Training opens at Ridgeline Defense in northern New Hampshire, where Surefire showcases its new RC3 silencer on BCM 11.5–12 inch carbines. Instructors outline the day-one curriculum: confirm zero, evaluate how the RC3 shoots versus the established RC2, and then progress into shooting on the move, heavy prop-line use, and fighting around vehicles. The range is built with realistic, non-standard barricades—tunnels, rock piles, gates, fences, telephone poles, and flipped cars—rather than simple square range walls. Initial live fire is prone, with the host sending the first 10 rounds through the RC3 and noting its reduced back pressure design, advertised at roughly 60% less than traditional cans. Early impressions highlight comfort and controllability. Instructors then set up a structured cadence drill on circular and numbered targets, planning to progress from one-second splits to half-second and quarter-second splits while reinforcing safe gun handling and managing height over bore at close distances.
The cadence block begins with one-second splits on circular targets, forcing shooters to deliberately acquire a clean sight picture for each shot. Students then move to numbered rectangles, engaging them in ascending and descending sequences like 1–5 and 5–1. Throughout, instructors stress height over bore awareness and consistent weapon handling. Cadence increases to half-second splits, with a verbal rhythm—“and one and two…”—to help time shots. Shooters are coached to move their eyes first, then let recoil help drive the gun between targets, braking just enough to avoid overshooting. Finally, quarter-second splits are introduced, clearly opening up groups and demanding tighter recoil control and faster sight alignment. After examining targets from each cadence, instructors explain how speed magnifies errors but also reveals whether shooters are truly tracking their sights. The segment closes with positive performance feedback and specific praise for the Surefire RC3’s comfort and minimal gas blowback before transitioning into low-ready work.
Instruction shifts to foundational rifle handling with the Surefire RC3-equipped carbines. The low-ready stance is broken down: weight slightly forward, knees bent, toes pointed toward the target, and the support hand actively pulling the rifle into the shoulder. Shooters are cautioned against over-gripping with the firing hand, which can cause trigger freeze and disturb the sight picture. Using 3-inch dot targets, the class confirms mechanical offset at close range. Students first hold center on the dot, then at the top of the circle, and finally mirror the initial impact above the circle to visualize height over bore. Timed strings are run down a column of dots with progressively tighter par times, reinforcing precise holds and trigger control. The instructor then introduces the high ready or strike ready position, explaining its advantages around vehicles, barricades, brush, or water. Buttstock placement and indexing the support-hand index finger along the rail are emphasized for rapid eyes–muzzle–target alignment.
Rifle handling continues with a lower ready position where the buttstock rides under the arm, allowing quick presentation without flagging non-threat areas. Students practice indexing the support hand along the rail and presenting the rifle by leading with the eyes, then punching the gun out while pivoting on the foot closest to the target. Pivot drills from various starting orientations build the habit of moving the eyes first, then the muzzle, while maintaining safe arcs. Instructors revisit height over bore, discussing how point of impact shifts from close distances out to 100 yards and why a 100-yard zero is a practical baseline. A multi-target sequence—1-2-1-3-1-4-1-5-1-4-1-3-1-2-1—develops target-to-target transitions, using recoil to drive the gun back to nearer targets. The segment culminates in a direct comparison between SureFire RC2 and RC3 suppressors on identical 11.5" BCM rifles, noting differences in sound, gas blowback, and ejection pattern, and explaining how reduced gas can slow bolt speed and lessen sight disturbance.
Instructors explain how increased gas in an AR-15, especially when suppressed, raises bolt carrier velocity and creates more visual disturbance in the optic. This is particularly noticeable with magnified sights, where excessive bolt speed can make tracking the reticle between shots harder and lengthen split times. The class then works standing-to-prone transitions, emphasizing keeping eyes on target, driving the rifle down under control, and using the magazine as a monopod for stability. Shooters are coached to ensure the reticle returns to the original point of aim for rapid follow-up shots and to perform safety checks when getting back up. Zeroing adjustments are briefly covered, with the optic’s click value identified as a quarter inch per click and specific elevation and windage corrections called out. The Surefire RC3’s gas behavior in prone is discussed; gases reflect off the ground but remain relatively manageable compared to higher-back-pressure cans. Stability principles are tied to body height off the ground, leading into sling-supported kneeling at 50 yards.
Focus turns to improving stability from kneeling and standing at 50 yards using a two-point adjustable sling. The instructor demonstrates a Tek 10-style sling mounted near the rear of the rail and receiver, showing how cinching it tight to the body creates a more rigid connection between shooter and rifle. Several methods for managing sight wobble are introduced. One technique twists the support and firing hands in opposite directions, like wringing a towel, to counteract figure-eight wobble patterns. Another uses a subtle “butt tug” squeeze with the firing hand, allowing the reticle to settle through the target before breaking the shot. Students see how sling tension aids recoil recovery and keeps the Surefire RC3-equipped rifle steadier on target. These concepts set the stage for more dynamic work, where maintaining a controlled wobble zone becomes critical as shooters begin moving and firing under time pressure.
