AAR - Practical Red Dot Pistol Skills - 5/15/2022 Culpeper, VA

[Barnabas Pike]

In the opinion of Barnabas Pike

This After-Action Report is aimed at the thousands of new Mid-Atlantic gun owners who are just getting into firearms and trying to get the training that they need. More for a suburban mom or dad, who wants to fulfill their roles as an armed American citizen, than someone having prior military or law-enforcement training. Folks who have secured a decent firearm and have managed to acquire more than the minimally-required ammunition. Now its time to learn some good skills from some awesome instructors.

Practical Red Dot Pistol Skills is an eight-hour course put on by the Green-Ops team in Culpeper, VA. The course designed to help shooters either a). transition from traditional sites to Red Dot Sights [RDS] for folks new to them; or b). to enhance skills for those well-versed in their deployment. With aging eyes damaged by staring at computer/phone screens and with the price for quality RDS coming down, I recently opted to go in this direction myself. About one third of our class was shooting these optics for the first time.

Our course’s instructor/student ratio was 1:5. The Virginia Green-Ops Instructor cadre has a diversity of experience that they bring to the table [Military, Law Enforcement [LE], Contractors, competitive Grandmasters, etc.] and they clearly love what they do. Luke, Fred, Brian and Julian are all approachable and great resources to glean more knowledge regarding your goals, equipment, etc. Pro tip: feel free to contact Green-Ops at info@green-ops.com before your class to address any course-related questions that you may have.

Equipment used:
My equipment choices are based on “trusted affordability,” preferably made by people, like me, who love this country and its freedoms. My shooting skills aren’t exactly top-of-the-line and, with a kid in school, neither is my budget.
Pistol: Smith and Wesson M&P 9 Compact optic-ready 4” barrel. Most students brought Glocks or high-end “race” guns.
Optic: Holosun 407K 6MOA, sighted in at 10 yards. Stick with Holosun, Trijicon or DeltaPoint brands.
Holster: JM Custom Kydex in the appendix-carry 2:00 position because that’s my daily carry routine. The majority of the class had strong-side, outside the waistband [OWB] holsters. Do yourself a favor and avoid the cheaper, collapsible Uncle Mike’s-style holsters. Stick with brands like JM Custom, PHLster, etc. Again, Green-Ops can help you with your equipment selection process.
Mag pouches: mine are specifically fit for the M&P 9 magazines and are carried at the 9:30 and 10:30 position.
Belt: 1 ½” with steel core for added strength. Cheap-ass belts just won’t cut it. Expect to pay $50 or more for something decent.
Ammo: 300 rounds of CCI Blazer 9mm [about the best, affordable brass available these days IMHO].

Course Content:
We performed some dry fire [firing with no ammo in the gun] before zeroing [ensuring that the optic is aligned with the target] them at 10 yds and then shot into the berm to take our focus off of the target and onto the RDS sight picture.

The instructors demonstrated for us the correct, high-pistol grip and the three-step drawing of a pistol from a holster before putting six rounds into the upper “A-zone” or thoracic area of the target torso as fast as we could before the wheels start to fall off.

I personally benefitted a lot from the target-focus training. This was done by taping over the front of the optic and using alternative aiming techniques, like your iron sites, using the backplate, etc.

The final portion of the course involved re-setting our zero @ 25 yds before shooting Casino drills and also from behind barricades.

My Experience:
Although all levels of shooter would benefit from this Red Dot Sight [RDS] class…
Having basic safe gun-handling skills, knowing how to safely draw/re-holster, reloads, malfunctions, and the like are unspoken minimum expectations.
Truth be told, although I meet those minimal expectations, a recommended course order for me might be: Advanced Application of Pistol Fundamentals, Defensive Pistol I and then this RDS class but you work with the schedule that you have with the classes that are available.
One thing that COVID taught us is to do today that which can be done today. Whether its stocking up on life’s necessities or getting firearms training, procrastination is no longer an option.

Recommendations:
Come with an “empty-vessel” teachable mind-set, bring a notebook and take notes!, be sociable, encouraging and make friends and ask a lot of questions. Banish all negative self-talk and expect to be in the lowest 20% if you’re just starting out like me. As long as you are behaving safely and learning from your experiences, you are on the right path.

Sight in your pistol at 10 yards at the local indoor range before coming to class. This will save you time, ammo and embarrassment during class.

Bring lots of hydration and ice, apply sunscreen early and often, bring a backup weapon, if you have one, and extra magazines and ammo. Don’t forget the instructions and adjustment tool for your RDS, as well as an extra battery for it.

So, look at the Green-Ops training schedule, find the classes you need to take to fill in your gaps, put together the equipment required for the class and sign up today so that you can have the skills that you need when you need them.

[Kyle Reese]

Thank you for the awesome AAR and for training with us! You’re a fantastic shooter and we hope to see you in another class! All the best,

Fred


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