OK, now that I've had a night to meditate on the Engage Carbine Course that I took on Sunday, I've decided to write a more formal review, this time focusing more on what actually happened.
On Thursday night, we all congregated at the shop with our guns and gear. There were eight shooters and two instructors (AJ, Buddy). Everyone was packing a higher-end AR-15 (including a couple SBRs) with a high-end optic (Eotech, ACOG, Aimpoint Micro, etc.). This was a classroom session with some gear evaluation - making sure we were bringing the right kind of guns, magazine storage, etc. and demonstrating some basic "here's how to hold your AR-15 right". I think this was a worthwhile session, since it could prevent future problems on Sunday.
Sunday morning, we all met up at "Engage Armament North", in Thurmont. Doughnuts and coffee were enjoyed by all. Once everyone showed up, we headed off to the range in a variety of four wheel drive vehicles. There is no way on Earth I would make the drive without 4WD. The range itself is huge, and has the biggest berm I've ever seen. It's set up pretty good, too - big covered pavilion with lots of tables to dump your gear on.
The class operated with "big boy safety rules". That is to say, unlike every range I've ever been to, you could have a loaded and safed AR-15 behind the firing line. For the mil/LEO crowd, this was probably not a big deal, but I found it something of a revelation, and had to unlearn some bad habits I had picked up from my "range-only" training regimen. That said, at no time did I ever feel unsafe; the guys there were all safety-conscious, and the instructors were on the ball.
We led the day with prone shooting to get a zero. This was my first time shooting prone, so it was an experience. I have one of those finicky optics with old-Fastfire-style adjustments (ie, requires tools and no clicks), so I spent a lot of time running back behind the line to twist little screws into new places. Eventually, we were all zeroed in at 36yards. The rest of the day was standing fire.
After that, it was drills, lunch, and more drills. Most of the drills were pretty conventional, but there were a few genuinely interesting ones tossed in (eg, cross-lane fire, short/far, etc.). I don't want it to sound like the more conventional drills were boring; they absolutely were not. Doing the drill with an instructor is an entirely different (and better!) experience than doing it with based on seeing some videos.
Another thing I liked about the drills was that we were divided into two groups so we could space out a bit more. One group would be on the firing line, the other would be a few paces behind it. This slowed the class a bit and gave us a chance to see how other people were running the drills. I thought this was a pretty valuable thing, because it gave some time for some introspection on how I was running it in comparison. I don't know if this setup was planned or an on-the-spot compromise, but I think it's something to keep.
Nothing we did was all that physically demanding. I am big and out-of-shape, and I ran the course with a fully-loaded cross-draw vest and a 100oz hydration carrier. At no point did I ever start breathing hard due to physical exertion. The malfunction drills were the most physically exhausting part, and probably why my left shoulder is sorer than my right shoulder.
I don't have any real complaints about the class. I would have liked to have seen more attention given to iron sights (albeit no one was running them as a primary), alternate weapon systems (eg, where should I zero in my AK at?), and magazine management (ie, in my pouches). The fact that we were all running tricked-out AR-15s let them skip some of this stuff, and I wonder what would have happened if I had thrown my Galil or AK into the mix. Food for thought for the instructors... if I take the class again, I may be doing that.
Oh, and I think they need to recommend electronic earmuffs. I had a lot of difficulty hearing the instructors through my non-electronic ones, which led to a lot of on/off muff management... there were a couple times I was glad that AJ was demonstrating with a suppressed rifle.
Everyone I spoke to had a lot of fun and got a lot out of the class, and that includes myself. Certainly, I feel much more confident with my carbine after having taken this class, and have a much better idea of what I need to work on at home and at the range. I am looking forward to taking another class with AJ and Buddy soon!
On Thursday night, we all congregated at the shop with our guns and gear. There were eight shooters and two instructors (AJ, Buddy). Everyone was packing a higher-end AR-15 (including a couple SBRs) with a high-end optic (Eotech, ACOG, Aimpoint Micro, etc.). This was a classroom session with some gear evaluation - making sure we were bringing the right kind of guns, magazine storage, etc. and demonstrating some basic "here's how to hold your AR-15 right". I think this was a worthwhile session, since it could prevent future problems on Sunday.
Sunday morning, we all met up at "Engage Armament North", in Thurmont. Doughnuts and coffee were enjoyed by all. Once everyone showed up, we headed off to the range in a variety of four wheel drive vehicles. There is no way on Earth I would make the drive without 4WD. The range itself is huge, and has the biggest berm I've ever seen. It's set up pretty good, too - big covered pavilion with lots of tables to dump your gear on.
The class operated with "big boy safety rules". That is to say, unlike every range I've ever been to, you could have a loaded and safed AR-15 behind the firing line. For the mil/LEO crowd, this was probably not a big deal, but I found it something of a revelation, and had to unlearn some bad habits I had picked up from my "range-only" training regimen. That said, at no time did I ever feel unsafe; the guys there were all safety-conscious, and the instructors were on the ball.
We led the day with prone shooting to get a zero. This was my first time shooting prone, so it was an experience. I have one of those finicky optics with old-Fastfire-style adjustments (ie, requires tools and no clicks), so I spent a lot of time running back behind the line to twist little screws into new places. Eventually, we were all zeroed in at 36yards. The rest of the day was standing fire.
After that, it was drills, lunch, and more drills. Most of the drills were pretty conventional, but there were a few genuinely interesting ones tossed in (eg, cross-lane fire, short/far, etc.). I don't want it to sound like the more conventional drills were boring; they absolutely were not. Doing the drill with an instructor is an entirely different (and better!) experience than doing it with based on seeing some videos.
Another thing I liked about the drills was that we were divided into two groups so we could space out a bit more. One group would be on the firing line, the other would be a few paces behind it. This slowed the class a bit and gave us a chance to see how other people were running the drills. I thought this was a pretty valuable thing, because it gave some time for some introspection on how I was running it in comparison. I don't know if this setup was planned or an on-the-spot compromise, but I think it's something to keep.
Nothing we did was all that physically demanding. I am big and out-of-shape, and I ran the course with a fully-loaded cross-draw vest and a 100oz hydration carrier. At no point did I ever start breathing hard due to physical exertion. The malfunction drills were the most physically exhausting part, and probably why my left shoulder is sorer than my right shoulder.
I don't have any real complaints about the class. I would have liked to have seen more attention given to iron sights (albeit no one was running them as a primary), alternate weapon systems (eg, where should I zero in my AK at?), and magazine management (ie, in my pouches). The fact that we were all running tricked-out AR-15s let them skip some of this stuff, and I wonder what would have happened if I had thrown my Galil or AK into the mix. Food for thought for the instructors... if I take the class again, I may be doing that.
Oh, and I think they need to recommend electronic earmuffs. I had a lot of difficulty hearing the instructors through my non-electronic ones, which led to a lot of on/off muff management... there were a couple times I was glad that AJ was demonstrating with a suppressed rifle.Everyone I spoke to had a lot of fun and got a lot out of the class, and that includes myself. Certainly, I feel much more confident with my carbine after having taken this class, and have a much better idea of what I need to work on at home and at the range. I am looking forward to taking another class with AJ and Buddy soon!
, but some people thought is was too cold 
