[Pat Rogers]

EAG conducted a Carbine Operator’s course at the Boone County Sheriff’s Department Range in Lebanon, IN. We have been teaching here for a long time, and it remains one of my favorite places to teach.

WX is always a concern, and we had some worries about what we would be getting into. The feelings of dread were not made better as we came down I-70 and looked at all of the new rice paddies adjacent to the highway.
Fortunately, Sheriff Ken Campbell used his Sheriff superpowers to arrange for good WX, and it was spectacular- lows in the 50’s, high in the 70’s. We had an Arizona monsoon- 11 second of drizzle, at the very end of T3, from the only dark cloud in the sky.

The class population was fairly typical- SWAT cops, USG, and average earth people, with ages from 16 (with Dad, brother and sister) to 54. Most were from IN, but also a loud contingent from MI, as well as IL and VA.

This class was unusual in that we had almost zero equipment issues. One Sig 552 went down w/ a broken recoil spring, and one AR had an extractor issues. There were some mag issues with the host agency SWAT team, but Paul Buffoni generously supplied me with spare magazines just for this purpose. Problem solved.
An uber mag also took a dump. What a surprise….
We had 3 eo’s in the class, and for the first time in a long time, none of them puked. Of course, none of the Aimpoints had a problem- then again, I can’t remember the last time we had one of them go down.
A few weren’t clued in to proper lubrication, but that is self correcting……

One shooter once more brought an M1A with a Ned Christiensen modified flash suppressor. Rick is a very accomplished shooter, with a lot of time on this gun, and he makes it sing. The M14 is not among my favorite platforms, but Rick had no problem keeping up/ passing anyone else in the class.
Shooting is different from fighting with a gun. One student was very experienced as a hunter and plinker, and his marksmanship was excellent. He struggled through manipulation and movement, and at the end of the class made great strides in getting up to speed.
His efforts underline the need for training. Anyone who believes that the mere possession of a firearm is a solution to a real problem is smoking crack. Sometimes people can miracle their way through a fight, but Divine Intervention is not a TTP.

Thanks to Mike and Mark Hueser for their hard work. Of course big thanks to Donna for all of the hard work behind the screen. If she wasn’t doing that, I wouldn’t be doing this.
Thanks as well the Sheriff Campbell and the Boone County SD for their terrific attitude towards guns in general, and training in particular. Ken is a good friend from a long time back, but he is also a terrific cop.
Kudos to Bravo Company USA, Larue Tactical, Tactical Springs, Viking Tactics, Blue Force Gear, Slip 2000 and Magpul- who supplies a PMAG for each student.
We appreciate your continued support!