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Today's Citizen's Police Academy Alumni Association meeting was at the Beaumont Police range. The FATS machine was set up and running and those of us brave enough went through the live fire house for some force on force with simunition. Folks, this is the closest thing to a real gunfight that I ever want to be in.

For those who don't know, simunition is a low powered training ammunition that only works in specially modified guns. They use the primer for propellant and it sends a soap filled plastic bullet out at around 500 feet per second. They will leave a mark when they hit and leave a spot of colored soap on your clothes. We were using full protective gear face, neck, chest and groin protectors. A long sleeve sweat shirt was recommended as were gloves. The guns were Glock 17.

In the first scenario there was a man with a gun at a public building my partner and I went in as we heard shots being fired and a man screaming in pain. We found the BG with his victim on the floor holding his gun to his head. We told him to drop the gun and he starts shooting at us. I got hit in the arm but kept firing until I expended my ammo and the BG went down. My partner was behind cover and got several hits without getting hit himself

The second scenario was a domestic disturbance where the male subject pulled a gun shot the female and turned the gun on us. I took a hit to my left hand but peppered the BG with the little soap capsules. Pard didn't get hit and fired several shots that hit the BG.

What did I learn? Cover is your friend. A situation can go south on you in a heartbeat. You don't notice the pain till the fight is over. You don't hear the gunfire or any thing around you while shooting. Don't quit shooting till the BG is down. Oh yes, put the big guy in front!!! My partner managed to keep from being hit in #2 by hiding behind me!

I will remember to get behind the big guy. Interesting post.

Great report MoJo! Thanks for sharing!

Was that a one time deal for you, or are you able to run through that course periodically? That would be some fantastic training!

I got to help with SWAT training with our local PD as part of our CPA Alumni Association. It was fun, educational, and truly drives home the point of cover. I had a nice triangular bruise right over the X-ring on my chest when I got nailed. I was a BG in that scenario, and from the time the team made entrance into the room until I was getting nailed seemed to be just fractions of a second.

Kind of like hiking in bear country -- ALWAYS make sure you hike with a partner (that runs slower than you ).

I shot my roommate in the head when we were doing some active shooter training in an old school with sims. Reality check for sure.

He entered my lane of fire as I was engaging a target. However, he was in front of me so I shouldve had better weapon discipline and self control - great learning experience. Luckily all he got was a welp and an excuse to cuss at me.

Had it been real that would've been bad......

joe817 wrote:Great report MoJo! Thanks for sharing!

Was that a one time deal for you, or are you able to run through that course periodically? That would be some fantastic training!

We get to do stuff like this about once a year mostly it's FATS this was the first time with Sims.

Thanks for posting MoJo!! Did you notice any changes in your vision during the scenarios? How fast was your heart rate?

We'll be using marking rounds & role players in the upcoming ShivWorks classes in Oct. & Dec. You really get challenged to improvise solutions when role players are added in.

fm2 wrote:Thanks for posting MoJo!! Did you notice any changes in your vision during the scenarios? How fast was your heart rate?

We'll be using marking rounds & role players in the upcoming ShivWorks classes in Oct. & Dec. You really get challenged to improvise solutions when role players are added in.

"Tunnel vision" set in at the first bang each time - - - all peripheral vision was gone. I didn't notice an appreciable increase in heart rate but I wasn't checking either. I don't remember seeing the sights but, I must have used them there were nice groups on each BG.

Something else, anyone who thinks IDPA will prepare them for a real world deadly force situation is sadly mistaken. IDPA is a GAME we play with guns there weren't any rules here except for safety and we couldn't engage until engaged. The BG got the first shot. It's hard to catch up when you are already behind the curve.

Simunitions - a taste of real life criminal combat without the lead aftertaste.

In my LEO training a few years ago we experienced a simunitions scenario of a disturbance call into a living room with drunks, armed with hidden weapons. Shot one BG and got shot. High tension - with great relief when over - and a lot wiser for dealing with life-threatening situations. A great experience!

A couple of months ago I got the opportunity to participate in an active shooter school using simunitions. The setting was an elementary school located in my patrol beat (double good for me). I took a graze wound to the arm due to a mistake I made using cover. We used the Glock 17 blue guns and had to do alot of wall wiping after each scenario. Being a huge fan of the 17 and a fan of practicing malfunction drills it was a good day for me. The training was great!

Jason

I'm surprised you didn't stand outside and curse and berate them until it broke their will.

Tactic works so well for you as Rangemaster.