Jon Meyer
Newbie
I posted this on the P&S FB page but figured I should post it here as well as I am sure there are members who are not on both platforms.
Sentinel Concepts: 2-Day Carbine Employment
February 27th & 28th
Shoot Logic in Reevesville, SC
To preface this, this is my first AAR so forgive me on its structure and if I miss anything (I am sure other P&S members attended). My only previous formal training is via the Army while I was active, and the pistol training I received through my department. I also took a Sentinel 2-Day Pistol Employment course last June.
Day One:
The start of the day included a short brief on medical and the course itself, followed by a brief personal introduction by everyone. Fisher then had everyone grab their rifles for a cursory check and a short brief on equipment. I won’t get into the nuance of it as specifics will be brought up during certain strings of fire but it covered slings, weapon lights, optics, optic mounts, etc.; the basic stuff.
The first portion was Hard Zero. The first string of fire was conducted in the prone at 50yds with a string of 5rnds fired, a reset, and then another 5rnds on a B8 target. Fisher demonstrated the course of fire and discussed an efficient prone position. Fisher suggested pocketing the stock into your shoulder, aligning your spine with the rifle, and laying your feet flat; getting your spine inline directs and mitigates the recoil impulse and flattening your feet prevent you from pushing forward with your toes causing instability issues. From there we fired and checked our groups, where Fisher would suggest windage/elevation adjustments. My group was high and to the right which was off more than anticipated. I had zeroed my rifle at 50yds about two weeks prior at an outdoor range while seated, it was also around 10 degrees with a wind-chill in the negatives. We made our adjustments and then conducted a second string of fire of just 5rnds. We did this a few more times until everyone who was zeroing at 50yds was confident with it. We then moved to a 100yds and repeated the strings of fire so those with an LPVO could zero, and those who zeroed at 50yds would see where their rounds were impacting. Once completed at 100yds, we moved onto the Practical Zero, which was firing at 50yds in a standing position. We fired a string of 5rnds and checked our groupings. This was done to show our group opening up in a less stable position and where any change in POI occurred, if any. One of the things during our zeroing process which caught the eye of Fisher was a 36yd zero. This particular group was high and just off the B8. Fisher advised he was not a fan of that zero as it has gotten out of context of its original intent (20” rifle with XM193), and that it was not practical as seen there.
The second portion was Mechanical Offset. This was a string of 5rnds each at 7yds, 15yds, and then 25yds. Between each string we checked our POI’s versus our POA given our optic and mount height. Fisher talked about different mount heights and how they interface with things like night vision and pro-masks. Fisher advised the 1.93 and taller mounts were better for the use of those things but there were caveats such as difficulty shooting from the prone, iron sight integration, and body mechanics. The big takeaway from this portion was to know your offset and confirm your POI shifts from known distances and ammo choices.
The third portion was Ready Positions. Fisher demonstrated the high ready and the low ready. Fisher discussed the pros and cons of each position such as the ability to bounce light off the ceiling in the high ready as well as it being essentially the same base position you change mags from and conduct a malfunction drill from. Pros and cons to both positions are having friendlies below or above you, your position in a stack, and so forth. Essentially, the situation dictates which ready position you utilize at any given time, and as Fisher mentioned, it is fluid and can change multiple times from one position to another. We shot a string of 30rnds at 10yds where we would switch between one ready position to the other between each round fired. At the end of this portion we discussed each position and what we liked or did not like about them.
The fourth and final portion of the day was Reload Drills. Fisher demonstrated how he conducts reloads which was: empty gun, place the rifle on safe while positioning the rifle into a modified high ready, securing a new mag, bring new mag up to empty mag, rip empty, seat new mag, and then release bolt, press out. I am probably butchering his methodology, but from what I gathered was that he conducts his reloads in this manner as it essentially simplifies all reloads into one method with minor tweaks rather than utilizing different variations, and that often times mags will not drop free when the release is pressed; the traditional reload is drop mag while reaching for new mag, but if this method fails to drop mag on the release you would have to repurpose your support hand to rip it, whereas his method your support hand will already be there to rip it. This string consisted of one 30rnd mag and one empty mag, and the string of fire was executed as such at 10yds: one round chambered with empty mag seated, fire the one round, reload, swap your full mag with the empty, and then repeat for the whole 30rnd mag. This was also another opportunity to practice the ready positions as you could swap between each one and firing your single round.
