AAR Ernest Langdon 3 day Carbine Instructor

[Chipster]

AAR Ernest Langdon 3 day Carbine Instructor

I am part of a regional law enforcement training council. As head of the training committee, it is my responsibility to ascertain needs and wants of the agencies and its officers and to bring that training to our area. Last year I was able to bring Ernest in for his 3 day Handgun Instructor class and the reviews were so positive that the council allowed me to bring him back this year for a 3 day carbine instructor class. I should also note that the hosting agency was so impressed last year that they hired Ernest to instruct just their department for 2 days while Ernest had some down time between a couple of classes here in Indiana.

We hosted the class at the Nappanee Indiana Conservation Club. This club has an enclosed building, bathroom facilities, pistol range (50 yards) and a rifle range extending out to 200 yards. We rented the range for the class and although we had a few interruption from club members, the host facility was very accommodating.

We started off with 12 spots reserved for the class although at the last minute we had one student not be able to attend so we pressed on with 11. Ernest started off with a lecture about the overall class schedule and then inquired as to what weapon systems we all had. Everyone was running various brands of the AR platform and all but one was running 16” guns. There were several Bushmasters select fire guns, a Daniel Defense, BCI Defense, a Rock Rive, and several others makes/parts guns. We were pretty evenly split on optics versus red dots with a couple of Aimponts, several EoTechs, a Trijicon MRO, and a Vortex. Most everyone shot the Federal America Eagle XM193 ball while others shot some Fiochi and sstill another shot Wolf steel cased ammunition. I was the only one to run a suppressor (Gemtech) although it was off more than it was on. I had several issues with sighting the gun in and although I believe they were induced by my vigorous cleaning prior to the class it made the gun significantly heavier and I preferred it off. Everyone had slings for the class and there were 3 points, single points, as well as few 2 points. Various magazines were used but most were P-mags or metal based surplus military magazines.


Day 1
Ernest started off with a lecture on the history of the AR platform and benefits/negatives of the system and its caliber/terminal ballistics. He had a powerpoint presentation that showed ballistic information as well as operations of the AR platform that was put together well and beneficial for all to see. Ernest then went over various maintenance issues and it seemed like everything he said not to do, I had done. Recently. Like the day before class. He then went over the advantages of some accessories like the ambi control lever, slings, sights, stocks and the differences between the various length gas systems. Ernest spoke at length about sighting in and the distance that should be done at. His thoughts on this were sound and made a lot of sense. Before hitting the range we set up a plan for any injuries that may occur and who had medical training/first aid kits available. This last step is just good practice and although I first saw it done by TLG, it is refreshing that other instructors continue to do it as well.

We began by sighting in our rifles. Although everyone was on the target at 50 yards, some of us needed significant more fine tuning (me). With my suppressor on I had a difficult time maintaining a tight group and eventually had Ernest shoot it to see if it was the gun or me. Ernest also had a larger group than he expected so he removed my suppressor and proceeded to put 3 shots into a little over an inch. There was a 6” difference between the points of impacts with the suppressor off. After a little more finagling I was grouping decently enough to start the class.

We moved onto some 2” dot shooting and Ernest reminded us off sight offset. Quite frankly he could’ve been whispering this in my ear and it would not have mattered. I was constantly low on all of my shots and that pattern would continue with any 15 yard and in shooting for the remainder of the class. We did some 5 shot speed shooting on various targets and then moved onto some malfunction drills. We moved out a bit to 20 yards and performed some various speed drills before moving onto longer distances and steel targets.

A word on the steel targets. We utilized the RTR “Noner” targets. These targets sit up quickly and are very loud when struck. We used these targets for the remainder of the class and although we shot a few bolts, there were no noticeable damage to the steel. I am going to be purchasing wither this or the RTS target soon as I really loved the setup.

Moving back to 75 yards we shot from various positions and although I have never like the sitting or kneeling position, Ernest had a way of demonstrating them that I was able to easily hit the reduced steel at 75 yards with ease. While it’s something I will have to continue to practice, knowing the trick to the positions really helped me become comfortable with those two positions.

At the end of the day I had went through my first case of 500 rounds.


