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ACT's Defensive Rifle 16MAY15 Riley Conservation Club
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jblomenberg16
Grandmaster
The old saying is that if it ain't rainin', we ain't trainin'! More likely than not, if any of us ever has to use our guns in self defense, there is a good chance it will be either dark, and / or not Sunny and 70 degs.
Something I forgot to mention in the post-class debrief was how glad I was we didn't spend the first two hours zeroing rifles at 50 yards. Thank you, fellow students.
I was was also glad to see the three most popular bullpups represented. That's unusual. As I said late in the day, I hope everyone took note of the bullpup "facts", like how each drill was delayed from waiting on us to change magazines, and how we had no hits on paper due to the horrendous triggers.
I was was also glad to see the three most popular bullpups represented. That's unusual. As I said late in the day, I hope everyone took note of the bullpup "facts", like how each drill was delayed from waiting on us to change magazines, and how we had no hits on paper due to the horrendous triggers.
AAR SAT 5-16-15 ACT Defensive Rifle
The group consisted of eight shooters Jerry, Patti, Nigel,Chris, Ryan, James, Derek, Barry and two instructors and an instructor’s aide, Grangersson Hunter. Thanks John, Granger and Hunter for making this happen.
Rain was in the forecast and we weren’t disappointed. Training was going to take place regardlessof the weather and I like that approach period. You and your equipment need to be tested and proven, no matter what theconditions. Access to fighting equipmentcan be restricted and more complicated when using cover garments such as raingear and ponchos. Optics and eye protectionget blurry and distort your sight picture. All common sense stuff I know but it definitely ups the level ofdifficulty somewhat. I think most peoplewould agree that they would be faster drawing and shooting on a nice clear daythan when wearing rain gear in a rain event but we may not have that luxurywhen the time comes.
We met up at Riley conservation club shortly before 10am. Class was scheduled for 10 am to 5pm. All of us had taken prior ACTtraining prior and all of us had shot together before with one exception. There was one new comer, Ryan. He was obviously an accomplished shooter andhe fit right in and it was great to meet someone new. I bring this up because this was not an entrylevel course per se. You needed to havehigher level of competency with the weapon systems you were running. Prior knowledge of drills that ACT runs helpsbut is certainly not required. When these traits are combined, plus the small class size there moretime actually shooting. With largerand/or slower paced classes you may have more time to observe, and possiblyduplicate or incorporate what others performed. There is also more time to ‘leisurely’ load magazines. ACT does offer entry and intermediate level classesthat I highly recommend. They also doone on one/group training if you set it up with them. Basically there’s something for everyone and youshouldn’t feel intimidated about signing up for one of their offerings. You will be made welcome, learn something, betreated with respect and have a great time.
Basic introductions and a safety briefing was first on the classagenda. We were all familiar with the ‘rules’but we briefly ran over them again for everyone’s benefit.
RCC has, and continues, incorporating some upgrades to therange, bays and berms. The work is not fullycomplete but does look great by the way. This added to the fun factor for me since on numerous occasions mudsplatter from the berms enhanced the experience.
We started with some precision shooting at short range (5-7yards). That way we could all identifyour sight to bore axis offset. Once wehad established this we repeated various drills verifying our offset. Drillsgot faster and we incorporated multiple shots at six different sub targets arounda single larger target. While the emphasis was on time you also could notproceed to the next ‘sub target’ until you had a confirmed hit in theproceeding target.
Moving off the line of action (off the ‘X’). We practiced moving left and right (arbitrarily)plus engaging different locations on targets and multiple targets.
Malfunction drills and mag changes were practiced then requiredand incorporated into drills. The rangewas run under ‘big boy’ (and girl Jrules). You were expected to have aloaded rifle ready to engage the threat/s. Round count for the most part was up to the individual. You were encouraged to mix it up since younever know how many it will take to neutralize the threat/s. We wrapped up the morning with running the “Henk’drill which incorporated all we had practiced in the morning session.
A picnic style hot dog lunch was provided courtesy ofACT. Some people stayed at bay 5 andchatted while others went to the clubhouse area and ate/chatted. Another great part of the training experienceyou get from a full day class. A goodopportunity to check out other peoples gear. The gear ran the gambit from WWII carbine and unmolested 1911 to Tavor, Steyr/Aug,SCAR and RMR Glocks. Daily carry set ups(train with what you carry), chest rigs, battle belts, IDPSA set up….
