Full Spectrum Training and Consulting

Jason Nixon

Newbie
A little background on me first. I spent ten years in the military some of which was in the special operations community. I have since been a police officer for the past ten years. I am a pistol and rifle firearms instructor for the department. I was a part of a multi-agency SWAT team for two years with a prior agency before the one I work for now. I have worked in and around vehicles in my military and obviously in my law enforcement career as well. The Instructor for this course was Kevin Williams who taught with LMS Defense and now runs Full Spectrum Training and Consulting. The class was a split of LE and civilian shooters.

Day 1 started with the usual safety brief and general day’s expectations. Kevin stated up front that the class would not be geared toward LE specifically, but would be centered on day to day life. We started shooting with rifles on a flat range. We zeroed at fifty yards and he explained the different thoughts behind zeroing at twenty five, fifty, and one hundred yards. Next we moved anywhere from seven yards to twenty five yards with various drills to warm up. He talked about the fundamentals of marksmanship.

After the warm up was completed we moved to the vehicles. There were three vehicles we worked with, two four door sedans and one SUV. We started from the seated position and worked on the steps he takes when getting into and out of the vehicle. An example of this is how he enters the vehicle; Gets in and locks doors, (to prevent being carjacked at entrance), starts vehicle (in case he needs to accelerate now), does a 360 of his environment, buckles seatbelt (ensuring it’s not impeding his draw), pulls loose clothing out over the top of the seatbelt for easier access to firearm. His explanation of the small things he does when he enters, exits, and who drives his vehicle while he is carrying was systematic and easy to apply. We dry fired this drill and then ran live fire through the windshield, door windows, and rear window.

He talked about exiting a vehicle with the rifle. He explained a couple different ways to maneuver the rifle while you exit the vehicle, where to take cover, and what constitutes cover vs concealment. The day ended with partners moving outside of the vehicle.

Day 2 began with pistol familiarization. He reiterated the fundamentals of marksmanship and transitioning from rifle to pistol. After that we began right where day 1 ended. We worked on pistol shooting through glass and how tint holds glass in place which obstructs vision after the first round. We then moved on to being ambushed in a vehicle and fighting out of it with our pistols. First as one man, then a two man buddy team, and finally as a four man element. We bound from vehicle or cover to another vehicle or cover. The second day finished with shooting different spots on the SUV with different types of rounds to see if there was penetration all the way through the vehicle.

Overall it was a good class. I would recommend this class to civilians and LE. There were things that I will definitely be bringing back to my PD to be implemented to fighting around vehicles. Something I would have liked to see during the class was shooting from one vehicle into another and actually driving a vehicle, stopping, and then being ambushed like it was at a red light or stop sign.

Some of the lessons I learned or someone brought up:
1. You are GOING to get sprayed with glass dust or particles by either you or your partner shooting through it. Fight through it.
2. The commonality of an admin load should be the same as your reloads.
3. You don’t always have to wait to move from one piece of cover to another by your partner.
He might be engaged with a target. If he is shooting, move!
4. The experience of the students let Kevin dictate the flow of the class and how to accelerate or
decelerate the lesson. He wasn’t beholden to a an outline.
5. Before you move identify where your partner and your next piece of cover is.
6. Crawling through the car as opposed to getting out on the ambush side.
 
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