pangris
Member
5 day Precision Rifle II – instructed by Tiger McKee – Off-Site class, held at the Gadsden Police Dept. Range.
It is about 40 degrees, rain is pouring down, and I can barely make out the head in my crosshairs because of the water on my optics. I just beat the crap out of my rifle, it doesn’t want to feed the ammo I shouldn’t have brought, and I am thinking about a dozen variables that I don’t know how to compensate for. I’m about 15 minutes into a five day journey. Nothing is working, everything is going wrong, and I have rain gear in the car that is designed to go on before you are soaked to the bone – I must be training.
I recently attended a 5 day Precision Rifle II class hosted by the Gadsden Police Department, graciously represented by Gadsden PD Rangemaster Lamar Jaggears. Lamar is a very progressive firearms trainer, bringing in instructors from all over – Tiger teaches there periodically, Louis Awerbuck will be there in May, with others in the works. The facility itself is very nice.
This class was taught by Tiger Mckee, the director of Shootrite Firearms Academy and an adjunct instructor for Thunder Ranch and Rifles Only. Tiger is a very accomplished rifleman in his own right, instructing everything from close range carbine to *very* long range rifle work.
This class focuses on the use of the precision rifle in an urban environment. The range of LE sniper shootings has steadily decreased over the years, and now the average shooting in LE is 55 yards, with one documented shot taken from about 12 yards… something to think about when selecting equipment. It isn’t likely you’ll be in a situation where you will be able to shoot more than 200 yards, but you may have to make a precise shot… and often from an unconventional position.
Before I address the content of the class, let me give some background leading up to the experience. If you are ever planning on taking *any* training, it could save you some heartache.
This was a last minute class for me. While open to qualified citizens the class was full of SWAT/sniper type guys who actually do this for a living. I happily played the token civilian. During my last handgun class, I told Tiger I wanted to work on my bolt gun skills; be careful what you ask for - you may end up laying down on a range deck in the cold, driving rain.
The compressed time frame created logistical issues related to gear and ammo. First, the class called for 480 rounds of ammo. My rifle of choice, a Savage 110FP in .308 Win, shoots Federal Gold Medal Match (#GM308M) really well, usually right at 5/8” groups. The problem is I only have about 100 rounds on hand, and Federal match ammo is expensive. It seems the price is around $20/box these days. When considering $480 in ammo for a last second class, and that I was already trying my wife’s limits with a unexpected class, I found an alternative. Georgia Arms makes a “match” round using the exact same bullet (168 gr. Sierra Match King BTHP) for about half the cost - $235 for 500 rounds, right at $250 delivered. Web research showed it was a generally well liked ammo so I order it and move on to issue number two.
I have a Leopold Vari-XII 6x18x40 mounted on my gun which I bought it years ago when I thought “more power” meant “better”. The scope also lacks target turrets that allow you to quickly change your point of impact by dialing in changes. I always thought about having them added by Leupold but never got around to spending the $90. While the knobs were not necessary for the class, I thought the experience of using them would be valuable so I ordered some “Stoney Point” aftermarket units that are mediocre at best. $47 for the knobs+$15 for two day shipping = I should have done it right for $90 when I wasn’t in a rush.
The Savage rifle– Loved by some, hated by a few, and ignored by many, this gun did not have a high round count and has always shot exceptionally well for me. I have never had problems with the factory stock and trigger, which has been brought to about 2.5 lbs. With a simple sling and Harris 6-9” bipod I figure I’m ready to go.
DAY 1
Representing nerds everywhere, I sit in the front row for all classroom work. Tiger issues us log books – we record every shot in the class, along with the placement on target. This lecture is similar to most firearm classes with regard to safety but with an emphasis on the fact we’re dealing with rifles that will cause devastating wounds that bleed you out before EMS shows up. The lecture has different practical content than I’ve heard before since the bolt gun is used differently than a handgun or carbine with regard to movement, sighting system, general ballistic curve concerns, etc. – basically, more theory due to the more complex nature of the beast.
