Jenrick
Member
Name of Course: Fighting Carbine
Training Org: Progressive Combat Skills (PCS) and Criterion Tactical
http://www.progressivecombatskills.com/courses/fighting-carbine
http://www.criteriontactical.com/
Location: Dripping Springs TX, PCS range
Lead Instructor: Kelley Venden
Date: 1-18-14
Weather Conditions: Cold and clear to sunny and comfortable
The course was open enrollment open to anyone and was held at the Progressive Combat Skills range located just outside of Dripping Springs TX. The range is open air and consisted of a 25 yard flat range, with about half the targets available for engagement out to 200 yds. Both paper and steel were available.
I received notice of the class from a co-worker of mine, and was able to schedule a slot with less than two days. The instructor retired SGM Kelly Venden has some serious credentials: "SGM Kelly D. Venden (Ret). Kelly has over 30 years of experience in the military special operations community, as well as federal law enforcement. As a long time former member of the US Army's (and the world's) most elite hostage rescue unit, 1st Special Forces Operational Detachment – Delta (1SFOD-D), Kelly has been involved with some of the most pivotal and studied military special operations missions in modern special operations history. His duties also included the development and implementation of advanced marksmanship training programs directed towards progression from individual to tactical team employment, with a focus on Close Quarter Battle (CQB) drills, Hostage Rescue, Vehicle Interdiction, aircraft takedown scenarios, surgical breaching and demolition, and other special operations offensive and defensive tactics. In addition, Kelly also served with the Federal Air Marshall Service in designing and implementing a firearms training curriculum for the agency. In this capacity, he created one of the famous pistol standards tests now known as the "Triple Nickel". Basically 2 shots on each of 5 targets at 5 yards, in 5 seconds or less, from concealment...including a reload. He continues to teach for SIG Academy and has taught for Spartan Tactical, TigerSwan Inc., and the Combating Terrorism Center (West Point). Kelly is also a certified firearms instructor with the Federal Law Enforcement Training Center (FLETC)."
The class began with a brief and very understated introduction by Kelly himself. If I hadn't already known his background, I would have just assumed he had served in the Army and was still involved in their training. He is not one to tout his own accomplishments. Kelly moved into a brief discussion of range rules, a safety brief, followed by a very good discussion of weapon setup. Kelly is an advocate of figuring out what your mission needs are and going from there. Included in the discussion was sighting options, slings, handgrips and their locations, as well as additional accessories (such as bolt release devices like the MagPul B.A.D).
From there the class was moved to the range and we made our weapons (both rifle and pistols) hot. The range was run hot, and we were expected to keep a gun in the fight at all times no matter what happens. The first evolution was to run 2 timed drills to see where everyone was at in terms of speed an accuracy. Once this was completed we had a brief discussion of acceptable sight picture, followed by a longer discussion of external ballistics and zero'ing.
We moved back to the 100 yard line, and everyone had a chance to verify their zero from different shooting positions on steel. We then backed up to the 200 yard line and repeated the exercise. Kelly was very good on coaching shooters in this phase if they were having issues getting hits due to their technique being off or using an unorthodox zero on their rifle.
Following zero confirmation we began to work basic carbine drills at the 25 yard line, followed by turning movements, and finishing with shooting on the move both oblique and laterally. Kelly stressed accurate rather than fast rounds throughout the day.
Kelly is not a believer in down time, and considering I am paying for instruction not down time I am alright with that. If Kelly was talking we were expected to be reloading magazines, and lunch consisted of a slightly longer period of Kelly talking. He discussed bilateral (support side shoulder shooting) and barricade work while we wolfed down lunch and then it was back to the range.
We worked immediate action drills in response to malfunctions, and then pistol transitions. This was followed by a drill working bilateral rifle transitions. We then moved back to the barricades for the final portion of the day.
Barricade work consisted of the now familiar VTAC 9 hole barricade, and Kelly discussed barricade standoff, foot and knee placement, etc. We were given ample time to work on the barricades, before a team competition scrambler was run. We finished the day out be running the timed drills from the morning to see how our speed and accuracy had changed.
