10^3 Plus Content

This is my 1000th post since I moved to Blogger!

Why I took a carbine course.

It's hard to pick a starting point.  A carbine course is a weekend seminar teaching the student how to operate their carbine under tactical conditions.

For the most part, unrealistic contrived tactical conditions you will never find yourself in and if you do, there are important legal considerations that are never addressed.  My results may not be typical and the philosophy of the school I attended my not be universal.

Useful for the world of Twilight 2000 or Falling Skies; of limited utility for Hurricane Andrew or Katrina.

My main goal was not to learn how to use my rifle in combat.  I've seen real combat from the point of view of someone who cannot call for air support or artillery.  It's not like this class at all.

My main goal was to abuse my carbine to see if it would break.  I accomplished the goal and it did not break.

The outing with Sabrina is the only one I have actually paid for.  My other two outings were paid for by associates who were putting on airs about how good their GENUINE Colt LE model blastotronic was compared to my crappy hobby guns.  My gun fails, I pay.  My gun survives, they pay.

I've been lucky.  They've been screwed.  One of them had to pay for 6.8 ammo too!  He was set up by the first guy.

I am not saying I learned nothing; but it reminded me a great deal of IPSC in flavor.  What you learn might have application in the real world but it's primarily self contained and the lines are not drawn for you.

First class was as I mentioned before.  I took Sabrina out.

Gratuitous Pic of Sabrina (Again)

Second class was the first bet and I let The Lovely Harvey's snobby co-worker pick which of my AR's would be used.  That would be Charlotte.  This one amuses the shit out of me since Charlotte is Colt parts except for the lower and trigger group.  Vintage 1967 M16 otherwise.  No issues.  He picked that gun because he was being all superior about how much Colt had improved things since Vietnam.

Gratuitous Pic of Charlotte.

Third class was the second bet and I said if you want me to fire 500 rounds just to prove your point, you're buying the ammo and I am using Dottie.  500 rounds of SSA Sierra Pro-Hunter Tactical is nearly $600.  Then we bet the price of the school which I will not mention to salve their pride.

Dottie did very well and I can really see why people use red-dots instead of iron sights!  Dottie was the first time my gun didn't look out of place because she's got Magpul furniture a flat-top and rails.

Gratuitous Pic of Dottie.

Thanks to the classes I know how to move and shoot.  I never did learn why I would break cover to do so.  Bunker down was not part of the class nor was any value assigned to picking a defensible position and sticking to it.  All of the classes seem to assume that the disaster will be of a short duration yet fail to account for the legal ramifications of the reassertion of civilization.

I learned that expensive gear doesn't make up for not knowing how to use it.  My ancient and uncool stuff worked because I was familiar with it not because it was inherently better in design or construction.  Next time one of The Lovely Harvey's co-workers gets stroppy I am going to attend the class with a colander on my head.

I don't have the teeth to pull off a pith helmet with a fan in it.