Training with the Ghost

Paratus Familia Blog

As I have mentioned before, it seems to me that there are two very distinct type of “Preppers” – those who want to buy all of the cool gear and talk about prepping, and those who want to get their hands dirty and REALLY prepare.  Sir Knight and I want to stand firmly in the latter classification.  And so, in that vein, numerous members of our little clan spent the weekend training with John Mosby, “The Ghost”, AKA xxxxx xxxxxxxx.  

John Mosby has what he calls a “Combat Rifle”.  This was a three day event, held in xxxxxxxxx, Idaho, commonly known as xxxx  xxxxxxxx, which included everything from dry fire drills and trigger controls to a live fire exercise in the dark.  We mentioned this class in “10 Things to do Until the Revolution“, and we knew we had to give it a try.

Acquiring a target while moving forward

First of all, let me say – this is like no class you have probably every attended.  Despite being hard work (12 hours days in biting wind and cold, and even snow) it was a tremendous experience.  If you are an expert at the “Fighting Carbine”, I almost guarantee you will learn something new in this class.  If you are a beginner, this will be more than instructive – it will be critical.  I believe, especially for the beginner, this course could very well safe your life and those of the people you love.

Runnin’ and Gunnin’

 

About the instructor:  This is a link to his website – Mountain Guerrilla.  When you read his blog, you’ll find that his language may not seem family friendly, however, when we took the course, there were several young “juniors” attending and no foul language.  Believe it or not, this is a family affair.  If your whole family has the notion, you can bring your wife and your children (of appropriate age).  John is very patient with children (the only shouting is over the sound of the shooting and he doesn’t do the whole “drill instructor” thing) and the other students are so pleased to have youth in their midst that they go out of their way to be kind and helpful.  Juniors come out of this class competent and confident in their handling of firearms.  Any exotic weapons brought to the class will be demonstrated and any interested parties will be allowed to examine the weapons and possibly fire them.

 

This isn’t Hollywood – you actually have to reload (on the fly)

 

A father encouraging his son

Suggested gear and equipment is listed on his blog as follows:

Combat Rifle: A three-day class designed to teach you the reality of fighting with the modern fighting rifle or carbine, at realistic combat ranges from 0-300+ meters, under combative conditions. You will learn to run your gun with or without optics, how to perform common combat weaponcraft tasks under stress, and how to keep your gun running in field environments. This will also cover the effective set-up of an effective and efficient fighting weapon.

Equipment requirements include:

Students provide their own ammo: 500-1000 rounds of rifle ammunition (more is recommended)  Editor’s Note:  Due to the price of ammunition, John has adjusted the round count on this training to 400 rounds per student.

Hardware – A functional and practical carbine or battle rifle chambered in a fighting caliber, with a mounted white light. If available, a spare weapon system is also an excellent idea. A cleaning kit and tools that are compatible with the weapon system(s) in question is also a must. Each student should have a minimum of 5 working magazines.

• Note pad, and pen/pencil
• Clothing suited to strenuous activity as well as being seasonally appropriate
• Rain gear / cold weather gear (seasonal)
• Ear pro (electronic preferred) / Eye pro
• Baseball style hat recommended
• Proper belt to support equipment
• Carbine magazine pouches, Battle belt, or Chest rig
• Tools that work on your weapon
• Weapons lube
• hydration
• Knee and elbow pads (optional)
• Gloves (optional)
• An open mind

A few notes on the gear list – gloves and knee pads are not optional!  You may also find that the gear you planned on using is wholly inadequate or does not fit properly or does not allow proper movement.  Prepare to rethink your gear in the middle of this class!  Another thing that is not optional is the open mind.  You must be willing to learn new methods and procedures.  If you have been to Appleseed or other traditional firearms courses that use “Camp Perry” style shooting, you are going to be shocked and amazed at your ability to acquire targets with the speed and accuracy learned through this course.

Transitioning to secondary weapon – pistol

 

 

xxxxxxx, where this class is facilitated, is primitive.  Bring toilet paper and your own e-tool.  Plan on bringing weather appropriate clothing and shelter and adequate food stuffs to last your three day excursion.  Facilities are rough but well worth the privation.

And then again, you may say, “We don’t want to travel to xxxxxxx, Idaho”.  Not to worry, John Mosby will come to you.  If you have a group or even a large family that would like to take this excellent rifle course, he will travel to you (for a fee, of course).  You will need to contact him directly for pricing and scheduling availability, although, I must admit, I found his prices to be more than fair.

I can’t express how much we enjoyed this course.  While the course itself was outstanding, the new skills are perishable.  Use them!  John will teach you what you need to know, but it is up to you to develop your skill.  Many of the drills can be conducted under dry-fire conditions, which should be used to improve trigger control.  One more important note – this class is about fundamentals of shooting.  Seal Team Six will not be calling you to sit in on one of their missions after three days at this class.  But, this course should not be missed if it can be helped.

As of Tuesday, I am still a little sore!  To quote John Mosby “Get that gun back in the fight!”.

http://www.paratusfamiliablog.com/2013/04/training-with-ghost.html