ACT DP205b Low Light Skills 3DEC16 Riley Conservation Club

[bwframe]

It had been a year or two for me since the last low light class with ACT. They have tweaked out the drills and, as always, refined the instruction. I have come away with things to work on.

First time for me running a weapon mounted light. My gun and lights ran well. Always further thought on the kind and amount of light I want to be throwing around with the hand held and weapon lights. Blinded myself and was blinded by others more than once.

First time in class using the Raven pocket clip with ring on the handheld. It's a keeper for sure.

Got an education on head lights also. My otherwise excellent headlight was not fitting for pitch black admin duties while trying to maintain night vision.

I shot pretty well overall. At the same time, lack of an adequate practice routine reared it's ugly head more that once. More time is needed with the gents at ACT, there is never a lack of learning to be done. I missed a BG in the house clearing drill, didn't finish the search.

Great to see familiar faces and a new gent that gave us a schooling on running his snub.

 

[nad63]

Cliff notes version:
The evening ended with some man on man action.
John proved he still has what it takes and beat Jackson for the win.
Rhino was a no show.
Fun was had by all.

 

[Coach]

Cliff notes version:
The evening ended with some man on man action.
John proved he still has what it takes and beat Jackson for the win.
Rhino was a no show.
Fun was had by all.

I
had to start drinking after thinking about John and Jackson in man on man action. Ok. I was already drinking.

 

[ATM]

'What happens in low light stays in low light.'

 

[nad63]

Sat 12-3-16 LowLight AAR
It was a warmer than usual low light shoot this year and theheater did not get fired up.
I believe there were eight shooters. All except one, Ithink, had participated in the low light shoot on prior occasions. FYI You DO NOT have to have done this beforebut you do need to be able to demonstrate/proof you can competently operate ahandgun.
The initial warm up which consisted of shooting steel platesfrom about 7-10 yards. Different methodsfor using the flashlight were experimented with/encouraged. This is an ideal opportunity to try outdifferent methods and gear set ups and see what works best for you (or doesn’t).
After the warm up the nine steel plates were engaged asstudents moved laterally. Shoot everyone, every other one was left up to the individual. Use of which flashlightmethod was also up to the individual. There were a couple of weapon mounted lights, at least one light lasercombo, but the majority were hand held lights. As mentioned previously one student ran a J frame but everyone else ran semiauto’s (9mm & .45). We ran thisdrill several times and you had the opportunity to mix it up, practice mag changes etc.etc.
The second drill was in the adjacent bay where a homestyle situation was created. Double stackedbarrels formed walls/corridors and there was also some wooden wallserected. This created corridors and rooms where you had to enter/search. Multiple threats, identifiableby the weapons they wielded, and non combatants were located in the differentrooms. The concept was to neutralize anythreats and gather/save the good guys. This was not a house clearing tactical course but more to expose/offer that experience to everyone. Morelight is definitely a drawback off of the white reflective surfaces. Targets and good guys were rearranged andmultiple runs were conducted. Good guysbehind bad guys emphasized one of the golden rules ‘know your target and what is behind it”. Not so easy in a low light/no light situationand worth the price of admission. We evenmanaged to perform this drill 'off hand' which is also an experience worth having.
The third drill was the figure eight drill. Multiple steel plates were color coded, somewith two colors and some colors used multiple times. Non combatants, simulatedby cardboard torso targets, were interspersed throughout the bay obscuring thesteel or causing through and through situations. Students were walking the figure eightpattern around the two barrels thereby creating a 360 degree theater. Targets were called out by instructors andthe student had to find, identify and engage the threat/s until they wereneutralized. Mag changes, reloading fromcover/concealment, shooting on the move, malfunction drills all came into playhere. Multiple runs with differentarrangements were performed.
Man on man action. Draw from the holster. Identify and hittwo steel targets. Reload from a mag that was on top of the barrel and thenengage a third steel plate. In the dark with a flashlight from about 7-10yds. Several heats where we all had achance to battle one another and then a shoot off. Credit where credit is due and John beat outJackson for the win.
Thanks to all the students for making it a great time, safe,fun and enjoyable. Thanks to ACT for providing this opportunity to practice lowlight shooting at events like this. For this specific event thanks to John,Granger and Hunter.
This is a great opportunity to practice or expose yourselfto something that is not readily available to the general populace. It is a great experience and if you are onthe fence about this class don’t be.
I look forward to what ACT will be offering for 2017.

Nigel

 

[hog slayer]

A wonderful class and high value to dollar ratio, for sure. There are several major factors that are hard to remember regarding defensive/combative use of a firearm at night. If you feel sufficiently prepared by spending $100 on a set of night sights, you'll want to bring those to this class, and your ink stick. It is not a high round count class and does not need to be. Competent use of a firearm must be proven because this class assumes the basics of weapons handling. Having spent many hours in firearms instruction and giving firearms instruction, this is the material I feel I need annually by an instructor to stay in peak sheepdog shape.

Semper Fidelis, don't be jealous