Rain kicked in pretty hard. The schedule was changed so we would go to the main range during thedownpour where we could all shoot from under cover. While we had all been shooting in the 5-10yard range in the morning we now got to shoot steel target out to 240 yardswith intermediate distances at 100 and 175 yards (or something similar). Yards,meters whatever we were using! Thisevent proved the point that with a known 25M or 50M zero you could accuratelyhit your target from 5 to 240 yards with little if any compensation. Bowling pin targets in the rain at distancewere fun and challenging. In the end Ibelieve we all were able to consistently hit a 3ft square plate at 240 yardswhile standing unsupported, and to a lesser degree the 12” plate hanging. A lot of fun and a cacophony of noise! Again just for diversity a 7.62 SCAR to myleft and a suppressed 5.56 Tavor to my right.
After we had satiated our appetite for the longer rangestuff it was back to the bays. FYI thebays do offer some cover in that there are one or two of those free standingcar port structures at each bay. Plusthere is some kind of table to set your stuff. BYOC (chair!).
We ran a couple of box drills where we moved around doublestacked barrels set up in a square (box) configuration. We practiced moving around the outside of thebarrels using cover and also transition to shooting using our pistol. This helps emphasize how much we typicallylike to hug cover but forces you to see your own weaknesses. We did this moving around both the outside andanother run around the inside of the barrels. We all managed a couple of runsthrough this then back to bay 4 & 5. The wind had picked up at this pointand blew over one of the barrels during my first run!
One bay was set up for the figure eight drill and the otherfor a chaos drill. The figure eight drillallowed for simulating a 360 degree environment while only engaging the ‘badguys’. Use of cover, transition to pistol and all the stuff we had learned,re-learned all day.
The chaos drill incorporated driving the gun and engagingmultiple targets (five) multiple times against the ‘clock’.
Lastly we had ‘free time’. This was nice since you could run, or re run, whatever drill you wantedto. You could run a drill with a different gun or try out someone else’s gearor maybe mix up some different components from the drills or just make up yourown drill.
The class ended with a group like round table /AAR of theday’s activities before we all went our separate ways.
My personal comments/recommendations/observations:
I actually shot 500-550 rifle rounds and 100 pistol rounds. Planto have two pistol mags and three rifle mags on you at each course of fire. ACT let us know when we will need an emptymag for malfunction drills.
Binoculars or similar would have been a benefit for thelonger range stuff. Not an issue if youhad a magnified optic but worth a mention.
Update the course outline/website. I recommend you even sendout or include a required list (and a recommended list) orgear/equipment/supplies.
Some individuals experienced equipment failures during theday. An optic fell from a weapon and thestudent continued the course of fire without skipping a beat (back up irons). Several ammo magazine feed issues induced ofas a result of the training itself. Maglips getting damaged. Occasional FTF ordouble feeds. Everyone of them either successfully overcome the ‘mishap or flawlesslytransitioned to their secondary weapon. Luck? I think not.
Nigel
The group consisted of eight shooters Jerry, Patti, Nigel,Chris, Ryan, James, Derek, Barry and two instructors and an instructor’s aide, Grangersson Hunter. Thanks John, Granger and Hunter for making this happen.
Rain was in the forecast and we weren’t disappointed. Training was going to take place regardlessof the weather and I like that approach period. You and your equipment need to be tested and proven, no matter what theconditions. Access to fighting equipmentcan be restricted and more complicated when using cover garments such as raingear and ponchos. Optics and eye protectionget blurry and distort your sight picture. All common sense stuff I know but it definitely ups the level ofdifficulty somewhat. I think most peoplewould agree that they would be faster drawing and shooting on a nice clear daythan when wearing rain gear in a rain event but we may not have that luxurywhen the time comes.
