Class Review: AAR: OnSight Firearms Training - Defensive Carbine, Maynard MA 10-12-20

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ONSIGHT FIREARMS TRAINING
www.oftllc.us
Defensive Carbine
October 12, 2020​




Instructor: Ben DeWalt
Location: Maynard Rod and Gun Club, Maynard Massachusetts
Weather: Outdoor Range - 60 and sunny -> partly cloudy
Round Count: 700+/-
Cost: $160 Time: 9am – 5:30pm

-----

Every type of organized shooting that I've participated in has felt totally different from the ones that came before. OnSight Firearms "Defensive Carbine" class was no exception. This was the most interesting, fun and dynamic class I've taken and I can't wait to get more time on the range with Ben.

We started the day with the standard safety, first aid, and introductions. Then came our first glimpse into how the day was going to go - covering positional and turning drills with unloaded rifles. From low ready to high port, Ben made sure we were all going to be able to safely handle our carbines during drills with turning and movement while others were in close proximity.

The 11 shooters split into two groups and began doing some basic drills. At first it seemed odd to be sharing targets, but it quickly became apparent that having two shooting groups was essential for this class, as many of the drills involved a "buddy." As we got into those drills, the shooting rapidly became challenging and everyone got way outside of their comfort zones (at least those of us who hadn't been to one of Ben's classes before!).

After a few "calibration" drills to ensure everyone was zeroed and to judge competency, Ben declared us the "best carbine group he's seen" since none of us dropped any shots on the target. It was definitely an impressive group and it further reinforced the quality of the course and made me feel totally comfortable doing some of the later drills that involved trusting your buddy.

My favorite segment of the day was an "on the move" drill with verbal commands. We lined up and each shooter had their buddy hold the back of their shirt. We moved forward and backwards as a group, firing on command while continuing to move and responding to positional calls ("squat!" "single kneel!" "double kneel!" "seated!" "supine!"). Ended up having my last mag stop feeding in the middle of the drill. Trying to clear the malfunction while moving backwards was no joke. My "buddy" ended up handing me a mag so I could keep shooting and we finished out the drill. It really made you think about what you were doing, focus on your shooting and stay aware of what was going on around you. I could do that drill 100 more times and get something out of it each time. Heck, the other group did an "inverted supine" position and it looked amazing/horrible - definitely want to give that a go next class.

After every few drills, Ben would look for feedback from each shooter and give some commentary. Topics ranged from this class to his other classes to other instructors to general personal defense tidbits ("I will shoot you in the dick!"). All the info was great and made me want to seek out more content of Ben going over this stuff. (helloooo YouTube).

In the late afternoon we ran through some more technical drills that involved getting your heart pumping and taking precision shots. I definitely have room for improvement here as I know I can clean the target if I can just slow down and focus.

To finish out the day, we did a "screw your buddy" reload drill with head to head heats. I ended up going up against Ben and choking on the last mag change. Next time, Ben - next time!
 
ONSIGHT FIREARMS TRAINING
www.oftllc.us
Defensive Carbine
October 12, 2020​




Instructor: Ben DeWalt
Location: Maynard Rod and Gun Club, Maynard Massachusetts
Weather: Outdoor Range - 60 and sunny -> partly cloudy
Round Count: 700+/-
Cost: $160 Time: 9am – 5:30pm

-----

Every type of organized shooting that I've participated in has felt totally different from the ones that came before. OnSight Firearms "Defensive Carbine" class was no exception. This was the most interesting, fun and dynamic class I've taken and I can't wait to get more time on the range with Ben.

We started the day with the standard safety, first aid, and introductions. Then came our first glimpse into how the day was going to go - covering positional and turning drills with unloaded rifles. From low ready to high port, Ben made sure we were all going to be able to safely handle our carbines during drills with turning and movement while others were in close proximity.

The 11 shooters split into two groups and began doing some basic drills. At first it seemed odd to be sharing targets, but it quickly became apparent that having two shooting groups was essential for this class, as many of the drills involved a "buddy." As we got into those drills, the shooting rapidly became challenging and everyone got way outside of their comfort zones (at least those of us who hadn't been to one of Ben's classes before!).

After a few "calibration" drills to ensure everyone was zeroed and to judge competency, Ben declared us the "best carbine group he's seen" since none of us dropped any shots on the target. It was definitely an impressive group and it further reinforced the quality of the course and made me feel totally comfortable doing some of the later drills that involved trusting your buddy.

