So in a few weeks I’m going to take a week off in WV with a buddy where we’re going to do an ungodly amount of shooting.
Given that we can do night shooting if we want to, it seems like a terrific opportunity. For civilians, bad things overwhelmingly tend to happen at night but so far I’ve had exactly 0 low-light or night shooting experience. So we’d like to take advantage of the opportunity and get some trigger time in the dark if it’s safe and practical.
However, there are two things I’d like some help with before we actually do anything. (This will be on a private range we’ll have to ourselves.)
#1) Are there any low-light or night-specific drills worth trying? (Or are night drills basically the same as daytime drills with the lights off and the difficulty cranked up?)
#2) What are the safety concerns I should have? I don’t want to do this without being absolutely safe about it so besides the safety precautions you should always take mixed in with the “seriously, it’s fucking dark, go slow, be extra safe, and make sure you have a well-defined firing line in front of which no one steps,” what does one need to keep in mind to do really low-speed night drills?
We’re not incredibly experienced shooters with years of trigger time, so we want to keep it simple, but we also understand that night shooting is inherently more complex and riskier, so we only want to do it if we can be safe about it (and having no experience with it, I would like some thoughts) and keep the GSWs and “Yeehaw, Cleetus” moments to a minimum.
(We’ve got weapon lights on the guns we’d be using.)
From what I can tell you are looking for ‘white light’ drills - not NV.
I am lucky in that I have access to an indoor facility where I can shoot LL a lot. As such I would say MSU (make shit up). Take the opportunity to set up some scenarios of common situations in the dark. If you can - replicate a room in a building (with furniture) and clear it, work around your vehicles, etc. If you can work with both HGs and long guns.
Some of the other things - think in terms of light discipline while you are doing all of this. When should a light be on? When should it be off? Have your buddy strobe you vs constant on (no gun) - what did you think? When your buddy has a light on you (no gun) ask yourself if you would see him draw? Would you know if he had you at gun point behind that wall of white light? Is a laser a good thing for this reason? If you can, stand on the other side of a closed door while your buddy approaches the door while clearing - did you realize when he got to the door b/c of the light at the bottom or sides? If you are using a hand held FL - try all of the classic holds and throw some of your own in. What works best for you from a static position, on the move, what gives you the most latitude to accomplish all tasks - not just shooting? Work on reloads while shooting with your hand held - solve the issue of securing 3 items that must not be dropped with 2 hands. Shoot with a variety of hand held FLs - you may not always have your high speed Surefire or whatever. Shoot with headlights - what range can you shoot your rifle to? Shoot the same but with the weak hand.
In short, I think drills are great once you identify a problem that needs to be solved. Think of the problems that you face in the dark, then think of the drills that can help you test your fix as well as identify other problems that will invariably come up.
As for safety - you know the drill - know where everyone is, declare a safety fan and make sure everyone is in it and stays in it when you go hot, no one moves except the shooter until ‘range is clear’
Some good suggestions. Sounds like doing drills with an empty gun and also with a crappy hand-held maglite (with dying batteries and a crappy incandescent bulb) might be a good idea. Hadn’t thought of that.
I remember a low light match where the COF had a vehicle light bar set it at eye level just askew of the shooter’s box.
Noise / confusion / a light source in your own eyes / flood light at the back of your target that blinds you, light source behind the shooter that silhouettes their every move… all problems that need a solution.
The other thing to think about as you solve these problems (and will likely make for good thoughts to chew on when your done) the element of time and what are you doing in that time period. Your goal is end the danger. That may or may not mean eliminate the threat but it definitely means not putting yourself at increased risk. So a strobe in your eyes that forces extra time - was it better to move, take a knee, use your weak hand to block it, or make the best shot you could with the light in your eye?
Take a series of drills you know relatively well and do them in the day. Then do the exact same things at night when it’s dark. Try them with no white light and with a white light. Ensure that your drills include things like reloads, malfunction clears, etc. You can concentrate on different drills on different nights…as in one night is purely accuracy and speed in the dark, another is target discrimination in the dark, etc.
Just be VERY CAREFUL about what you are doing, because it’s stupid easy to fuck up in a new, stressful environment. Muzzle awareness and trigger finger discipline are at a premium.
Doing some drills you know relatively well in the dark should give you a little insight into how darkness complicates life.
#2) What are the safety concerns I should have? I don’t want to do this without being absolutely safe about it so besides the safety precautions you should always take mixed in with the “seriously, it’s fucking dark, go slow, be extra safe, and make sure you have a well-defined firing line in front of which no one steps,” what does one need to keep in mind to do really low-speed night drills?
You need to be extremely certain about the area you are shooting in. Be damn certain about the backstop and beyond it, as well as the left and right limits of your shooting area. Check that stuff out thoroughly in the daytime. Mark it off using luminescent tape or glowsticks or something.
Luminescent tape on the back of your hats/heads or glowsticks attached to your back…something that makes you visible in the dark in case one of you has a darwin moment and wanders downrange. Ensure that only one of you is shooting at a time while the other stays behind you. No fucking around with guns when you aren’t on the shooting line…whatever that shooting line happens to be.
(We’ve got weapon lights on the guns we’d be using.)
Ensure you’re using good light discipline. In real life use of a white light is a target indicator…and if you really think there are bad people out there who want to kill you I guarantee you will not be leaving that light on all the time.
For starters (and not simply to pimp my own thread) I’d read this:
You should do a set of drills during the day in full day light. Then do the exact same thing during the night. I would not do anything during the night that you haven’t during the day.
Night shoots are really dangerous because you and your AI’s won’t be able to catch any safety violations before they happen.
vary light sources, intensity and position in relation to you and the targets. Lights from behind the target, behind the shooter, between the shooter and target. Find the max distance that lights will effectively illuminate. Test out POA and POI issues with night sights. Setup a video camera downrange to see what it looks like shooting with lights on/off. What fun.
Most have already touched up on the main points. Only thing I would add is train for how you are everyday, in other words if you carry a small flashlight all the time use it, if you don’t, then do plenty of low light drills without a flashlight. Try to duplicate scenarios if you were in your house at night time. Are you going to be clearing rooms, or is this just general engagement training? Experiment with the different ways to hold the flashlight (i.e. FBI method, Rogers etc. . .). The latest trend is to use as little light as possible. Just pop your light on to get a quick look where everything is. Low light shooting is very tricky and its one of those things that takes a lot of practice to get proficient in.
For live-fire we’ll just be doing general engagement training. If we do decide to do any room clearing, etc., it’ll be with empty guns–partially due to confidence/competence issues but also due to the fact that we don’t have a shoot-house.
The first thing I would do is check with anyone in earshot and make sure they were ok with gunfire after sunset and then check with the local police.
I would also make sure that the route into the shooting area is easily navigable at night, that there is an area in fairly close proximity that could handle a life-flight landing, and that I had good communication via cell phone or to someone with phone access, all in case of an injury on the range that can’t be dealt with with duct tape and a man-card.
Amateurs have a med kit “in case”, professionals have a plan for “when”.
