I attended Pat's course on 4-5-6 August 2003 at the Boone County Sheriff's Dept. in Lebanon, IN. The course was open to private citizens, military personnel and law enforcement.
Pat has an extensive background in both police and military special operations. USMC Force Recon, NYPD Emergency Services Unit and years of consulting for our government. The list of foreign units he has trained is impressive and surprising. He has done green side, blue side and black side operations.
CPT Ken Campbell from the Boone County Sheriff's Dept. assisted Pat and was our host. Speaking as someone who spent a good part of his military career coordinating and conducting training, I must say that Ken impressed me. When we signed in, he had a drinking cup, small first aid kit, notebook and pen for all the students. Ken was fogging the range for mosquitos when I arrived. Next to the water coolers were baby wipes, insect repellent and sun block. There is a refrigerator in the range house that students can use to store their lunches or cold drinks.
The welcome packet I received in the mail included the usual list of required equipment and ammunition, times etc. It also included two maps (one to Lebanon, IN and one to the range) and a list of motels that Ken had coordinated special rates with for students attending the courses there. Ken worked tirelessly throughout the course to make sure the students could concentrate on training. This included repair to the student's weapons. I have not been to Gunsite or Thunder Ranch so I can't speak about their facilities, but I have to say that Ken is the best host of any private or LE course I have attended. He is also an excellent instructor.
This course is devoted to how to fight with the carbine (specifically the AR15/M16 system) as your primary weapon. It's not a basic marksmanship course. You should be familiar with sight alignment, trigger control and breathing before you take this course.
We started with a review of the four universal safety rules and then Pat spoke a bit about his background and what he hoped to accomplish in the next 3 days. We went over the fighting stance vs. the competition stance. Then it was out to the 25 yard line to zero. We were using the old FBI bowling pin target for this exercise. Pat walked the line and was able to give everyone the correct number of clicks to adjust their sight, even though there were several different sighting systems in use to include A1 type iron sights.
Then it was down to the 3 yard line where we fired a 3 shot one hole group to demonstrate how effective the fighting stance is and to give those students who had never fired their AR up close, an idea about holdover.
Throughout the course, we trained as we would fight. If you ran out of ammo or had a malfunction at 25 yards and closer, your transitioned to your handgun and completed the drill. At 26 yards and greater, you either executed a speed reload or dropped to a knee and cleared your malfunction. To get everyone used to operating in a team environment, you asked permission to stand from your partner before getting up. This is a CQB drill that's very important because you don't want to just stand up into your buddy's line of fire in a gunfight. Of the 19 students in the course, 15 were military or LE. There were almost as many ways to accomplish this drill as there were different agencies represented. We standardized on announcing "MALFUNCTION, MALFUNCTION MALFUNCTION!" when taking a knee and "STANDING" followed by "STAND!" from your partner (let you know he knew your were coming up).
We worked on stance, transition drills, firing hammers and controlled pairs and failure drills to include the non-standard response for the rest of the day. All in all we fired between 3 and 4 hundred rounds on day one.
Day two started on standard IDPA targets. We went to the 50 yard line and verified zero. Several of us had problems with our zeros wandering. Mine was a good six inches low. Pat used this to bring out the point that anything you do can effect your zero. He recommends getting a paint marker and putting witness marks on all your mounts. His personal M4A1 is well marked with red paint.
After correcting our zeros, we got into shooting while moving, 3 types of kneeling positions and 4 different prone positions. We then got into reducing malfunctions. It felt very odd, setting up a double feed so we could practice clearing it. We spent the rest of the day working drills based on these skills. We fired nearly 500 rounds on day two.
Day three began working with just the handgun. We worked our handguns from 25 yards and in, all the drills we worked with the carbines. We then fired the MEU(SOC) Pistol Qualification Course. This is a 100 round course and you have to shoot 80% or better to qualify. We got a break in that there were no turning targets so we essentially had extra time for each stage. Everyone fired in their tac vests/body armor etc. even though the carbines were in the rack. Pat says that Force fires each stage with one round from the carbine first, then transition to the pistol.
We then fired the MEU(SOC) M4A1 Qualification course twice. Both courses were fired on IDPA targets. Any hits in the head counted (Force fires into a 3x5 box in the head for qualification) and the 8" ring in the body counted for torso hits. Then we got into lateral movement drills. Finished up the course by firing to both the left and right side while moving with a precision target (hostage) at the end. Fired each drill putting two rounds into each target and then firing a non-standard response into each target. A lot of us ran dry while shooting the NSR drill and finished up with the handgun.
