CLOSE-QUARTERS COMBAT MARKSMANSHIP: A SUGGESTED POI, PART TWO

(the following is a continuation of yesterday's article, and the follow-up lessons I utilize when teaching novice gunfighters the tricks of the trade. I've taught this program with each training session lasting several hours, and I've taught the entire program in a two-day block. Assuming a qualified instructor with a solid grasp on the principles of adult teaching methods, who can effectively utilize the crawl-walk-run method of instruction, and the explain-demonstrate-practice method of teaching, it can be done. Nevertheless, this POI is generally taught over a span of as long as three weeks, with 5-10 times more dry-fire practice, to master the fundamentals, than actual live-fire practice. --J.M.)

Training Session Two: Slow Aimed with the Carbine

While this course is predicated on a practiced grasp of the fundamentals of basic rifle marksmanship (BRM), the reality is that BRM as normally taught in the military and in the civilian rifle world generally does not teach fighting with the carbine from a standing, CQC posture. Therefore, this session should focus on the basics of fighting with the carbine: proper stance, firing grip, sight alignment and sight picture, breathing control under stress, trigger control, follow-through, and recovery.

During CQC, the fighter will generally find it necessary to make a majority of his shots from the standing position, despite the fact that the standing position is the least stable firing position available. This does not preclude the need for making shots from the kneeling position variants, the squatting/”rice paddy prone” position, or the prone position (different CQB instructors in the civilian world teach some different positions as well, from the SBU prone to, in SGM Lamb's case at least, the “Brokeback Mountain Prone,” for shooting around various types of barriers/cover. I rely on the fundamentals, and allow the student to explore different variations based on his METT-TC needs. --J.M.). While doctrinally, CQC range is generally considered 50 yards or less, for the guerrilla fighter, there will occur the need to make successful one-shot stop hits on hostiles in excess of this 50-yard definition. For these shots, it is imperative that the shooter know and understand how to utilize the other positions in a hasty manner (I should add that I do include regular practice at making upper thoracic cavity hits at 100 yards, from the standing position. I can generally accomplish it in around 1.5 seconds. --J.M.).

Task: From the ready position, the operator will engage a single, stationary silhouette target with his carbine, at ranges of 10-50 yards.

Conditions: The shooter will be presented with silhouette targets and small-diameter dot targets at measured distance of 10-50 yards during daylight hours. He will be required to utilize a magazine-fed rifle or carbine with a minimum of four magazines.

Standards: The fighter will utilize proper firing stance and shooting grip to ensure proper sight alignment and sight picture, and place every round within the vital zone aiming point of a standard silhouette target.

Training Sequence:

1. Live-Fire: From the 10-yard line, from the retention position, fire a single round to a 5”x5” vital zone target, using the pistol, ball-and-dummy drill, for five rounds total.
2. Live-Fire: From the 10-yard line, from the retention position, fire a single round to a 5”x5” vital zone target, using the pistol, with four magazines loaded with five rounds each. Perform a speed reload after each magazine. Use the Tap-Rack-Bang malfunction clearance when/if necessary.
3. Live-Fire: From the 10-yard line, from the ready position, fire a single shot to a 5”x5” vital zone target, using the carbine, with two magazines loaded with five rounds each. Perform a speed reload after each magazine. Use the Tap-Rack-Bang malfunction clearance when/if necessary (this is an awesome opportunity to utilize the 5+1 drill I mentioned at the end of Part One of this article. So, instead of 10 repetitions, the student shooters actually perform 60 repetitions, while only expending 10 rounds. --J.M.)
4. Live-Fire: From the 15-yard line, from the ready position, fire a single shot to a 5”x5” vital zone target, using the carbine, with two magazines loaded with five rounds each. Perform a speed reload after each magazine. Use the Tap-Rack-Bang malfunction clearance when/if necessary.
5. Live-Fire: From the 25-yard line, from the ready position, fire a single shot to a 5”x5” vital zone target, using the carbine, with two magazines loaded with five rounds each. Perform a speed reload after each magazine. Use the Tap-Rack-Bang malfunction clearance when/if necessary.
6. Live-Fire: From the 50-yard line, from the ready position, fire a single shot to a 5”x5” vital zone target, using the carbine, with two magazines loaded with five rounds each. Perform a speed reload after each magazine. Use the Tap-Rack-Bang malfunction clearance when/if necessary.
7. Live-Fire: From the 50-yard line, from the ready position, drop to either the kneeling or rice-paddy prone position, and fire a single shot to a 5”x5” vital zone target, using the carbine, with two magazines loaded with five rounds each. Perform a speed reload after each magazine. Use the Tap-Rack-Bang malfunction clearance when/if necessary.
8. Live-Fire” From the 100-yard line, from the ready position, drop to either the kneeling or rice-paddy prone position, and fire a single shot to a 5”x5” vital zone target using the the carbine, with two magazines loaded with five rounds each. Perform a speed reload after each magazine. Use the Tap-Rack-Bang malfunction clearance when/if necessary.