We met up at Riley conservation club shortly before 10am. Class was scheduled for 10 am to 5pm. All of us had taken prior ACTtraining prior and all of us had shot together before with one exception. There was one new comer, Ryan. He was obviously an accomplished shooter andhe fit right in and it was great to meet someone new. I bring this up because this was not an entrylevel course per se. You needed to havehigher level of competency with the weapon systems you were running. Prior knowledge of drills that ACT runs helpsbut is certainly not required. When these traits are combined, plus the small class size there moretime actually shooting. With largerand/or slower paced classes you may have more time to observe, and possiblyduplicate or incorporate what others performed. There is also more time to ‘leisurely’ load magazines. ACT does offer entry and intermediate level classesthat I highly recommend. They also doone on one/group training if you set it up with them. Basically there’s something for everyone and youshouldn’t feel intimidated about signing up for one of their offerings. You will be made welcome, learn something, betreated with respect and have a great time.
Basic introductions and a safety briefing was first on the classagenda. We were all familiar with the ‘rules’but we briefly ran over them again for everyone’s benefit.
RCC has, and continues, incorporating some upgrades to therange, bays and berms. The work is not fullycomplete but does look great by the way. This added to the fun factor for me since on numerous occasions mudsplatter from the berms enhanced the experience.
We started with some precision shooting at short range (5-7yards). That way we could all identifyour sight to bore axis offset. Once wehad established this we repeated various drills verifying our offset. Drillsgot faster and we incorporated multiple shots at six different sub targets arounda single larger target. While the emphasis was on time you also could notproceed to the next ‘sub target’ until you had a confirmed hit in theproceeding target.
Moving off the line of action (off the ‘X’). We practiced moving left and right (arbitrarily)plus engaging different locations on targets and multiple targets.
Malfunction drills and mag changes were practiced then requiredand incorporated into drills. The rangewas run under ‘big boy’ (and girl Jrules). You were expected to have aloaded rifle ready to engage the threat/s. Round count for the most part was up to the individual. You were encouraged to mix it up since younever know how many it will take to neutralize the threat/s. We wrapped up the morning with running the “Henk’drill which incorporated all we had practiced in the morning session.
A picnic style hot dog lunch was provided courtesy ofACT. Some people stayed at bay 5 andchatted while others went to the clubhouse area and ate/chatted. Another great part of the training experienceyou get from a full day class. A goodopportunity to check out other peoples gear. The gear ran the gambit from WWII carbine and unmolested 1911 to Tavor, Steyr/Aug,SCAR and RMR Glocks. Daily carry set ups(train with what you carry), chest rigs, battle belts, IDPSA set up….
Rain kicked in pretty hard. The schedule was changed so we would go to the main range during thedownpour where we could all shoot from under cover. While we had all been shooting in the 5-10yard range in the morning we now got to shoot steel target out to 240 yardswith intermediate distances at 100 and 175 yards (or something similar). Yards,meters whatever we were using! Thisevent proved the point that with a known 25M or 50M zero you could accuratelyhit your target from 5 to 240 yards with little if any compensation. Bowling pin targets in the rain at distancewere fun and challenging. In the end Ibelieve we all were able to consistently hit a 3ft square plate at 240 yardswhile standing unsupported, and to a lesser degree the 12” plate hanging. A lot of fun and a cacophony of noise! Again just for diversity a 7.62 SCAR to myleft and a suppressed 5.56 Tavor to my right.
After we had satiated our appetite for the longer rangestuff it was back to the bays. FYI thebays do offer some cover in that there are one or two of those free standingcar port structures at each bay. Plusthere is some kind of table to set your stuff. BYOC (chair!).
We ran a couple of box drills where we moved around doublestacked barrels set up in a square (box) configuration. We practiced moving around the outside of thebarrels using cover and also transition to shooting using our pistol. This helps emphasize how much we typicallylike to hug cover but forces you to see your own weaknesses. We did this moving around both the outside andanother run around the inside of the barrels. We all managed a couple of runsthrough this then back to bay 4 & 5. The wind had picked up at this pointand blew over one of the barrels during my first run!
One bay was set up for the figure eight drill and the otherfor a chaos drill. The figure eight drillallowed for simulating a 360 degree environment while only engaging the ‘badguys’. Use of cover, transition to pistol and all the stuff we had learned,re-learned all day.
The chaos drill incorporated driving the gun and engagingmultiple targets (five) multiple times against the ‘clock’.
