When it comes to tactical schools, it's a buyer's market. Some are good, some aren't. Word of mouth is usually the best guide in determining where you're going to send your hard-earned training dollars. I've gone to several, taught at others and heard some pretty graphic horror stories of some. Being a somewhat positive guy, let me tell you about a really good one that earned my money - Viking Tactics.

The Right Staffing

Everyone who pulls a trigger has heard of Delta - the US Army Special Operations detachment. Cloaked in secrecy and based at Ft. Bragg, N.C., Delta Team members are legendary for their fitness and training regimens.

Shooting is obviously something Delta does well - its training is based on what's worked (and what hasn't) on Delta operations. More than one school claims that it has "spec-ops" types as instructors, but Viking Tactics is run by Kyle Lamb - a retired Delta Team Sergeant Major who uses active (off-duty) Delta people on his staff.

Kyle Lamb teaches malfunction and clearance on the line during a break in shooting. All instruction is done on the range, rain or shine. (Photo: Robert Kolesar)

Lamb uses other active and retired SF/Delta people to help run his shooting and training courses. It's a small operation that doesn't have its own facilities - less overhead that way.

So Viking Tactics is all about the training. You're not paying for a nice range with clean bathrooms, a cafeteria and a pro-shop. Your money's buying you the most up-to-date training, proven in combat, by American soldiers who've "been there" numerous times.

More About The School

Something else I discovered that impressed me was the attitude of the staff. These are great guys who know what they're doing and don't take themselves too seriously. In short, they like what they do and enjoy teaching.

I've found in my training that if people are comfortable and enjoy themselves, they learn far better. Such is the mindset with Viking Tactics. Questions are solicited and answered, albeit with some humor at times. There's no "right way" to a problem, only a possible solution used by the staff that's worked for them. Students are encouraged to try what's being taught. If you disagree, fine. But add the "school solution" to your bag of tricks for future possible use.

I took the 1.5 Carbine (AR) course just outside of Fayetteville, N.C. Fayetteville is where Ft. Bragg is located, and where Lamb spent most of his time as a soldier. And Lamb continues to spend time on Ft. Bragg, training SF-types as a civilian contractor. This says a lot for Lamb's outfit. The Army is very selective about using civilian contractors for Special Ops training. The respect and trust of former peers is a huge thing as far as training credentials go.

Okay, so much for cool backgrounds and credibility, but what did I actually learn?

Class Experience

My carbine course was oriented around the M16/AR family. For 3 days we shot, crawled, sprinted and trained on our weapons. Over 2,000 rounds of 5.56mm ammo was expended. No long-range shooting was done (that's another course) - we concentrated on 100 yards and closer. After a period of traditional warming up and zeroing, CQB (close quarters battle) was emphasized. Our instructors were everywhere, quietly coaching and encouraging our efforts.

Viking Tactics instructors monitor live-fire training outside of Fayetteville, N.C. Viking doesn't have its own facilities and uses local ranges instead. Viking also offers a number of off-site training courses in other states and countries. (Photo: Robert Kolesar)

Classes were informal and held on the range. A break in firing would be called and techniques would be demonstrated. Then the shooting would resume. The instructors weren't shy about showing us what they'd just taught - these guys can shoot. There was plenty of man-on-man competition between students, which increases the stress level of the shooter and lets him see what he can do with an elevated heart-rate and a little adrenaline flow.

Detailed training was given on unorthodox shooting positions and malfunctions. I thought my time in the Army and with the LAPD had taught me everything I needed to know about the M16 family, but I was surprised at what I didn't know about malfunctions and clearance. This is where the experience and knowledge you're paying for comes in. I learned more about shooting positions and malfunctions in 3 days than I'd learned in the last 30 years. I guess you could say it was a humbling, but entirely enlightening experience.

Along with AR classes, Viking Tactics offers long-range rifle, pistol, shotgun and subgun courses, plus specialized training for police and deploying military units.

EOTech, 3x magnifier and backup Troy sights - a great optical sight for CQB, mounted on the author's rifle. EOTech is standard issue with US Army Special Operations forces. (Photo: Kolesar)

There's also a course devoted to pistol night fighting, which is when you'll probably engage the bad guys on the street or in combat.

Good stuff, and I intend to go back for one of the pistol courses before my next deployment.

Notable

> For information on Viking Tactics, visit VikingTactics.com or call (360) 790-5743 (instruction info), (910) 987-5983 (office/ordering).

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