Training With SWAT

[Jerry@TreeZoo]

This past Thursday, my son Danny and I were invited to join the Broward County Sheriff's SWAT team as they trained at the shooting range. I know a few of the deputies personally but Danny, who is a Captain in the BSO Explorers, knows a lot more.

We were told not to wear shorts or open toed shoes. Danny had an extra pair of "eyes" and "ears" for me to wear. That is inside talk for eye and ear protection, for dummies like me.

The range is inside of Markham Park, a very large regional county park set on the edge of the Everglades in west Broward. It is an open air facility available to civilians for pistols, rifles and shotguns. The SWAT Team has their own section cordoned off right next to the public range.

[Jerry@TreeZoo]

When we get into the SWAT range area, the first thing we notice is that most of the deputies are wearing shorts. Oh well, I guess they are allowed as they just finished their PT (Physical Training). We met my deputy friend and he introduced us around to the other team members. Danny and I were the only civilians there.

We quickly put on our eyes and ears and followed them out to the range for some close quarter shooting. For their own safety and operational security, most of the SWAT team does not want to be photographed so unfortunately I could only get a few pics of them in action. Here is a group of them firing their Colt Automatic Rifles.

This guy is the SWAT sharpshooter. Here he is firing his Colt AR with a suppressor on it. Most people call them "silencers" but they really are not silent and you cannot completely suppress the sound of a super sonic round like the 5.56 mm. All the other guys rifles were going BANG BANG BANG! While his was going POP POP POP.

Notice in the second picture the tan colored shroud over the suppressor was missing. These suppressors get so hot (about 900F) that the shroud expanded and fell off. He gingerly picked it up and tapped it back into place, explaining that without the shroud it would get so hot that it would instantly burn you or someone else. With the shroud you still get burned but you don't leave any skin behind.

[Jerry@TreeZoo]

Here you see Danny and I posing with the sharpshooter's sniper rifle.

That is a heavy rifle! At close to 15 lbs it is almost twice the weight of their regular Colt AR. This rifle has the same general architecture as the regular AR but everything is bigger, including the caliber, 7.62mm. The SWAT team had just trained with the Navy SEALs a few weeks before and in a head to head competition, this rifle proved more accurate than the Navy rifle.

[The Silent Seed]

Very cool little glimpse into a world we never see.

[DoomsDave]

Yes, do please tell us more.

[Jerry@TreeZoo]

Next, Danny and I got to shoot the little Colt AR. We each got one 30 round magazine for semi automatic fire and one 30 round magazine for fully automatic fire. Semi automatic means one bullet is fired for each squeeze of the trigger. Fully auto matic means it keeps firing as long as you hold the trigger down.

Here you see me with my bad form. This is not a good posture for firing and I did not realize it until I saw my picture.

Here is Danny with a little better posture. He is a better shooter than I am. You also see how close the SWAT guys are making sure we are safe and doing it right. My buddy is taking pictures, while Danny shoots the other guys rifle. We were about 25 yards from these steel plate targets, which is really not far but it is about the standard range that these weapons would be used. The gun has a short 10.5 inch barrel that is not available to the general public without special federal licensing. That is the same licensing you would need for a suppressor and a weapon able to shoot fully automatic.

[Jerry@TreeZoo]

These guns have a red dot sight on them, not just the old fashioned iron sights from the factory. A red dot sight is sort of like a mini telescope that looking through it, it puts a red dot on where the bullet should hit. When zeroed in it is very hard to miss with a red dot sight. Even I hit the target every time.

There is a switch on the side of the rifle, back is on safe, down is single fire and forward is automatic fire. Here is Danny shooting fully auto. Notice the three empty cartridges in the air at the same time. Notice also his posture, you really have to lean into the weapon on fully auto because of the recoil. Notice that the rifle is not level but shooting up. He is way off target. When we shot, we were instructed to shoot for short bursts of 3 or 4 rounds until we see how the rifle acts. Then we could shoot for long bursts. Let me tell you that on fully auto, you are only on target for the first round or two. After that it is just for fun as you are wasting ammunition. You have to be well trained to hold a fully auto rifle on target.

The SWAT guys almost never go fully automatic. It is more accurate single fire (so you shoot bad guys not nearby innocent civilians) and you don't waste ammo if you get into a long firefight. They usually carry 2 or 3 extra 30 round magazines with them so if you kept it on fully auto you would be shooting off target for the most part and be out of ammo in under a minute. The fully auto shooting is for bad guys who don't know what they are doing and to make movie stars look cool.

[Jerry@TreeZoo]

Now shooting is fun, but I have shot guns before. What was really interesting was watching the SWAT guys train and then listening to the instructors critique them afterward. Let me tell you that was an eye opening treat for me.

All of these guys are fully committed to serious action in the defense of the public and their fellow deputies. They are all physically fit, mostly young men but not all young. Some with crazy beards and tattoos, some with mean looking scars, some looking like your next door neighbor or an insurance salesman.

The instructors pulled up the cardboard targets they were shooting at. "Always try to get two shots to the body and one shot to the head", they would explain. Make sure your target is dead. They also pointed out other areas of the body to shoot and what to expect as a result. "If you shoot a bad guy in the hip, their pelvis will shatter. That is the super structure for standing and that makes them fall and usually takes them out of the fight". And " A shot in the Baby-Maker will usually take them out also". Ewww.

[MattyB]

I did some "training" this weekend too. Casper Van Dien had to pull me out of a burning vehicle. I think I lived.

[Jeff Searle]

Off to the nursery this morning with all four grandchildren. Yes, that means I'm babysitting for the entire day, probably about 91 or 92 degrees out today. No swimming pool at the nursery. I hope I will survive!

Jerry....a great topic and yes, something we don't see or hear about too often. Thanks, I enjoyed all the pictures.

[DoomsDave]

Thanks Jerry that was very interesting. It's been a while since I've been on a range, and never with a full auto.

Do please share again!

[Jerry@TreeZoo]

The best part was when they ran a drill. They had two teams of four, one drilled while the other was in the parking area so as not to see what was going on. When the first team finished the drill and critique, the second team came in to run it again.

The scenario was that a deputy was shot in the leg and sheltering behind his car. The four had to enter the open range under fire, go to two places of cover, then aid the fallen deputy about 50 yards away and bring him to safety.

The four round the corner and come into the open range when the instructor yells out, "Bang, bang bang!" Indicating they were under fire from the bad guys. The four immediately start running and gunning, going to the first place of cover, 4 blue 55 gallon drums. Then they headed over to the second cover, more blue drums, all the while still engaging the steel plate bad guys. "Bang, ping! Bang ping! Bang ping!" Finally they get to the fallen deputy, who was in fact one of the instructors. One deputy put a tourniquet on his thigh while two more engaged the steel plates. The fourth remained at cover station number two keeping the target steel busy.

The "downed" deputy was in a lot of pain from his wound and was fighting his rescuers. Finally, with the tourniquet in place, one deputy spun his fallen comrade around on the ground, grabbed the handle on the back of his tactical vest and started dragging him to safe cover. Twenty feet on, he is joined by another deputy helping him drag their fellow deputy to safety. When at last they were behind another vehicle and the final two deputies joined them the drill ended.

Then came the critique.

The practice car the downed deputy was rescued from.