After lunch, we meet on the 100 yard line. As I settle in the sky releases a few drops of rain. I see everybody but me is running a tactical Remington 700 with a tactical Leupold Vari-X III or Mark 4 scope and tactical Federal Gold Medal ammo. I am not tactical. We fire from prone, supported (i.e. with a bipod, backpack, etc) to verify zero. I load up my Georgia Arms – that I have never shot out of the gun – and we get the command to let three fly. I wonder how badly I’m going to embarrass myself. I wonder how off the ammo will be for my GM308M zero. I fire three rounds… After rifles are safed and optics protected, we walked the long walk to see how we did, and…
Dramatic Pause
I have a 1”, MAYBE 1.2” group, dead center of the diamond. Looking around at the LE guys targets, I not even embarrassed. The guys in the class are all squared away but my first group is right up there with them. Tiger walks the line and(delete) discussing the groups and what adjustments to make with each shooter. I just get a “good group, don’t change anything”. I am ready for a week of high speed, low drag shooting.
I now believe Murphy carefully selected and guided each one of those rounds as such just so he could gain maximum pleasure since he was winding up to kick me square in the jewels.
Back on the line so the other guys could get their zero’s perfected (ha!) we got the command for three more. I launch one down range… then as I try to extract my first round of the volley, the fourth of the class, Murphy launches his attack. No joy, the bolt is locked up tight - a problem I have never had before with this gun. I can get the handle up but not back. I yank a few times with no luck and by this point Tiger is coming over to investigate why I’m flailing around on the ground like an injured duck. Upon seeing the problem he spoke some stomach churning words – “Remember how to clear an AR? Same thing.” Bearing in mind that training classes are supposed to prepare us for “the real thing”, when bad things happen we learn to fix them effectively in the field. I knew this and committed to doing it right so that I would have the experience of how to in case I ever had to do it for real. Nonetheless, for those of you unfamiliar with the AR clearing process, taking your “precision” rifle with your Leupold scope on top and slamming the butt into the ground while you yank the bolt SUCKS. Not having it clear the jam sucks worse. Doing it 10 times and having it not clear it sucks more still. Having to walk out to the car, then beat the round out with a cleaning rod tops off the experience.
Amazingly, my scopes zero didn’t change despite the abuse. This is a testament to Leupold’s variable power scopes.
Naturally, it started to rain for real. It is about 50 degrees but felt like less. Rain will not stop a rifle class.
About now my rifle begins to have feeding issues. As in it wouldn’t feed. It wouldn’t strip rounds out of the magazine, and then when it did rounds would pop up like a jack in the box and go over the bolt. Later research reveals Savage internal magazines are sheet metal and the factory plastic stock allows a lot of flex, and the clearance drill probably didn’t do the system as a whole any good. That said, the problem wasn’t with the clearing drill, but rather that the equipment wasn’t up being cleared in an emergency.
Between the rain, the seized action, the rain, the beating, the rain, and the gun not feeding, my groups open up.
As I lay in a puddle with the cold rain pouring down on me, it is virtually impossible to use my optics. I feel a long week ahead.
Day 1 from the safety of the classroom.
I also have a blinding flash of retroactive compassion for all the other idiots in all the other classes who THOUGHT they knew what they were doing, THOUGHT that they had good gear, etc ad nauseum.
In the end, I can’t hold a decent group that afternoon – I am “mind copulating” myself and the fact my gear isn’t working properly, I have no back up rifle, I am still wondering what beating the rifle may have done, also wondering if it is me or the new ammo, am literally soaked in the rain, can’t see out my scope b/c of all the rain on the lenses… but in three hours of shooting, I learn a LOT, although the lessons aren’t ones I was looking to learn.
