After Action Report: BFA's Low-Light/Flashlight class

Being the training coordinator for BFA gives me the opportunity to take some of the classes in which I schedule. I don’t participate in every class we have, but I always load up the magazines and make sure I have plenty of CR123 batteries for low-light/flashlight classes.

So many times the self-defense carrier goes to the square, indoor range and practices the things that they are good at, in a sterile environment, standing in one place. What is the likelihood of being attacked in those perfect conditions? A snowball’s chance! Shooting with a flashlight in the dark combines so many critical, often not practiced, skills to bear that I jump at every chance to get good training and practice in those arts: Dominant one- handed shooting, weak one-handed shooting, reloads while having a flashlight in one hand and your pistol in the other.

The last BFA event of the year was the Low-Light/Flashlight class put on by Slytac/The Farm. This is the fourth event of the year at this venue and each has proved to be a fantastic day of training at a first rate venue. Slytac is run by Sylvester Pocious, a former Marine Gunnery Sgt and military contractor, and caters to law enforcement and specialized military units. His facility is located approximately ten minutes north of Sparta, Ohio and is centrally located minutes from I-71/Rt- 36. The venue is thoughtfully organized with all-weather clubhouse, two 75yd x 25yrd pistol bays, a 200yd x 75yd multipurpose range, and a one-story, multi-room 360 degree shoot house.

Training started with a necessary skull session on firearm do’s and don’ts, first aid and cadre introductions. Next Sly covered the pluses and minuses of the myriad of flashlight/pistol techniques (Harries, Surefire/Chapman, FBI, Neck Index, etc), but he stressed that in the end everybody chooses the technique that works best for them. Personally the two that I use are the FBI-Modified and the neck index. The FBI/m I use when I am in search mode because the flashlight is kept away from my body with an outstretched arm and is constantly in motion, either up or down. I like this as my search technique because if the bad guy takes a shot in the dark he will likely not have a flashlight and will be shooting at what he perceives as my body behind the source of light. If my light is off to the side then I am less likely to take inbound rounds and be able to return accurate fire. When I have verified a hostile target and I know I need to put rounds downrange to stop the threat I generally revert to the neck index, which places the light near my jaw and all the important elements are in alignment: eyes, light, pistol.

It was stressed in class that regardless of the technique you use, what is of the utmost importance is light discipline. Do not be a bullet magnet by keeping your light constantly on like a cub scout in the forest! If in search mode, slash (like a sword) with the flash light on, get a look at your surroundings, turn it off then move away from the direction you slashed. Another important aspect of light discipline is not blinding yourself and or targeting yourself by illuminating walls that reflect the light back on you. The last important point I pulled from the session, out of many, is the shortcomings of using a weapon-mounted light when in search mode. If your searching for the bump-in-the-night in a house occupied by other adults or children keeping odd hours, you may be illuminating them with the muzzle of your pistol. Now you have broken one of the major rules of firearms safety. Do weapon lights have a place and purpose? Yes, but just realize that while it helps when shooting, it poses issues if you use it to search.

Range time started by shooting at dots at 15 feet as a warm up. Two-handed, one-hand strong, one-hand weak. Next we split up into three groups to focus on three different skill stations: One station practiced different light/pistol techniques. A second had large pieces of plywood set on stands that allowed students to treat them as left/right barriers. The third introduced the concepts of clearing a building. All these skill stations were worked during daylight hours so instructors could correct as needed and the students could gain confidence in shooting with one hand while having a flashlight in the other.

After supper and once it was dark, we were split into two groups: One group went to the pistol bay and did a reverse ‘walkback’ where the firing line started at the 25ft line and shot at their respective target using whatever light hold they wished. The line the walked forward to the 20, 15, 10 and then stopped at the five foot line. At the five foot line no flashlights were used - just iron sights/night sights. Having night sights at this point really paid off, but honestly most folks would be able to get good torso hits without them. The other group had to run a IDPA-like scenario that had numerous vehicle, numerous hostiles, and numerous “no-shoots” that were in between you and the goal of saving a family member. The drill began with the good guy/girl behind the wheel of their car. On the command “fight” they were to engage numerous targets in front of the car, through the windshield or from outside the car. Next, after exiting the vehicle, you had to search with your flashlight high and low while maintaining effective cover and not lighting yourself up from your own light reflecting off of surfaces. It was very fun, but very stressful, because we are generally not used to operating in the dark with a firearm. But in my opinion, this skill is critical to have in your defensive toolbox.

The instructors, content and venue are all top-notch! Instructors were all very patient and empathetic to all the students while making things fun and safe. We will have many more events at “The Farm” for 2017 so make sure you check the BFA Events page often. Coming soon will be a Partners/Couples class, Intro. Defensive Shotgun and Building/House Search Skill Builder in addition to the regular compliment of classes. Two thumbs up to the crew and instructors at The Farm.

Click Lake is a Buckeye Firearms Association Leader and Training Coordinator.