Last weekend I completed my 4th training class with Pat Rogers of EAG Tactical. I have attended 2 Carbine Operators Courses and a Pistol II with Pat over the last few years. This Carbine II was similar to the previous classes in that I learned, was tested, laughed hard, and enjoyed myself. The Assistant Instructor, Mike H did an excellent job sharing his insight and exceptionally helpful tips, and of course Pat was awesome as usual ensuring we were entertained, and conveying his experiences, and extremely watchful eye.
It was great shooting and chatting with people from varied backgrounds and learning from them. It is always beneficial to interact with people of various skill levels and experience. I really enjoy meeting the people that come to classes in Southern Arizona.
As far as personal lessons learned I always seem to identify some areas that need work. I reaffirmed that Pat knows what is going on at all times and you can never get away with anything on his range. I honestly think that Pat has a seventh sense for this. We have all heard stories that confirm his sixth sense of finding and eliminating the scumbags of the earth. I need to never doubt what Pat thinks he saw, cause he did see it whether I remember doing it or not.. Staying focused and not screwing up is the most important thing for me. I may do fairly well most of the time but it only takes a split second to let my focus slip and throw a shot…
I had zero equipment issues in class. I ran my LMT 10.5" and Glock 19. Both of my light setups worked as advertised during the night shoots. On the LMT I run a Surefire M600C Scout Light on a Danger Close mount with a SR07 switch on the 12 o'clock rail of my 10" LaRue hand guard. I can activate this setup without altering my grip from either side of the gun. On the G19 I ran a Surefire X300 w/ a DG-11 switch. This facilitates fast Locating, Identifying, and Engaging without altering my normal grip. I much prefer to leave the light on once it comes to shooting so I do not loose Situational Awareness and the location of what I am shooting at. Both setups allow me to keep the light on while shooting and scanning using the momentary switching, and still leave me the option to go constant on if need be.
I ran without issue Black Hills blue box in both .223 and 9mm. If I have learned anything over the years at classes it is bring proven quality ammunition. There is a ton of ammo out there that might seem like good ammo for class, but when the guns get heated up and run hard the ammo will fail. I have been using a Bladetech Eclipse Holster that holds a G19 w/ X300 for the past several months and I am very pleased with its quality construction, concealment, and ease of usage. I wore my Eagle FB Chest Rig that has proven to be a solid performer for several years without issue as well. It retains magazines well, allows for fast retrieval of mags, is simple, and durable. The EAG dump pouch is also the best I have found and really need to get a spare. It retains mags very well while moving and getting in and out of positions, is low-profile yet plenty big, holds water bottles, lube, loose rounds, is the perfect place to stick a chemlight, and just plain rocks.
One thing I really liked about the night shoot on TD1 was that Pat and Mike made us use a handheld light for at least 2/3 of the drills. This is invaluable as it is much more difficult to learn and retain than using a weapon mounted light. I often do not have a light on my pistol so I try to practice this way as much as possible. We pretty much ran most of the drills we did during the day at night. This was good practice as you find out the limitations with gear and technique. The dust and cordite was a little uncomfortable/ difficult at night, but that is one reason why I do this, to find out how outside factors affect me and my gear.
This is an excerpt from a post I contributed in a After Action Report on the class.
-Scott
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Tucson Guns
8556 E. Broadway
Tucson, AZ 85710
520-722-6886
www.tucsonguns.net
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