President Biden famously said, “You don’t need an AR-15. It’s harder to aim. It’s harder to make use of. And, in reality, you don’t need 30 rounds to guard yourself. Buy a shotgun.” He continued, “If there’s ever an issue, just walk out on the balcony here … put that double-barreled shotgun, just walk out on the balcony and fire two blasts outside the home.” Politics aside, we shouldn’t must let you know that is bad advice — in any defensive shooting situation, you’ll must account for every round you fire, so blindly slinging buckshot off the porch is a terrible idea. Furthermore, I’d argue that a 30-round capability, semi-automatic, low-recoil carbine is in reality a wonderful selection for home defense. However, simply placing an low-profile carbine by your bedside isn’t enough to be fully prepared. If your carbine is your first-line defensive tool, you need to also train with that carbine. More importantly, your training needs to be realistic to the scenario.
Rogue Methods is a training company founded by U.S. Army veteran and former Chicago PD undercover officer Raul Martinez Jr. — you possibly can read more about him in my Spotlight interview inside this issue. Martinez goals to offer courses that teach realistic fighting skills, moderately than the flat-range-focused, technical shooting skills present in many other courses. I recently attended Rogue Methods’ Low-Profile Carbine class, which takes a singular approach to teaching defensive carbine skills.
Above: Martinez’s own carbine of selection is a Cobalt Kinetics 11.5-inch SBR equipped with an Aimpoint Micro red dot.
The class began with a segment on a subject Martinez addresses in every considered one of his courses: first aid. Each student practiced applying a C-A-T tourniquet to their very own limbs and to other students’ limbs. For the latter, we wrapped excess strap across the windlass to forestall quick removal — tourniquets are painful, and victims may attempt to loosen them, resulting in preventable fatalities.
Next, Martinez discussed carbine setup. He covered topics including red dot brightness, cheek weld (bring the sight to your eye, not vice versa), stock position, grip (don’t break it whenever you’re working the selector), and sling configuration (something you possibly can “swim out” of quickly to reposition). Speaking of slings, we removed them from our carbines at this point, since Martinez wanted us to get used to the sensation of using them in a “grab and go” bedside gun configuration. We also didn’t wear battle belts or chest rigs filled with mags, since that’s not gear you’re prone to be wearing in a spur-of-the-moment self-defense incident. We loaded one mag into the gun, dropped a spare right into a pocket, and stepped onto the range.
Each student worked in three- to five-round strings, learning to reset the trigger quickly under recoil and adjust point of impact based on optical offset at close range. We practiced the three ready positions — low ready, high ready, and muzzle up (aka high port) — to get a feel for the situational pros and cons of every. For example, the latter could be crucial to maintain the muzzle pointed away from bystanders or relations in tight spaces. A wide range of drills were conducted between 10 and 30 yards, leading us to differ our shooting cadence based on distance and goal size. Accuracy and shot accountability were repeatedly emphasized, because as I discussed earlier, you’re legally and morally answerable for every round you fire. That said, Martinez didn’t expect perfection from students, and reminded us that an efficient hit remains to be an efficient hit even when it’s barely off-center. The key’s the flexibility to get those hits on demand, under stress, and quickly enough to stay unharmed by an attacker.
Above: Martinez gave one-on-one advice to every student regarding grip, stance, and carbine setup at first of the category.
Additional layers of difficulty were added as we walked and ran between positions and worked around barricades. We learned the way to move swiftly as much as cover, staying back far enough to totally extend the gun. To lean out from behind cover, the leading foot is planted, and body weight is shifted over that foot like the start of a lunge, yielding improved stability. Multiple targets were added to the combo, in addition to “no shoot” targets, since Martinez emphasized that having enough restraint to know when not to shoot is critical.
I actually enjoyed this Low-Profile Carbine class, and it served as a very good reminder in regards to the intricacies of coaching for home defense. For more information on upcoming Rogue Methods classes, go to rogue-methods.com.
