AAR: Modern Samurai Project Red Dots: Fundamentals and Performance Workshop, Berryville, VA.
Date: 9 July 2017
Instructors: Scott Jedlinski (Jedi)
Assistant Instructors: Jose Gordon, Doc Willoughby
Venue: Private range in Berryville, VA (Thanks, Paul Williams!)
Topics Discussed (from P&S event page):
Zeroing your red dot. 10 yard zero. 25 yard confirmation. Ammo selection.
Draw and how to stop fishing for the dot. Why back up irons are necessary?
Only use the necessary amount of information required to make an acceptably accurate shot at the speed and distance required.
Red dots up close. 5 yards and in.
Red dots at distance
Speed: Efficiency of draw and presentation. Concealed and Open setups. Speed is the economy of motion. The Langdon presentation method. Speed is not useless frenetic movement. Micro Drill training method.
Dot tracking: Grip, stance, dot movement, predictability. Stop over confirming the dot!
Modes of Practice: Speed mode. Accuracy Mode. Match/For Realz Mode.
How to get better on your own. Dry fire for skill building. Live fire for confirmation.
Why you should compete.
Mini match to test skills.
Gun Used: Glock 19 with RMR06 (milled by ATEI), X300U, Glock “-“ connector, home stipple job
Ammunition: Speer Lawman 147gr flat nose FMJ
Holster Used: JM Custom Kydex AIWB holster for G17 with RMR and X300U, neoprene wedge
Backup Gun: Glock 17 with ALG Six Second Mount, Aimpoint T-1, X300, Glock “-“ connector, home stipple job (not used)
Magazine Holders: Raven Concealment double Glock Magazine holder
Belt: Mean Gene Victory Aegis belt
Personal Protective Equipment: MSA Sordin Supreme Pro headset with Smith Elite glasses, Columbia button down shirt, Kuhl pants, Lowa boots
Personal background (included to acknowledge my own perspective and bias): Prior military enlisted, current private citizen, concealed carry when legally possible (not always the case due to employment), husband of a wife who does not carry or shoot currently, and father of two children under five years old. I’ve previously attended two EAG Basic Carbine Courses with Pat Rogers, and one Magpul Dynamics Handgun 1 class with Steve Fisher. I’ve also taken a lecture class with John Murphy regarding lethal force scenarios, in addition to both military training, and police training (police academy graduate, however never sworn in as I changed directions and joined the military). I was one of the few there that had never been a competitive shooter in any way.
Bottom Line: Jedi’s course could easily be called Myth Slaying 1. This course focused on the employment of red dot sights on handguns, with no bias toward or against use (concealed carry, police duty, military duty, competition, etc). There was a mix of those with and without experience with red dots on handguns, and nearly everyone brought something unique to the class and was able to contribute. Students’ backgrounds included active duty police, military, trainers, former military, private citizens, and competitive shooters. Guns at the class were mainly Glocks with RMRs, with a few Sigs with Sig Optics thrown in. This was Jedi’s first class as lead instructor, and his personal experience with training private citizens, police, and military on a private basis certainly showed with his ability to transcend social barriers that the shooting community puts up against itself. Jedi warned everyone in the beginning of the class that he may tend to deep dive on individuals’ issues due to his experience as a one-on-one trainer, however, that did not really prove to be an issue during this class. Jedi also seemed already know where he fits within the current ranks of high level instructors. The focus wasn’t necessarily marksmanship, it certainly wasn’t tactics (stressed throughout the day), but was about being fast AND effective with a red dot equipped handgun. “Sooner, not faster” was often heard.
Instruction: Jedi started the class with a 10 yard zero drill, mostly self-paced, due to the experience level of the students. During the zero demonstration, Jedi proved that Tula 115gr is the most accurate ammunition in history! Hey, bullets do weird things, and Jedi acknowledged that.
One of the biggest issues with pistol mounted red dots was immediately addressed; finding the dot. Jedi pointed out that altering one’s presentation of the gun could aid incredibly in finding the dot faster and reliably. Having previously been one who’d look for my front sight through my RMR in order to find my dot, I found Jedi’s ideas on the subject a great help, and plan on practicing them a lot. The instructors also addressed the “green light” concept where the brain tells the body that now’s the right time to fire. While most people generally say that the sights are their “green light,” actually watching people shoot showed their “green light” was actually when the firearm reached full outward extension after presentation. This can cost tens or hundredths of seconds that could cause a loss in competition, or incoming fire beating outgoing fire in a lethal encounter. An ongoing theme started right there, that lessons learned in competition can be readily adapted by anyone using a gun.
