Buckeye Firearm Association's “Introduction to Tactical Rifle” course

All year long, Buckeye Firearms Association hosts fund-raiser events all across Ohio. Some of our most popular are of course our shooting events! You owe it to yourself to check our Events Page to see what events are still open for the remainder of 2015.

On June 27th, the instructors at PM Security/Tactical Weapons Training Group hosted another class in support of Buckeye Firearms Association at their range in Danville, Ohio. The course was the first of two held that weekend and was an Introduction to Tactical Rifle. The course covered everything the new owner/user of the AR-15 platform needs to know to start effectively using this or similar rifles in a close range tactical situation.

The day started wet and rainy, but 28 men and women put on rain gear, put up canopy shelters and got started learning. The first part of the instruction covered the dis-assembly/reassembly/lubrication and functional safety check of the AR15. This assured all of the rifles were properly assembled, lubricated and functional for the day. Along with step by step instruction in the complete field stripping of the rifle and dis-assembly of the bolt carrier group, discussion turned to useful optional and non-optional accessories for the AR platform. While the majority of the class came equipped with AR-15s, there were several AK47/74s and even one Springfield SOCOM-16 in .308.

Next up was zeroing of the rifles for a 50 yard zero. The rain moved out but a little mud remained as the shooters got out their mats to use the prone position for this important exercise. The 50 yard zero was accomplished by adjusting all the sights to group about 1.25 inches low at a distance of 25 yards. By using a 50 yard zero, the path of 5.56 round will only differ by up or down by a couple of inches from 0 to almost 300 yards.

After lunch, the zero was confirmed by moving back to 50 yards and making the last final adjustments before moving back up to the 25 yard line. From here the drills started with slow, simple up-down drills to get familiar with getting the rifle up on target, the safety off and one single precision shot on to target. As magazines ran dry, reloads were taught and practiced in the same manner, building perfect practice with each repetition.

The rest of the day consisted of more work from the ready position, with drills of multiple shots and then onto single and multiple shots on more than one target. Instructors were always close beside to help the students perfect their use of this fantastic rifle system.

Joe Eaton volunteers as Buckeye Firearms Association's Treasurer and as Program Director for Buckeye Firearms Foundation's FASTER Saves Lives school safety program.