DAY TWO
I adjust a few things Monday night and the gun seems to be feeding again. From there, every day our first shot is the cold bore shot… every morning, afternoon, every time we cleaned the guns. The cold bore shot point of impact will normally have a minor deviation from the rest of your shots so it is important to know what your rifle does and log the results. Based on the prior day, I use some FederalGM308M I have with me and fire that for the first few rounds. To my aggravation, the first five shot group is a clover of overlapping rounds. Now I am really wondering if the flyers I am running into are me or the Georgia Arms ammo. A few groups with the GA are decent – and for the record, I don’t expect bulk packed ammo that costs half as much to match the Federal, I was just looking to verify consistent performance. After a few groups confirm zero, my confidence still isn’t completely there. We walk to the 200 yard line and experiment with the drop at that range. Indeed, mistakes are magnified at distance. Tiger instructs us to put back the 100 yard zero and work with estimating drop.
This drill is repeated at 150 yards, 75, 50, and 25. As there should be, our focus is on the fundamentals, how to run the bolt (hard, fast, and right after you shoot) and various firing positions at different ranges… day two builds on day one we continue toward bigger and better things. Tiger turns up the pressure a bit with timed drills – but we don’t know how much time we have! To be honest, most of the day I am still trying to sort my head out. Again, unnecessary variables are bad news.
Anecdotal fact – I’ve heard it said that optics don’t help you shoot better, just see better. At a TR general purpose rifle class, I shot a 4x6” five shot group with iron sights out of an M1A using 147gr South African milsurp ammo. At this class I initially shoot 3x4” or so at 200, but I was using a more accurate rifle and much better ammo – so I probably shoot it about equally well.
Final note – at 200 yards, even without wind, several rifles need dope to compensate for drift to the right. Apparently this has to do with the spin of the ammo, and some rifle/ammo combinations exhibit the phenomenon more than others.
DAY THREE
Time to put it together – day three and four are low light days that run from 2:00 PM to 10:00 PM. Cold bore shot, 100 yard zero confirmation, and we’re off to the use of cover. We look at specific traditional techniques but Tiger emphasizes that in the field, in actual shootings, you adapt to the situation. Tiger introduces a drill that involves a number of “outside the box” scenarios. We fire off a rooftop, from behind a 3 foot tall brick wall, on top of a stairwell, behind a telephone pole, and off the side of a berm.
This is a great drill that the SWAT guys love. The goofy civilian thought it was cool as well! Break for dinner as the sun set, then on the 50 yard line to begin low light/night work.
I admit skepticism when I see we are working off starlight and six cyalume sticks for illumination.
It is DARK - This is with the flash!
I should know better – on the line we can actually shoot well under these conditions – in most cases, just as well during the day. The scopes do “gather” light amazingly well, especially the Vari-X III and Mk4 units with the heavier recticles. I am struggle with a target recticle and a minimum 6X power. The more magnification, the darker the target… the 3.5x -10x scopes with heavier reticules do well here. Make note – when it comes to magnification, less is more. Tiger uses a 3.5-10 on his .308 and can shoot out to 1000 yards with that set up – again – optics help you see better, not shoot better.
Lamar pulls a squad car within about 70 yards of the range. He would hit the lights for 2-3 seconds in which we would have to make a shot. We practice working with a partner, cover drills, multiple targets... good stuff, great experience.
For the last drill of the night – and unique from other things I’ve read about with bolt guns – we practiced using our rifles at 25 yards FROM STANDING, at night, using handheld lights. Tiger has documented that in the Middle East some “good guy” riflemen are being ambushed coming out of their hides. This drill illustrates that while a scoped rifle is not the ideal weapon to be used in close range confrontations, it can be done effective and multiple shots can be fired. Again, the lower the magnification the better.
Day three ends with a GREATLY increased sense of ability to shoot from various positions, in extremely low light, and knowing the bolt gun can be used as an effective CQB weapon in a worst case scenario. I am a lot more comfortable behind the rifle and since we were shooting at 100 yards and in, the ammo/accuracy question is less of an issue.
