[Same introduction, note, and disclaimer as before.]
WML & Recoil:
- Surefire is the best brand of WML, generally speaking. Streamlight and Insight can both interrupt the recoil of .40 handguns with plastic frames, especially if overtightened. (The sharpness of .40 recoil means the frame needs to flex, which – being plastic/polymer – it can, no problem, unless you bolt a steel reinforcement (WML) to it.)
Calibers & Cartridges:
- .40 S&W had slight performance edge over 9mm (basically being +P/+P+ pressures, i.e., firing a proof load, every load) in the olden days, but with modern bullets, 9mm uber alles.
- [Insert notes on the history of the .40 S&W as an underpowered 10mm, which are probably well known already by anyone who would be interested in them and aren’t relevant to the rest of the notes or specific to Pat Goodale.]
- #1 recommendation is Speer Gold Dot – FBI round.
- Winchester SXT, Federal HST perform approximately on the level of Speer Gold Dot.
- Another alternative is Hornady Critical Duty. (Duty, which is the LE round. Defense is underpowered by comparison.)
Handheld vs. Weapon-Mounted Light (WML):
- Handheld is the most useful, utilitarian
- WML only useful for shooting, not scanning (can’t scan without muzzling)
- That said, WML is easier to use shooting than separate handheld
- Nightstand gun – WML (no need for concealment, able to bounce light to avoid muzzling, home turf familiarity, etc.)
- Concealed carry – NO WML (much harder to conceal, if at all, muzzling-when-scanning concerns)
Illumination Notes:
- Low-light != dark, just less light than you’re normally used to.
- A great example of how ‘dark’ isn’t just ‘dark’ – during the course of the evening we went from “black night” (no moon, just a few stars) to “moonlit night” (it was waning gibbous, IIRC), to “cloud-covered moonlit night”, three completely different types of ‘dark’.
- Biggest issue in low-light is TARGET DISCRIMINATION – seeing what someone’s holding, who that someone is, what they’re doing, etc.
- 40-60% of day counts as “low-light”, and 65% of shootings happen in low-light.
- In low-light, 20/20 vision degrades to 20/800. For reference, you’re legally blind at 20/180.
- It takes at least ~10-15 minutes to become fully dark-adapted (only first few minutes for pupil, other adjustments chemical).
- Soldiers on night missions would wear eyepatches over one eye (generally dominant / weapon-side eye) when in the (red-lit) map room, looking over the plans. That way, as soon as they went out into the night they’d have their shooting eye fully adapted and be able to function until their other eye caught up.
Sights:
- Illuminated (tritium) sights can be useful (mostly on police guns) but have drawbacks of a limited shelf life and high cost.
- Additionally draw attention to the sights themselves, leading the shooter to see the sights and not the target – can promote shooting for the amped-up and/or untrained.
- In daytime / regular lighting conditions, ignore the night sight (on a Glock, the white dot on the front sight) entirely and use the mechanical edge. People are much better at / more accurate with lining up edges like that.
Using Lights:
- Use light to navigate, to identify, and for administrative purposes.
- If you can see into a room or new area without using the light, then go for it. No need to light it up if you don’t have to.
- Watch the gap between the bottom of the door and the floor – can show that there’s someone using a light on the other side.
- Pay attention to light-to-dark transitions – all relative. Going inside on a bright summer day drops the illumination just like going into an unlit building on a moonlit night.
General Light Notes:
- When in low-light conditions, reduced awareness of weapon status. Can’t visually check without great difficulty.
- If mechanical loaded-chamber indicator, can use that. Otherwise, can (on a Glock for instance) check that the extractor is a half-millimeter proud to tell that there’s a round chambered.
- “Trigger affirmation” (putting a finger on the trigger when it’s dark just to make sure it’s still there) is a common cause of accidentally shooting.
- Throw
- Range/distance the light can illuminate an object. Hunting light might have a throw of a hundred yards or more to spotlight target across field (where legal, I’d assume)
- Spill
- How spread-out or diffused the light is. More spill makes it easier to see sights, illuminates larger solid angle, etc. but also shortens throw and makes you a bigger blob of illumination – harder to direct and control.
- Bouncing the light – rather than illuminate an object directly, ‘bounce’ the light off of something nearby to diffuse it. Can be ‘friendly’ (don’t shine a flashlight into someone’s eyes while you’re talking to them) or ‘tactical’ (don’t accidentally blind yourself by lighting up a mirror / shiny fridge / etc. when you’re fully dark-adapted).
- Floors / ceilings good for this, but anything that diffuses the reflected light will work.
- “DEVGRU bar” = NO-NO. Tightening grip of trigger hand to activate light can lead to sympathetic trigger pull (IIRC).
