EAG Tactical AK Operators Course 2007
"Without training, we are nothing but a liability." - Pat Rogers
Pat Rogers (on right, with Sheriff Ken Campbell) is a retired NYPD sergeant and Chief Warrant Officer of Marines with more than 30 years in service. His company, EAG Tactical, was founded in 1992 and provides tactical training and security consulting services to various military, law enforcement and government entities. Pat has worked in the Middle East, South America, the "emerging republics" of the former Soviet Union, and other locations around the world. He has also worked as a senior instructor at Gunsite, and is a regular contributor to SWAT magazine. On top of all this, Pat makes time each year to instruct a limited number of open-enrollment classes at various locations around the country.
One of Pat's regular teaching stops is the Boone County Sheriff's Department range in Lebanon, Indiana. During the summer, the BCSD plays host to a number of well-known instructors, offering courses in all manner of armed and unarmed self-defense disciplines. BCSD is a progressive department that recognizes the value of a trained police force, and, equally as important, a trained citizenry. Sheriff Ken Campbell has promised that as long as he is in office or has anything to do with the department's training program, the BCSD will continue to bring first-class training opportunities to central Indiana. The Department is fortunate to have Ken at its helm, and we Hoosiers are fortunate to have such a resource available.
I've had an AK of some sort in my armory for as long as I can remember, but I have pretty much regarded them strictly as a curiosities or "fun guns," vastly preferring the AR platform for serious work. Then about a year ago, the AK bug bit HARD and dug in deep – something I blame partially on the founding of the AK Forum.net website, a free forum promoting the exchange of information about the entire family of AK-pattern weapons. During that time, I acquired 3 new AK-pattern rifles (two within the space of a week!), began my magazine collection in earnest, and compiled my AK-74 Magazine Guide. I read with great interest the after-action reviews (AARs) of AK Operators Course put on by EAG Tactical in West Virginia in 2006, and waited with baited breath for Pat to announce a 2007 date for the course at Boone County. He did, and I immediately signed up.
THE STUDENTS
There were 15 students in the course (held April 27-29), including several members of the 10-8 Forums and two of EAG's Assistant Instructors. Because of Pat's background, his courses tend to attract more military, security contractor and law enforcement types than your average CCW type course. Nevertheless, this class had its share of "ordinary Earth people" as well, including doctors, lawyers, a computer programmer, and me. The overall proficiency level was very high, with everyone having had prior advanced training, with Pat and/or other instructors/agencies.
THE HARDWARE
The students' weapons ran the gamut from plain-jane Romanian SARs up through fully tricked-out pieces from Krebs Custom Firearms. About 1/3 of the class had optics of some sort on their rifles, while the rest ran either aftemarket aperture-type or standard iron sights. A variety of slings, magazine carriers and other accoutrements were present, and the students did a very good job of making their chosen setups work efficiently and effectively. I shot the course with my AK-105 SBR, with my Intrac MkII as a backup (didn't need it). I wore my Eagle Industries MOLLE plate carrier with Spectergear Universal Mag Pouches in front and a Camelbak hydration system in back, and tossed my empty mags in a Maxpedition dump pouch worn on the belt just behind my pistol mag pouches. My Glock 34 rode in my outstanding RM Holsters "Sport Slide" kydex paddle holster. I had "test driven" the Eagle PC setup at the range and at the 2006 Indiana State SMG Championships, but this was its first real trial in a prolonged, somewhat rigorous environment. It's a very slick and efficient package, and none of the components interferes with the others. This is a Good Thing, as having to spend time deconflicting gear during a course slows everything down and detracts from the learning experience for all involved. My chosen ammo was Bulgarian 7N6 military surplus for the AK, and Winchester 115gr FMJ for the Glock.
