AAR Milwaukee COPS (Kevin) and 10-32 Solutions (BC520)
Defensive Carbine - TD1, zero400 Carbine - TD2
25-26 OCT 14
Milwaukee, WI
12 students TD1, 8 on TD2 (courses could be taken independently). Students were all civilian, some with prior military experience. Most were local to WI and northern IL, one traveled from KY (me).
Firearms. There were other variants, but generally TD1 was a mix of AR/M4, AR style .22s, and a single AK. On TD2 the .22s disappeared as we progressed to extended shooting ranges out to 400 yards. RDS optics included Aimpoint and EoTechs with a few magnifiers attached, magnified optics were few. Weapon malfunctions (that I saw from my end of the line) were induced by the usual suspects -magazines or the loose nut behind the gun.
Range was KEV149's club range, fully capable of supporting the course POI.
I intentionally participated in the course sans my usual carbine load carriage (other than typical CCW setup) since that would probably be my particular set of conditions if I were to employ a carbine for defense. Weapon system was BCM with a 14.5 permed A2X, EXPS and keymod rail. Backup was another BCM with a T1, however the primary remained FMC for the duration.
Instructors were the owners of 10-32 Solutions (Chad) and Milwaukee COPS (Kevin), both are current LE officers.
Brief Course Overview:
TD1. Defensive Carbine I focused on the fundamentals of operating a carbine and target engagement. Class included a short lecture on safety, mindset, external ballistics as related to the carbine zero, and shot placement in order to stop a threat. Students then confirmed zero (or zeroed in some cases) and then conducted various drills inside the 25 yard line for the remainder of the class.
TD2. Carbine Zero-400. Course included a short discussion on the range focused on the use of the carbine as a defensive firearm and the advantages/disadvantages as compared to shotgun or handgun. Students fired a series of drills from 50 yards and in, then progressed to KD range out to 400 yards. We conducted several iterations at 100, 200, 300 and finally 400 yards on life size silhouette targets.
Highlights from my perspective attending as a student:
Per SOP, some students had issues with gear setups and firearms during execution. Among these (no mal intent or negligence, just education and experience) mistakes I saw were:
Mag couplers. A bad idea to start with, even more so when put together improperly as to become an on-board malfunction inducing device.
Mag pouches / belts improperly setup. Mags were carried improperly for efficient reloads
Wearing too much kit. I see this often, civilian shooters typically carry way too much "stuff". Students carrying far too many primary mags, gear they may be unprepared to use or has no use, or sacrifice carrying something useful to make room for an unneeded item.
Single point bungee type slings and Grip pods. No discussion necessary.
The good news story is the students would quickly discover for themselves that something was not set up properly for them. Chad and Kevin would talk them through with leading questions and et them arrive at their own conclusions and resolutions.
My takeaways from the course:
A 14.5 in carbine with XM193 ammo will achieve acceptable center mass hits at 400 yards and closer (terminal ballistics notwithstanding) when the proper holdovers are applied.
First best sight picture was reinforced throughout the course. Bad news and sight pictures don’t get better with age. The instructors’ emphasis on this helped maintain focus and shooter performance later in the day as fatigue set in and the tendency is to chase sight pictures.
Brakes on 5.56 carbines. My opinion remains that a defensive carbine (mine anyway) should not have a brake unless a suppressor is mounted. For the life of me I can’t think of any civilian defensive effort I would be in where an exposed brake would be an advantage for me over a standard flash suppressor. Mitigation of the light recoil of the 5.56/M4 combination can be achieved without mounting the fratricide flash-bang (restrictive state laws notwithstanding, understand that it may be the ONLY option for some). I think civilian shooters need to come to terms with brake use and apply reality. If the carbine is a class / competition / range item only then have at it, but on a defensive carbine an exposed brake (no suppressor) is a non-starter. It sucks bad enough shooting next to braked carbines out in the open with earpro…firing inside a building (in this case home defense applications) is awful at best. Adding family or team mates in close proximity will further complicate the issue.
4 MOA RDS disadvantage past 200 yards. This was demonstrated clearly when I saw an outstanding shooter that was getting center hits at 200 with a 4MOA T1 that had difficulty at 3 and 400 yards. The ~16 inch red dot at 400 was doing him no favors. This was one of those rare times in class when you know there is a shooter that can perform better than what his equipment will support. That experience convinced him to change his setup post-class.
General comments.
One of Chad and Kevin’s approaches is know why you are doing / using something and be able to articulate the logic behind the choice. They did an outstanding job getting their teaching points across without belittling students or riding them to the point where they shut down. The leading / Socratic questions and application of both their experiences were invaluable to the students.
Sometimes when there is a partner teach there is natural tension that can become unhealthy and distracting to the students in execution. This was not the case with the joint 10-32 Solutions / MilwaukeeCOPS course. I found it to be quite an advantage for the students to hear opposing instructor views expressed in front of the class as these were never presented in terms of “right and wrong” or argumentative. This was definitely a strength these two gentlemen have developed over the years working together.
This is a high-value course, the student really gets a lot more than what they pay for. Training days were long, but in execution they seemed like they were over all too quickly. The instructors managed the tempo and content delivery to keep the students engaged, but not to the point of grinding them down to the point of shooter fatigue and mental checkout.
It was an 8 hour drive for me to attend, I will gladly do it again in the future. The students there are a blast and some of the nicest folks around. Special thanks to Kevin for hosting me (what is the joke about having dudes stay at your house and you only know them by their screen name?) and BC520 for the invitation to come up and train with them. Annnnddd...for driving home the fact that there is scotch and then there is GOOD Scotch. Thanks Brothers for all you did to make that one of the most enjoyable classes of the year for me.
