By John Farnam
Ft Collins, CO –-(Ammoland.com)- From a friend with a big department:
“Not long ago, I supervised a standoff situation where our officers were placed in positions to engage a dangerous suspect. Several officers were armed with M4s. Bystanders were thickly mixed-in! Range to suspect was between 10 and 30m.
Happily, our situation was resolved without our officers having to shoot.
As a precaution, I asked all officers to report, with their red-dot-equipped M4s, to the range the following week. I set-up a situation with parer targets that exactly duplicated the situation with which were confronted a week earlier.
Given generous time, stable, braced firing positions, and stationary targets, not one of our officers was able to deliver required shots, even after several attempts!
When asked about sight settings and zeros, most officers were not prepared to answer definitively. Some didn’t even understand the question!
An examination of the M4s present revealed that, in most cases, the red dot and the back-up iron sights did not agree. Some were not even close!
Through rigorous training with much range time, we are aggressively addressing these issues.
Non-zeroed rifles in police service are a disaster, waiting to happen. I’ m thankful disaster didn’t happen to us,
… through no fault of our own!”
Comment:
The foregoing gaffes are all too common!
Police departments have rushed military rifles into service, often without necessary accouterments, nor necessary training. Some officers understand how to set-up and run these weapons, but many don’t.
Rifles can’t be “shared.” Sight settings are individual, and each officer must have absolute confidence in his, confirmed regularly on the range. Otherwise, the rifle is little more than a big and bulky pistol, with scant chance of ever positively contributing to any tactical situation.
/John
About John Farnam & Defense Training International, Inc
As a defensive weapons and tactics instructor John Farnam will urge you, based on your own beliefs, to make up your mind in advance as to what you would do when faced with an imminent and unlawful lethal threat. You should, of course, also decide what preparations you should make in advance, if any. Defense Training International wants to make sure that their students fully understand the physical, legal, psychological, and societal consequences of their actions or inactions.
It is our duty to make you aware of certain unpleasant physical realities intrinsic to the Planet Earth. Mr Farnam is happy to be your counselor and advisor. Visit: www.defense-training.com
Is that not the job of the police armorer? I know officers do, or should, have range time with their carbines but I doubt they have time to go zero them in. In the military, we would pick up our M4s and the armorer already had the iron sights zeroed and the red dots sighted and co-wittnesed.
WOW !!! This is just so wrong and confusing in many, many ways. This is basic knowledge and training. Who is setting the standards??? The Government, Fed and State, has standards for the average person to take a crap, let’s not even go there on business regulations, but not overall training standards and yearly qualifications for LEO ???? One would think that would be a nation wide standard. Not only that, all I hear is how much better trained a LEO is to carry a gun than a concealed carry person. I know, like any other situation, that some LEO… Read more »
I find it humorous that the article is titled: “Modern Sporting Rifles …” and the firearm pictured is a pistol. The author had a brain fart, no doubt.
After a Near Public Shooting Catastrophe I Recall an Article Years Ago About a Police Chief Immediately After the incident Conducting a Training Exercise Where He Required His Men to Run a Course and Then Stop and Fire at a Target both Stationary and Moving, to Which, None Hit Their Mark!!!
It that Case the Officers Were the Potential Killers, Not the Criminals!
Why do people who ought to know better still think that irons and optics need to ‘co-witness?’ The irons are zeroed at a given distance for use as iron sights. The optic is zeroed at a given distance to use the optic. Even if they are zeroed at the same distance, if you are shooting with the optic, IGNORE the irons. The aiming point of the optic is NOT a rear sight that you line up with the front iron sight, it is a standalone aiming point. You are defeating the purpose of the optic if you are just using… Read more »
It’s hard to imagine with the police having to operate in such a litigious society that they would not be concerned about the the aiming points of their duty rifles. If the rifles had been employed it sounds like there probably would have been collateral damage. If you’re going to carry a rifle make sure to check it periodically to make sure it’s accurate, lesson learned.
Many of you miss the obvious. 99% of LEO’s will never be in this situation so they become complacent in their equipment use training and maintenance. If the guys in question were in an area where they routinely used their long weapons they would have them cleaned sighted and ready but most never have a need to even open the trunk to make sure they have one let alone what condition it is in. Another issue is that since MOST departments do not use them often they position one or two per car but not issue one per officer so… Read more »
The picture at the head of this article does in fact look like the red dot is indeed co-witnessing the iron sights. It is the iron sights that are out of alignment.
It appears the red dot would be sitting right on top of the post if the post was in the middle of the rear sight and the top of the post and rear sight were at the same level.
Are these the people I am supposed to call if my life is in danger?
This article points to another scenario that can be just as bad in a real situation. Rifle manipulation. Given that this particular department’s officers did not comprehend how to zero their rifles, I would also bet many of them never practice how to clear stoppages or get the rifle back in the fight upon failure. Lack of familiarity will keep you on the X far too long. Yes, it would have been bad to have an incident where shots missed their intended target. It would also be just as bad to lose an officer or two because they stood confused… Read more »