- Once you start shooting, (generally) the light stays on. The old idea of turning off the light and relocating so that they don’t know where you’ve moved to is a bit of a dud. Exception – if you’re facing multiple opponents in a wide-open setting, and you’re going to be moving a fair bit, then it can be a sound move to kill your light as you move from position to position.
- Most of the time you’re moving in the above wide-open spaces situations, you’re actually moving to escape your own smoke cloud – like getting blinded by your own headlights in heavy fog.
- 50 lumens considered minimum standard for light.
- For admin use, make sure to damp down a tactical-level light. Either lower setting, bounce the light, or – in a pinch – hold your hand over the light itself to either turn it into a red glow or let out only a little bit at a time. (Possible now with LED lights vs. old heat-sinking halogens…)
- Fancy modes a bit of a no-no. Adjustable brightness with pressure (little push for admin, full click for tactical) has some merit, but the whole “press once to turn it on, two times for strobe, three times for admin, four…” is way too much junk to use effectively. Strobing also doesn’t really disorient people that much. Certainly not the ‘fall down and seizure’ BS that used to be claimed in some places.
Light Continuum:
- Search is what it sounds like, you’re just looking around with the light.
- Ready is when you’re (obviously) still using the light to see and assess, but you’ve also drawn the gun and are prepared to shift into a light-assisted firing position.
- Threat is when the light and gun are employed together for shooting.
Firing Techniques:
- Harries: Support hand holds the flashlight in an icepick grip, strong hand has the gun one-handed. Support hand reaches up underneath the strong hand and bends back so that the backs of the two hands are pressing against one another. Gun hand pushes outward against light hand pulling back – isometric tension.
- Chapman: Support hand holds the flashlight as if there were a button on the side, then wraps around the front of the strong hand grip on the gun to lay knuckles on top of knuckles.
- Rogers Assisted: The light is held in the support hand like a cigar, and the support hand joins the strong hand on the gun like usual.
- Chapman > Harries
- Or shoot one-handed with the light held separately. (Applies to handheld (non-WML) lights.)
- Old FBI technique was to hold the flashlight in the left hand up and out at a 45 degree angle, squat down, and shoot with the right hand. May have (very) limited use if you’re, say working behind a small piece of cover, but generally a whole lot of work for no gain / some loss.
- Most of the time, when people miss, they miss low and to the left from jerking the trigger…
- “New FBI” technique – have the light in your workspace, illuminating the target (put the center of the light on the center of the target) and drive the gun into the spill of the light. Use the ‘spilled’ light to illuminate the sights while the center shows what you’re shooting at.
- For “New FBI” can index the light on your chin or head to keep it positively controlled while shooting one-handed.
- Transitioning to a WML – Either continue to use handheld alongside, turn it off and stow it, or turn it off and just drop it. MAKE SURE IT’S OFF IF/WHEN YOU DROP IT – Murphy’s Law would have it falling just so to blind you and light you up.
- When reloading with a handheld light, turn it off and stow it while you change magazines – tucked in the strong-side armpit works well.
Draw-Two Drill (Different Illuminations):
Setup:
- Shooters are in front of a row of targets (in front of an angled berm), about 7-10 yards away.
- Instructor is off to one side or behind with a flashlight (lower-spill is better).
Execution:
- The instructor scans a light across the line of targets – when each shooter’s individual target is illuminated, they draw and fire (without using their light) two (2) hits on target.
Notes:
- We practiced the various positions on the light continuum as well as transitioning between them, drawing, reloading, etc. dry before any of the live-fire exercises.
- The instructor varies how the line of targets is illuminated:
- Front: the light is shined from behind the line of shooters.
- Side: the light comes from an oblique angle from either the left or right.
- Back: the light is bounced off the berm behind the targets, silhouetting them.
- Bounced: (IIRC) the light is bounced off the ground in front of the targets.
Light Continuum Drill:
Setup:
- Shooters are in front of a row of targets (in front of an angled berm), about 7-10 yards away.
Execution:
- The instructor calls one of the light continuum positions: “search”, “ready”, or “Threat!”
- On each call, the shooter assumes that position, drawing if necessary. The instructor may then call a ‘higher’ position, which the shooter transitions to. On “Threat!” the shooter engages with two (2) hits.
Notes:
- For example, the instructor calls “search”. Shooter uses their light to illuminate the target. Instructor calls “ready”, the shooter draws their gun to a ready position. On “Threat!”, the shooter then engages the target. If the instructor called “Threat!” first, the shooter would immediately draw and engage.
- Calls only go ‘up’, i.e., once “Threat!” is called, you’re shooting – no returning to “ready” until all the shooting’s done that needs to be done. Similarly, no reholstering – once the gun is out, it’s out until you’re sure it can go away, i.e. that iteration of the drill / real-life situation is over.
