SAC Tactical
By Bruce Cartwright
8 Hour Essential Carbine Skills Class
29-August-2020
Bigfork Montana
Copyright August 2020

I conducted a one day (8 hour) Essential Carbine Skills Course on 29-August-2020 at the Bigfork Gun Club in Bigfork Montana. This is a public range located in the Flathead valley about 30 minutes south of Kalispell, Montana. Thanks to the Bigfork Gun Club (“BFGC”) for allowing me to teach a class at this facility (Link: “https://bigforkgunclub.com/”).

STUDENTS: The class consisted of eight students. There was a retired law enforcement officer and the remaining were civilians. I generally limit enrollment in my classes to ten students, unless I have a vetted assistant instructor assisting me. The winner of the Top Gun Award was a retired Special Forces operator and professional first responder. This student is very switched on and a great example of a “quiet professional”. Kudos to my students who all pitched in to do a police call on the range and to assist me in breaking down my target stands etc. I very much appreciate that. The teaching job is not done until the equipment is reset and the range is returned to its original condition.

WEATHER: The weather was sunny and clear with temperatures in the mid-80s. The humidity was very low. Students worked to maintain an adequate level of hydration. One student did struggle a bit with heat/hydration issues and asked to sit out two drills. I commend this student for realizing what their physical limitations were and acting accordingly. There are times when you need to “push/power through” and there are times when its best to safely step away from training. Training during periods of high heat/humidity rapidly depletes a person’s hydration level, so paying attention to hydration needs is important. It is my observation that carbine classes tend to be more exhausting than handgun classes.

RANGE: There were no issues related to using the BFGC Range. BFGC is a switched-on facility based in an area of Montana where there is a significant group of shooters. Shortly before this class, BFGC did extensive renovations to the range by deepening several individual range pits, adding several protected “safety areas” with built in tables and adding a 300-yard-long rifle deck. BFGC has a very robust practical shooting program including Defensive Pistol (IDPA like), USPSA, Steel Challenge and Cowboy action shooting disciplines as well as a youth and shotgun events. If you are in the Flathead Valley area of Montana, please support BFGC with a membership. Thanks to the BFGC Range!

WEAPONS: As to hardware, seven shooters ran variants of the AR/M16 family of weapons and one repeat student running a Springfield M1A SOCOM rifle. As to handguns, there were several Glocks, a 1911, a traditional double action/single action Sig P229, a Springfield XD, and a Canik. I do not recall any malfunctions with any of the handguns. As to carbines, most were rifle/carbine configurations in 223 Remington/5.56mm with a 300 Blackout shooter. Several shooters switched guns and used 9mm variants during the class. One shooter (Top Gun Award winner) ran a suppressed AR in 223/5.56 with a suppressor. While it is somewhat more difficult to capture a shooter’s time running a suppressed weapon, my ears definitely appreciate it. There were no observed carbine malfunctions. Several AR pistols were used by attendees. I was surprised how well these guns ran.

LUBICATION: Several weapons were observed that were dry as a bone. Lube your weapon please. Periodic reapplication of lubricants during classes/shooting events insures reliably functioning weapons. Reliably functioning weapons allow shooters to concentrate on learning necessary skills rather than dealing with guns that are not working correctly. I suggest each shooter carry a small bottle of quality lubricant (My favorite is Slip 2000 Enhanced Weapons Lube) in their range bag.

SLINGS: This course covered the fighting use of a carbine; hence, a sling was necessary. My first observation is that typical carry straps are worthless in this role. The advantages and disadvantages of single/two- point/three-point slings and their intended uses was conducted. As a general rule, for most applications, an adjustable two-point sling works the best. It is not very sexy or cool, but the two-point works. Typically, I see 90 plus percent of my students using two-point slings. The offerings from Blue Force Gear (Vickers Tactical) run well. I still run a number of the Viking Tactics adjustable slings. One thing that is nice is the wider nylon of the Blue Force Gear offerings. I can also tell you a padded sling is a nice addition when carrying a rifle all day. One piece of advice for students, you should consider wearing a collared shirt in class. The collar tends to prevent the sling from chaffing around your neck. Three-point slings have, thankfully, pretty much gone the way of the Dodo. While they certainly look cool on an MP5, they make weapon manipulation harder because of the piece of webbing between you and the side of your carbine. Single-point slings have their uses. For folks, whose mission requires shifting their carbine from shoulder to shoulder in tight confines, they are a great alternative. The downside to single-point slings is that they tend to swing and move when not under physical control. I have had students use them. Most change after having the fore end/muzzle of their carbine hit them in the crotch.