My favorite segment of the day was an "on the move" drill with verbal commands. We lined up and each shooter had their buddy hold the back of their shirt. We moved forward and backwards as a group, firing on command while continuing to move and responding to positional calls ("squat!" "single kneel!" "double kneel!" "seated!" "supine!"). Ended up having my last mag stop feeding in the middle of the drill. Trying to clear the malfunction while moving backwards was no joke. My "buddy" ended up handing me a mag so I could keep shooting and we finished out the drill. It really made you think about what you were doing, focus on your shooting and stay aware of what was going on around you. I could do that drill 100 more times and get something out of it each time. Heck, the other group did an "inverted supine" position and it looked amazing/horrible - definitely want to give that a go next class.

After every few drills, Ben would look for feedback from each shooter and give some commentary. Topics ranged from this class to his other classes to other instructors to general personal defense tidbits ("I will shoot you in the dick!"). All the info was great and made me want to seek out more content of Ben going over this stuff. (helloooo YouTube).

In the late afternoon we ran through some more technical drills that involved getting your heart pumping and taking precision shots. I definitely have room for improvement here as I know I can clean the target if I can just slow down and focus.

To finish out the day, we did a "screw your buddy" reload drill with head to head heats. I ended up going up against Ben and choking on the last mag change. Next time, Ben - next time!


Thanks for the positive AAR, I've been looking at these classes recently. Hope to get into one now!
 
ONSIGHT FIREARMS TRAINING
www.oftllc.us
Defensive Carbine
October 12, 2020​




Instructor: Ben DeWalt
Location: Maynard Rod and Gun Club, Maynard Massachusetts
Weather: Outdoor Range - 60 and sunny -> partly cloudy
Round Count: 700+/-
Cost: $160 Time: 9am – 5:30pm

-----

Every type of organized shooting that I've participated in has felt totally different from the ones that came before. OnSight Firearms "Defensive Carbine" class was no exception. This was the most interesting, fun and dynamic class I've taken and I can't wait to get more time on the range with Ben.

We started the day with the standard safety, first aid, and introductions. Then came our first glimpse into how the day was going to go - covering positional and turning drills with unloaded rifles. From low ready to high port, Ben made sure we were all going to be able to safely handle our carbines during drills with turning and movement while others were in close proximity.

The 11 shooters split into two groups and began doing some basic drills. At first it seemed odd to be sharing targets, but it quickly became apparent that having two shooting groups was essential for this class, as many of the drills involved a "buddy." As we got into those drills, the shooting rapidly became challenging and everyone got way outside of their comfort zones (at least those of us who hadn't been to one of Ben's classes before!).

After a few "calibration" drills to ensure everyone was zeroed and to judge competency, Ben declared us the "best carbine group he's seen" since none of us dropped any shots on the target. It was definitely an impressive group and it further reinforced the quality of the course and made me feel totally comfortable doing some of the later drills that involved trusting your buddy.

My favorite segment of the day was an "on the move" drill with verbal commands. We lined up and each shooter had their buddy hold the back of their shirt. We moved forward and backwards as a group, firing on command while continuing to move and responding to positional calls ("squat!" "single kneel!" "double kneel!" "seated!" "supine!"). Ended up having my last mag stop feeding in the middle of the drill. Trying to clear the malfunction while moving backwards was no joke. My "buddy" ended up handing me a mag so I could keep shooting and we finished out the drill. It really made you think about what you were doing, focus on your shooting and stay aware of what was going on around you. I could do that drill 100 more times and get something out of it each time. Heck, the other group did an "inverted supine" position and it looked amazing/horrible - definitely want to give that a go next class.

After every few drills, Ben would look for feedback from each shooter and give some commentary. Topics ranged from this class to his other classes to other instructors to general personal defense tidbits ("I will shoot you in the dick!"). All the info was great and made me want to seek out more content of Ben going over this stuff. (helloooo YouTube).

In the late afternoon we ran through some more technical drills that involved getting your heart pumping and taking precision shots. I definitely have room for improvement here as I know I can clean the target if I can just slow down and focus.

To finish out the day, we did a "screw your buddy" reload drill with head to head heats. I ended up going up against Ben and choking on the last mag change. Next time, Ben - next time!

HAHAH!!! Thanks for the review, super cool of you to do. I'm very glad you enjoyed yourself and got some learning in as well!
Hope to see you out there again!
 
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