The drills run in the class are not done with a ton of repetition. However if you have a grounding in the fundamentals of rifle work, none of the drills should be anything that is too difficult to accomplish in the reps available. However the drills are as challenging as you want them to be. Shooting for a high level of accuracy and trying to do it fast is what it's all about. Certain skills like shoulder transitions just require dry practice reps on your own time.
This would be a great second rifle class for most shooters, and for those with some training under their belt it's a good tune up as it gets a VERY experienced set of eyes on you for tips and fine tuning, as well as being able to answer questions you may have. Overall round count was approximately 300-350 rounds of rifle, and 20 rounds or so of pistol.
I would highly recommend the course to anyone seeking to expand their skill level with a carbine. Kelly is an excellent instructor, with a tremendous amount of knowledge and a superb instructional style. He is friendly approachable, and makes you want to be a good shooter.
Equipment List:
For the folks who are interested in gear (I know I am) the class was run with my DD M4v1 with EOTech 512 on a LaRue mount, and DD vertical fore grip. Mags were all USGI w/ Magpul followers. Secondary weapon was S&W M&P in .40 S&W. Also in attendance were a variety of rifles ranging from LWRC's Bushmasters, running Aimpoints, EOTechs, and one ACOG.
Equipment Notes:
The Winchester .40 S&W I used was horrible. I had probably 5-7 fail to fires on good primer hits, which out of 20 rounds is ridiculous. I was running American Eagle 5.56 and had one fail to fire on a good primer strike. Considering there were zero issues with the rest of the case I'm not too worried about it.
I run a Surefire scout light at 9 o'clock on my rifle, with the VFG as far forward as I can get it. I've never had an issue with this until this class. The slots in the 9 hole barricade were cut narrower than I've ever run into and I was not able to get rifle nearly as deep through the slot as I like due to my light catching on the edge. I think I'm going to move my light to 12 o'clock to prevent any future issues with working on different ports.
-Jenrick
Training Org: Progressive Combat Skills (PCS) and Criterion Tactical
http://www.progressivecombatskills.com/courses/fighting-carbine
http://www.criteriontactical.com/
Location: Dripping Springs TX, PCS range
Lead Instructor: Kelley Venden
Date: 1-18-14
Weather Conditions: Cold and clear to sunny and comfortable
The course was open enrollment open to anyone and was held at the Progressive Combat Skills range located just outside of Dripping Springs TX. The range is open air and consisted of a 25 yard flat range, with about half the targets available for engagement out to 200 yds. Both paper and steel were available.
I received notice of the class from a co-worker of mine, and was able to schedule a slot with less than two days. The instructor retired SGM Kelly Venden has some serious credentials: "SGM Kelly D. Venden (Ret). Kelly has over 30 years of experience in the military special operations community, as well as federal law enforcement. As a long time former member of the US Army's (and the world's) most elite hostage rescue unit, 1st Special Forces Operational Detachment – Delta (1SFOD-D), Kelly has been involved with some of the most pivotal and studied military special operations missions in modern special operations history. His duties also included the development and implementation of advanced marksmanship training programs directed towards progression from individual to tactical team employment, with a focus on Close Quarter Battle (CQB) drills, Hostage Rescue, Vehicle Interdiction, aircraft takedown scenarios, surgical breaching and demolition, and other special operations offensive and defensive tactics. In addition, Kelly also served with the Federal Air Marshall Service in designing and implementing a firearms training curriculum for the agency. In this capacity, he created one of the famous pistol standards tests now known as the "Triple Nickel". Basically 2 shots on each of 5 targets at 5 yards, in 5 seconds or less, from concealment...including a reload. He continues to teach for SIG Academy and has taught for Spartan Tactical, TigerSwan Inc., and the Combating Terrorism Center (West Point). Kelly is also a certified firearms instructor with the Federal Law Enforcement Training Center (FLETC)."
