Magpul recently branched into training, and J. Thomas Jones decided to see how its Dynamic Carbine II class stacks up. (Photo: J. Thomas Jones)

The course of instruction is designated Dynamic Carbine II, and its focus is on skills above that of a basic or introductory carbine class.

In the following review of the course, my desire isn't to spell out what was taught and how to re-create the technique on a square range. That wouldn't do the class, nor Mr. Costa's instruction, justice. Instead, I'll give my thoughts on the class through examples: Why I felt it was an excellent value for the money spent, some lessons taught on the range, and the experience I gained.

Costa's Background

Chris Costa's resume is impressive in terms of firearms training and risk management, as well as in several other unique skillsets. He's has spent a number of years in the private sector at Applied Marine Technologies, Inc. ("AMTI") and Linxx on assignment with the U.S. Department of Homeland Security's Risk Management Division (RMD). At AMTI and Linxx, he specialized in chemical, nuclear, biological and radiological environments and taught Police Tactical Operations-CBRNE (chemical, biological, radiological, nuclear or high-explosive) environments and provided red-team vulnerability assessments on critical infrastructures for the US Government.

Prior to that, he spent 12 years with the US Coast Guard, conducting law-enforcement and special-operations missions in Europe, the Middle East and South America.

The Course

The Dynamic Carbine II class covered the following areas thoroughly:

> Rapid threat analysis and acquisition
> Shooting on the move
> Multiple-target engagement
> Strong- and reaction-side shooting
> Malfunctions
> Natural and improvised shooting positions
> Barricade shooting
> Shooting from vehicles
> Concealed shooting
> Lowlight tactics
> Shooting under stress

On the first day, Mr. Costa proceeded to do what all instructors should - he gave a good safety lecture. While it was a refresher lecture for everyone in attendance, it never hurts to hear things like, "Keep your finger out of the trigger until you're ready to shoot."

In fact, during the class he pointed out that a few students, while they cleared malfunctions, had somehow placed their fingers in the trigger guard, and even on the trigger. Again, it was a safety lecture, and while not the most thrilling part of any class, it's always a welcomed part in my opinion.

Mr. Costa then provided each student with an IDPA-style target with the "A" zone region removed. Throughout the various exercises and drills, the goal was to keep all the shots within this circular, removed portion.

The overall concept of this target was, if a student had a target with few or no holes on it, many or all of his shots were within the desired area. Obviously, it's a bit of a challenge for many shooters - especially under various conditions such as stress, a limited time window, or while in the kneeling, prone, or urban prone positions - but the concept was well founded and something I thought was a great teaching technique.

Instructor Chris Costa uses a timer to gauge the author's performance during a drill. Students were pushed to attain a higher level of skill. (Photo: J. Thomas Jones)

About urban prone, Mr. Costa often stressed the importance of this shooting position. I never fully appreciated the utility of this technique until I was tasked with shooting under various barricades and obstacles. I'll leave the mechanics of how to properly shoot in the urban prone position up to Mr. Costa, but the point of the urban prone position can be seen in situations such as the infamous North Hollywood Shootout of 1997.

During this incident, at least one officer fired his rifle in an urban-prone-like position beneath the cars used for cover. In doing so, he wounded Matasareanu (one of two people attempting to commit robbery) in his unprotected lower legs and he soon surrendered.

Night Study

At night, things became even more interesting. Mr. Costa's rifle included of two SureFire lights, stacked one atop the other in a single-light mount. At first glance, many in the class (including myself) thought this was a bit much. Incorrect.

During a portion of the night segment, while he gave a demonstration, Mr. Costa's primary weapon light went dim and then dead. Rather then negotiate the remaining course of fire with a handheld flashlight, he simply moved his finger a bit (in one fluid motion) and activated the second light stationed just below the first light in the stacked mount as if nothing had happened.

One of my favorite skills attained while attending the Dynamic Carbine II class came during the night segment when Mr. Cost discussed the various techniques for shooting while using a handheld light. This proved to be a valuable skill that many of us simply don't practice. Between the several AR15 rifles and AK-47 variants, each student found a handheld technique that worked for him. My personal choice was the syringe technique made popular by the people who manufacture SureFire flashlights.

There was simply too much instruction and knowledge in this class to cover in a single story, but I can say this course was excellent.

MagPul Dynamics is a relatively new training group, and I want to encourage anyone who's considering one of its classes to take the next step and enroll. Not only does each student feel the time spent to be well worth it, but you walk away with a stronger confidence in your shooting, along with several new techniques that might prove invaluable should certain instances present themselves.

My final thoughts about Mr. Costa and his program are as follows. I'm by no means an expert in all things training related. However, I do consider myself a good judge of a person's ability to instruct students on a certain subject. Having spent the last decade in private higher education, I feel I'm well qualified to make the following assessment.

I've found that there are people who are very well versed in a certain discipline, who have the experience to back it up, and may have written a book or two on the subject, but for some reason are unable to communicate their thoughts and techniques to others.

Mr. Costa has the innate ability to teach. His pleasant demeanor, coupled with his easy-to-understand style and approachability, make him one of the best teaching professors of any discipline I've ever encountered. Mr. Costa is not the first instructor I've had, nor will he be the last, but in terms of instructors who're capable of succinctly and clearly communicating their ideas to their students, Mr. Costa stands alone.

Notable

> For more information on this class and others, visit MagpulDynamics.com.

J. Thomas Jones currently attends a Top 100 law school in the state of Georgia. His training experience includes Valhalla Training Center, ProTac Global, I.C.E. Training Co. and Magpul Dynamics. He recently finished a 10-week tour with the US Attorney's Office in Boston, attached to the anti-gang task force. An avid IDPA, USPSA and clay shooter, he also enjoys big-game hunting and cattle ranching in the Midwest. He owns and operates 68forums.com, 458SOCOMforums.com, and moderates the "AR Variants" section of AR15.com. He may be reached via email at This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it or at any of the aforementioned sites.

The opinions contained in this column are those of the author and not necessarily those of TacticalGunFan or its staff.