There were 19 students in the class. Pat's experience as a trainer really showed, because that is a big firing line for him to handle. Many trainers prefer a class half that size. Everyone fired an Ar15 or M16 type weapon. Sights were everything from A1 irons to an EO-Tech. Aimpoints were the most common. There were two Trijicon Reflexes in the class, one of which went TU on day two. Either something got into the hole the tritium lamp rests in or the vial broke and it lost it's illumination. In the course of the three days, there was only one malfunction that wasn't magazine or ammo related. I had three stoppages I didn't purposely induce. One where I failed to seat the magazine (my fault...Pat is right, staying in the fight is all about getting the manipulation right and not hurrying through), one bad magazine that I stopped using and a squibb load with Federal XM193 Lot 1.
I used my Colt R6920 LE Carbine, HK USP .45 as primary and secondary weapons. The R6920 has an Aimpoint Comp ML (purchased through Cal's group purchase) in a Knights Offset mount as primary sight and a Knights 300 meter BUIS as backup. A 6V SureFire is mounted at the 6 O'clock position on a Knights RIS. I carried it on a Tactical Taylor M4 sling. Load bearing gear was a Blackhawk STRIKE plate carrier with 4 SDS RACK mag pouches mounted on the front. I keep this rig in the squad car for when I have to deploy the carbine. I normally don't buy Blackhawk gear, but I got a very good deal on this plate carrier. My only complaint is that the elastic on the side straps is too weak allowing the carrier to move a bit when you have it on.
The pistol was carrier in a Safariland 6004 thigh holster on an Eagle duty belt with an Eagle dump pouch on the left rear side. If you use body armor, a dump pouch is necessary for your magazines. I surely didn't want to stuff them down behind the SAPI plate and then take a prone position.
I took about 35 magazines to the course. Loaded them all, and then on breaks I just filled my mag pouches while everyone else was stuffing magazines. Each night back in the room, I'd reload my magazines. Pat recommends 28 rounds for one reason, so you can easily insert the mag with the bolt closed. No BS about them being unreliable when fully loaded.
BTW all you guys who are saving your pennies for the new HK mags so you can stock up when the ban sunsets, wait...Pat says the lot of mags they just got from HK is junk and they are having problems with them. Of course this was right after he published his article on how great they are in SWAT. Apparently there are some QC problems with them.
Ken Campbell is hosting a lot of courses now. Louis Awerbuck is there for almost the rest of the month. Ken can be reached at [email protected] Just ask to be put on the training list and he'll send you info on upcoming schools.
Jeff
Pat has an extensive background in both police and military special operations. USMC Force Recon, NYPD Emergency Services Unit and years of consulting for our government. The list of foreign units he has trained is impressive and surprising. He has done green side, blue side and black side operations.
CPT Ken Campbell from the Boone County Sheriff's Dept. assisted Pat and was our host. Speaking as someone who spent a good part of his military career coordinating and conducting training, I must say that Ken impressed me. When we signed in, he had a drinking cup, small first aid kit, notebook and pen for all the students. Ken was fogging the range for mosquitos when I arrived. Next to the water coolers were baby wipes, insect repellent and sun block. There is a refrigerator in the range house that students can use to store their lunches or cold drinks.
The welcome packet I received in the mail included the usual list of required equipment and ammunition, times etc. It also included two maps (one to Lebanon, IN and one to the range) and a list of motels that Ken had coordinated special rates with for students attending the courses there. Ken worked tirelessly throughout the course to make sure the students could concentrate on training. This included repair to the student's weapons. I have not been to Gunsite or Thunder Ranch so I can't speak about their facilities, but I have to say that Ken is the best host of any private or LE course I have attended. He is also an excellent instructor.
This course is devoted to how to fight with the carbine (specifically the AR15/M16 system) as your primary weapon. It's not a basic marksmanship course. You should be familiar with sight alignment, trigger control and breathing before you take this course.
We started with a review of the four universal safety rules and then Pat spoke a bit about his background and what he hoped to accomplish in the next 3 days. We went over the fighting stance vs. the competition stance. Then it was out to the 25 yard line to zero. We were using the old FBI bowling pin target for this exercise. Pat walked the line and was able to give everyone the correct number of clicks to adjust their sight, even though there were several different sighting systems in use to include A1 type iron sights.
Then it was down to the 3 yard line where we fired a 3 shot one hole group to demonstrate how effective the fighting stance is and to give those students who had never fired their AR up close, an idea about holdover.