THE COURSE
I was interested in comparing this class to EAG's Carbine Operators Course that I took back in 2004, so I took detailed notes on everything we did. What follows is a summary of each Training Day:
TD1
Weather was cloudy and cold, with highs only in the 40s and periods of spitting rain. But that didn't deter us from getting down to business. We started with a welcome from Brian Stevenson, one of the BCSD's firearms instructors, a review of the range rules, and some brief bio information from Pat. Pat is uniquely qualified to teach the AK, having served in the Foreign Materials Acquisition & Exploitation field with the USMC from 1985-1990. Such "FORMAT" experts are responsible for acquiring and evaluating all sorts of "threat systems," including small arms. At one time, Pat was responsible for an inventory of literally thousands of AKs in numerous variations. After introductions, Pat launched into the lecture portion of the class with a brief history of the AK's development, highlighting its pros (simple, inexpensive, short/correct LOP, rugged guns and mags) and cons (lousy ergonomics and mediocre accuracy in most forms), and dispelling a few of the popular myths surrounding this weapon system. Pat's general attitude toward the AK is that "It's a gun, deal with it." That is to say, in the hands of a capable operator, the AK can be a formidable tool. As example, Pat stated that the average MEU(SOC) qualification scores for Marines shooting AKs and Marines shooting M4s are identical! We then began to discuss more "tactical" matters, such as how to carry and access your magazines, two types of reload techniques (with retention, and the speed reload), the proper fighting stance, sling types and carry positions, and a bit of shooting theory – singles vs. controlled pairs vs. hammer pairs vs. NSRs ("Non-Standard Response" - basically a rapid burst of rounds into the center of mass or whatever your current aiming point is on the target), and when each technique is best employed. Then we hit the range, divided into two relays, and prepared to go hot.
Live fire began with establishing zeroes from the prone, first at 25 and then back to 50 yards. It took awhile to get everybody set, given that adjusting AK iron sights is more trial and error than hard science. Despite having taken my gun out a few weeks prior to class and getting (what I thought was) a good 50-yard zero, I had to dial in quite a bit of windage adjustment on my SPOT red-dot sight. Once that was done, we progressed through a number of drills, including firing controlled pairs, hammers and "failure drills" (two rounds center mass followed by a single shot to the brain box) at close range, shooting from several different kneeling positions (braced, speed/unbraced, double knee and squatting) at 25 yards, then shooting from kneeling and prone at 50 yards while incorporating a speed reload into each string of fire.
TD2
Day 2 brought vastly improved weather, with sunny skies and highs in the mid-60s. We began with a brief recap of some issues identified during Day One, including weapon manipulations, stance, and a handful of malfunctions (see below). We then confirmed our zeroes from the prone at 50 yards, and launched into a rapid sequence of drills, including 5 rounds to the brain box from standing at 25 yards, 2 rounds standing/speed reload/2 rounds kneeling, failure drills, transitioning to the pistol (both two-handed and strong hand only) at 15 yards, and static turns to engage targets at 90-degree offsets left or right, delivering either a failure drill or an NSR. We then came off the range for a brief discussion of malfunction clearance techniques (non-diagnostic, immediate action and remedial action), then went back out to discuss and practice multiple target engagements, including "roadhouse rules" (fire one shot on 1st target, a pair on the second, and another single shot on the 1st) and the "box drill" (hammer on 1st target, failure drill on 2nd target, and a brain shot on the 1st). We then progressed to shooting on the move with single targets, followed by rapid position changes at 50 yards (2 shots standing/2 kneeling/2 prone in 11 seconds and 2 shots standing/speed reload/2 kneeling), single shots to the brain from 25 yards, and finally wrapping up with shooting on the move incorporating multiple targets (box drills) and pistol transitions.
TD3
Day 3 was just as nice as the previous day, weather-wise, and just as busy! We began as usual by confirming zeroes at 50 yards, then blistered through the same series of drills we did in the last half of Day Two. About midway through the day, we moved back and shot from the 100-yard line – something Pat specifically wanted to do in this course, to dispel the myth that AKs aren't capable of accurate fire at longer ranges. I was particularly surprised at the accuracy potential my little 12.5" barreled carbine exhibited. In one sequence from the prone, I managed to put 4 shots into about 2 inches, which is pretty much the best I can hope for, even when shooting my M4! The 5th and 6th shots blew the group out to about double that, but that's MY fault, not the gun's! Other students - even those shooting the "notoriously inaccurate" 7.62x39 round - did well here, too. After that, it was time to run through the MEU(SOC) carbine qualification course, which Pat uses as a performance benchmark in his classes.
We fired the MEU(SOC) course twice - once for practice (I took advantage of a vacant spot on the line in the second relay and fired an additional practice run) and once for score. The MEU(SOC) is a good course of fire and a good measure of a student's performance, as it incorporates shooting at various distances (3 to 50 yards), multiple stationary positions as well as on the move, single- and multiple-shot strings, and tactical reloads – all under time pressure. The Marines who do this for real go out and qualify in full gear - rucksack, body armor, 13 loaded mags, pistol, helmet, goggles, gloves, comms, the works - and in any weather, and they shoot better scores than lightly loaded students like us do on a sunny day... I stand in awe of that kind of capability, and glad they're on OUR side!
