The November Veritac DSTO Course was well attended, with 13 shooters getting some top notch instruction, as well as an opportunity for a lot of practice. A huge ‘thank you’ to Dan and Audry, for help with the ATS vehicle. In addition, a number of participants were out only for the Friday night Stop The Bleed course, and elected to stay for the follow on Tactical Medicine module, a nice adjunct to their learning experience.

November’s ATS day had 5 advanced shooters out, and a couple of observers/ volunteers to work as props, for some of the more advanced drills. The ATS cadre used this shoot as a trial run of the new format we will test drive for the January/ February ATS days.

The first 1//2 of ATS days will consist of those qualified to run advanced blue gun drills (Veritac alumni of the SFTP-3 or DSTO course, or other preapproved equivalent training), 0830- 1000hrs, followed by 2 hours of live fire advanced drills, wrapping up at 1200 hrs. This will be followed by the regular ATS portion of the day, 1230 to 1430/1500 hrs.

December’s shoot is an abbreviated closed shoot, for the advanced ATS regulars; blue gun drills in the AM, followed by live fire to 1200hrs. There is no charge for this ATS day, and Igor will be hosting the practice. Drop in observers welcome.

Sunday, 22 December, Veritac DSTO and SFTP-3 Alumni, or preapproved equivalent training only, Range 3, bluegun drills from 0845 to 0945, with live fire from 1000 to 1200. Note, if you are not there for the AM bluegun, you won’t shoot the live fire- no exceptions.

Kit List

  • Clothing appropriate for the weather and climate conditions of the day. This is a physically demanding day, so clothing appropriate for hard use is recommended. Tactical pants, shirts and jackets are recommended. Ball cap or appropriate headwear.
  • Appropriate footwear. Tactical boots, hiking shoes, or outdoor sneakers are recommended.
  • Eye, Ear and Glove protection
  • Knee pads
  • First Line belt or Riggers Belt recommended
  • Second Line Rig. Chest Rig recommended
  • Body armour, or plate carrier and other PPE as utilized operationally
  • Mag pouch to hold 3 -6 rifle mags, and 4 pistol mags
  • Pistol holster (SERPA or any index-finger actuated holster NOT PERMITTED. Holsters are expected to be model specific, hard moulded holsters without floppy retention straps, that do not collapse after the gun is drawn; no generic nylon holsters are permitted)
  • Tactical rifle and shotgun sling, no 3 pt
  • Modern serviceable primary weapon.
  • Optics (red dot, HWS, magnified, or irons OK), sighted in at 100m.
  • Modern semi-automatic pistol.
  • Minimum 250 reliable rounds for primary and secondary weapon
  • IFAK, TQ (CATSor SOFTT recommended)
  • Repair and spare kit, multi-tools, CLP
  • Paper, Pen and Stuff (PPnS)
  • Hydration, Nutrition

For the new year, ATS is excited to be able to host Shivworks, Craig Douglas, for an Edged Weapons Overview Course. Range 1, Sat 21 March and Range 3 Sunday, 22 March, 2020. Contact craig@shivworks.com for more info, and to register.

From the Shivworks website:

The Edged Weapons Overview course is a two-day (16-hour) focused overview of knife application methods. Lots of people carry pocket knives for various reasons, but very few people have any training on how to deploy them effectively for self-defense. This course gives students a fundamental understanding of edged weapons. Like all ShivWorks courses, EWO is contextualized and presented through a minimalist framework to give students practical tools they can easily learn, remember, and put to immediate use. Please check our training calendar for upcoming offerings of EWO and other ShivWorks classes near you. Also, please review our refund policy before signing up for any class.

First Day (Eight Hours):

  • The Criminal Assault Paradigm
  • Managing Unknown Contacts
  • Default Position and basic blows
  • Tool Survey
  • Robust Folder Deployment
  • Theory of In-Fight Weapons Access
  • In-Extremis application

Second Day (Eight Hours):

  • Mobility and Zoning Issues of equal initiative encounters
  • Plyometric Fighting Platform
  • Point Theory, forward and reverse grip
  • Conventional Edge introduction
  • Refining the narrow angle
  • Reverse Edge introduction
  • The Functional Support Hand
  • Specialty and Improvised Edged tools (push daggers, ice picks, screwdrivers, etc.). This module is largely based on what students bring to the class and wish to see addressed.

Please bring the following items with you to class:

  • Comfortable clothes
  • Wrap-around eye protection
  • Mouthpiece and cup
  • Preferred carry knives
  • Trainer knives (if you have them)
  • Positive attitude
  • Open mind

Claude Murdoch
Director – Abbotsford Tactical Shooters