After having taken the Brumal Tactical Rifle class a few weeks ago, I was pretty jazzed up for more training. When Dave22 asked if I'd want to go take another rifle class, I didn't even blink. Since I still don't have an AR of my own (yeah, yeah, I know), Dave was kind enough to offer one up for the class.
While from the description this sounded like a more basic class than the previous one, I always remember the words of my old Sifu, “Advanced techniques are nothing more than the basics mastered.” After a chat with the owner Fred Mastison, it was time to go find some ammo, pick up the AR and learn how to shoot again.
Since there was some miscommunication with the original facility, the class was moved to a desert location in Maricopa. This proved to be a stroke of luck as the area was easily accessible (by SUV) and perfectly laid out for shooting. There were a few last minute cancellations so our class was small, only 3 students. Another stroke of luck as this meant plenty of trigger time and lots of personalized instruction.
For those who are familiar with Fred Mastison, he is a very skilled shooter, a talented instructor and really one hell of a guy. For someone with his training credentials Fred is amazingly approachable and a pleasure to train with (and I can be a bit of a dick so that’s saying something). On Day 1, after a very practical and solid safety lecture we got started by getting the rifles zeroed. Dave lent me a stunning custom AR (by custom I mean that he actually machined the lowers himself!) with a Trijicon ACOG sight. Let me stop right now and tell you, if you haven’t had the chance to use one of these sights I urge you get your paws on one pronto. The best analogy I can think of is that compared to the EOTech I used a few weeks ago, this is like trading in your Nissan 370Z sports car for a Porsche Cayman. Sure, they both do essentially the same thing, one just turns up the refinement dial and does it a little better. We sighted the rifles in at multiple ranges and learned how to use a hold in order to be able to shoot X’s at closer distances. This topic turned out to be critical and would become a large part of the class going forward as we shot at various distances.
Once the rifles were zeroed we went over use of the safety, emergency reloading, pro-active reloading and malfunction clearing (which actually turned out to be extremely beneficial during the course of the class). We then proceeded to run drills and shoot paper from distances of 10 feet to 50 yards. We shot the standing unsupported position, kneeling, kneeling supported, prone, etc. One of the key differences between this class and others I have taken was the extremely high standard for accuracy. Instead of silhouettes we shot small black paper targets and at ranges of up to 25 yards and were expected to keep everything in the black. At closer ranges, everything was supposed be inside of the 10 ring. Now, even with optics on an AR that’s no easy task once the speed and pressure start to mount but it is amazing how well you can shoot when specifically training for accuracy. One of the most rewarding drills was the steel walk-back. Essentially, after completed a few rounds of drills we would shoot a steel target at about 75 yards. Each shooter had 2 shots. If they made either shot they would continue, if they missed they were out. After each shot the instructor would walk us back some distance and we would shoot again. Our first attempt was pretty solid with everyone “pinging” the target from a good long way until we got tired of walking back. Later in the day we would once again run the drill, this time shooting support side, and were all amazed at how far back we could get while still hitting steel in a standing unsupported position. Towards the end of the day we also did a few pistol drills to ensure smooth transitions on any failure-to-fire of our rifles within 25 yards.
Day 2 got rolling faster. The standards for accuracy were held and maybe even raised while we worked more drills. Trigger control and establishing a good hold at various distances was emphasized. Anytime we ran dry inside of 25 yards, we were expected to transition to pistol and complete the drill with the same level of accuracy.
At lunch we brought out a few toys. Fred is also a Precision Rifle instructor and showed us a custom Remington 700. This was a seriously nice tool which could be used to “reach out and touch someone” at great distances. Fred was nice enough to give each of us a few clicks on the trigger and we got to ring steel. Not only was this fun, but it really got me interested in learning how to shoot a long distance rifle (which for me, let’s be serious, is anything on the other side of the room).
By the second half of the day we were engaging multiple targets, transitioning from close to “far” and worked on shooting around barricades, barrels and obstructions. The use of cover and concealment was explained and then we got to try it. We’re not talking about just shooting around a barrel, but really understanding the practical how’s and why’s of concealment and what we could reasonably expect. This included firing of support side around barricades in both standing and kneeling positions and even shooting through irregular openings. If you haven’t tried this, you’re really letting the best of life pass you by. By the end of the day we were engaging multiple targets around concealment, firing around both sides, then transitioning to a second piece of concealment and shooting kneeling around both sides before engaging additional targets and finally ringing steel at about 50 yards to finish the exercise.
The final drill was definitely something special. It was a “one shot” exercise to complete the day, all or nothing. We had a hostage / hostage taker target which required a head shot from about 10 yards in a standing unsupported position. Not a difficult shot technically but what really made it special was that we each had to write the name of someone very important to us on the hostage target. This changed the drill dramatically, elevating it from just a drill to a real blood pumping training scenario. The good news is that after an entire weekend of shooting tight groups, nobody fucked this up. In fact, Dave22 did an amazing job with a rapid sight-in and quick shot right on target, no hesitation. Oh yeah, did I mention he was doing this with an SBR? Remind me not to owe this man money.
All joking aside this was an excellent class, well worth every penny. The instruction was excellent, very cogent and practical. My only regret that I didn’t take this class years ago. The Force Options Practical Carbine course is a fantastic foundation for all further tactical rifle work. It will give you the basic skills and accuracy to continue on and get even more out of all future carbine training. In fact, I wish I had taken the classes in reverse order as I’m sure I could have eked out even more out of the Brumal class if my fundamentals had been more solid.
Now, my opinion isn’t worth much and that along with $1.25 might get a cup of bad coffee at McDonald’s but for my money this class is an excellent foundation. I always knew that solid basic skills were essential but this class really opened my eyes to just how important the basics really are and what kind of difference they make. Now, I really need to get myself an AR.