ZEROED WEAPONS: I typically prefer not to teach one day (8 hour) carbine classes. There is typically a significant amount of information about basic skills that must be imparted to students. What the one-day format necessitates is that students bring a properly zeroed carbine to class. I typically recommend a 50 yard zero. Two shooters had improperly zeroed carbines. We got them squared away (One shooter was using a brand-new carbine and made arrangements with me to arrive early to zero the weapon. Thanks!). That said, when I have taught law enforcement carbine classes previously, you could expect to use most of the first morning doing the briefings and zeroing carbines. This reduces the time that can be devoted to teaching necessary skills. Zeros need to be established, maintained, and verified (at least annually). Before I retired, when I was conducting firearms training, carbines were shot every quarter and zeros confirmed. Guns carried daily are subjected to an incredible level of use/abuse. Weapons that ride in vehicles (typically carbines and shotguns for law enforcement) are subject to constant movement, even if enclosed in a padded case. The only proven way to remedy this situation is to confirm your zero. Not knowing the zero of your carbine is tantamount to a surgeon not knowing if his scalpel is sharp.

OPTICS: All but one shooter in this class used some sort of optic. There were several with Aimpoint red dot non magnified optics or clones of the same. There were also several low powered, variable optics (“LPVO”). Shooters seem to do well with both. This class focused on using the carbine at domestic fighting distances of 50 yards or less. One thing I noticed with folks using the LPVO, is that several times they had to “dial down” the magnification level of their optics. I think such optics have some benefit, especially if you need to shoot at significant distance (say greater than 200 yards). That said, I think the best practice is to leave the magnification level at the lowest setting. Shooters should initiate a protocol where they check to see/confirm that the LPVO is at the lowest magnification level when donning their equipment or beginning operational use. That said, there has been a shift towards the LPVO. I can see the benefits of a LPVO but will stick with my Aimpoints. I demonstrated a drill at 5 yards with a borrowed carbine with an LPVO (Vortex Strike Eagle). The optic seemed “cluttered” to me. With my Aimpoint, I simply place the dot where I want the bullet to go and start pressing the trigger (Correcting for sight offset of course.). I like the simplicity of a non-magnified dot optic.

MAGAZINES: I observed no magazine issues during class. That said, you should consider magazines to be expendable. I suggest owning a significant number of them. A good start would be 20 per carbine. Even during the current pandemic/rioting etc., you can still find reasonably priced AR magazines. I tend to favor 30 round magazines for just about all uses in the AR. I had a student who ran aluminum 20 rounders in class without any issues. I also suggest marking your magazines so you can identify them as yours as well as numbering them. Numbering magazines lets you identify any that begin to prove unreliable. Unreliable magazines should be destroyed. Why? I once discarded an unreliable 30 round AR magazine in office trash when I was stationed in Washington DC. I was then approached by another agent and asked a question. During this conversation, I watched a third agent retrieve the offending magazine from the trash as if it were Christmas morning. I asked the third agent what he was going to do with the magazine. He sheepishly replied that he was going to use it in his issued M4 and that he thought it looked just fine. I retrieved said magazine and crushed it.

MAGAZINE POUCH PLACEMENT: Several shooters did not have magazine pouch placement figured out and it showed. These folks often had to search a variety of pockets to find magazines. There are two modes of carry that need to be addressed. First is belt carried equipment. When carrying your spare magazines on a belt, I suggest pistol magazines be carried on the support (non-dominant hand) side with the bullets pointing toward the user’s belt buckle (again this assumes a belt buckle in front and at midline on a shooter). For carbine magazines, I suggest a pouch further back but on the same side. I prefer the magazine with the bullets pointing toward the buckle and others prefer the bullets pointing away from the buckle. Either works but is dependent on how you like to grab the magazine in your belt pouch. An additional suggestion for belt mounted equipment, is to dedicate a single carbine magazine pouch to “emergency” reloads. That is where the shooter always finds a fully filled magazine in case an “emergency” reload needs to be done. The second type of carry is vest born equipment such as load bearing vests or body armor. In that case I suggest a three-magazine cell pouch across the front of the shooter’s vest. All the magazines should be oriented in the same way (“bullets toward the buckle” etc.) There is an even split as to which direction the magazines should be oriented. That is fine. Pick a style and stick with it. Having magazines oriented differently in the same pouch system is a recipe for disaster. Again, I suggest at least one cell of a three-cell pouch be dedicated as the spot for “emergency” magazine. For me this is the left most cell from the shooter’s perspective. One last point: a dump pouch has a bunch of uses especially in carbine classes.