My takeaways from day one was plenty. You can get a lot of beneficial training simply from just zeroing. Even in the prone with a LaRue lower 1/3rd mount on my MRO, I still had to drop my head to get a good cheek weld; I will be looking at finding a 1.93 I like to try out. Know your offsets and hold overs/unders; shoot at actual known distances and write that shit down. There is not a lot of ranges around me that have distances farther than 50yds but I will definitely be making an effort to find them and get that done in the future. Fisher suggested to have some type of quick attach/detach mount for a bipod on your rifle for zeroing, and in the case of law enforcement and the military, it would be hugely beneficial to have in a scenario where you have to hold long security for an extended period of time. Lastly, I much prefer Fishers method of reloading. I found myself, even after a significant amount of time away from training on a rifle, attempting to reload how I was trained in the Army. It fucked me all up. That is something I will definitely be throwing into my dryfire drills and trying it out with pistol reloads as well.
Day Two:
We started out with a hard zero confirmation. It was conducted the same as the day prior but with only a 5rnd string. I believe no one had to make adjustments.
The first portion was malfunction drills. Fisher credited the method he teaches to Mike Pannone. Fisher stated it was simplified as: Smash, Rip, Roll. Fisher advised this method should clear all malfunctions except a catastrophic malfunction. Fisher explained there were two variations of the drill, one for experiencing a click and one for a mushy trigger; aka simple and complex malfunctions. Fisher demonstrated the click variation by locking his bolt to the rear and attempting to fire as if it were a failure to feed type malfunction. Fisher then positioned his rifle into a modified high ready while attempting to manipulate the safety, smashed the bottom of the mag, ripped the charging handle to the rear, then slammed it forward with the inside portion of the thumb and index finger while simultaneously holding the bolt catch, and then finally releasing the bolt while listening for the, “metal on metal,” sound and then fired a round. Fisher stated the method for the mushy trigger was the same except you do not smash the mag and after the bolt lock you drop the mag then reseat it and release the bolt. Fisher demonstrated this variation by locking his bolt to the rear, placing a round through the ejection port into the upper, releasing the bolt, and then attempted to fire. He received a mushy trigger where he positioned his rifle into a modified high ready while manipulating the safety, ripped the charging handle to the rear, then slammed it forward with the inside portion of the thumb and index finger while simultaneously holding the bolt catch, removed the mag allowing the problem rounds to fall free, reinserted the mag, then finally releasing the bolt while listening for the, “metal on metal,” sound and then fired a round. Fisher also performed the malfunction drill while moving. We then practiced the malfunctions drills for a full 30rnd mag at the 10yd line. This took me a few iterations to get down as I kept resorting to my previously conditioned malfunction drill of Tap Rack Bang.
The second portion was the speed kneel position. Fisher demonstrated this as simply stepping forward with your non-dominant leg into a kneeling position and firing from there without any arm support. Fisher also demonstrated some methods to utilize your sling to add stability. Our course of fire consisted of firing a 30rnd mag in string of 5rnds with a reset between each string. I do not remember what distance we fired it at but I believe it was at 15yds or 25yds. To me this position was less stable than standing but I absolutely see its merits in consideration of cover and concealment.
The third portion was the supported kneel position. Fisher advised this was the same as the speed kneel except you sit back onto your dominant leg and place your support arm tricep across your non-dominant knee. Our course of fire was the same as the previous and consisted of firing a 30rnd mag in string of 5rnds with a reset between each string. For the life of me I could not get stable even with sling support. I was more stable in the Speed Kneel.