Defensive Carbine - TD1, zero400 Carbine - TD2
25-26 OCT 14
Milwaukee, WI
12 students TD1, 8 on TD2 (courses could be taken independently). Students were all civilian, some with prior military experience. Most were local to WI and northern IL, one traveled from KY (me).
Firearms. There were other variants, but generally TD1 was a mix of AR/M4, AR style .22s, and a single AK. On TD2 the .22s disappeared as we progressed to extended shooting ranges out to 400 yards. RDS optics included Aimpoint and EoTechs with a few magnifiers attached, magnified optics were few. Weapon malfunctions (that I saw from my end of the line) were induced by the usual suspects -magazines or the loose nut behind the gun.
Range was KEV149's club range, fully capable of supporting the course POI.
I intentionally participated in the course sans my usual carbine load carriage (other than typical CCW setup) since that would probably be my particular set of conditions if I were to employ a carbine for defense. Weapon system was BCM with a 14.5 permed A2X, EXPS and keymod rail. Backup was another BCM with a T1, however the primary remained FMC for the duration.
Instructors were the owners of 10-32 Solutions (Chad) and Milwaukee COPS (Kevin), both are current LE officers.
Brief Course Overview:
TD1. Defensive Carbine I focused on the fundamentals of operating a carbine and target engagement. Class included a short lecture on safety, mindset, external ballistics as related to the carbine zero, and shot placement in order to stop a threat. Students then confirmed zero (or zeroed in some cases) and then conducted various drills inside the 25 yard line for the remainder of the class.
TD2. Carbine Zero-400. Course included a short discussion on the range focused on the use of the carbine as a defensive firearm and the advantages/disadvantages as compared to shotgun or handgun. Students fired a series of drills from 50 yards and in, then progressed to KD range out to 400 yards. We conducted several iterations at 100, 200, 300 and finally 400 yards on life size silhouette targets.
Highlights from my perspective attending as a student:
Per SOP, some students had issues with gear setups and firearms during execution. Among these (no mal intent or negligence, just education and experience) mistakes I saw were:
Mag couplers. A bad idea to start with, even more so when put together improperly as to become an on-board malfunction inducing device.
Mag pouches / belts improperly setup. Mags were carried improperly for efficient reloads
Wearing too much kit. I see this often, civilian shooters typically carry way too much "stuff". Students carrying far too many primary mags, gear they may be unprepared to use or has no use, or sacrifice carrying something useful to make room for an unneeded item.
Single point bungee type slings and Grip pods. No discussion necessary.
The good news story is the students would quickly discover for themselves that something was not set up properly for them. Chad and Kevin would talk them through with leading questions and et them arrive at their own conclusions and resolutions.
My takeaways from the course:
A 14.5 in carbine with XM193 ammo will achieve acceptable center mass hits at 400 yards and closer (terminal ballistics notwithstanding) when the proper holdovers are applied.
First best sight picture was reinforced throughout the course. Bad news and sight pictures don’t get better with age. The instructors’ emphasis on this helped maintain focus and shooter performance later in the day as fatigue set in and the tendency is to chase sight pictures.
Brakes on 5.56 carbines. My opinion remains that a defensive carbine (mine anyway) should not have a brake unless a suppressor is mounted. For the life of me I can’t think of any civilian defensive effort I would be in where an exposed brake would be an advantage for me over a standard flash suppressor. Mitigation of the light recoil of the 5.56/M4 combination can be achieved without mounting the fratricide flash-bang (restrictive state laws notwithstanding, understand that it may be the ONLY option for some). I think civilian shooters need to come to terms with brake use and apply reality. If the carbine is a class / competition / range item only then have at it, but on a defensive carbine an exposed brake (no suppressor) is a non-starter. It sucks bad enough shooting next to braked carbines out in the open with earpro…firing inside a building (in this case home defense applications) is awful at best. Adding family or team mates in close proximity will further complicate the issue.
4 MOA RDS disadvantage past 200 yards. This was demonstrated clearly when I saw an outstanding shooter that was getting center hits at 200 with a 4MOA T1 that had difficulty at 3 and 400 yards. The ~16 inch red dot at 400 was doing him no favors. This was one of those rare times in class when you know there is a shooter that can perform better than what his equipment will support. That experience convinced him to change his setup post-class.
General comments.
One of Chad and Kevin’s approaches is know why you are doing / using something and be able to articulate the logic behind the choice. They did an outstanding job getting their teaching points across without belittling students or riding them to the point where they shut down. The leading / Socratic questions and application of both their experiences were invaluable to the students.
Sometimes when there is a partner teach there is natural tension that can become unhealthy and distracting to the students in execution. This was not the case with the joint 10-32 Solutions / MilwaukeeCOPS course. I found it to be quite an advantage for the students to hear opposing instructor views expressed in front of the class as these were never presented in terms of “right and wrong” or argumentative. This was definitely a strength these two gentlemen have developed over the years working together.
This is a high-value course, the student really gets a lot more than what they pay for. Training days were long, but in execution they seemed like they were over all too quickly. The instructors managed the tempo and content delivery to keep the students engaged, but not to the point of grinding them down to the point of shooter fatigue and mental checkout.
It was an 8 hour drive for me to attend, I will gladly do it again in the future. The students there are a blast and some of the nicest folks around. Special thanks to Kevin for hosting me (what is the joke about having dudes stay at your house and you only know them by their screen name?) and BC520 for the invitation to come up and train with them. Annnnddd...for driving home the fact that there is scotch and then there is GOOD Scotch. Thanks Brothers for all you did to make that one of the most enjoyable classes of the year for me.