Reloading Drill:
Execution:
- Draw and (using the light; for all of these, using the light unless specifically noted not to be) engage with two (2) hits, reload (stowing or switching lights as appropriate) and engage with two (2) more hits.
Notes:
- IIRC, we did this straight from the draw, but I would assume it could be mixed in with the above drill – starting with a handheld illuminating, draw and shoot-reload-shoot, for example.
Confrontation to NSR Drill:
Scenario:
- You’re investigating a disturbance in your backyard at night, which turns out to be a trespasser. Illuminating them, you advance and issue a verbal challenge, engaging them in dialogue. At the point at which they reveal themselves to be hostile and become a threat, you retreat while engaging them.
Setup:
- Shooter starts about ten to twenty (10-20) yards from the target.
- Instructor shadows behind shooter to provide dialogue for roleplaying.
Execution:
- Shooter begins in a non-shooting position (IIRC, “search” mode) and begins advancing towards the target, verbally challenging them.
- Depending on the responses provided by the instructor, the shooter may elevate one step to a flashlight “ready” position, with the gun drawn and held ready near the hip / in retention, or move directly to “threat”. (Although the shooter should not engage until the instructor makes a definitive “Threat!” call.)
- Regardless of whether the shooter is still in “search” or has moved to “ready”, at the point that the instructor calls “Threat!” (Or “gun!”, “knife!”, etc.) the shooter immediately switches to retreating while executing a vertical NSR.
Notes:
- Despite the 7-yard rule, for this exercise shooters approached to within 5-7 yards of the target. (I would assume because of the combination of [possibly] having the gun held in a ready position instead of holstered and the need to be closer to make out relevant details (cell phone vs. gun, bottle vs. knife, etc.))
- Instructor dialogue varies, but responds to shooter’s challenges and escalates prior to reaching “threat”-level (“This is private property!” / “Fuck yo’ property!” – “Knife!”, “Sheriff’s deputy, identify yourself!” / “Fuck you, pig!” – “Gun!”, etc.)
- I’m unsure at what point it would be acceptable (tactically and legally) to switch to a full-on “threat” stance vs. a low/retainment “ready” – certainly once “Knife!” or “Gun!” is called you’d start shooting, but would a simple verbal threat / fighting words be sufficient to justify brandishing / menacing? (A question for a lawyer.)
“Plate Tee” Drill:
Notes:
- This drill was identical to the daytime version except that the shooter toggled illumination – light on when shooting from a position, but light off as they moved from point-to-point.
- Per classroom mention of “turning the light off and relocating”, since this was a wide open space against multiple opponents, if you missed excessively from one position / fumbled a reload, etc. you could kill the light and tactically reposition to the next station.
Basic Movement Drill:
Setup:
- Quarter-scale target about twenty-five (25) yards in front of the shooter.
Execution:
- On “Threat!”, the shooter illuminates the target, draws, and begins to engage as they move forward, shooting as fast as they can accurately hit the target. At the minimum safe distance the instructor reverses them, and they continue shooting – reloading as necessary – until they’ve regained their starting position.
Building Entry Drill:
Scenario:
- Coming home one night, you notice that your front door has been kicked in. Your family is crying for help inside, so calling 911 and retreating to a safe location isn’t an option for you. You enter the building to deal with whatever situation you find inside.
- Since a huge part of this drill (exercise) was rapidly assessing what you encountered (rather than knowing, I’ll turn the corner and engage two (2) quarter-scale targets, then pivot right to…) the following is just what we did, not a general template for (re)running the drill. (And honestly, this is just for personal reference – no way in hell should someone run low-light, handgun CQB from random, week-after notes.)
Execution:
- You enter the building and clear the first room. Instructors (two) are right behind you, keeping close control over everything.
Notes:
- Yes, the ‘right’ answer is to call 911 and have the police answer in force. But it’s your wife, husband, kids, parents, etc. in there.
- If you have a handheld and a weapon-mounted, can use them both. (Helps to have an always-on option for a WML.)
- ‘Slicing the pie’ – scan a tiny bit of what you can see. Shift to see around the corner a little bit more. Scan that. Repeat. If you can, you can also swiftly cross the door to the other side and slice the pie from that side, too. (The shoot house as configured here had an eccentric/right-angle portico, one of whose walls prevented slicing from that side of the door.)
- Slow and steady / fast and violent, slash “gas pedal”. All movement / execution in this type of clearing is either slow and methodical (slicing the pie) or as fast and rapid as possible (actually moving through the door, assessing the situation once inside, etc.)
- ‘Fatal funnel’ – going through a door, there’s only one place that people in the room need to shoot at. (Also may be backlit.) Clear the door as soon as possible, especially if there are more people coming in behind you.
- As soon as you move through a door, get off the line – don’t go straight forward through it. Either curl around the side of the jam you came in, or go across right away, depending on layout.
