Just lately Dillon Precision’s “Blue Press” revealed a Duane Thomas article in regards to the pre 9/11 Federal Air Marshall (FAM) qualification course.* This text, at the side of a detailed buddy’s daughter expressing an curiosity in changing into a FAM rekindled my curiosity within the earlier FAM qualification. (*The Blue Press, June 2023, pages 60-63).
I used to be speaking concerning the qualification with a capturing accomplice when he talked about {that a} mutual buddy had been a FAM. Since our mutual buddy had retired as a Particular Agent (SA) from one other federal company, it by no means occurred to me to ask concerning the FAM qualification. I’ll seek advice from my buddy as Particular Agent (retired) or SA ret. for the rest of the article.
SA ret. confirmed all the FAM scoring, goal positioning, and many others. that Thomas talked about within the Blue Press article. Since SA ret. was a firearms teacher at his company, he had been detailed to the FAM program actually the week after 9/11 as the federal government scrambled to extend the variety of FAMs in this system. My buddy mentioned that since they had been all credentialed LEOs or Particular Brokers, the detailees had been put by means of an intensive firearms coaching program to make sure that their capturing abilities had been as much as FAM requirements. SA ret. mentioned that they shot all day, every single day for 2 weeks. He mentioned that they actually shot a lot that on the finish of the coaching the FAM program changed all of their issued pistols as a result of that they had exceeded the pistol’s service life.
I had written an article in 2018 that described what I used to be capable of glean in regards to the pre 9/11 from analysis and a dialogue with Mike Seeklander on the 2016 IDPA Nationals. Mike Seeklander indicated that the FAM had used an FBI QIT-97 Goal and a scoring system that differed from that which Thomas talked about in his article which was the FBI-Q (milk bottle) goal. As Thomas talked about, the FAM program has possible used plenty of qualification programs and targets over time; due to this fact, the discrepancy between what Thomas mentions as the usual goal and the QIT-97 Seeklander mentions are in all probability a results of totally different time frames.
Scoring: The utmost doable rating is 150 factors with a minimal passing rating of 135 factors. A minimal passing rating of 135 permits for 3 full misses. From my expertise, if you’re on the stage the place you routinely miss the FBI Q totally your probabilities of passing the qualification are slim.
You have to be inside the closing dates for every string of fireplace. Taking pictures the FAM qualification course inside the closing dates whereas hitting the bottle essentially requires a steadiness between pace and accuracy due to its strict adherence to the utmost time necessities for every stage. This isn’t trivial. If you don’t meet the stage’s time requirement, you fail even for those who managed to shoot a passing rating total.
Taking pictures the FAM qualification course is finest completed on an outside vary. The course requires you to shoot targets spaced throughout lanes and one of many phases requires the shooter to show 180-degrees with out sweeping anybody. You have to use a concealment garment for 2 of the seven phases.
The course of fireplace is 30 rounds from 7-yards, fired at three targets spaced three yards aside. Per Thomas: “The FAM arrange the outer two targets with three yards – 9 ft – between them edge-to-edge, then centered a 3rd goal between these. While you do it that method, in keeping with my tape measure the space between targets edge-to-edge is three ft, six and a half inches.” Some INTERNET sources declare the targets had been three yards aside. Thomas goes on to state that given the FAM program’s mission, the 9 ft distance is smart. No industrial plane was vast sufficient for 3 individuals to face eighteen ft aside in a fuselage.
The Goal: Thomas mentions that the pre 9/11 FAM qualification used the usual FBI-Q goal scored as 5 factors for a full worth hit inside the bottle and 0 factors for hits outdoors the bottle. In different phrases, successful on the road of the silhouette scores as a miss. SA ret. advised me that within the FAM program he attended they used a model of the FBI-Q goal that had a circle within the higher chest; nevertheless, they ignored the circle for scoring and used all the bottle with full worth scoring.
The Qualification:
Stage 1: From concealment, draw and fireplace one spherical on one goal. Repeat. Most time is 3.30 seconds for two rounds fired.
Stage 2: From low prepared, double faucet (two pictures) on one goal. Repeat. Most time is 2.70 seconds for 4 rounds fired.
Stage 3: From low prepared, fireplace 6 rounds into one goal. Most time is 3.00 seconds for six rounds fired and all splits (shot to shot time) have to be 0.60 seconds or much less.
Stage 4: From low prepared, fireplace one shot, reload, fireplace one shot into one goal. Repeat. Most time is 6.50 seconds for 4 rounds fired.
Stage 5: From low prepared, fireplace one spherical into the one of many two outer targets after which transition and fireplace a spherical into the opposite outer goal. Repeat. Most time is 3.30 seconds for 4 rounds fired.