The fourth portion was the seated position. Fisher demonstrated this position by positioning himself in a seated position, flattening his dominant leg, and then positioning his non-dominant leg upright. Fisher placed his support arm across his upright leg in the same fashion as the supported kneel. Fisher demonstrated the stability of this position by firing his rifle without any actual grip on the rifle; rail resting atop support hand and the only contact on the rear portion was index finger pressing the trigger. Our course of fire was the same as the previous two which consisted of firing a 30rnd mag in string of 5rnds with a reset between each string. Of all three of these positions, I was the least stable in the seated. My takeaway from this was to find a variation of a seated position that improves my stability over the speed and supported kneel.
The fifth portion was transition drills. Fisher demonstrated the drill which consisted of 5rnds standing, 5rnds speed kneel, 5rnds double knee, 5rnds speed kneel opposite leg, and then 5rnds again standing. Our course of fire was done at 15yds with just the 25rnds. We then positioned barrels along the 15yrd line and conducted the same course of fire but with an additional mag to induce a reload within. After our course of fire Fisher demonstrated shooting your rifle sideways and its effect on POI, say lying flat across a hood or in the side prone on the ground. We then fired a 5rnd string of this at the same 15yd distance.
The sixth and final portion was a 100pt aggregate on a B8 at 100yd with 10rnds, no time limit. I flubbed this horribly. I had a nice group but I hit high (I forgot to hold under). I’d have made 9 out of 10 in the 9 ring and in had I not fucked this up haha.
My final thoughts on this course are that it was excellent. I have got a lot of improvements to make. I need to get data on my POA/POI’s at known distances, I need to find a kneeling and seated shooting position that work towards my stability rather than against it, I need to work this new to me method of reloading and malfunction drills into my dry fire regimen, and I want to try out a taller mount and see if that is more practical for my purposes. I also need to throw in shooting a 100yd B8 into my firing regimen along with the 25yd B8 I do with my pistols. Whether you are new or familiar with a carbine/rifle, I highly recommend this course. There is something to takeaway regardless the modicum of knowledge you gain.
I also want to add that I brought two fellow Officers to the course and they enjoyed it as well. We met some good people here who helped out. Thank you.
Sentinel Concepts: 2-Day Carbine Employment
February 27th & 28th
Shoot Logic in Reevesville, SC
To preface this, this is my first AAR so forgive me on its structure and if I miss anything (I am sure other P&S members attended). My only previous formal training is via the Army while I was active, and the pistol training I received through my department. I also took a Sentinel 2-Day Pistol Employment course last June.
Day One:
The start of the day included a short brief on medical and the course itself, followed by a brief personal introduction by everyone. Fisher then had everyone grab their rifles for a cursory check and a short brief on equipment. I won’t get into the nuance of it as specifics will be brought up during certain strings of fire but it covered slings, weapon lights, optics, optic mounts, etc.; the basic stuff.
The first portion was Hard Zero. The first string of fire was conducted in the prone at 50yds with a string of 5rnds fired, a reset, and then another 5rnds on a B8 target. Fisher demonstrated the course of fire and discussed an efficient prone position. Fisher suggested pocketing the stock into your shoulder, aligning your spine with the rifle, and laying your feet flat; getting your spine inline directs and mitigates the recoil impulse and flattening your feet prevent you from pushing forward with your toes causing instability issues. From there we fired and checked our groups, where Fisher would suggest windage/elevation adjustments. My group was high and to the right which was off more than anticipated. I had zeroed my rifle at 50yds about two weeks prior at an outdoor range while seated, it was also around 10 degrees with a wind-chill in the negatives. We made our adjustments and then conducted a second string of fire of just 5rnds. We did this a few more times until everyone who was zeroing at 50yds was confident with it. We then moved to a 100yds and repeated the strings of fire so those with an LPVO could zero, and those who zeroed at 50yds would see where their rounds were impacting. Once completed at 100yds, we moved onto the Practical Zero, which was firing at 50yds in a standing position. We fired a string of 5rnds and checked our groupings. This was done to show our group opening up in a less stable position and where any change in POI occurred, if any. One of the things during our zeroing process which caught the eye of Fisher was a 36yd zero. This particular group was high and just off the B8. Fisher advised he was not a fan of that zero as it has gotten out of context of its original intent (20” rifle with XM193), and that it was not practical as seen there.