PISTOL CALIBER ARS: About a decade or so ago, I built an AR chambered in 9X19mm so I could use it on indoor ranges that prohibited rifle calibers. I set up my 9mm AR to mimic my work AR. I am very happy with the set up. Since I moved out west, I figured I would see a diminishing need for the 9mm AR. The exact opposite has occurred. While I can shoot at significant distances with true rifle caliber weapons, the cost of ammunition has gone up significantly. I estimate that a 9mm will give me 90 percent of the effect of firing a 5.56X45 mm AR at a fraction of the cost. Since I reload, the savings are even greater. One added benefit is that I can use the 9mm AR on steel at distances that are much closer than could be safely done with a 5.56X45mm carbine. Several shooters in class recognized the same thing and ran 9mm Ars without incident. There are some minor manipulation differences (typically bolts wont lock back when these guns are shot dry), but those issues can be worked through.

HAND GUARDS: All of the AR shooters except two had some sort of free-floating fore end/handguard. The trend towards free floating handguards/fore-ends is here to stay. Seeing MagPul or the older ribbed set of handguards is becoming the exception in the carbine world, at least in terms of what I am witnessing. In terms of free floated handguards, I have been using a Seekins NOXS (“https://seekinsprecision.com/parts-a...rail-1-1.html”) in the 15 inch length. I have not observed any issues so far.

WHITE LIGHT PLACEMENT: White Light placement still varies considerably. I am coming to favor placing white lights at either 12 o’clock or 6 o’clock positions on my free floated handguards and as far forward as possible. This allows you to use either hand to activate the light. It also reduces the shadow that is cast when the light falls over the barrel. On my old work rifle, I ran a light at 9:00 o’clock on a Surefire Quad (Carbine length) rail fore-end. The placement of the light was significantly behind the muzzle (probably six or seven inches) and it cast a tremendous amount of shadow. Using a 15 inch fore-end and mounting the light at the forward most portion of the fore-end significantly reduces the amount of shadow that is cast. Lastly, placing lights at 12 or 6 o’clock tends to reduce the profile of the weapon and reduces the chances the carbine/light will snag on something. Shooters who ran lights on carbines at 12 or 6 o’clock had less difficulty when shooting around barricades such as the 9-hole Viking Tactics design that I teach with. In terms of lights, I typically want 500 lumens at a minimum and 1,000+ if they guns will be used outdoors in a rural setting. You can probably get away with 250 to 300 lumens in a more urban area.

MAGAZINE POUCH: Slate Creek Tactical provided an AR magazine pouch for use during this class. It worked very well, is ambidextrous in that a single pouch can be configured for right- or left-hand use. Retention is adjustable. Concealing a 30 round AR magazine can be a bit of a chore, but the Slate Creek Tactical pouch does a nice job in this area. Here is the link to the pouch I am talking about: “https://sctactical.com/product/ar15m...zine-carrier/”.

TACTICAL RELOAD: One of things I teach is a tactical reload. The idea is that after an engagement, a shooter should reload his weapon and return it to full capacity. The idea being that a carbine or handgun (especially a handgun) is a piece of emergency equipment. Since you are training for a real-world fight, after you have discharged your weapon, you want to re-fill it with ammunition in case the “emergency” is not over. Shooters seem to need to be reminded of this frequently. I am not sure why, but I suspect it may have to do with what folks do in a competitive environment. Folks rarely have to top off their guns in a match. I am not opposed to competition and have shot a bunch of it over the years. That said, there are some practices that are questionable.

BOOTS: This may be a bit off the beaten path for a class AAR, but I have been wearing a pair of Lowa Zephyr GTX Mid boots. These boots have served me well for the last eight months. Normally after a class, my feet tend to hurt. At any rate I did NOT experience any pain or blistering with the Lowa’s. Further, part of my physical training regime is that I walk for 45 + minutes 4 or 5 times a week over dirt roads and broken terrain and the Lowa’s have given me great support, very little wear, good traction and no “hotspots” even during high temperature walks in August. I am becoming a huge fan of these boots and will shortly get another set. The only other set of boots that typically works as well are made by a company called Asolo. Both companies have a background in making mountaineering boots.

CONCLUSION: Many thanks to my students and my host range. I have been asked to return to BFGC with additional classes and am in the process of scheduling as I write this. Thanks to the folks at Milt Sparks Holsters and Slate Creek Tactical for making great holsters and magazine pouches.

Bruce