Lastly we had ‘free time’. This was nice since you could run, or re run, whatever drill you wantedto. You could run a drill with a different gun or try out someone else’s gearor maybe mix up some different components from the drills or just make up yourown drill.
The class ended with a group like round table /AAR of theday’s activities before we all went our separate ways.
My personal comments/recommendations/observations:
I actually shot 500-550 rifle rounds and 100 pistol rounds. Planto have two pistol mags and three rifle mags on you at each course of fire. ACT let us know when we will need an emptymag for malfunction drills.
Binoculars or similar would have been a benefit for thelonger range stuff. Not an issue if youhad a magnified optic but worth a mention.
Update the course outline/website. I recommend you even sendout or include a required list (and a recommended list) orgear/equipment/supplies.
Some individuals experienced equipment failures during theday. An optic fell from a weapon and thestudent continued the course of fire without skipping a beat (back up irons). Several ammo magazine feed issues induced ofas a result of the training itself. Maglips getting damaged. Occasional FTF ordouble feeds. Everyone of them either successfully overcome the ‘mishap or flawlesslytransitioned to their secondary weapon. Luck? I think not.
Nigel
Good review, Nigel.
That does bring up a good point. ACT rents enough bays to leave the props up, so you can repeat a drill at any point. If a student makes a small mention of a problem they had in a drill three hours earlier, here comes an instructor to take them to that bay to try it again to see what happens now and/or give some additional coaching. Very handy.
That does bring up a good point. ACT rents enough bays to leave the props up, so you can repeat a drill at any point. If a student makes a small mention of a problem they had in a drill three hours earlier, here comes an instructor to take them to that bay to try it again to see what happens now and/or give some additional coaching. Very handy.
Good Job Nigel.
I was one of the newer shooters. I have trained with ACT on pistols, but this was my first rifle coarse. I was the one with the optic that fell off. I had attached a cheap rail adapter to the A2 carry handle of my AR. Switching to iron sights seemed the natural thing to do, and with the rain on the lenses the sight picture was actually clearer.
John and Granger were helpful and informative. It was good to see how much carry over there was from defensive pistol to defensive rifle. The only major differences are the ranges used for training.
I am looking forward to my next chance to train with these guys.
I was one of the newer shooters. I have trained with ACT on pistols, but this was my first rifle coarse. I was the one with the optic that fell off. I had attached a cheap rail adapter to the A2 carry handle of my AR. Switching to iron sights seemed the natural thing to do, and with the rain on the lenses the sight picture was actually clearer.
John and Granger were helpful and informative. It was good to see how much carry over there was from defensive pistol to defensive rifle. The only major differences are the ranges used for training.
I am looking forward to my next chance to train with these guys.
Thanks Nigel, it was great to meet all you guys as well! I had a good time.
Thanks especially to the instructors. Also a huge thanks to Barry, Chris, and Patti for sharing some of their toys, letting me experience some things I'd never had a chance to shoot before.
iChokePeople
Master
- Feb 11, 2011
- 4,556
- 48
I'll write a little more when I have a real keyboard and get the vids uploaded, but wanted to echo the comments about another great day on the range learning from ACT and the other students. Always a pleasure. Working in the elements just adds value.
If any students would prefer that their videos NOT be shared in public, let me know.
More soon, with evidence.
If any students would prefer that their videos NOT be shared in public, let me know.
More soon, with evidence.
iChokePeople
Master
- Feb 11, 2011
- 4,556
- 48
Morning, a little rifle work, a little movement... baby steps.
Wind must not have been blowing yet.
[video=youtube_share;YS8pgtGFuFY]http://youtu.be/YS8pgtGFuFY[/video]
Wind must not have been blowing yet.
[video=youtube_share;YS8pgtGFuFY]http://youtu.be/YS8pgtGFuFY[/video]
iChokePeople
Master
- Feb 11, 2011
- 4,556
- 48
More morning baby steps.
[video=youtube_share;SpRt7aDPB7I]http://youtu.be/SpRt7aDPB7I[/video]
[video=youtube_share;SpRt7aDPB7I]http://youtu.be/SpRt7aDPB7I[/video]
iChokePeople
Master
- Feb 11, 2011
- 4,556
- 48
A little later in the day, a little extra liquid sunshine, and a box drill:
[video=youtube_share;YUNrRwdCYPI]http://youtu.be/YUNrRwdCYPI[/video]
[video=youtube_share;YUNrRwdCYPI]http://youtu.be/YUNrRwdCYPI[/video]
iChokePeople
Master
- Feb 11, 2011
- 4,556
- 48
By this point, the wind had really picked up and knocked over Nigel's barrels.