- If clearing with multiple people, the second in line goes whichever way the first didn’t go. (Doesn’t matter if the first person said ‘right’, if they went left, you go right.
- Probable vs. possible – it’s possible that someone is hiding behind the door in that three-foot slice of corner. It’s much more probable that anyone in the room is in the rest of the room, the ~50+% that you couldn’t scan as you sliced the pie.
- Probable over possible…
- “Through analysis of thousands of recorded gunfights, the Cleric has determined that the geometric distribution of antagonists in any gun battle is a statistically predictable element. The gun kata treats the gun as a total weapon, each fluid position representing a maximum kill zone, inflicting maximum damage on the maximum number of opponents while keeping the defender clear of the statistically traditional trajectories of return fire. By the rote mastery of this art, your firing efficiency will rise by no less than 120%. The difference of a 63% increase to lethal proficiency makes the master of the gun katas an adversary not to be taken lightly.”
- As soon as you leave an area it’s unsecured, especially if it’s adjacent to a never-secured area. If you leave the entry-room to go into a hallway, you need to clear the hallway. Then you need to clear the first room in the hallway before you go into it. When you come out, you need to clear the hallway again, as someone could have entered it from one of the uncleared rooms, and if you return to the entry-room, you’d have to clear that again, too.
- Multiple teammates clearing a house can obviate this by peeling off to secure areas once cleared.
- Somewhat scenario specific, but the Policewoman silhouette wasn’t just a no-shoot – as the instructors pointed out, she had clear line of sight to two of the ‘dead/danger’ areas in the room – behind the bar and the behind-the-door corner. Thus, could have coordinated with her once the primary attacker (hostage-taker) was neutralized – between the shooter (upon entry) and the policewoman, the whole room would have been covered, negating the need to risk crossing/clearing the hallway to deal with the dead zones behind the bar and door.
Vehicle Response Drill:
Scenario:
- You’re stopped in your car at night – an attempted carjacking, literal highway robbery, or you’re just getting into your car when the attackers approach.
- Emerging from the car, you engage the first attacker in front from behind your door.
- Moving to cover behind the engine block and front axle, you engage the second attacker, who is close to the front passenger side.
- You then relocate to engage the third and fourth attackers, slightly further away on the passenger side – one from behind the driver’s side of the trunk, and the last one from the ground, around the rear of the car.
- Once you’ve engaged all of the attackers, return to the driver’s side of the car, scanning and assessing each of the attackers en route to be sure that they’ve been neutralized.
Setup:
- Car. Preferably a car such that nobody would be too bent out of shape / answering awkward insurance questions if it happens to be shot. It shouldn’t be, but…
- Target about ten (10) yards in front, slightly (i.e., oncoming lane of traffic or sidewalk) to the driver’s side.
- Target about ten (10) yards to the right of the car, roughly in line with (maybe a touch in front of) the front seat.
- Two (2) targets about twenty to twenty-five (20-25) yards abreast of the right side of the car, maybe 2-3 yards apart side-by-side.
- Shooter starts sitting in the driver’s seat, hands on the wheel.
Execution:
- On “Threat!”, the shooter opens the door and exits the car, kneeling behind the door. Using the notch of the door and frame as a support, deliver two (2) hits to the first target.
- Maneuvering around and closing the driver’s door, illuminate and engage the second target over the hood of the car with two (2) hits.
- Illuminate the third (and possibly fourth, depending on spill) target as you move to the trunk of the car, putting the diagonal of the car body / rear driver’s side wheel between you and the third target.
- Using the trunk of the car as cover, engage the third target with two (2) hits.
- Transitioning to a modified prone position, engage the fourth target with two (2) hits around the rear of the car.
- Return to a standing position and – still using the car as cover – return to the front of the driver’s side of the car, illuminating / assessing / covering each of the four (4) targets in turn as you move.
Notes:
- Be very careful with your light at close range – if you throw a few hundred lumens onto a white / reflective / shiny surface a foot-and-a-half from your face, you can easily end up blinded at the same time as you illuminate yourself as a target.
- Especially when moving back into full cover to reload.
- One of the Cadre (I can’t remember who) said that in the DSS (IIRC) it was SOP to close the door behind them, which is why we were doing it in this exercise.
- Stay at least one (1) meter back from the hood and trunk of the car – from flat-topped cover in general. Because bullets tend to ‘follow’ flat surfaces after impact (i.e., the angle of reflection is much larger than the angle of incidence [w.r.t. the normal {perpendicular} of the surface]), this separation leaves space for any ricocheted rounds to rise to greater-than-head height.
- Right at the wheel next to the engine block is the best place to be cover-wise w.r.t. an attacker on the other side of the car. As much metal as possible (hub/axle, engine, hub/axle again) between their bullets and you. Glass and sheet metal will affect bullets, but won’t stop them like an engine block.
Don Norum 