The class progresses into shooting on the move, starting with footwork. Instructors coach shorter, narrower steps and a heel-to-toe gait to keep the rifle more stable while walking. Timed pair drills from standing and kneeling reinforce quick sight acquisition and recoil control at 50 yards. The zipper drill is introduced: shooters start low on the target and allow the rifle to climb rounds up through center mass, learning to manage vertical recoil while maintaining acceptable accuracy. Scoring from a previous movement stage is reviewed using A-zone and head hits, with an 80-point goal. The narrator’s run scores 76 due to a couple of pulled shots, but consistent T-box head hits demonstrate the capability of the BCM15 rifle, Surefire RC3 suppressor, and Aimpoint optic combination. This segment ties together movement, cadence, and recoil management, showing how earlier fundamentals translate into performance under scoring and time constraints.
Training shifts to a one-reload-five drill that forces problem-solving around cover. Shooters start with one round in the chamber and an empty magazine, fire, then perform a reload and fire five more rounds. Emphasis is placed on changing sides, heights, and positions behind a barrel or barricade so the shooter never reappears from the same spot twice, reducing predictability to a threat. This leads into a broader discussion of using cover intelligently rather than simply hiding behind it. Instructors introduce three primary positional shooting fundamentals: low kneeling, high kneeling, and standing. Students are taught to get square behind the rifle, align shoulders, hips, and toes with the target, and establish natural point of aim. Hand placement on the rifle and prop is checked to ensure the gun points naturally at the target without muscular strain, laying groundwork for more advanced barricade and vehicle-based shooting.
Natural alignment is verified by having shooters remove the firing hand from the pistol grip and confirm that both hands still line up on the rifle, indicating a true natural point of aim. High kneeling positions are compared: double-knee kneeling offers stability but can limit mobility, while single-knee kneeling maintains recoil control and allows faster transitions between targets or positions. The instructor demonstrates wrapping the support hand and sling around the magwell or barricade to create sling tension, effectively locking the rifle and shooter into a more unified, stable system when shooting off props. This technique reduces wobble and helps manage recoil with the Surefire RC3-equipped carbine. Around vehicles, students learn to use wheels, rims, and rotors as effective cover against skip rounds and to manage height over bore by matching barrel and optic angles to the edge of cover, minimizing the risk of striking the vehicle.
Vehicle-based tactics are explored in depth. Shooters practice rolling the rifle sideways to reduce exposure over the hood and employing a reverse kneeling technique to shoot under a car while keeping most of the body behind cover. The instructor contrasts this with a preferred "SPU prone" or superman-style prone that maintains a low profile while ensuring the ejection port stays clear and functional. Safety considerations are highlighted, including the risk of unprotected skin contacting hot vehicle surfaces and causing minor burns. The focus then shifts to a steel target sequence where shooters engage numbered steel plates in order, emphasizing wide transitions and leading with the eyes before driving the gun. The drill culminates with a required head shot in the red zone on target 13, demanding precise control after rapid lateral movement. These exercises integrate cover use, body positioning, and target transitions under realistic conditions.
Instructors brief an urban assault course designed to test all previously learned skills. Shooters must fire from marked positions between barrels, inside a bunker, and in and around conx towers, following a prescribed movement path. Designated red-head and IPSC-style targets are engaged with up to two shots each before moving on, and hostages must be strictly avoided. Time pressure is built in, with a requirement to complete the course efficiently and finish with an unload-and-show-clear. During a guided run, an instructor walks a shooter through the complex stage, calling out target locations, required hit counts, and engagement order. Directions include shooting between specific barrels, prioritizing numbered targets, and managing angles around cover. The shooter is reminded to engage a mover only when it passes between steel targets one and two, then transition through a sequence of static targets, confirming multiple hits on designated plates.
The final segment focuses on mover engagement and after-action feedback. Shooters are coached to time shots on the moving target as it passes between steel targets one and two, then quickly transition back to static plates, confirming required hits. After the run, instructors critique a common error: allowing the suppressor or muzzle device to contact barricades and props. This contact caused significant point-of-impact shifts and high misses, underscoring the importance of keeping the Surefire RC3 and other muzzle devices clear of hard surfaces. Overall performance is praised for speed and effectiveness, with most students achieving hits within one to two seconds at sub-200-yard distances using a 100-yard zero. Instructors emphasize that within this realistic threat weapon space, speed to the first accurate hit is critical, and the day’s curriculum—from cadence drills to vehicle work—was designed to build that capability with suppressed AR-15 carbines.
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