The class began with a brief and very understated introduction by Kelly himself. If I hadn't already known his background, I would have just assumed he had served in the Army and was still involved in their training. He is not one to tout his own accomplishments. Kelly moved into a brief discussion of range rules, a safety brief, followed by a very good discussion of weapon setup. Kelly is an advocate of figuring out what your mission needs are and going from there. Included in the discussion was sighting options, slings, handgrips and their locations, as well as additional accessories (such as bolt release devices like the MagPul B.A.D).
From there the class was moved to the range and we made our weapons (both rifle and pistols) hot. The range was run hot, and we were expected to keep a gun in the fight at all times no matter what happens. The first evolution was to run 2 timed drills to see where everyone was at in terms of speed an accuracy. Once this was completed we had a brief discussion of acceptable sight picture, followed by a longer discussion of external ballistics and zero'ing.
We moved back to the 100 yard line, and everyone had a chance to verify their zero from different shooting positions on steel. We then backed up to the 200 yard line and repeated the exercise. Kelly was very good on coaching shooters in this phase if they were having issues getting hits due to their technique being off or using an unorthodox zero on their rifle.
Following zero confirmation we began to work basic carbine drills at the 25 yard line, followed by turning movements, and finishing with shooting on the move both oblique and laterally. Kelly stressed accurate rather than fast rounds throughout the day.
Kelly is not a believer in down time, and considering I am paying for instruction not down time I am alright with that. If Kelly was talking we were expected to be reloading magazines, and lunch consisted of a slightly longer period of Kelly talking. He discussed bilateral (support side shoulder shooting) and barricade work while we wolfed down lunch and then it was back to the range.
We worked immediate action drills in response to malfunctions, and then pistol transitions. This was followed by a drill working bilateral rifle transitions. We then moved back to the barricades for the final portion of the day.
Barricade work consisted of the now familiar VTAC 9 hole barricade, and Kelly discussed barricade standoff, foot and knee placement, etc. We were given ample time to work on the barricades, before a team competition scrambler was run. We finished the day out be running the timed drills from the morning to see how our speed and accuracy had changed.
The drills run in the class are not done with a ton of repetition. However if you have a grounding in the fundamentals of rifle work, none of the drills should be anything that is too difficult to accomplish in the reps available. However the drills are as challenging as you want them to be. Shooting for a high level of accuracy and trying to do it fast is what it's all about. Certain skills like shoulder transitions just require dry practice reps on your own time.
This would be a great second rifle class for most shooters, and for those with some training under their belt it's a good tune up as it gets a VERY experienced set of eyes on you for tips and fine tuning, as well as being able to answer questions you may have. Overall round count was approximately 300-350 rounds of rifle, and 20 rounds or so of pistol.
I would highly recommend the course to anyone seeking to expand their skill level with a carbine. Kelly is an excellent instructor, with a tremendous amount of knowledge and a superb instructional style. He is friendly approachable, and makes you want to be a good shooter.
Equipment List:
For the folks who are interested in gear (I know I am) the class was run with my DD M4v1 with EOTech 512 on a LaRue mount, and DD vertical fore grip. Mags were all USGI w/ Magpul followers. Secondary weapon was S&W M&P in .40 S&W. Also in attendance were a variety of rifles ranging from LWRC's Bushmasters, running Aimpoints, EOTechs, and one ACOG.
Equipment Notes:
The Winchester .40 S&W I used was horrible. I had probably 5-7 fail to fires on good primer hits, which out of 20 rounds is ridiculous. I was running American Eagle 5.56 and had one fail to fire on a good primer strike. Considering there were zero issues with the rest of the case I'm not too worried about it.
I run a Surefire scout light at 9 o'clock on my rifle, with the VFG as far forward as I can get it. I've never had an issue with this until this class. The slots in the 9 hole barricade were cut narrower than I've ever run into and I was not able to get rifle nearly as deep through the slot as I like due to my light catching on the edge. I think I'm going to move my light to 12 o'clock to prevent any future issues with working on different ports.
-Jenrick