Day 2
All about shooting on the move. After re confirming my poor sight offset and confirming that everyone else had it down to a “T” we moved on to SOM.

We moved forward and back, sideways, angles, barrel figure eights, to cover, and finished with snake drills. We also did some weak hand transitional shooting (very sling dependent) and some barricade drills. Ernest had a drill for “short stocking” that I really enjoyed and he was very detailed on explaining foot placement and balance that opened not only my eyes but others with me. Ernest has a way of explaining movement to cover in terms easy to understand and with his background in competition and military experience, is something everyone should hear at some time.

We finished the day with a “U” shaped drill that had us shooting at 5 different targets yet encompassing all the days’ previous drills into a single drill that we all ran several times due to the competitive nature of a bunch of cops. It truly is phenomenal to watch someone who at Ernest level perform some of the drills. His efficiency of movement and control of the weapon are simply on another level.


Day 3
Once again we hit the 5 yard 2” dot refreshers just to remind me that I have been playing entirely too much BF4 and that my sight offset is pathetic. We then moved onto pistol transitions and again learned the importance of buying a quality sling. This is so important to ensure that the rifle falls naturally where it will not interfere with your draw or your presentation of the handgun.

Moving on to reloading drills, we performed a drill that allowed us to determine if we should reload the rifle or move to the pistol. Ernest was about even with his, but all of us were much better off moving to our pistols. This really showed the importance of having a quality belt magazine pouch for the rifle. Ernest also highlighted the various mag clamps and such that may or may not be advantageous in real world situations.

Wee then moved onto some 3x5 cards with patterns that required us to move our guns with purpose to complete the drill quickly and accurately. Ernest again brought his “homemade” 3D target drills that emphasized shot placement on targets and getting hits that’ll definitively stop your threat. Although a carryover from the handgun class last year a definite welcome refresher drill.

We then moved back to 50 yards for various barricade drills as well as malfunction clearing and reloading drills. This was a competitive drill that was stressful in both the shooting and the physical movements. I noticed several people in addition to myself bending over to catch their breath while waiting to begin the chase again. An awesome drill!!!

We finished up with Ernest ‘signature drill of the 9 shot drill. While Ernest showed us how to do it we all tried various ways on our own and a lot of us mind fucked ourselves to the point or staggering through it with a noticeable pause, it was a great way to end the day.

Ernest made sure that everyone had all their questions answered and that everyone felt comfortable being handing out the certificates and calling it a class.


Personal Observations
I ran a Daniel Defense M4V1. It was an early example that I had customized slightly by removing the front sight post and installing a picatinny mount that matched up to the quad rail. I initially ran an old Surefire M900 and although I have always loved the light, it clearly adds a lot of weight and throws little light for the size. For a dot I ran a Aimpoint Pro, a Spectre 2 point sling, and a Gemtech suppressor. In shooting over 1500 rounds I never had a malfunction and never cleaned the gun during the entire class. With the suppressor on I noticed significant more power blow back and the gun is now slightly brown from the residue. As I am a plainclothes/UC officer I ran no magazine pouches and simply ran them from cargo/front pockets during the class.

As this was an instructor level class, I was truly disappointed with my performance during this class. I have never considered myself much of a long gun shooter and it showed. After 2 days of self-review at home, I am evaluating my practice and setting a course for improvement. I am going to move to a lighter rifle and a slightly different set up as well as making a few purchases that’ll ensure future success in long gun and I also set a plan for more pistol shooting as well. Ernest set this class up for instructors and I feel a great responsibility to my student to be the best I can be and Ernest sets an outstanding example for that.

I was also fortunate to enjoy dinner and conversation with Ernest for 3 nights and I was greatly disappointed that it was always just myself enjoying this time with Ernest. We covered topics from gear, to politics, to methods of learning, and various other topics. Ernest has ways of being able to connect on everyone’s level and to say I thoroughly enjoyed the time spent off the range would be an understatement. While I do not consider myself a “fanboy” of anyone, I truly respect the man and am happy to have exposed him to others through the council.

Do yourself a favor and if you are able to get a chance to train with Ernest do so! He is that good!

[Doc_Glock]

Thanks.