This April I will be attending Paul Howe’s Tactical Rifle Class. I have some questions for the forum members to help me get the most out of my training as well as how to NOT be “That Guy.”
Since this is my first formal rifle training since leaving the Army it is my first training where I don’t have an issued weapon or issued gear. Due to the fact that I can not think of a concealable reason for me to ever be issued a carbine at work, I would most likely call upon these skills in a SHTF or civilian sheep dog capacity. Thus, what kind of kit/equipment/gear should I bring? I have my old LBE as well as a tactical vest, or would a “low profile” dress with a couple blade tech mag holsters be a better option? No use in pretending I’m a door kicker when I’m not. In that case, how many magazine holsters will be enough? I currently have 2 blade techs which I like and seem to work well.
The rifle I will be using is my M&P15. I have about 500 rounds through it with no issues. I have installed a D-Fender on the extractor and MOE furniture but other than that it is stock. I will be using a V-Tac 2-point sling which I am fairly comfortable with but it is just strung through the front sling swivel and buttstock. I have upgraded 6 of my USGI magazines with Magpul followers. I feel comfortable with my optic (Trijicon TriPower in LaRue mount) and it seem to retain its zero. As far as weapon, is there anything I am overlooking? I have purposely held off purchasing tac lights and the like until I attend the course and get a good idea on what works for me. Is this flawed thinking?
I plan on bringing snivel gear, range bag, cleaning kit, break free, camel back, spare batteries for the optic, as well as my roomate’s old Bushmaster rifle should my M&P go down. What other items should I make sure I bring with me?
Thanks for any insight you guys might have as well as any “wish I had done that” stories.
It seems like you have the gist of what you should be bringing.
While I’m not nearly as qualified as others to talk about this subject matter I can point out a few things.
It sounds like your course is just around the corner so the first thing I would look into getting is a few more mags. 1) it saves time so that your not constantly reloading and can focus more on training 2) it gives room for error in the event that a few of your mags aren’t functioning properly. There isnt necessarily a set number of mags to bring( beyond the required amount) but its always better to have more than less.
Unless low light training is an absolute no-go for the course I would suggest getting a weapon mounted light. Which in all honesty shouldnt set you back too much, a simple G2led in a VTAC mount should be all you need One of the great things about courses is that you’ll learn a lot about the gear you’ve purchased. You’ll learn what works for you and what doesn’t.
Can you give us more specifics on what your looking to purchase before the class starts?
Hope that helped a bit.
I have a G2LED already. I could easily pick up a mount and some bolt on rails for the MOE before the class. I just am not sure about where I would be mounting them or what kind of activation will work best for me. I’m hoping that the course will shine some light on the matter (pardon the pun), but I don’t want to purchase stuff that won’t work for me.
You should get something telling you how many mags you need to have available on your person. If you don’t/didn’t, check the course description on the website or ask. Base how many pouches you have off of that requirement. Aside from that, a good pair of gloves will be helpful. Enjoy your class. I haven’t been able to take one of his classes yet so I look forward to an AAR. Stay safe
Don’t forget an extra set of eye and ear protection. Knee pads maybe helpful depending on the course of fire and range if your doing allot of up/down drills.
While I suspect Paul likes “cool” stuff on his guns sometimes, the first time I was down there for a pistol class his class AR had a light, sling, and he likes to run a redi-mag. When I went down to his rifle class he had a surefire rail on his gun but otherwise it was the same. Yes, he and a few others in the class were running iron sights and no one had any problems hitting stuff from 7 yards to 300 yards.
Paul’s classes do not tend to be huge round count classes but if the syllabus says to bring 700 rounds it never hurts to have some extra anyways. For mag holders I would e-mail him and ask what he thinks would be good. I ran a chest rig but also did a few drills with just a few mag holders and never had a problem. That being said I agree with a previous poster who suggested bringing a lot of magazines. I have taken a few classes now where I didn’t have to load a mag all day long and its nice. If the syllabus says to take 5 mags min take 10+ if possible. Mags are cheap and you can always use more.
Take some, or get there early the day before and go to wal mart and get some water bottles and some snacks.
While I am probably missing some things that I would recommend this is all for now. Mainly take an open mind and pay attention. Paul is a great teacher and has helped my shooting out tremendously. Have fun.
Bring more than 6 mags if you can, otherwise get a LULA or some sort of speed reloader and jam mags during any down time you have. Outside of errors, “That Guy” is often the one jamming mags by hand and ends up holding up some event.
I’ll jam mags during breaks, but before that, I’ve refreshed my load with full ones from my ready stock of 20-30 on hand and am just backfilling the ready stock. Virtually impossible to have too many, for that reason and because they can break. Mark your mags and ANY of your gear that you hope to keep with something you can positively identify as YOURS.
Snacks, fluids. Bug repellent, sunscreen, something for headaches & minor dings.
If you’re not sure what light set up you ultimately want I think its a good idea for you to wait until after the class, you’ll also get to see what other students are running and find out from them what they like or dislike.
Paul is a minimalist type of guy when it comes to gear so your rifle and kit should be fine.
I like running “slick” in classes with just the 2 mag pouches on my belt. I do however run a 3 mag chest rig, just to feed the pouches on my belt. You don’t want to be the guy that has run dry and now are not doing anything on the line. Keep your rifle well fed and you will get a lot more out of the instruction, as well as more repetitions.
One of the great things about courses is that you’ll learn a lot about the gear you’ve purchased. You’ll learn what works for you and what doesn’t.