This past weekend, I attended a VTAC Nightfighter course.
http://www.vikingtactics.com/v/vspfiles/pdf/Course Manual.pdf
The first day was spent repeating weapon manipulations training and doing some "house keeping", such as verifying zero, shooting and transitioning to support side, and some VTAC drills on the VTAC targets. Basically a refresher from more basic courses, and to re-familiarize yourself if it has been a while since you shot a carbine (sadly, for me, it had been.)
During this portion, I learned several things: Plate gear is heavy, and it sucks unless/until you need it. It makes EVERYTHING "different". Transitioning to support side becomes a real pain. That added bit of mass and space in front of you really snags slings, etc. Also, running a suppressor slows transitions from target-to-target down some, and adds significant fatigue on longer standing drills as the hours go by and you run them over and over and over.
Then came the dark. Day 1 was focused mainly on "the basics". We did not begin using vehicles until day 2 and day 3, except to shoot beside/over.
Several people who showed up with tape switches hated them. Their comment was "what works for hogs...doesn't apparently work for gunfighting". Yet others loved their tape switches. There is no "right answer" when it comes to gear, as long as it's quality and works for YOU! But you had better run what you've got, because functioning in your livingroom in front of the mirror, does not mean it will run smoothly for you when you really push it in practical application.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LH2vPbxlgCQ
Several other people discovered that their lights were not bright enough for their taste. They could not see the farther targets as easily as they wanted. A few of those people had Surefire M300B's (200 lumen). Everyone else seemed to be running M600U, X300U, or Fury's. All 500+ lumen lights. Another thing that people began to notice was that gunsmoke can very quickly obscure targets when hit with a white light, or even when using white light from adjacent shooters, the target area can quickly be obscured with one's gunsmoke.
*My setup was a 16.1" DDM4 Daniel Defense with a Vltor A5 system, Surefire 556-212 suppressor, Aimpoint Comp M4, and X300U mounted at 12 o'clock in front of my fixed DD FSP. I used a VTAC padded sling. I used a Fathom Arms QPQ'ed BCG. The ammo I shot was Wolf Polyformance 55gr (when we confirmed zero, I shot a 5 shot 2.5MOA group, prone, at 100 yards with it using my Aimpoint...the stuff works just fine, and I love it for training/shooting suppressed, as while it is dirty, it doesn't over-gas the weapon nearly as much as some other loadings. Notice the calm 4 o'clock ejection pattern suppressed. Gas to the face is also very minimal.), and I used a mix of PMAG's and Lancer L5 AWM's. The only changes I made to my gear were to stop using the Lancers, and to change my sling position. The reason I stopped using the Lancers was because the added friction of the metal feed lips prevented rounds from chambering on several occasions when I loaded a new mag and utilized the bolt release, once my carbine became dirty (more on that later...). The PMAG's had narry an issue. I did not have a single FTE, or other malfunction, other than FTRB on occasion with the Lancers when loading the first round using the bolt release.
More on equipment...many people agonize over night sights on a pistol. I have them, and the only time I saw them was when my pistol was holstered. I use an X300U on my pistol, and it washed the night sights out 100% as far as I could tell, every time I shot. However, my sights stood out VERY well (black on well lit target, is how they appeared), and accurate hits were very easy to make. I could not acquire a target without my light, in case you are wondering, so the night sights were absolutely worthless, in my experience during this course.
As far as rifle optics went, Aimpoints dominated the field, with a fairly strong showing of 1x-nX variables from various manufacturers. 1-2 Eotechs were present. One of which shot loose (user error, failure to loctite).
On day (and night) 2, and 3, we ran increasingly more involved drills using the vehicles, and shooting out of them, both through windows, and through windshields.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=48lyD5Xdgxo
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UPg-uakQ3a8
Another thing of note was just how pleasant it is to shoot suppressed. ESPECIALLY inside of a vehicle. I think these two videos will demonstrate that...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ter0uJf0BrA
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gW-1hDDSjiY
Over-all, this course was very well taught by someone who has been there, done that, and is kind enough to pass their knowledge on working with VTAC. Also, the company/group that hosted the course, Advantage Group http://www.advantagegrouptraining.com/, secured and hosted at a spectacular range which allowed us to fully exploit the time and knowledge available, secured the vehicles for use, etc. All around, a class act, and I highly recommend VTAC and Advantage Group for your training needs.
Other points of interest:
-Average round count through the rifles was around 1500.
-Only 1 rifle (out of 18 shooters) had a failure requiring more than tap-rack-bang, so to speak. It was a BCM upper, and a primer had popped on some XM193 federal, and become lodged in the cam-pin track, locking it up. Interstate Guns http://www.interstateguns.com/ fixed the weapon. No damage occurred.
-This course, I lubed my weapon initially with MPRO 7 LPX, and did not add any lube, or clean it any, during the course of the 3 days. I shot Wolf, almost exclusively (all but about 60 rounds) suppressed. Here is the result:
***It is my OPINION that Wolf ammunition is ever so slightly corrosive.
If I could sum all of the above up:
How many lumens is best? ALL OF THEM!
What gear works best? The kind that is hard to break, that YOU use best.
What can you best do/buy to increase your rate of survival, should the worst occur? TRAINING! Quality training trumps everything else. The latest projectile, the lightest barrel, the sexiest brake...none of that makes up for lack of training!
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