Training Session Three: The Four-Count Drawstroke and Controlled Pairs

(I didn't invent the drawstroke method I use and teach, nor did I name it. I learned it as a young Ranger, doing FamFire (Familiarization Fire) with the M9 pistol, and again at SOT. The first time I heard the term “four-count drawstroke” used to describe it was sometime around late 2003 or early 2004, by now well-known and extremely well-regarded trainer “SouthNarc,” in an online forum discussion, either at his site totalprotectioninteractive.com, or the now-defunct selfdefenseforums.com. --J.M.)

Once the basics of slow aimed fire have been learned and understood, the shooter should begin to learn the four-count drawstroke method of getting the sidearm into the fight. Not very many people walk around with a pistol already in their hand, ready to fight. Whether the resistance fighter is carrying his weapon concealed, to faciliate covert operations, or in the lastest high-speed, low-drag tactical holster, on his LBE, the need to get the pistol into the fight in a hurry mandates a smooth, fast presentation of the weapon from the holster.

It is important to remember the gunfighter's mantra of “slow is smooth and smooth is fast.” Unfortunately, the term has been used too loosely by many internet commandos, without understanding the Truth behind the phrase, lending it a poor reputation (as SGM Lamb likes to say, “Smooth is fast. Slow is just friggin' slow!”). While initially the fighter's shot groups on the target will undoubtedly expand somewhat because he is focused on the mechanics of the drawstroke, with practice they will reduce in size again. The biggest mistake the shooter can make is to try to get the gun out and shooting faster than he is able to do so accurately.

Controlled pairs are the answer to the generally wasted second round of the classic “double-tap.” It involves two rounds, fired as fast as possible, with each round being correctly aimed, in accordance with the requisite aiming method for the range and target presented.

Task: From the holster, the shooter will execute a four-count drawstroke and engage a single stationary target with his sidearm at 10 yards.

Conditions: The shooter will be presented with a single silhouette target at a measured distance of 10 yards, during daylight hours. He will be required to utilize his sidearm with holster and four magazines.

Standards: By the numbers, the shooter will be required to bring the holstered weapon to ber and fire one round to the vital zone of a silhouette target at a measured distance of 10 yards within 3 seconds (the intermediate goal should be 2.5 seconds. The advanced goal should be less than 2 seconds. I aim for less than 1.5 seconds, and consider it a great day when I break the 1 second mark, from concealment. --J.M.).

Task #2: From the ready position, at a range of 10 yards, the shooter will engage the vital zone of a silhouette target with two aimed rounds.

Conditions: The shooter will be presented with a silhouette target at a measured distance of 10 yards, during daylight hours. He will be required to utilize his carbine and four magazines.

Standards: The shooter will be required to execute controlled pairs with the carbine, to hit the 5”x5” vital zone of a silhouette target in less than 2.5 seconds (I can personally assure you that, with practice, it is relatively easy to lower that time requirement to one second and still get consistent, successful controlled pairs in at the stated range. --J.M.).

Training Sequence:

1. Live-Fire: From the 10-yard line, with the sidearm, from the retention position, fire a single shot to a vital zone target, with four magazines loaded with five rounds each. Perform a speed reload after each magazine. Utilize a Tap-Rack-Bang malfunction clearance when/if needed.
2. Lecture/Demonstration of the Four-Count Drawstroke.
3. Dry-Fire: 25-50 repetitions of the Four-Count Drawstroke, with an emphasis on the proper, efficient bio-mechanics.
4. Live-Fire: From the 10-yard line, with the sidearm, from the holster, draw and fire a single shot to a vital zone target, with four magazines loaded with five rounds each. Perform a speed reload after each magazine. Utilize a Tap-Rack-Bang malfunction clearance when/if needed.
5. Lecture/Demonstration of Controlled Pairs with the Carbine.
6. Live-Fire: From the 10-yard line, from the ready position, with the carbine, fore a controlled pair to a 5”x5” vital zone target using four magazines loaded to full-capacity.

More to follow....

Nous Defions!

John Mosby

Somewhere in the mountains