After completing the MEU(SOC) course, we went through some more 25-yard work, including controlled pairs to the brain box, failure drills, and rapid position changes (standing/kneeling/prone) with a speed reload between each position. Note to self: speed-reloading an AK while prone, SUCKS. We then reviewed static turns left and right at 15 yards, engaging targets at a 90-degree offset with either a failure drill or an NSR. We finished up the day with brain shots, failure drills and NSRs at 7 yards, really making an effort to crank up our speed as much as possible while still getting good hits. After stowing our gear and doing a brass call, we rejoined Pat for some final words and the awarding of High Shooter and Runner-Up honors.
Total Rounds Fired: 1170 carbine, 42 pistol
EQUIPMENT PROBLEMS
As with AR-15s, many if not most of the malfuctions with AKs can be attributed to magazines and/or ammunition. Pat says that "AKs are reliable, but they're not infallible." As if to prove his point, our class had its share of problems, including cracked feed lips on a Polish polymer 7.62 magazine, several problematic metal 7.62 magazines, two rounds of Wolf ammo (one 5.45x39 and one 7.62x39) that had a blob of solder-like foreign material on the neck that caused them to stick in the chamber, and one failure to extract caused by a partially bulged primer (also Wolf 7.62x39). None of the carbines, however, experienced any kind of structural or gun-related issues (i.e. no broken pins, springs, trigger groups, etc). Equipment-wise, we had a Pride-Fowler mini red-dot in a LaRue mount that could not be properly zeroed (not enough elevation adjustment, IIRC) on Day 1, so the owner pulled it off and shot all weekend with iron sights. Two Colt Series 80 1911s went down hard, due to problems with the firing pin safety mechanism. One shooter had spare parts and was able to get his gun back up and running, while the other had to switch to his backup piece. Late on Day 2, one of the screws on my Ultimak mount worked loose, causing my shot groups to abruptly shift several inches to the left. Fortunately, I was able to immediately diagnose the problem (I witness-mark all my screws; something I learned from Pat's carbine course back in 2004), and had it fixed in short order. The gun ran the rest of the weekend without any problems whatsoever, although the bolt did get a bit sticky after firing 500 rounds on Day 2 with minimal lubrication.
UN-FRIGGIN-BELIEVABLE
Imagine my surprise when, at the end of Day 3, Pat announced that I was the high shooter! I couldn't believe that a) I'd scored better than the rest of the class, which included some very switched-on "real deal" shooters, and b) that I'd done so with a 12.5"-barreled SBR. I received a Camelbak Delta 5 tactical/hydration vest for my efforts, which was very cool. The runner-up was an active-duty US Army soldier (a tanker, IIRC), who received a sling system from BlueForce Gear and a hat from Eagle Industries. Thanks to all these companies for their support of Pat's classes and the shooting community in general. Good folks all around.
IN CLOSING
Overall, I was very impressed with the course. It was essentially the Carbine Operators Course with the addition of a few AK-specific techniques, but that's just fine by me! Pat and his assistant instructors (Mark and Mike H.) ably managed the relays, and downtime was kept to a minimum. I did notice that a few things we did in the 2004 Carbine course were not done here, including 180-degree pivots, dynamic turns/pivots, alternative prone positions, and the pistol portion of the MEU(SOC) qualification. Of all those, the latter is the only thing I really "missed". The course description on EAG's web site calls for 250 rounds of pistol ammo, but I only fired 42. Pistol transitions are an important aspect of fighting with a carbine, and I wish we'd done more with them than just one drill on the second day. On the up-side, the fact that I never had to transition to the pistol outside of that drill means that my carbine was working and I was practicing good ammo management. ;-)
Coming in, my expectation was that I would learn some things, but the end result would be that taking an AK class would just make me appreciate my ARs that much more. While that is true to an extent, three days and 1170 rounds later, my competence and confidence with the AK system have increased exponentially. I found that I can shoot my AK-105 about as well as I can shoot my M4 – I just have to work harder to do it with the AK. It was, as always, a pleasure training with Pat and company, and alongside an outstanding group of guys. Thanks to Sheriff Ken and his crew, as well, for continuing to bring first-class training opportunities to central Indiana. I look forward to going back in July for the Carbine Operators course.
