Tactical Carbine M4/AR-15 Course 2/15/2009 in Virginia

Folks this will be the First OPEN enrollment Carbine class in 2009 for PTTA & CCJA. We will be shooting on Steel and Paper from barricades and vehicles. We can shoot out to 500 yards on the Carbine range.

*NOTE* If you bring (2) paying students you can take the course for FREE!

Hope to see you on the range!

AR-15 / M4 TACTICAL CARBINE COURSE

February 15th 2009

Prerequisite: None

Class Size: 15 Students Max

Instructors: Tom Perroni & PTTA & CCJA Staff Instructors

This course is designed to develop a solid foundation of shooting skills with the carbine. The student will exercise these skills in a variety of shooting situations. The student will quickly gain experience, confidence and increase their skill level with the carbine and using it in tactical situations.

The following topics will be discussed during the course:

• Safety
• Nomenclature
• Armorer Maintenance & Proper Lubrication
• Fundamentals of shooting: Stance, Sights, Grip, Trigger Control
• Malfunction Drills (Tap, Rack, Fight) Status Check
• Magazine Changes & Weapons Handling Skills
• Multiple shoots, Multiple targets, Shoot, Move Communicate
• Shooting on the move, Shooting reactive targets
• Shooting behind cover and from barricades
• Transition from Carbine to Handgun
• Breaking Contact & Peeling Left & Right (Bounding)

Ammunition Requirements: 500 rounds of (.223) (5.56) carbine ammunition And 200 rounds of pistol ammunition. We will be selling Remington 5.56 ammo in this class.

Gear List: (5.56) Carbine & sling, three carbine magazines, a magazine holder for your carbine magazines, Handgun & three magazines, strong side or drop leg holster, wraparound eye protection, ear protection, baseball type hat, knee pads and weapons cleaning kit, tools and quality lubrication,& Hydration system.

Course Cost: $150.00

This Course Includes training each day and the CCJA Patrol Rifle AR-15 / M-4 Course Book. After successful completion of the course the student will receive a training completion certificate. Course starts @ 9:00am @ 1380 Central Park Blvd, suite 208 Fredericksburg, Va. 22401

For More Information or to sign up for the course contact Tom Perroni at:

www.commonwealthcriminaljusticeacademy.com

tomperroni@msn.com or (540) 322-3000 or (540) 846-7088

With a little more notice, these courses would be tempting. I know a bunch of us on this board are in the Tidewater area, not that far away.

More than a couple of weeks notice would be good though.

Sent you an email. 85% sure I want to go.

Looks great - but I cannot swing something with such short notice.

Please let us know how it goes and if you can give us more warning.

I apologize for the short notice! I will try to give at least 30 days notice for the next course.

This one day course is very comprehensive and packs in a great deal of information. It is not a canned course, it is very dynamic and teaches real world skills from Instructors that operate or have operated in High Threat Environments. You will learn more in this one day course than you will from most 2/3 day courses.

You can read an AAR from SOCNET (The Special Operations Community Network)

http://www.socnet.com/showthread.php?t=80945

I have gotten several e-mails asking for the exact gear list for this course.

I normally send this out with course conformation.

CCJA & PTTA M4/ AR-15 Tactical Carbine Course

Gear Requirements:

Rifle / Carbine M4, AR-15, M16
Tactical Sling
(3/4) 30 Round Magazines
Magazine pouch
Handgun in Semi-auto
Strong side holster (We USE CQC Serpa Holsters)
3 Magazines
Magazine pouch
Handheld Light / pouch
Spare Batteries
Knee Pads
Water and Snacks
Wrap Around Eye Protection (clear)
Ear Protection (electronic muffs recommended)
Baseball style hat
Gloves
Weapons Lube & tools

Ammunition Requirements
Pistol 200 Rounds Pistol
Carbine 500 Rounds
Extra Ammunition is recommended, the above numbers are minimums.

Additional Gear for Tactics Courses
(for LEO’s & Pre Vetting WPPS, HTT, or HRE operators)
Body Armor with plates
Helmet if issued
Drop leg holster
Basic Medical Kit / Blow out Kit

AAR Perroni’s Tactical Training Academy M4 Tactical Carbine & Patrol Rifle Course (www.commonwealthcriminaljusticeacademy.com)

This training was designed to be a one day course for the beginner to intermediate shooter (me). It was a total of 9 hours of training. The training was split in to classroom in the morning and the range after lunch.

