The Redback One Shooting
System:
The High Mounted Optic.
I get asked all the time why I have my Aimpoint set on such
a high mount? So I thought that I would write a piece on the Redback One
methodology and how that relates to our shooting system and weapons set up.
There are several reasons for setting the combat optic on a
high riser block and here they are.
Mitigation of
muscular fatigue: The neck. Having
a low mounted optic on the rifle forces the shooter to extend the head forward
and down in order to acquire the sight picture. This places excessive stress on
the trapezius and sternoclidomastoid muscles as they run through the upper part
of the neck. Mounting the sight on a high riser block alleviates this stress by
keeping the head in a more neutral position and allows the shooter to conduct
long clearances more comfortably.
Mitigating muscular
fatigue. The eye. By placing the
optic low on the rifle and angling the head forward places a high amount of
stress on the superior rectus muscle of the eye. This is an extraocular muscle
that is innovated by the oculomotor nerve. The superior rectus primary function
is elevation and is in its primary position while looking straight ahead. By
mounting the combat optic on a high riser block, the shooter can maintain the
superior rectus in as close to its neutral position as possible. This not only
minimizes stress and fatigue of the eye but also allows the eye to maintain a
greater range of motion, which is vital to proper scanning procedures during room
combat.
Rearward Mounting and Butt-stock Position. Mounting the sight as far to the rear as possible
allows the shooter to maximize the field of view provided by the combat optic.
As the Aimpoint Micro is a technically more difficult sight to use due to the restricted
field of view compared to other sights on the market, it requires the shooter
to be more consistent with rifle presentations and mounting procedures. In
order to achieve a more ‘head up’ shooting position the butt-stock must be
collapsed to ensure that eye relief can be maintained and mounting speed can be
maximized.
Faster Sight Acquisition and Shots on Target. Placing the combat optic on a high riser
block means that the shooter has a shorter distance to move the weapon and
achieve the mounted shooting position than when setting the sight on a lower
mount. Traveling a shorter distance during presentation translates into faster sight acquisition, and also means faster rounds on target.
Night Vision
Operations. When employing night vision goggles there will likely be times
when the shooter will need to use either the day combat optic with the naked eye or passively
sight the rifle by using the NVG behind the combat optic. Two occasions that might occur are
when or if the aiming laser fails, or when operating in an environment where
there is a belief that the enemy possesses a night fighting capability. In order
to achieve either method of targeting while wearing NVG’s, the shooters head
must remain in a neutral and upright position. 
Gas Mask Operations.
In order to be able to quickly mount and target the rifle while using the
protective gas mask, the combat optic must be raised to ensure that the weapon
is presented naturally and not canted to one side. Having the combat optic
mounted low on the rail makes it extremely difficult to sight the weapon making
target engagements slower and potentially less accurate. This also places the
head in an unnatural position while shooting which is again counter productive to this technique.
Potential Negatives.
There is an argument that could be made to suggest that without a low, deep
solid cheek weld on the butt-stock that recoil management could suffer which
will affect accuracy. That argument is partly true if the shooter does not
fully understand recoil management and how to can be mitigated, which is beyond
the scope of this article. Suffice to say that I do not have any issues with
recoil management.
There is also an argument that the mechanical offset is too
much and is detrimental to accuracy in CQB operations. This is quit a small
point really as there is always some mechanical offset and must be trained
during individual skills training at the range. I always ensure to include an
offset in every drill that I shoot during CQB shooting evolutions regardless of
the size of the target. I know exactly where I need to aim to achieve the shot
placement I need to maximum incapacitation. Our Operator Readiness Test is a fantastic assessment of speed and accuracy which requires the shooter to place 12 rounds of carbine and 12 rounds of pistol inside a six-inch
circle with one hundred percent accuracy with both the pistol and carbine from a distance of 7 yards in a time frame of 20 seconds. Being able to perform these speed and accuracy requirements means that your ability to include an
offset under stress has been assessed.
Conclusion. In
closing, there are many advantages to mounting the combat optic on a high riser
block that clearly out weight the perceived disadvantages as I have outlined
above. The Redback One Shooting System has been designed to compliment our
close quarters battle and target prosecution courses and seamlessly mesh with
CQB TTP’s. If you haven’t tried it out, give it go and see what you think. It
may require you to retrain some preexisting neural pathways from legacy
techniques but once you overcome them you likely won’t go back.
For more information on our training programs please feel
free to contact us directly.
Phone: (757) 839-8375
Email: Info@redbackone.com
Web: www.redbackone.com
About the Author –
Jason Falla is a former member of Australian Special Operations Command, now
Director of Training at Redback One. Jason is a decorated veteran of OIF and
OEF with multiple combat deployments to multiple war zones.