It is about 40 degrees, rain is pouring down, and I can barely make out the head in my crosshairs because of the water on my optics. I just beat the crap out of my rifle, it doesn’t want to feed the ammo I shouldn’t have brought, and I am thinking about a dozen variables that I don’t know how to compensate for. I’m about 15 minutes into a five day journey. Nothing is working, everything is going wrong, and I have rain gear in the car that is designed to go on before you are soaked to the bone – I must be training.
I recently attended a 5 day Precision Rifle II class hosted by the Gadsden Police Department, graciously represented by Gadsden PD Rangemaster Lamar Jaggears. Lamar is a very progressive firearms trainer, bringing in instructors from all over – Tiger teaches there periodically, Louis Awerbuck will be there in May, with others in the works. The facility itself is very nice.
This class was taught by Tiger Mckee, the director of Shootrite Firearms Academy and an adjunct instructor for Thunder Ranch and Rifles Only. Tiger is a very accomplished rifleman in his own right, instructing everything from close range carbine to *very* long range rifle work.
This class focuses on the use of the precision rifle in an urban environment. The range of LE sniper shootings has steadily decreased over the years, and now the average shooting in LE is 55 yards, with one documented shot taken from about 12 yards… something to think about when selecting equipment. It isn’t likely you’ll be in a situation where you will be able to shoot more than 200 yards, but you may have to make a precise shot… and often from an unconventional position.
Before I address the content of the class, let me give some background leading up to the experience. If you are ever planning on taking *any* training, it could save you some heartache.
This was a last minute class for me. While open to qualified citizens the class was full of SWAT/sniper type guys who actually do this for a living. I happily played the token civilian. During my last handgun class, I told Tiger I wanted to work on my bolt gun skills; be careful what you ask for - you may end up laying down on a range deck in the cold, driving rain.
The compressed time frame created logistical issues related to gear and ammo. First, the class called for 480 rounds of ammo. My rifle of choice, a Savage 110FP in .308 Win, shoots Federal Gold Medal Match (#GM308M) really well, usually right at 5/8” groups. The problem is I only have about 100 rounds on hand, and Federal match ammo is expensive. It seems the price is around $20/box these days. When considering $480 in ammo for a last second class, and that I was already trying my wife’s limits with a unexpected class, I found an alternative. Georgia Arms makes a “match” round using the exact same bullet (168 gr. Sierra Match King BTHP) for about half the cost - $235 for 500 rounds, right at $250 delivered. Web research showed it was a generally well liked ammo so I order it and move on to issue number two.
I have a Leopold Vari-XII 6x18x40 mounted on my gun which I bought it years ago when I thought “more power” meant “better”. The scope also lacks target turrets that allow you to quickly change your point of impact by dialing in changes. I always thought about having them added by Leupold but never got around to spending the $90. While the knobs were not necessary for the class, I thought the experience of using them would be valuable so I ordered some “Stoney Point” aftermarket units that are mediocre at best. $47 for the knobs+$15 for two day shipping = I should have done it right for $90 when I wasn’t in a rush.
The Savage rifle– Loved by some, hated by a few, and ignored by many, this gun did not have a high round count and has always shot exceptionally well for me. I have never had problems with the factory stock and trigger, which has been brought to about 2.5 lbs. With a simple sling and Harris 6-9” bipod I figure I’m ready to go.
DAY 1
Representing nerds everywhere, I sit in the front row for all classroom work. Tiger issues us log books – we record every shot in the class, along with the placement on target. This lecture is similar to most firearm classes with regard to safety but with an emphasis on the fact we’re dealing with rifles that will cause devastating wounds that bleed you out before EMS shows up. The lecture has different practical content than I’ve heard before since the bolt gun is used differently than a handgun or carbine with regard to movement, sighting system, general ballistic curve concerns, etc. – basically, more theory due to the more complex nature of the beast.
