Key Learnings
These will obviously be different for each individual, so I hope Blake will pitch in with any additions he’d like to make. Having just recently completed BRM training, I was well-prepared for the prone and kneeling standards. I was shooting a 14.5” POF with Eotech and Predator rail and I did note, however, that my performance in these positions was adversely affected by the rail height, which prevents a traditional cheek weld and requires a more heads-up technique. This is something I’ll have to work on. I also noted that my normal kneeling position was not possible with knee pads, which I had not anticipated, so I’ll have to make some adjustments there, as well.
My biggest gains were made at the standing position. While the Army is teaching reflexive fire and controlled pairs to IET soldiers, Paul’s measured approach with emphasis on good first round hits, sight picture and follow-through is largely absent. In addition, Paul teaches the importance of NPA when standing. Most shooters who are struggling to meet a time standard will muscle their weapon instead of letting the sights fall naturally back onto target. I found that speed came naturally when I focused on my sight picture and on staying on my toes in an aggressive posture. Both speed and accuracy deteriorated when I shifted my focus to the target and/or rocked back to a more neutral stance.
The night fire exercise was very useful, particularly the requirement to move from behind cover and back on your weak side at both the standing and kneeling positions. This involved some interesting contortions, but techniques were offered to make both more comfortable. Students were using a mix of LED and incandescent weapon lights with various degrees of success. I was using a Streamlight TLR-2 and found that it had plenty of punch out to 75 yards. Additionally, I found that the targets remained visible to me for longer than with the incandescent lights once the air became thick with smoke. I was also very happy to have the laser available, which was a big help when shooting from the more awkward positions (it also provided visual evidence of how stable a platform I had achieved).
Finally, Paul favors stepping from behind cover with your weapon at the ready, instead of “pieing” the target as I was previously taught during MOUT training. I believe the supporting rationale is that, if you can teach yourself to “see quickly”, this technique helps you maintain the edge due to surprise, whereas “pieing” puts you and your opponent on even footing, especially when weapon lights are being used.
Lastly, the scrambler course provided some useful insights into shooting under stress or physical exertion in real-world conditions. Not all shots are made from a covered, crushed-stone lined firing position. Sometimes you must use a terrain feature for cover, step out of a thicket for a quick shot, shoot down on targets from extreme angles or from the side and transition to your secondary at ranges normally reserved for the rifle. You must do all of this while maintaining constant awareness of your buddy, and while dealing with the flying brass and the report of his weapon. Unlike Blake, I had never even attempted a pistol shot at more than 25 yards, so hitting an 8 inch steel target at 100 yards with a racing heart was a real challenge. I missed more often than not, but the hits sure were rewarding!
All in all, this was a great weekend. I’m now much more confident in my rifle abilities and have a concrete plan for maintaining/improving them in the future. The student to instructor ratio was very low (about 3/1), and I can honestly say that I never stepped back from the firing line without receiving some sort of very specific individual feedback. Paul has a very low-key style without a lot of bluster or swagger, which rubs off on the students, and he made all of us feel like we were his guests for the weekend.
Please let me know if you have any questions and I'll be happy to address them. I'm posting this with Paul's blessing and he will probably stroll through at some point in the discussion. Let's try to keep him around!
