PMCI - May 2021

Afterwards, our instructors discuss the responsibilities and
laws governing carry a firearm in our state or host state when
traveling. Then its only to stage one of the simulator training
with the Judgmental & Marksmanship program. This is the
series of ten marksmanship training drills that comes with the
base Smokeless Range system when you purchase it from Laser
Ammo. Beginning with Target Shooting module, this presents a
static target in which you can change the distance (depth in feet
/ yards) as well as a selection of targets from silhouettes, IDPA,
human form and threat targets to train with. Once students get
comfortable with proper sight picture, sight alignment, trigger
press for pistol, shotgun, or rifle platforms they may be using,
we transfer to the other programs.
These vary from shooting clay pigeons to transitioning
targets to keep students’ eyes and sights moving. The Can Toss
involves tin cans lofted into the air at intervals for shooters to
try and time the arc of movement to achieve solid hits. This
challenges students early into the training to follow the cans
with their eyes and process whether they wish to track or
“ambush” the intended target. Moving into the Speed Drill gets
those trigger fingers really working as students cycle from red
“shoot” targets and black “no shoot” targets as fast as possible
from stage to state under a set time for score.
The Speed Drill and the Dueling Tree program really get
students stirred up and the competitive juices flowing. The key
to these drills is to not only get a student’s blood flowing but
their brain quickly processing. The best part of the Dueling Tree
program is twofold. First, allows students to see how fast they
are compared to another live human being. Secondly, it helps
them understand that when shooting quickly, how important
hits count more so than speed. This is an imperative concept to
remember when in an actual gunfight.
The most appropriate ending to this group of stages is the
Match Target Drill. As the stage starts, a specific-colored shape
flashes onto the screen below a group of other shapes and
colors.
The shooter must identify and acquire the corresponding
match as quickly as possible and place a shot onto target.
Students are scored on their response time, misses and wrong
selections. This is another value training aid to impress upon the
students to never let their trigger fingers outrun their brain.
Once fundamentals are hitting their stride, the Open Range
series of programs offers more speed and precision from stages
featuring turning targets, steel plates and even zombies. Hostage
“shoot / no shoot” targets like the Angry Peacock drill and
“Smoke and Hope” steel plate challenges are great for pushing
speed and accuracy to the limits. There are also military M4
rifle target stages added into the 2.0 version to keep those rifle
skills sharp. The accompanying Open Range Editor feature allows
the end user to even add custom targets to be downloaded for
use such as the dreaded Dot Torture drill and our company’s
challenging STG Warm Up drill. All drills are a natural skill builder
for the final program we use for class called the Video Scenario
Trainer aka VST Pro.
The VST Pro offers over 65 live video scenarios that can be
manipulated by the system operator to change in script using
“hot keys” based on the student’s success or failure in verbal
commands. This helps make scenarios new and fresh when ran
multiple times. Scenes including road rage, domestic violence,
armed robbery, and more play out in real time as each student
determines their appropriate response. Not only does this really
bring prospective to how fast the world can turn upside down,
but it also reinforces the reality that often just being a good
witness is the best option in civilian encounters. The range of
emotion and action / inaction observed during this stage of the
course has been truly educational as an instructor.
FINAL THOUGHTS
With over US$5000 personally invested in equipment, Smokeless
Range software and accessories, the truth is, this is not a cheap
training option. However, the reality of what caliber of training
the Smokeless Range offers is head and shoulders above other
items on the market. The only comparable training simulator
on the market is used by military and law enforcement only
and involves a tractor trailer to make it mobile and starts at
approximately US$20,000.
As for the benefits of simulation versus live fire, I have
learned from working with the Smokeless Range there is a lot
of quality training for all skill levels that can be done off a live
fire range. Some of the benefits involve aspects that are simply
not as safe to practice with live fire initially if at all. After each
round a student runs, the class can walk through either the skill
challenge or video scenario and discuss techniques and decisions
made to improve group performance. Teachable moments for
an instructor to use can be rare. As I found with the simulator,
challenges can provide a higher volume of these value aspects
of training.
For those wishing to simply improve accuracy and speed
for competition purposes rather than self-defense, the IPSC
Competitive Shooter program recently purchased as an add-on
works great. This program offers ten challenging stages of steel
plates, swinging cardboard IPSC and IDPA targets as well as the
dreaded Texas Star. With the stages being times scored on misses,
hits, and aggregate time, it has appealed to the full spectrum
of shooters who have worked with it. Most importantly, this has
appealed to non-shooters and kids alike. My own daughters who
are 7 and soon to be 5 years old have continually worked with
this program. Their skills have improved immensely in just a
short period of time by keeping them challenged and tuned into
training. As a parent, just seeing what the system has done for
my kids’ confidence and firearms proficiency in training without
treating it like a video game has been worth the investment
alone. As an instructor and training counselor, what the results
have shown with being an amazing training aid for teaching our
STG methodology and mindset have been equally impressive.
In short, the Smokeless Range helped our company and
students defeat the fallout of COVID-19, let it help you and others
defeat your opposition with its wide range of skill building and
decision-making challenges. To find out more about the studies
and amazing research published by some of the world’s top
resources on the benefits of use of force simulation training and
the Smokeless Range, visit www.Laser-Ammo.com to download
data from Carleton University, the Interpol Police Training Journal
and FLETC Journal. Search from all the great training products
from the simulator options to training accessories offered to
help build your skills or the skills of your students. If carrying
a firearm is part of your everyday personal or professional
life, your time and money are well spent on training with the
Smokeless Range platform. Until next issue, keep your
batteries fresh and your mind sharp!
SMOKELESS RANGE
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