Throughout the course, we trained as we would fight. If you ran out of ammo or had a malfunction at 25 yards and closer, your transitioned to your handgun and completed the drill. At 26 yards and greater, you either executed a speed reload or dropped to a knee and cleared your malfunction. To get everyone used to operating in a team environment, you asked permission to stand from your partner before getting up. This is a CQB drill that's very important because you don't want to just stand up into your buddy's line of fire in a gunfight. Of the 19 students in the course, 15 were military or LE. There were almost as many ways to accomplish this drill as there were different agencies represented. We standardized on announcing "MALFUNCTION, MALFUNCTION MALFUNCTION!" when taking a knee and "STANDING" followed by "STAND!" from your partner (let you know he knew your were coming up).
We worked on stance, transition drills, firing hammers and controlled pairs and failure drills to include the non-standard response for the rest of the day. All in all we fired between 3 and 4 hundred rounds on day one.
Day two started on standard IDPA targets. We went to the 50 yard line and verified zero. Several of us had problems with our zeros wandering. Mine was a good six inches low. Pat used this to bring out the point that anything you do can effect your zero. He recommends getting a paint marker and putting witness marks on all your mounts. His personal M4A1 is well marked with red paint.
After correcting our zeros, we got into shooting while moving, 3 types of kneeling positions and 4 different prone positions. We then got into reducing malfunctions. It felt very odd, setting up a double feed so we could practice clearing it. We spent the rest of the day working drills based on these skills. We fired nearly 500 rounds on day two.
Day three began working with just the handgun. We worked our handguns from 25 yards and in, all the drills we worked with the carbines. We then fired the MEU(SOC) Pistol Qualification Course. This is a 100 round course and you have to shoot 80% or better to qualify. We got a break in that there were no turning targets so we essentially had extra time for each stage. Everyone fired in their tac vests/body armor etc. even though the carbines were in the rack. Pat says that Force fires each stage with one round from the carbine first, then transition to the pistol.
We then fired the MEU(SOC) M4A1 Qualification course twice. Both courses were fired on IDPA targets. Any hits in the head counted (Force fires into a 3x5 box in the head for qualification) and the 8" ring in the body counted for torso hits. Then we got into lateral movement drills. Finished up the course by firing to both the left and right side while moving with a precision target (hostage) at the end. Fired each drill putting two rounds into each target and then firing a non-standard response into each target. A lot of us ran dry while shooting the NSR drill and finished up with the handgun.
There were 19 students in the class. Pat's experience as a trainer really showed, because that is a big firing line for him to handle. Many trainers prefer a class half that size. Everyone fired an Ar15 or M16 type weapon. Sights were everything from A1 irons to an EO-Tech. Aimpoints were the most common. There were two Trijicon Reflexes in the class, one of which went TU on day two. Either something got into the hole the tritium lamp rests in or the vial broke and it lost it's illumination. In the course of the three days, there was only one malfunction that wasn't magazine or ammo related. I had three stoppages I didn't purposely induce. One where I failed to seat the magazine (my fault...Pat is right, staying in the fight is all about getting the manipulation right and not hurrying through), one bad magazine that I stopped using and a squibb load with Federal XM193 Lot 1.
I used my Colt R6920 LE Carbine, HK USP .45 as primary and secondary weapons. The R6920 has an Aimpoint Comp ML (purchased through Cal's group purchase) in a Knights Offset mount as primary sight and a Knights 300 meter BUIS as backup. A 6V SureFire is mounted at the 6 O'clock position on a Knights RIS. I carried it on a Tactical Taylor M4 sling. Load bearing gear was a Blackhawk STRIKE plate carrier with 4 SDS RACK mag pouches mounted on the front. I keep this rig in the squad car for when I have to deploy the carbine. I normally don't buy Blackhawk gear, but I got a very good deal on this plate carrier. My only complaint is that the elastic on the side straps is too weak allowing the carrier to move a bit when you have it on.
The pistol was carrier in a Safariland 6004 thigh holster on an Eagle duty belt with an Eagle dump pouch on the left rear side. If you use body armor, a dump pouch is necessary for your magazines. I surely didn't want to stuff them down behind the SAPI plate and then take a prone position.
I took about 35 magazines to the course. Loaded them all, and then on breaks I just filled my mag pouches while everyone else was stuffing magazines. Each night back in the room, I'd reload my magazines. Pat recommends 28 rounds for one reason, so you can easily insert the mag with the bolt closed. No BS about them being unreliable when fully loaded.
BTW all you guys who are saving your pennies for the new HK mags so you can stock up when the ban sunsets, wait...Pat says the lot of mags they just got from HK is junk and they are having problems with them. Of course this was right after he published his article on how great they are in SWAT. Apparently there are some QC problems with them.
Ken Campbell is hosting a lot of courses now. Louis Awerbuck is there for almost the rest of the month. Ken can be reached at [email protected] Just ask to be put on the training list and he'll send you info on upcoming schools.
Jeff
