After Action.net observed and photographed day one of the two-day Advanced Rifle Gunfighting course taught by Gabe Suarez of Suarez International, out of Prescott, Arizona, at the Casa Grande Police Range in January 2008. This was not a beginner class: every student had prior rifle training, and it showed in the pace and the professional atmosphere.
Course overview
- School: Suarez International, taught by Gabe Suarez
- Course: Advanced Rifle Gunfighting, the follow-on to the school’s Rifle Gunfighting course
- Location: Casa Grande Police Range, between Tucson and Phoenix
- Length: Two days
- Ammunition: about 750 rifle rounds minimum, plus 50 pistol rounds
- Required gear: any rifle suitable for use within 50 yards, with a sling; a pistol with two magazines, a belt, holster and pouches; eye and ear protection; knee and elbow pads strongly suggested
- Added material: small team tactics for two or three shooters, team immediate action and movement drills, the rifle as an impact weapon, airsoft rifle force on force, and gunfighting in and around vehicles
How day one ran
- Start: 9 a.m. sharp, about 40 degrees, warming to the mid-60s by early afternoon.
- Context first: Suarez opened with when and where a civilian might need rifle skills, and a discreet way to carry a rifle in urban settings.
- Zero: warm-up drills and a quick 25-yard zero. With experienced students and working gear, there were no surprises.
- Pace: brisk but nobody was left behind. Suarez taught without notes and built each skill on the last.
- Two groups: while one half shot, the other drank water and loaded magazines, which kept the class moving without wearing students out and made one-on-one coaching easy.
- Distances: mostly close-quarters work inside 25 yards, from very close combat to team tactics, plus retention and combative use of the rifle.
- Refined skills: students already knew how to move; now they learned where to move. They knew how to clear a malfunction; now they learned when to clear it and when to transition to the pistol instead.
The students and their gear
- All ages and professions: current law enforcement, prior military, a group from a New Mexico gun shop, students from California and the East Coast, and three students from Italy who had trained with Suarez there.
- Rifles: AK-47s, AR-15s, an AKS-74U, a full-auto MP5, an HK91 and even a Ruger 10/22.
- Gear: chest rigs, drop-leg pouches, and the school’s low-profile shoulder bag, which looks like a laptop or camera bag.
Observations
- Suarez explained the reasoning behind each choice, down to using photographic targets. That kind of insight only comes from attending a class.
- He stressed that a class does not replace training at home and at the local range.
- During breaks, students explained how the AR, AK and HK systems work and are maintained, which was useful for anyone who did not own all three.
- His style is professional and friendly, with strong opinions, plenty of laughs and techniques developed from real-world experience rather than the training range.
Takeaways
- Advanced classes move fast; arrive with your fundamentals and gear already sorted.
- Learn when to fix the rifle and when to go to the pistol.
- Continue with Day 2.
Originally published on After Action.net on January 30, 2008. Rebuilt from the archived report; the original photos were not preserved. See every class in the Training Log, or share your own training experience.
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