Both Jedi and the AI’s knowledge of body mechanics and efficiency of movement was both taught and stressed throughout the day. Old adages like, “Slow is smooth and smooth is fast” were met with the harsh reality that slow is smooth, and slow is still slow. I’ll come back to that a little later, but the point is that efficiency of movement means simplifying tasks, moving body parts straight from where they are to where they need to be, not wasting either time or movement, all shaved time off of drills.
The next myth to be slain was that died a cruel but swift death was the red dots are slow up close. The inverse, that red dots are fast at distance, generally holds true and was not really examined throughout the day. It was explained that it’s relatively easy to use iron sights up close, as you pick up the sights in peripheral vision and can begin roughly aligning them even before the gun is all the way up. In close distances, however, even with irons, traditional sight pictures aren’t used so much. Instead, a coarser sight picture, such as using the back of the slide or the top of the slide as a very rough but quick sight is usually the ideal mix of speed and accuracy. It’s no different with a red dot, as was demonstrated. In fact, having a large optic body gives even more choices for coarse sighted fire up close. Interestingly, as the day went on, and we worried less and less about finding the dot, and put more and more rounds downrange, it became easier and quicker to find the dot.
Most drills throughout the day were on a shot timer. Personally, I have never been on a timer as much as I was during this class. The timer added not only an additional source of stress to the drills, but also an incredible amount of quantitative feedback. Having shot drills before without a timer, I could guess on which one I shot better at, but had no solid evidence to back it up. A shot timer is definitely in my future. Additionally, it was continually stressed for students to maintain an open mind about where different ideas originated. Having been from a more police and military training background, I had a bias toward shot accountability.
The day ended with a simplified competition stage. Three sets of three targets (nine total) were set up at roughly 5 yard intervals, roughly 7 yards from the firing line. Barricades were set up, as was a starting box and left/right borders for shooter location. Having never shot a competition stage before, this was entirely new to me. The course of fire began with having a fully loaded gun holstered, with both hands touching the left or right most barricade. When the timer beeped, the shooter would draw and fire two shots on each of the first three targets (make up shots allowed, best two rounds on each target were recorded). After the first set of targets was shot, the shooter would move laterally to the other side of the stage while engaging the three middle targets (two in each), and at the opposite end, would shoot past the other barricade and engage the last three targets (two in each). My first run produced descent hits, and took over 18 seconds to complete. Watching other shooters vary from fast and accurate, kinda fast and kinda accurate, and slow and very accurate, I reached an epiphany, which Jedi, Jose, and Doc were attempting to hammer into my head throughout the day: No matter how good my shots were, I could never shoot good enough to make up for being THAT slow. Instead of not moving any faster than I could shoot, I asked my inner Ricky Bobby, “You wanna go fast?” and my inner Ricky Bobby said, “Yeah, I wanna go fast!” I decided to flip it and concerned myself with moving fast, moving more efficient, and less worried about whether I got A or D zone hits. While I probably produced the most misses of the day on my second run, I completed it in only 8.6 seconds, shaving almost 10 full seconds off my time, and averaging less than one second on each target, even including movement. The me from the previous day NEVER could have done that. It literally was an eye opener. I certainly have to work on my shots, but I was always doing that anyway, and now I have some speed to combine with it. In context 10 seconds is an AWEFULLY long time in a gunfight or an active shooter scenario. If I worry about waiting for the perfect shot instead of a good enough shot, that time may be all a bad guy needs to put one into me or someone I’m trying to protect. That’s something that I didn’t think competition brought to the practical table, but it certainly does.
We all gathered for dinner at the end of the day, and before I left, Jedi said something that summed up a lot of lessons. He said that he competes to become a better shooter, and that he doesn’t become a better shooter in order to become more competitive. The willingness to take good information, regardless of the source, and the humble authority that Jedi presented everything in really made this class something special. I look forward to more classes with Jedi, and I think he’s going to bring a lot more to the community as he develops even further.
Special thanks goes out to the Primary and Secondary community, F3 Tactical, Tuff Products, PHLSTER holsters, Paul Williams for hosting the class, Mrs. Jedi, and many others I’ve forgotten to include.
Please feel free to contact me with any questions or comments, and I’d be happy discuss.
