Never A Victim
Marksman
Vehicle Tactics-Tactical Response
This is a course review for Vehicle Tactics from Tactical Response. This course was on March 10-11 in Camden, TN. The instructors for this course were Jerry Nuss, Tim Morris, and David Jordan. Gear used was Glock 19 pistol, Rifle Dynamics AK-47, Streamlight ProTac 1L, SOE single point sling, and 5.11 pants.
We started off with a quick marksmanship drill that emphasised movement as well as solid hits. Everyone in this class had at least taken Fighting Pistol from Tactical Response, which was a big help; this is not a beginner level class. After assessing everyone and their ability to move, draw, and get hits, we moved over to the vehicles.
The first drill was simulating encountering a threat while you were outside the vehicle. One of the first things that I picked up on was that there are more options than you might think-and most of them don’t always involving shooting. Force on force training, if done correctly, should reinforce the how vital it is to move during a deadly encounter, and this course was no different. Like any other Tactical Response course, if you did make the decision to shoot, you are held absolutely accountable for your rounds. The instructors had placed “good guy” targets in the adjoining vehicles and would periodically reference these targets to show how important the “know your target and what’s beyond it” rule really is.
Shooting from the vehicle, as well as maneuvering your way out is a skill that most shooters neglect. Finding what works for you, as well as what doesn’t work, is one of the big lessons learned from this course. I have been a police officer for over a decade and at no point in my police training have I ever been trained on how to exit a vehicle while shooting live rounds. It’s important and it should be a skill that is constantly refined. Two and four person vehicle drills were next. During these drills, muzzle discipline was of the utmost importance. Not crossing your own body with your body or one of your fellow good guys, while still shooting at the threat, is easier said than done. One of the easiest ways to do this is to point your muzzle up. You have to shoot the threat-this is not negotiable. Just because you have good guys “down range” doesn’t mean you aren’t allowed to take the shot. If you’ve never shot a target with one of your friends closer to the target than you are, you are wasting your time at the range. There were also times were you had to make difficult shots. I can remember a few times when the only target I had was a brain shot due to how I was utilizing cover. I had to slow down and make my hits. It may not be sexy to slow your shots down, but you have to make your hits.
The class ended with rifle drills from inside and outside of the vehicle. I experienced a stovepipe malfunction in my AK (yes, these rifles malfunction too) because I had the ejection port up against the door frame. Trying to clear this while confined in the driver’s seat made it even more difficult and is something I need to practice more. The final set of drills were more teamwork related, which required a high level of communication. I ran one of these drills with two students from Portugal, and I realized the importance of hand signals over speech really quick.
I do however, have two honest critiques for this course. First, this is not a beginner level course. To say it’s an intermediate level course is something I don’t quite agree with either. If you want to get the most from a course like this, I would suggest taking at least one, if not two, legitimate pistol courses first. And in case you’re wondering, your NRA courses don’t count in this regard. If you are not comfortable shooting with someone down range from you, this course is not for you. Secondly, I feel a course like this should be limited to around 10 students. There was a lot of down time on day one due to individual drills. Being able to run two stations would be a better option to give students more time and repetition on the drills.
This course is one that opens your mind. You come in with a preconceived notion that it’s just shooting around vehicles. You leave with more things to work on; this is the sign of a good course. We can all shoot targets. We can all do one thing at once decently well. It’s when you start adding them in together, that’s where the real learning occurs. That’s where growing happens. That’s where you begin to become an asset in a gunfight, and not just a burden. I highly recommend this course.
This is a course review for Vehicle Tactics from Tactical Response. This course was on March 10-11 in Camden, TN. The instructors for this course were Jerry Nuss, Tim Morris, and David Jordan. Gear used was Glock 19 pistol, Rifle Dynamics AK-47, Streamlight ProTac 1L, SOE single point sling, and 5.11 pants.
We started off with a quick marksmanship drill that emphasised movement as well as solid hits. Everyone in this class had at least taken Fighting Pistol from Tactical Response, which was a big help; this is not a beginner level class. After assessing everyone and their ability to move, draw, and get hits, we moved over to the vehicles.
The first drill was simulating encountering a threat while you were outside the vehicle. One of the first things that I picked up on was that there are more options than you might think-and most of them don’t always involving shooting. Force on force training, if done correctly, should reinforce the how vital it is to move during a deadly encounter, and this course was no different. Like any other Tactical Response course, if you did make the decision to shoot, you are held absolutely accountable for your rounds. The instructors had placed “good guy” targets in the adjoining vehicles and would periodically reference these targets to show how important the “know your target and what’s beyond it” rule really is.
Shooting from the vehicle, as well as maneuvering your way out is a skill that most shooters neglect. Finding what works for you, as well as what doesn’t work, is one of the big lessons learned from this course. I have been a police officer for over a decade and at no point in my police training have I ever been trained on how to exit a vehicle while shooting live rounds. It’s important and it should be a skill that is constantly refined. Two and four person vehicle drills were next. During these drills, muzzle discipline was of the utmost importance. Not crossing your own body with your body or one of your fellow good guys, while still shooting at the threat, is easier said than done. One of the easiest ways to do this is to point your muzzle up. You have to shoot the threat-this is not negotiable. Just because you have good guys “down range” doesn’t mean you aren’t allowed to take the shot. If you’ve never shot a target with one of your friends closer to the target than you are, you are wasting your time at the range. There were also times were you had to make difficult shots. I can remember a few times when the only target I had was a brain shot due to how I was utilizing cover. I had to slow down and make my hits. It may not be sexy to slow your shots down, but you have to make your hits.
The class ended with rifle drills from inside and outside of the vehicle. I experienced a stovepipe malfunction in my AK (yes, these rifles malfunction too) because I had the ejection port up against the door frame. Trying to clear this while confined in the driver’s seat made it even more difficult and is something I need to practice more. The final set of drills were more teamwork related, which required a high level of communication. I ran one of these drills with two students from Portugal, and I realized the importance of hand signals over speech really quick.
I do however, have two honest critiques for this course. First, this is not a beginner level course. To say it’s an intermediate level course is something I don’t quite agree with either. If you want to get the most from a course like this, I would suggest taking at least one, if not two, legitimate pistol courses first. And in case you’re wondering, your NRA courses don’t count in this regard. If you are not comfortable shooting with someone down range from you, this course is not for you. Secondly, I feel a course like this should be limited to around 10 students. There was a lot of down time on day one due to individual drills. Being able to run two stations would be a better option to give students more time and repetition on the drills.
This course is one that opens your mind. You come in with a preconceived notion that it’s just shooting around vehicles. You leave with more things to work on; this is the sign of a good course. We can all shoot targets. We can all do one thing at once decently well. It’s when you start adding them in together, that’s where the real learning occurs. That’s where growing happens. That’s where you begin to become an asset in a gunfight, and not just a burden. I highly recommend this course.