Classroom -

• Staff introduction
o Tom Perroni introduced himself with a mini bio of his background and his adjunct instructors Chris and female instructor (I am horrible with names). Very impressive experience between the three of them all bringing something different to the table. I did not write down who did what but I do remember that experienced ranged from Military, Law Enforcement, Blackwater (both as Instructor and Contractor), Armorer, and Secret Service (presidential detail).
• Safety
o Review of the 4 rules of fire arms safety. This can not be done enough. Complacency is a killer.
• M4 carbine major components, parts, and accessories
o Instruction on the names of the major components and then the smaller parts. A basic review of the aftermarket parts and accessories. Big surprise, he is a fan of MagPul products.
• Tear down and cleaning
o How to break the rifle down and reassemble. This was a remedial lesson for some and new for others. Good thing I am not afraid of getting dirty because I keep my BCG very wet.
• How to keep the rifle running
o Tom instructed the class how to properly lube the bolt and bolt carrier. He kept repeating that it did not matter how dirty the rifle was as long as it was wet it would function.
• Tactics
o Tom covered how to fight with the rifle. He stressed that he was teaching A way to fight not THE way. His website has a lot of resources posted on this topic http://www.commonwealthcriminaljusti...com/advice.htm
o Focus on the front sight. Tom is a true believer in mastering the iron sites as they will be what you have to use if your optic fails.
o Stressed the importance of scan and assess. The world is 360 degrees so he demonstrated the SUL postion. Here is a link to a write up that Tom posted on Defensivecarry.com http://www.defensivecarry.com/vbulle...ition-sul.html
o Transitions. Your side arm is your back up. If you are engaging a threat in sidearm range (what ever your max effective range with a side are is) and you primary goes down transition to your back up. If both your primary and back up are down seek cover and get your primary up and running.
o MOVE
 Motionless Operators Ventilate Easily. Tom went in to further detail and showed application on the range. One example he used was a reload with out the luxury of cover or concealment. If the operator takes a few steps to one side or other he will be harder to hit and may buy himself a few seconds to get up and running again.
o FAST
 Fight Assess Scan Tac-reload. You should FAST once you are sure your threat has been neutralized and there are no other immediate threats.
o OODA loop. See first link.
o Breathing. Tom’s philosophy is simply just breath. As long as you are doing that the brain is getting oxygen and you can continue to function.
• Video
o 4 BW operators running a break contact bump drill to and finish up with an Australian peel (very cool). Tom broke down what the operators were doing, how they were communicating, what their strategy was. To see real deal high speed guys at work was very cool.

Range -

• The range was an 800 acre farm. A long drive through the fields lead up to a hill top where we parked. We walked down 300 yards to the side of the 500 yard range. Most of the work was done at 50yds or closer but we did shoot out to 100 yards.
• We started with a zero check. This allowed the instructors to see if the student’s rifle was on target. Any needed adjustments were made.
• Off hand shooting. We stacked up at the 15 yd line and fired two rounds (hits I should say, those that missed stayed on line until Tom got his two hits). After Tom got his hits the student fell back to the 25 yd line. This continued to the 100yd line. Tom worked with the new students (he is a very patient man) until they not only got their hits but they understood how to.
• Barricade drills. We started by simple using the barricades as cover shooting off hand. Tom stressed that because you had cover, you brought your weapon up, aquired the sights, then leaned out pivoting from the hip so as to only give the bad guy an eyeball and a barrel to shoot at, get two hits and pivot in. This was a great exercise as many of the newer students would miss and then stay out trying to re-engage. Tom would tell then to get back under cover, require their sights and then go back out to reengage. Very basic but important. The drills continued with different positions using both strong and weak sides.
• Serpentine drills. Now the fun really began and so did the intensity. Four barrels were lined up 5’ apart in a row heading down range starting at about the 35yd line. The shooter would engage a steel target with a constant rate of fire will navigating the barrels (pass one on the left the next on the right, etc.) down the range, then back up the range walking backwards (there was an instructor behind you during the drill). When the mag was empty you took cover and reloaded while the instructor covered you. When your rifle was back up you reengaged until you finished the drill. I will not cover the communication commands but they were used.
• Box drills. Four barrels were place in a square with each barrel about 10’ apart. The student would engage a steel target with a constant rate of fire while walking down range, across range, backwards up range and across once more. This drill required the shooter to transition the rifle from the strong shoulder to the support shoulder for one of the across range stages. Very challenging to shoot on the move support side.
• Shooting through the vehicle. This was the coolest part of the day. There were several barricades set up with multiple steel targets (ranging from 15 to 20 yds). The student would begin working from the barricades, the hood of the suburban, through the drivers window, rear passenger window, behind the suburban, and to the final barricade. We continued this drill in to the dark and began to use lights. Very cool.

Overall I was very impressed with the course content, the level of instruction, and the facility. There was a lot of information taught in a very short period of time, it was an intense day. I will be attending future classes with Tom Perroni and recommend his training.

I know there were other M4carbine members at the course so please chime in and fill in any gaps/correct my AAR.

John

Tom, John, it was a pleasure shooting/training with both of you.

I was planning on writing up a semi-formal AAR replete with photographs, but I guess I could jot down some quick impressions

This was my first carbine course, so keep in mind I don't have a baseline to compare it to.

First impressions/Classroom

The facilities were top notch--I'm used to crappy class rooms rented out from the local shooting range, so, upon arrival in to Tom Perroni's Tactical Training Academy I was surprised by the professionalism. Everything was done in a well thought out and structured manner.

First, we went through a slide show of the basics--field strip, lubrication and cleaning points, such as how to clean your gas tube without removing it. Then as the teaching section progressed we learned about tactical reloads, methods of charging and clearing the weapon etc.

There were a couple things that stood out about the classroom instruction portion.