V/R,
Pat Tarrant
Date: 9 July 2017
Instructors: Scott Jedlinski (Jedi)
Assistant Instructors: Jose Gordon, Doc Willoughby
Venue: Private range in Berryville, VA (Thanks, Paul Williams!)
Topics Discussed (from P&S event page):
Zeroing your red dot. 10 yard zero. 25 yard confirmation. Ammo selection.
Draw and how to stop fishing for the dot. Why back up irons are necessary?
Only use the necessary amount of information required to make an acceptably accurate shot at the speed and distance required.
Red dots up close. 5 yards and in.
Red dots at distance
Speed: Efficiency of draw and presentation. Concealed and Open setups. Speed is the economy of motion. The Langdon presentation method. Speed is not useless frenetic movement. Micro Drill training method.
Dot tracking: Grip, stance, dot movement, predictability. Stop over confirming the dot!
Modes of Practice: Speed mode. Accuracy Mode. Match/For Realz Mode.
How to get better on your own. Dry fire for skill building. Live fire for confirmation.
Why you should compete.
Mini match to test skills.
Gun Used: Glock 19 with RMR06 (milled by ATEI), X300U, Glock “-“ connector, home stipple job
Ammunition: Speer Lawman 147gr flat nose FMJ
Holster Used: JM Custom Kydex AIWB holster for G17 with RMR and X300U, neoprene wedge
Backup Gun: Glock 17 with ALG Six Second Mount, Aimpoint T-1, X300, Glock “-“ connector, home stipple job (not used)
Magazine Holders: Raven Concealment double Glock Magazine holder
Belt: Mean Gene Victory Aegis belt
Personal Protective Equipment: MSA Sordin Supreme Pro headset with Smith Elite glasses, Columbia button down shirt, Kuhl pants, Lowa boots
Personal background (included to acknowledge my own perspective and bias): Prior military enlisted, current private citizen, concealed carry when legally possible (not always the case due to employment), husband of a wife who does not carry or shoot currently, and father of two children under five years old. I’ve previously attended two EAG Basic Carbine Courses with Pat Rogers, and one Magpul Dynamics Handgun 1 class with Steve Fisher. I’ve also taken a lecture class with John Murphy regarding lethal force scenarios, in addition to both military training, and police training (police academy graduate, however never sworn in as I changed directions and joined the military). I was one of the few there that had never been a competitive shooter in any way.
Bottom Line: Jedi’s course could easily be called Myth Slaying 1. This course focused on the employment of red dot sights on handguns, with no bias toward or against use (concealed carry, police duty, military duty, competition, etc). There was a mix of those with and without experience with red dots on handguns, and nearly everyone brought something unique to the class and was able to contribute. Students’ backgrounds included active duty police, military, trainers, former military, private citizens, and competitive shooters. Guns at the class were mainly Glocks with RMRs, with a few Sigs with Sig Optics thrown in. This was Jedi’s first class as lead instructor, and his personal experience with training private citizens, police, and military on a private basis certainly showed with his ability to transcend social barriers that the shooting community puts up against itself. Jedi warned everyone in the beginning of the class that he may tend to deep dive on individuals’ issues due to his experience as a one-on-one trainer, however, that did not really prove to be an issue during this class. Jedi also seemed already know where he fits within the current ranks of high level instructors. The focus wasn’t necessarily marksmanship, it certainly wasn’t tactics (stressed throughout the day), but was about being fast AND effective with a red dot equipped handgun. “Sooner, not faster” was often heard.
Instruction: Jedi started the class with a 10 yard zero drill, mostly self-paced, due to the experience level of the students. During the zero demonstration, Jedi proved that Tula 115gr is the most accurate ammunition in history! Hey, bullets do weird things, and Jedi acknowledged that.
One of the biggest issues with pistol mounted red dots was immediately addressed; finding the dot. Jedi pointed out that altering one’s presentation of the gun could aid incredibly in finding the dot faster and reliably. Having previously been one who’d look for my front sight through my RMR in order to find my dot, I found Jedi’s ideas on the subject a great help, and plan on practicing them a lot. The instructors also addressed the “green light” concept where the brain tells the body that now’s the right time to fire. While most people generally say that the sights are their “green light,” actually watching people shoot showed their “green light” was actually when the firearm reached full outward extension after presentation. This can cost tens or hundredths of seconds that could cause a loss in competition, or incoming fire beating outgoing fire in a lethal encounter. An ongoing theme started right there, that lessons learned in competition can be readily adapted by anyone using a gun.
