Tactical Carbine Level I

Topics Covered:

• Firearm Safety
• AR-15 Technical Information
  • Every student will have a full understanding of each component’s function and purpose
•  Proper Handling, Loading, and Unloading Procedures
• Firearm Accessories
  • Overview of what is available, what works, what doesn’t and why.
• Firearm Maintenance and Cleaning Procedures
• Fundamentals of Marksmanship
• Zero Procedures 
• Fundamentals of Defensive Marksmanship
• Principles of Close Quarters Engagements
  • Point of Aim vs Point of Impact
• Tactical Use of Cover
• Culmination Exercises 

This course does not have any prerequisites

We always train to a standard, not to time. Many variables affect this including class size and student experience level. We ensure every student leaves fully confident in the knowledge and skills our training covers so there are times that we finish a little early, but we often train beyond the scheduled completion time to ensure our commitment to students is fully met.

This is a fun and dynamic 8 hour beginner/intermediate level course that covers of variety of shooting methods, positions, and tactics while introducing mild stressors using timed drills and friendly competition.

Equipment Required:

1. AR-15 and 3 magazines
2. Mag Pouches x 2 minimum. A gun belt with AR mag pouches, chest rig, or some other load bearing equipment to hold your mag pouches. We have some available for use and or purchase.
3. 350 rounds of ammunition
4. Sling – HIGHLY RECOMMEND AN ADJUSTABLE SLING LIKE THE VIKINGS TACTICS (VTAC) – we will have available for purchase if you do not have.
5. Ear Protection HIGHLY RECOMMEND ELECTRONIC EARMUFFS SO YOU CAN HEAR ALL INSTRUCTION AND RANGE COMMANDS
6. Eye Protection
7. Iron Sights
8. Firearms cleaning kit/lube
9. Lunch and Water/Gatorade (limit caffeine). No on-site food is available.

 Optional Equipment: (recommended but not necessary)

1. Variable Power Optic/Reflex Sight like a red dot or Eotech
2. Additional magazines
3. Kneepads, shooting gloves
4. Shooting Mat
5. Shooting rest/bag for zeroing
6. Range Bag to keep your gear separated from others
7. Folding stool or chair. We won’t be sitting much but we will take some breaks and these come in handy.
8. Rain Gear (we will train through mild weather but if it gets too bad, we will postpone or finalize training another day)
9. Sunblock

Much of our Level I Course is showing what we recommend for rifle setup and why, so if everyone’s rifle isn’t setup the way we recommend or if you don’t have all the gear we recommend for this course, it’s not a huge issue. You will perform better and get more out of the class if you can come setup with our recommendations but if not; it’s nothing we can’t work around.

We do have some additional gear like extra magazines and the like that we will make available for free to supplement any shortcomings. At the end of this course everyone will have a sense of what is practical, what isn’t, what is essential, and what is just nice to have. If there are any questions about gear that are not answered by this letter feel free to contact us and we’ll gladly provide assistance.

We also recommend starting to hydrate a day or two before the course. This course won’t be overly physical but nothing affects marksmanship and cognitive function more than hydration or lack of.

Every rifle should have backup iron sights (which we’ll zero if yours aren’t). This course can be completed with just iron sights but we recommend a variable power scope that allows for a 1x view. Something like a 1-4X or a 1-6X is preferred. If you don’t have that, a reflex/red dot sight like an Eotech or Aimpoint will work just fine.  

Sling
A quick adjust sling is extremely useful and will greatly improve your shooting. I recommend the padded Viking Tactics (VTAC) sling. We will have these available for purchase if you currently do not have one. Attaching your sling as far forward toward the muzzle on the front and attaching the rear on the upper portion of the butt stock is also recommended.

Forward Grip
We highly discourage the use of a vertical forward grips and we’ll cover why in the classroom portion. I do however recommend something like the Magpul Angled Forward Grip (AFG) or grip stops on the flat rail that allow you to push or pull against the rifle for stability. We do have some items available for purchase. No forward grip works just fine if it doesn’t bother your wrist.

Additional Gun Accessories
Remove all other accessories like lights or anything that will add bulk to the rifle. You can bring all accessories you have and we’ll discuss what makes sense and what doesn’t.

Additional Ammunition

This course of fire only requires 300 rounds but students often need or want to spend more time on one drill or another or want to work with an instructor after class to fix specific shooting handicaps (which we will gladly do). So you are encouraged to bring additional ammo.