1.) Mr. Perroni/Tom told us that he was teaching us, "a way" rather than "the way." It showed a level of open mindedness not often found with my previous firearm instructors.

2.) Everything he taught, he backed it up with a rationale. i.e. The squared up fighting stance rather than the weaver stance--done as to maximize the chances of a innocuous plate strike, rather than a critical shoulder hit.

3.) Clarification--some of the other shooters were absolutely new to their weapons, and Tom was *very* patient with them, even through live-fire drills.

The Staff

The folks there were all pros with years of experience. Tom is the author of "Getting off the X" an article I read a while back regarding shooting and moving, rather than getting 'ventilated.' In addition, he has years and years of real world experience, including...(I think) serving as an instructor for Blackwater, operating with the Dept. of State. Sec. Service, and a whole plethora of other impressive activities.

It's an unstated understanding that every instructor there knows what they're doing.


The Range

The shooting facility is located near the back of a farm. Flag markers indicate 25 yards, 50 yards and 100 yards. Our targets were mainly steel targets--great, since we were training for combat accuracy, not target shooting. Hence every hit was rewarded with a 'ping' instead of looking for a new hole.

One of the highlights of this course was shooting through a Suburban SUV. We were able to practice using the engine block and wheel axel as cover during engagements and reloading.

The Instruction

Keep in mind, I've never used my AR outside of a flat shooting range.

1.) Shooting while slowly moving out from 10 yards to 25 yards, to 30, to 50, and so on all the way to 100 yards. We would engage. Stop, go to the back of the line and shoot again. In this manner we slowly increased our distance from the targets. Once we reached 100 our bad habits were magnified so the instructors were able to rectify our problems.

2.) Communications. We learned how to communicate reloads and engagements using phrases like, "Contact Front" and "Cover!" to signify enemies and when we were temporarily out of the fight. I learned a lot from this, since it showed me the "Prepatory and Execution" method of communicating in engagements.

It was also amazing since they taught us the rationale behind it--for example, yelling "up" after reloading, since someone might be shooting over us for cover. Sometimes, when we reloaded, and yelled "cover" Tom would come around with his AR and start shooting to simulate covering fire.

3.) Utilizing cover. This was a treat, since we did a lot of tricky things. First, we learned how to 'pop out' and engage. Then, we learned how to do this while transitioning stances from standing, to kneeling, to prone. Finally, we learned how to transition to our weak hand--something particularly hard to do, but I was grateful for the chance to do it on a live-fire range.

We also utilized the Suburban SUV as cover--which was incredible since it removed us from the whole 'barrels as cover' sort of thing we often see in competition shooting courses. We were able to shoot through the windows, over the engine block and around the tailgate.

4.) Shooting while moving. The aforementioned Snake Drills and such. Very hard, but the instructors taught us how to walk as to minimize 'sight bounce.'

5.) Night time shooting. I had never shot in the dark, so again, this was very new to me. We were able to engage targets after dark at steel plates, while utilizing cover. In short, it was amazing since we were able to practice temporarily turning on the flashlights and see what it was like to shoot in the dark.

The Verdict

I went with an Ex-Airborne Army friend of mine. His comments? "I learned more here in one day than I did 4 years in the military."

This is one facility that I'll definitely return to over and over again. It was a great experience and I had a great time both learning and just hanging out with other gun enthusiasts.

It sounds fantastic and isn't far away. Please keep us posted about future classes.

Gentleman:

First let me say it was an honor and a privilege to have you in class. I agree the class needs to be (2) days. However with that said I am sure we covered in (1) day more than most cover in (2). Please note however that was due to the fact that the students in this course from the first time carbine shooter to the seasoned contractor ran a safe range and followed directions perfectly.

John, You are an outstanding shooter and a model student. I learned as much from you as I hope you did from us.

Kchen986, You also did very well in class.

Thank you both for the AAR and I look forward to seeing you in future courses.


Just to clear a few things up: This is my carbine staff:

Chris Pick PTTA & CCJA Lead Adjunct Firearms Instructor (Former) U.S Army Current M4 Armorer / Instructor.

Angela Tasky PTTA & CCJA Adjunct Firearms Instructor (Former) U.S. Secret Service PPD POTUS Detail Current Director for Contract Gov OCONUS /CONUS Security.

Tom Perroni (Former) U.S Dept of State Firearms Inst. (Former) Blackwater Instructor (Former) Law Enforcement, Current M4 Armorer / Instructor.

Mark Quinnell PTTA & CCJA Adjunct Firearms Instructor (Former) Law Enforcement Current Black Water Operator Current Bushmaster M4 Armorer.

Brad Naylor PTTA & CCJA Adjunct Firearms Instructor (Former) Law Enforcement Current PM for Contract Gov OCONUS /CONUS Security M4 Armorer/Instructor.

Don Sheridan PTTA & CCJA Master Armorer / Rifle Builder (Former) Marine Corps Armorer Current owner Special Projects Unlimited

I really wanted to make this to check you guys out, but alas my son's basketball schedule kept me occupied. Please keep offering open enrollment classes for peons like me!