Both Jedi and the AI’s knowledge of body mechanics and efficiency of movement was both taught and stressed throughout the day. Old adages like, “Slow is smooth and smooth is fast” were met with the harsh reality that slow is smooth, and slow is still slow. I’ll come back to that a little later, but the point is that efficiency of movement means simplifying tasks, moving body parts straight from where they are to where they need to be, not wasting either time or movement, all shaved time off of drills.
The next myth to be slain was that died a cruel but swift death was the red dots are slow up close. The inverse, that red dots are fast at distance, generally holds true and was not really examined throughout the day. It was explained that it’s relatively easy to use iron sights up close, as you pick up the sights in peripheral vision and can begin roughly aligning them even before the gun is all the way up. In close distances, however, even with irons, traditional sight pictures aren’t used so much. Instead, a coarser sight picture, such as using the back of the slide or the top of the slide as a very rough but quick sight is usually the ideal mix of speed and accuracy. It’s no different with a red dot, as was demonstrated. In fact, having a large optic body gives even more choices for coarse sighted fire up close. Interestingly, as the day went on, and we worried less and less about finding the dot, and put more and more rounds downrange, it became easier and quicker to find the dot.
Most drills throughout the day were on a shot timer. Personally, I have never been on a timer as much as I was during this class. The timer added not only an additional source of stress to the drills, but also an incredible amount of quantitative feedback. Having shot drills before without a timer, I could guess on which one I shot better at, but had no solid evidence to back it up. A shot timer is definitely in my future. Additionally, it was continually stressed for students to maintain an open mind about where different ideas originated. Having been from a more police and military training background, I had a bias toward shot accountability.
The day ended with a simplified competition stage. Three sets of three targets (nine total) were set up at roughly 5 yard intervals, roughly 7 yards from the firing line. Barricades were set up, as was a starting box and left/right borders for shooter location. Having never shot a competition stage before, this was entirely new to me. The course of fire began with having a fully loaded gun holstered, with both hands touching the left or right most barricade. When the timer beeped, the shooter would draw and fire two shots on each of the first three targets (make up shots allowed, best two rounds on each target were recorded). After the first set of targets was shot, the shooter would move laterally to the other side of the stage while engaging the three middle targets (two in each), and at the opposite end, would shoot past the other barricade and engage the last three targets (two in each). My first run produced descent hits, and took over 18 seconds to complete. Watching other shooters vary from fast and accurate, kinda fast and kinda accurate, and slow and very accurate, I reached an epiphany, which Jedi, Jose, and Doc were attempting to hammer into my head throughout the day: No matter how good my shots were, I could never shoot good enough to make up for being THAT slow. Instead of not moving any faster than I could shoot, I asked my inner Ricky Bobby, “You wanna go fast?” and my inner Ricky Bobby said, “Yeah, I wanna go fast!” I decided to flip it and concerned myself with moving fast, moving more efficient, and less worried about whether I got A or D zone hits. While I probably produced the most misses of the day on my second run, I completed it in only 8.6 seconds, shaving almost 10 full seconds off my time, and averaging less than one second on each target, even including movement. The me from the previous day NEVER could have done that. It literally was an eye opener. I certainly have to work on my shots, but I was always doing that anyway, and now I have some speed to combine with it. In context 10 seconds is an AWEFULLY long time in a gunfight or an active shooter scenario. If I worry about waiting for the perfect shot instead of a good enough shot, that time may be all a bad guy needs to put one into me or someone I’m trying to protect. That’s something that I didn’t think competition brought to the practical table, but it certainly does.
We all gathered for dinner at the end of the day, and before I left, Jedi said something that summed up a lot of lessons. He said that he competes to become a better shooter, and that he doesn’t become a better shooter in order to become more competitive. The willingness to take good information, regardless of the source, and the humble authority that Jedi presented everything in really made this class something special. I look forward to more classes with Jedi, and I think he’s going to bring a lot more to the community as he develops even further.
Special thanks goes out to the Primary and Secondary community, F3 Tactical, Tuff Products, PHLSTER holsters, Paul Williams for hosting the class, Mrs. Jedi, and many others I’ve forgotten to include.
Please feel free to contact me with any questions or comments, and I’d be happy discuss.
V/R,
Pat Tarrant
