both sides of the argument, but I won’t go too far down that path.

The next subject was more defensive responses. These are needed when the standard response doesn’t produce the desired affect, for example when your attacker is wearing body armor. The “Failure to Stop Response” was first. This consists of 2 shots center mass, and 1 to the melon. This is sometimes called the “Mozambique drill” or just “2 to the chest and 1 to the head”. The important thing to remember in this drill is that the head shot has to count. So you have to take a little more time with it. The final defensive response that we covered was the “Non-Standard Defensive Response”. This consists of the usual 2 shots center mass, followed by 4 shots to the pelvis. The idea here is that it will, at a minimum, hunch your attacker over, destroying his balance and momentum. Ideally it would also break the pelvis destroying skeletal support, making it impossible to stay standing and mobile. This exercise really burned up some ammo as each volley put 6 rounds into the target.

Now we covered another ready position,”The Diamond”, also known as “Position Sul”. This puts the gun very close to your body for moving in close quarters in a structure or among teammates. We practiced shooting from this, and the other ready positions.

Our last chunk of instruction involved moving under fire. We covered the “Combat Side Step”, which is used to quickly take you off the line of attack. If an attacker is charging it’s better to not be there when he gets there. We also covered “Speed Kneeling” where you drop to one knee. This is useful when shooting from behind cover so you don’t keep popping up in the same spot. Also you present a smaller target, and if working in a team, allow the shooter behind you to engage the target as well.

The concluding exercise involved a combination drill encompassing everything we learned. Different instructions were called out and we performed them flawlessly, of course. This really piled some stress on as there were many tasks to do and you had to listen to what the instructions were, retain them, and perform them. Remembering to deal with reloads and clearing any malfunctions (“ammunition management is your responsibility!”).

Lastly we concluded the class with a debrief. We reviewed what we learned and any questions were answered. Chris went around the group and ask each one of us if there was anything he could do to improve the class, and he sincerely meant it, listening intently to the suggestions. I suggested that we do introductions of all the students at the beginning of the day and perhaps have name tags. It was a little uncomfortable not knowing who everyone was. Chris apologized for not doing this and assured us that he would take it into account in the future. The instructors were open to suggestions and improvements, yet still firm. If you let your gun go empty, there was someone quickly shouting at you to fix it fast. While it was obviously a training environment it was clear that we were training to fight for our lives. Standing there looking at an empty chamber is not a good way to win that fight.

I learned a lot from this class, and in total we shot about 500 rounds. My Springfield XD ran like a top with no failures. I will continue to practice the skills and drills that were taught and improve upon my own skill set. I would also recommend taking any of Chris’ courses. In fact, I’ve already signed up for a Carbine course in about a month. The techniques are well thought out and clearly explained and demonstrated. I’m also going to do more training of non-firearm skills. Chris really encourages his students to be well rounded and be able to handle situations without hardware. I look forward to future classes and I’ll continue to write about them.

There were 2 people whose guns failed. One had a backup and the other was lucky enough to borrow one. It makes sense to bring 2 guns to any training exercise like this as it would be a shame to have to bow out of the class because a $2 part on your gun failed.

Thanks also to the Marbletown Sportsmen’s Club for hosting and providing a hearty lunch.