[video=youtube_share;36YfXt_oH3w]http://youtu.be/36YfXt_oH3w[/video]
[video=youtube_share;36YfXt_oH3w]http://youtu.be/36YfXt_oH3w[/video]
Nah. In this scenario the bad guy had rolled a grenade in an attempt to draw our hero from cover. Without missing a beat he shot that grenade back at him.
FWIW, your brother deemed the shot "combat effective".
iChokePeople
Master
- Feb 11, 2011
- 4,556
- 48
So anyway, while I'm working with more of the videos...
Saturday was a great opportunity to either learn or refresh some skills and continue to build habits under the watchful eyes of experienced instructors and other students. Like the recent DP101-201, this was nearly 100% range time. I think it fit this group well, nobody seemed lost. We started the day crawling, just putting rounds on paper, warming up, quickly confirming zero, working through a couple of minor issues. As the day went on, the ACT crew gradually picked up the pace and expectations -- dealing with malfunctions, moving, doing both at the same time, moving around obstacles, using cover, transitions to the pistol... Pretty much everything that a normal cat who isn't fast roping out of super secret drone helicopters will probably need on a bad day.
In addition, one of the students brought along a bonus drill for those who wanted to participate. Somehow I think I missed getting that one on video, as the last part of the day got pretty busy going back and forth between that drill and the figure 8 drill, so I guess you'll have to take the class to see that one.
I always learn something new in these classes, even those I've taken before. I always come away with something I need to work, something that needs a bunch of reps at home, some new way to try to do something, etc. I generally get to see some cool toy that I haven't seen or held or shot before. I generally get to see at least one well-known Internet fact disproven. I usually get to see rhino perform some new interpretive dance that may or may not involve midget strippers.
...and I always have a great day on the range.
Thank you to ACT and my fellow students for the opportunity to learn from all of you. For those who haven't yet done something like this, I highly recommend it. There really is a difference between a day on the range plinking and a day of pushing yourself a little, raising your standards, demanding a little more of yourself and your gear, and getting some quality instruction.
Saturday was a great opportunity to either learn or refresh some skills and continue to build habits under the watchful eyes of experienced instructors and other students. Like the recent DP101-201, this was nearly 100% range time. I think it fit this group well, nobody seemed lost. We started the day crawling, just putting rounds on paper, warming up, quickly confirming zero, working through a couple of minor issues. As the day went on, the ACT crew gradually picked up the pace and expectations -- dealing with malfunctions, moving, doing both at the same time, moving around obstacles, using cover, transitions to the pistol... Pretty much everything that a normal cat who isn't fast roping out of super secret drone helicopters will probably need on a bad day.
In addition, one of the students brought along a bonus drill for those who wanted to participate. Somehow I think I missed getting that one on video, as the last part of the day got pretty busy going back and forth between that drill and the figure 8 drill, so I guess you'll have to take the class to see that one.
I always learn something new in these classes, even those I've taken before. I always come away with something I need to work, something that needs a bunch of reps at home, some new way to try to do something, etc. I generally get to see some cool toy that I haven't seen or held or shot before. I generally get to see at least one well-known Internet fact disproven. I usually get to see rhino perform some new interpretive dance that may or may not involve midget strippers.
...and I always have a great day on the range.
Thank you to ACT and my fellow students for the opportunity to learn from all of you. For those who haven't yet done something like this, I highly recommend it. There really is a difference between a day on the range plinking and a day of pushing yourself a little, raising your standards, demanding a little more of yourself and your gear, and getting some quality instruction.
iChokePeople
Master
- Feb 11, 2011
- 4,556
- 48
It was a hostile environment. I'm pretty sure I saw that barrel make a threatening gesture.
chezuki was faster and wins the Internet today.
yes. He was counseled.
I hope you were taking notes when I forgot to load my pistol mag before advancing to the next drill.
I must have been, cause I did the same thing.
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