The second portion was Mechanical Offset. This was a string of 5rnds each at 7yds, 15yds, and then 25yds. Between each string we checked our POI’s versus our POA given our optic and mount height. Fisher talked about different mount heights and how they interface with things like night vision and pro-masks. Fisher advised the 1.93 and taller mounts were better for the use of those things but there were caveats such as difficulty shooting from the prone, iron sight integration, and body mechanics. The big takeaway from this portion was to know your offset and confirm your POI shifts from known distances and ammo choices.
The third portion was Ready Positions. Fisher demonstrated the high ready and the low ready. Fisher discussed the pros and cons of each position such as the ability to bounce light off the ceiling in the high ready as well as it being essentially the same base position you change mags from and conduct a malfunction drill from. Pros and cons to both positions are having friendlies below or above you, your position in a stack, and so forth. Essentially, the situation dictates which ready position you utilize at any given time, and as Fisher mentioned, it is fluid and can change multiple times from one position to another. We shot a string of 30rnds at 10yds where we would switch between one ready position to the other between each round fired. At the end of this portion we discussed each position and what we liked or did not like about them.
The fourth and final portion of the day was Reload Drills. Fisher demonstrated how he conducts reloads which was: empty gun, place the rifle on safe while positioning the rifle into a modified high ready, securing a new mag, bring new mag up to empty mag, rip empty, seat new mag, and then release bolt, press out. I am probably butchering his methodology, but from what I gathered was that he conducts his reloads in this manner as it essentially simplifies all reloads into one method with minor tweaks rather than utilizing different variations, and that often times mags will not drop free when the release is pressed; the traditional reload is drop mag while reaching for new mag, but if this method fails to drop mag on the release you would have to repurpose your support hand to rip it, whereas his method your support hand will already be there to rip it. This string consisted of one 30rnd mag and one empty mag, and the string of fire was executed as such at 10yds: one round chambered with empty mag seated, fire the one round, reload, swap your full mag with the empty, and then repeat for the whole 30rnd mag. This was also another opportunity to practice the ready positions as you could swap between each one and firing your single round.
My takeaways from day one was plenty. You can get a lot of beneficial training simply from just zeroing. Even in the prone with a LaRue lower 1/3rd mount on my MRO, I still had to drop my head to get a good cheek weld; I will be looking at finding a 1.93 I like to try out. Know your offsets and hold overs/unders; shoot at actual known distances and write that shit down. There is not a lot of ranges around me that have distances farther than 50yds but I will definitely be making an effort to find them and get that done in the future. Fisher suggested to have some type of quick attach/detach mount for a bipod on your rifle for zeroing, and in the case of law enforcement and the military, it would be hugely beneficial to have in a scenario where you have to hold long security for an extended period of time. Lastly, I much prefer Fishers method of reloading. I found myself, even after a significant amount of time away from training on a rifle, attempting to reload how I was trained in the Army. It fucked me all up. That is something I will definitely be throwing into my dryfire drills and trying it out with pistol reloads as well.
Day Two:
We started out with a hard zero confirmation. It was conducted the same as the day prior but with only a 5rnd string. I believe no one had to make adjustments.