After lunch, we meet on the 100 yard line. As I settle in the sky releases a few drops of rain. I see everybody but me is running a tactical Remington 700 with a tactical Leupold Vari-X III or Mark 4 scope and tactical Federal Gold Medal ammo. I am not tactical. We fire from prone, supported (i.e. with a bipod, backpack, etc) to verify zero. I load up my Georgia Arms – that I have never shot out of the gun – and we get the command to let three fly. I wonder how badly I’m going to embarrass myself. I wonder how off the ammo will be for my GM308M zero. I fire three rounds… After rifles are safed and optics protected, we walked the long walk to see how we did, and…
Dramatic Pause
I have a 1”, MAYBE 1.2” group, dead center of the diamond. Looking around at the LE guys targets, I not even embarrassed. The guys in the class are all squared away but my first group is right up there with them. Tiger walks the line and(delete) discussing the groups and what adjustments to make with each shooter. I just get a “good group, don’t change anything”. I am ready for a week of high speed, low drag shooting.
I now believe Murphy carefully selected and guided each one of those rounds as such just so he could gain maximum pleasure since he was winding up to kick me square in the jewels.
Back on the line so the other guys could get their zero’s perfected (ha!) we got the command for three more. I launch one down range… then as I try to extract my first round of the volley, the fourth of the class, Murphy launches his attack. No joy, the bolt is locked up tight - a problem I have never had before with this gun. I can get the handle up but not back. I yank a few times with no luck and by this point Tiger is coming over to investigate why I’m flailing around on the ground like an injured duck. Upon seeing the problem he spoke some stomach churning words – “Remember how to clear an AR? Same thing.” Bearing in mind that training classes are supposed to prepare us for “the real thing”, when bad things happen we learn to fix them effectively in the field. I knew this and committed to doing it right so that I would have the experience of how to in case I ever had to do it for real. Nonetheless, for those of you unfamiliar with the AR clearing process, taking your “precision” rifle with your Leupold scope on top and slamming the butt into the ground while you yank the bolt SUCKS. Not having it clear the jam sucks worse. Doing it 10 times and having it not clear it sucks more still. Having to walk out to the car, then beat the round out with a cleaning rod tops off the experience.
Amazingly, my scopes zero didn’t change despite the abuse. This is a testament to Leupold’s variable power scopes.
Naturally, it started to rain for real. It is about 50 degrees but felt like less. Rain will not stop a rifle class.
About now my rifle begins to have feeding issues. As in it wouldn’t feed. It wouldn’t strip rounds out of the magazine, and then when it did rounds would pop up like a jack in the box and go over the bolt. Later research reveals Savage internal magazines are sheet metal and the factory plastic stock allows a lot of flex, and the clearance drill probably didn’t do the system as a whole any good. That said, the problem wasn’t with the clearing drill, but rather that the equipment wasn’t up being cleared in an emergency.
Between the rain, the seized action, the rain, the beating, the rain, and the gun not feeding, my groups open up.
As I lay in a puddle with the cold rain pouring down on me, it is virtually impossible to use my optics. I feel a long week ahead.
Day 1 from the safety of the classroom.
I also have a blinding flash of retroactive compassion for all the other idiots in all the other classes who THOUGHT they knew what they were doing, THOUGHT that they had good gear, etc ad nauseum.
In the end, I can’t hold a decent group that afternoon – I am “mind copulating” myself and the fact my gear isn’t working properly, I have no back up rifle, I am still wondering what beating the rifle may have done, also wondering if it is me or the new ammo, am literally soaked in the rain, can’t see out my scope b/c of all the rain on the lenses… but in three hours of shooting, I learn a LOT, although the lessons aren’t ones I was looking to learn.