Stage 6: From concealment and dealing with up vary with again to targets, flip 180 levels and place one shot into every of the three targets. Repeat. Most time is 7.00 seconds for six rounds fired.
Stage 7: From low prepared and standing, fireplace one spherical into one goal, slide locks again, drop to at least one knee, reload, fireplace one spherical. Repeat. Most time is 8.00 seconds for 4 rounds fired. (Notice that is primarily a slide lock 1-reload-1 drill simply dropping to a knee whereas reloading).
My buddy and I shot the FAM qualification throughout a coaching session in August 2023. The temperature on the vary was 102 levels with no shade so the warmth challenged us a bit. We used the Vary Grasp Q goal which has similarities to the to the FBI Q Goal (with further circles contained in the bottle and a line on the backside). We used the center goal for many strings which resulted in a doable hit depend of twenty-two hits on the center goal and 4 hits every on the outer targets.
I shot the qualification with my every single day carry (EDC) P320 Carry in 9mm and my alternate P365 in 9mm. Each have Holosun inexperienced dot optic sights. I used a closed entrance t-shirt as my concealment garment for the strings that required concealment.
I accomplished two {qualifications} with my P320, the primary shot chilly, and handed each.
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FAM Qualification with P320 |
The instances for the qualification proven within the image above utilizing my P320 Carry had been as follows:
Stage 1. Draw: 1.48, 1.39 = 2.87 (Commonplace: 3.30 seconds or much less)
Stage 2. Double Faucet: .88, 1.08 = 1.96 (Commonplace: 2.70 seconds or much less)
Stage 3. Speedy Fireplace: 2.20 (Commonplace: 3.30 seconds or much less)
Stage 4. Speedload: 3.06, 2.95 = 6.01 (Commonplace: 6.50 seconds or much less)
Stage 5. Transition: 1.32, 1.28 = 2.60 (Commonplace: 3.30 seconds or much less)
Stage 6. Flip & Draw, 3 Targets: 2.69, 2.71 = 5.30 (Commonplace: 7.00 seconds or much less)
Stage 7. Slidelock Reload: 3.54, 3.79 = 6.53 (Commonplace: 8.00 seconds or much less)
Instances = Go for all strings
Factors = Handed with 150 factors
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FAM Qualification with the P365 |
I accomplished three {qualifications} with my P365 and handed all three. The instances for the qualification proven within the image above utilizing my P365 had been as follows:
Stage 1. Draw: 1.62, 1.52 = 3.14 (Commonplace: 3.30 seconds or much less)
Stage 2. Double Faucet: 1.15, 1.06 = 2.21 (Commonplace: 2.70 seconds or much less)
Stage 3. Speedy Fireplace: 2.75 (Commonplace: 3.30 seconds or much less)
Stage 4. Speedload: 3.04, 3.41 = 6.45 – barely squeaked by on this string because of points with the concealment garment in the course of the reloads (Commonplace: 6.50 seconds or much less)
Stage 5. Transition: 1.37, 1.48 = 2.83 (Commonplace: 3.30 seconds or much less)
Stage 6. Flip & Draw, 3 Targets: 3.22, 3.01 = 6.23 (Commonplace: 7.00 seconds or much less)
Stage 7. Slidelock Reload: 3.80, 3.77 = 7.57 (Commonplace: 8.00 seconds or much less)
Instances = Go for all strings
Factors = Handed with 145 factors (the shot touching the road on the center goal is a miss).
The FAM Qualification course checks a number of main duties you should carry out in the middle of capturing a match or utilizing a pistol for self-defense. They’re:
— Safely draw the pistol (clear concealment garment)
— Prolong to fireside
— Transition between targets
— Reload the pistol (clear concealment garment)
— Execute exact pictures (sight alignment, sight image, set off management)
— Turning then drawing the pistol
— Transferring from standing to kneeling
In my collection of articles on deliberate follow I talk about the worth of structured drills with particular targets designed to enhance efficiency. Every of the most important duties listed above consists of sub duties that additionally have to be carried out appropriately. As soon as we break every main job down into sub duties we are able to then apply the deliberate follow methodology to enhance our capturing.
For instance: I’ve been working towards approaching goal from a low prepared place and firing an correct shot. My follow has resulted in a .20 to .30 second enchancment. While you do that 5 instances throughout a qualification that point financial savings provides up.
The Federal Air Marshall course of fireplace is a particularly difficult pistol qualification and is an efficient software for hid carriers to make use of to benchmark their abilities. In case you can keep inside the closing dates and rating an ideal 150, I’ll tip my hat to you.
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