The first portion was malfunction drills. Fisher credited the method he teaches to Mike Pannone. Fisher stated it was simplified as: Smash, Rip, Roll. Fisher advised this method should clear all malfunctions except a catastrophic malfunction. Fisher explained there were two variations of the drill, one for experiencing a click and one for a mushy trigger; aka simple and complex malfunctions. Fisher demonstrated the click variation by locking his bolt to the rear and attempting to fire as if it were a failure to feed type malfunction. Fisher then positioned his rifle into a modified high ready while attempting to manipulate the safety, smashed the bottom of the mag, ripped the charging handle to the rear, then slammed it forward with the inside portion of the thumb and index finger while simultaneously holding the bolt catch, and then finally releasing the bolt while listening for the, “metal on metal,” sound and then fired a round. Fisher stated the method for the mushy trigger was the same except you do not smash the mag and after the bolt lock you drop the mag then reseat it and release the bolt. Fisher demonstrated this variation by locking his bolt to the rear, placing a round through the ejection port into the upper, releasing the bolt, and then attempted to fire. He received a mushy trigger where he positioned his rifle into a modified high ready while manipulating the safety, ripped the charging handle to the rear, then slammed it forward with the inside portion of the thumb and index finger while simultaneously holding the bolt catch, removed the mag allowing the problem rounds to fall free, reinserted the mag, then finally releasing the bolt while listening for the, “metal on metal,” sound and then fired a round. Fisher also performed the malfunction drill while moving. We then practiced the malfunctions drills for a full 30rnd mag at the 10yd line. This took me a few iterations to get down as I kept resorting to my previously conditioned malfunction drill of Tap Rack Bang.
The second portion was the speed kneel position. Fisher demonstrated this as simply stepping forward with your non-dominant leg into a kneeling position and firing from there without any arm support. Fisher also demonstrated some methods to utilize your sling to add stability. Our course of fire consisted of firing a 30rnd mag in string of 5rnds with a reset between each string. I do not remember what distance we fired it at but I believe it was at 15yds or 25yds. To me this position was less stable than standing but I absolutely see its merits in consideration of cover and concealment.
The third portion was the supported kneel position. Fisher advised this was the same as the speed kneel except you sit back onto your dominant leg and place your support arm tricep across your non-dominant knee. Our course of fire was the same as the previous and consisted of firing a 30rnd mag in string of 5rnds with a reset between each string. For the life of me I could not get stable even with sling support. I was more stable in the Speed Kneel.
The fourth portion was the seated position. Fisher demonstrated this position by positioning himself in a seated position, flattening his dominant leg, and then positioning his non-dominant leg upright. Fisher placed his support arm across his upright leg in the same fashion as the supported kneel. Fisher demonstrated the stability of this position by firing his rifle without any actual grip on the rifle; rail resting atop support hand and the only contact on the rear portion was index finger pressing the trigger. Our course of fire was the same as the previous two which consisted of firing a 30rnd mag in string of 5rnds with a reset between each string. Of all three of these positions, I was the least stable in the seated. My takeaway from this was to find a variation of a seated position that improves my stability over the speed and supported kneel.
The fifth portion was transition drills. Fisher demonstrated the drill which consisted of 5rnds standing, 5rnds speed kneel, 5rnds double knee, 5rnds speed kneel opposite leg, and then 5rnds again standing. Our course of fire was done at 15yds with just the 25rnds. We then positioned barrels along the 15yrd line and conducted the same course of fire but with an additional mag to induce a reload within. After our course of fire Fisher demonstrated shooting your rifle sideways and its effect on POI, say lying flat across a hood or in the side prone on the ground. We then fired a 5rnd string of this at the same 15yd distance.
The sixth and final portion was a 100pt aggregate on a B8 at 100yd with 10rnds, no time limit. I flubbed this horribly. I had a nice group but I hit high (I forgot to hold under). I’d have made 9 out of 10 in the 9 ring and in had I not fucked this up haha.
My final thoughts on this course are that it was excellent. I have got a lot of improvements to make. I need to get data on my POA/POI’s at known distances, I need to find a kneeling and seated shooting position that work towards my stability rather than against it, I need to work this new to me method of reloading and malfunction drills into my dry fire regimen, and I want to try out a taller mount and see if that is more practical for my purposes. I also need to throw in shooting a 100yd B8 into my firing regimen along with the 25yd B8 I do with my pistols. Whether you are new or familiar with a carbine/rifle, I highly recommend this course. There is something to takeaway regardless the modicum of knowledge you gain.
I also want to add that I brought two fellow Officers to the course and they enjoyed it as well. We met some good people here who helped out. Thank you.