DAY TWO
I adjust a few things Monday night and the gun seems to be feeding again. From there, every day our first shot is the cold bore shot… every morning, afternoon, every time we cleaned the guns. The cold bore shot point of impact will normally have a minor deviation from the rest of your shots so it is important to know what your rifle does and log the results. Based on the prior day, I use some FederalGM308M I have with me and fire that for the first few rounds. To my aggravation, the first five shot group is a clover of overlapping rounds. Now I am really wondering if the flyers I am running into are me or the Georgia Arms ammo. A few groups with the GA are decent – and for the record, I don’t expect bulk packed ammo that costs half as much to match the Federal, I was just looking to verify consistent performance. After a few groups confirm zero, my confidence still isn’t completely there. We walk to the 200 yard line and experiment with the drop at that range. Indeed, mistakes are magnified at distance. Tiger instructs us to put back the 100 yard zero and work with estimating drop.
This drill is repeated at 150 yards, 75, 50, and 25. As there should be, our focus is on the fundamentals, how to run the bolt (hard, fast, and right after you shoot) and various firing positions at different ranges… day two builds on day one we continue toward bigger and better things. Tiger turns up the pressure a bit with timed drills – but we don’t know how much time we have! To be honest, most of the day I am still trying to sort my head out. Again, unnecessary variables are bad news.
Anecdotal fact – I’ve heard it said that optics don’t help you shoot better, just see better. At a TR general purpose rifle class, I shot a 4x6” five shot group with iron sights out of an M1A using 147gr South African milsurp ammo. At this class I initially shoot 3x4” or so at 200, but I was using a more accurate rifle and much better ammo – so I probably shoot it about equally well.
Final note – at 200 yards, even without wind, several rifles need dope to compensate for drift to the right. Apparently this has to do with the spin of the ammo, and some rifle/ammo combinations exhibit the phenomenon more than others.
DAY THREE
Time to put it together – day three and four are low light days that run from 2:00 PM to 10:00 PM. Cold bore shot, 100 yard zero confirmation, and we’re off to the use of cover. We look at specific traditional techniques but Tiger emphasizes that in the field, in actual shootings, you adapt to the situation. Tiger introduces a drill that involves a number of “outside the box” scenarios. We fire off a rooftop, from behind a 3 foot tall brick wall, on top of a stairwell, behind a telephone pole, and off the side of a berm.
This is a great drill that the SWAT guys love. The goofy civilian thought it was cool as well! Break for dinner as the sun set, then on the 50 yard line to begin low light/night work.
I admit skepticism when I see we are working off starlight and six cyalume sticks for illumination.
It is DARK - This is with the flash!
I should know better – on the line we can actually shoot well under these conditions – in most cases, just as well during the day. The scopes do “gather” light amazingly well, especially the Vari-X III and Mk4 units with the heavier recticles. I am struggle with a target recticle and a minimum 6X power. The more magnification, the darker the target… the 3.5x -10x scopes with heavier reticules do well here. Make note – when it comes to magnification, less is more. Tiger uses a 3.5-10 on his .308 and can shoot out to 1000 yards with that set up – again – optics help you see better, not shoot better.
Lamar pulls a squad car within about 70 yards of the range. He would hit the lights for 2-3 seconds in which we would have to make a shot. We practice working with a partner, cover drills, multiple targets... good stuff, great experience.
For the last drill of the night – and unique from other things I’ve read about with bolt guns – we practiced using our rifles at 25 yards FROM STANDING, at night, using handheld lights. Tiger has documented that in the Middle East some “good guy” riflemen are being ambushed coming out of their hides. This drill illustrates that while a scoped rifle is not the ideal weapon to be used in close range confrontations, it can be done effective and multiple shots can be fired. Again, the lower the magnification the better.
Day three ends with a GREATLY increased sense of ability to shoot from various positions, in extremely low light, and knowing the bolt gun can be used as an effective CQB weapon in a worst case scenario. I am a lot more comfortable behind the rifle and since we were shooting at 100 yards and in, the ammo/accuracy question is less of an issue.
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