More than 7,000 feet above sea level in the red rock landscape of Teasdale Utah, off in the distance we spotted a small dust cloud bee-lining its way towards the group at The Lodge at Red River Ranch. A mixed bag of shooters, some military and some civilian, were waiting there outside the Lodge, ready to learn some varsity-level shooting skills from one of the top industry experts. A Jeep Wrangler took shape just ahead of the rising dust. It pulled up in front of the Lodge, and the dust arrived just after it. Before it could settle, Buck hopped out of his Jeep, grabbed two breakfast tacos, and immediately made his way down to the classroom. No fanfare, no nonsense, and day one of Buck Doyle’s 3-day “Recce” Carbine Course had officially begun.

For those unfamiliar with the history of the recce rifle, the short story is that it never was a formal designation within the military. “Recce” is British slang for reconnaissance, and the rifle itself came about with the intent to create a capable general purpose weapon; basically, an M4 with the ability to reach out further while maintaining its lighter weight and close combat capabilities. The Mk 12 Special Purpose Rifle, in service with the Navy until 2017, was a designated variant of what SOCOM guys were doing early on, but differed in barrel length and a few other specifications. You can see the influence of the recce rifle throughout modern AR culture with the popularity of the “do-it-all” rifle. Knowing the purpose behind a recce rifle, the natural and diverse location of Teasdale makes perfect sense as the spot for a lesson on the inconsistent variables of real-world gunfighting. With constantly changing windage, different elevations, and several different types of terrain, Teasdale allows training that a square range just can’t – and Buck takes full advantage of this.

You’d be hard-pressed to find a more straightforward individual than Buck, and his training does not differ. While his resume certainly speaks for his authenticity, it’s his mindset and approach to learning that separates his training from others. This was evident right from the start of day one, which consisted of a classroom portion that included introductions, a safety brief and an overview of the gun fighting tenets, as well as what to expect as the class progressed. Buck was quick to inform students of his “Buckisms,” or those rants that would present themselves more frequently than not throughout the entirety of the course. Like Stephen A. Smith firing-off on Sportscenter, but with guns. Drawing from his time in the Marines, the military tenets of shoot, move, and communicate serve as the building blocks to Buck’s course and the mindset he espouses for when and if you ever find yourself in a gunfight. While they may seem obvious, a high pressure situation such as a gunfight disrupts any sense of calm thinking, and having the ability to fall back on the basics and your training is what it takes to make it out in one piece. That being said, there are a lot of things to consider that fall under the “basics.” These include considerations about the gunfighter, the environment, and the rifle that all fall under these three main points that Buck covers throughout the course of the training session.

Transitioning from the classroom to the range, the first thing the group did was confirm their zero. Students in Buck’s classes are expected to have a proficient knowledge of their weapon system and their optic before entering the course. That being said, they were introduced to Buckism #1: “If you don’t know how to use your shit now, you will by the end of this course.” Confirming zero was very quick, with each student taking two shots, and virtually all were on target right away. With elevation varying between 7000-7600 feet on the course, the increase in density altitude caused some confirmed zeros to be as much as two inches higher than their home location.

With their zero confirmed, the group moved to a new spot for the first exercise, which was centered around prone shooting. Accustomed to shooting on the relatively flat terrain of Texas, our shooters found things to be drastically different when the multiple layers of elevation were laid out in front of them. Targets ranged out as far as 500 yards on the first day, each spray painted with one of a variety of colors and littered across the changing terrain among scattered granite outcrops, lava boulders, white willows, shrubs, and the ubiquitous red dirt. A large mesa wall with a river flowing at its base served as the backdrop. The willows, dirt, and shrubs came in handy for reading the wind and making adjustments by looking for debris from their previous shot. Following the prone shooting and a short drive down the road, the students were introduced to some barricades for more positional work. Constantly changing positions was a game changer for most, allowing the course to continue to build on what was learned in the previous static prone exercise.

Along with barricade work, weapons carriage was a big consideration in these drills. Buck is very insistent on keeping aggressive control of your firearm while moving, overlapping your hand (shooting finger included) with your palm down over the handguard. This allows a more athletic range of movement and helps to minimize negligent discharges, all while keeping the muzzle pointed down at all times. The barricade work was slow and methodical, allowing the shooters to understand how much cover they had and actually needed to use instead of rushing into a poor shot. They would stay behind cover, identify the target by reading the landscape before taking the shooting position for a continued engagement. At least five hits were needed in this exercise to be able to move on. With a few rounds of barricade work and the shooters seeing better and better results in each one, the first day in Utah wrapped up.

With the fundamentals established on day one, and after grabbing a to-go omelette from the lodge kitchen, the class was set to continue at a more rapid pace the second day. The students were introduced to more mobility and the practice of establishing points of domination or, to put it into a more-Buck-like way – finding the best location to not get shot. Every drill moving forward through day two and three builds and evolves off the previous one. So what began with single target shooting in the prone position evolved into multiple target engagements, then onto barricades and into movement between cover – this is where that idea of establishing a point of domination came into play. The main takeaway from moving in between cover was not to rush it. After securing yourself behind the first cover point, identifying and then engaging the target, Buck pointed out that rather than rushing to the next point and risking an unforeseen mistake, it was vital to remain securely behind cover until you’ve established your route to the next cover point. This meant making sure your gear was accounted for, establishing what area would set you up in a dominant position versus your target, and reading the terrain leading to that spot before making your move. This helped ensure the safest and most effective movement you could take against any enemy combatants.