Although I’ve yet to sit down and write my ‘bucket list,’ attending a class taught by master firearms trainer John Farnam would be on that list. Gladly, I scratched that off a few weeks back. Several people I highly respect have long told me John is one of the very best practical instructors — you might get your ego bruised before a class is over, but you will never repeat a mistake John calls on you.
This project started out as a test and review of the John Farnam Signature Edition M4 (FSM4) rifle — built by M4 Precision, LLC of LaPorte, Colorado — but since most test and review articles bore me, when we decided to test this one by participating in a two-day Urban Rifle course.
I quickly threw some gear in my mid-life-crisis ride and dialed it up to “9 over,” heading down the Interstate for a long weekend in Indiana. Time well spent, and I can truly say this rifle was evaluated under realistic conditions — including rain and sleet.
A Great Rifle
The rifle is an M4-configuration Stoner gas-impingement platform assembled from top-shelf custom parts to John Farnam’s specifications. It starts with forged receivers, a 16-inch 1:7 twist chrome-lined barrel (with a proper 5.56mm chamber) capped with a Vortex flash suppressor, and slim round handguards with a full-length top Picatinny rail for mounting optics anywhere.
The handguards featured the round “squid” rubbery grip enhancements (very secure) and small add-on Picatinny sections for adding a light or other toys. The trigger was from ALG Defense, a single-stage model breaking at about 5.5 lbs. The Robar premium bolt/carrier group and all other internal parts are treated with NP3, making them inherently slick and virtually impervious to rust.
The $2,500 basic package price includes a Blue Force “Vicker’s” 2-point sling, an Aimpont PRO red-dot sight, Troy backup iron sights and a Terralux 500 lumen flashlight. John’s personal version sported a cost-upgrade Aimpoint Micro T-1 mounted well forward and a brighter flashlight. The John Farnam Signature edition M4 is advertised as having everything you need and nothing you don’t. I agree.
Added to Great Training
Whenever I get cocky enough to think I have a lot of trigger time training folks with an AR rifle, men like John make me remember my experience started in peacetime. John’s time with the M16 started as a USMC company-grade officer in Vietnam, where he managed to stay close enough to the fight to collect three purple hearts. Carrying that level of combat experience onto the training range makes any sensible student listen closely to what John Farnam has to say.
From the very beginning of training, John immerses his students into a world of shooting, moving, reloading, clearing malfunctions, shouting commands and scanning around and behind themselves. If the students happen to be raw novices, tough luck — keep up.
Impressively, John and his assistant instructors kept this complicated range dance tightly scripted and the hot range was never unsafe, despite some very inexperienced shooters. Wwhen we reached the simple yet deceptively difficult final exam, most proved they had developed the ability to multi-task all the skills John threw at us.
Putting It All Together
John’s two-day Urban Rifle class is the perfect tune-up for any street cop carrying a patrol rifle, where shots will come fast and rarely further than 50 yards. One of his first exercises was to fire three 30-round magazines as fast as you could possibly pour them downrange and reload. The idea was to get your rifle smoking hot to see how it would react to a maximum effort fight.
The FSM4 handled the drill without a problem — not all rifles on the line that day did.
Over the course of two long days of turning ammo into brass — roughly 600 rounds with no cleaning or lubrication — the FSM4 suffered one bolt-over malfunction, which I instantly cleared without analyzing the cause, wanting to keep moving and finish the drill (it was probably a magazine/magazine catch interaction issue). With the Micro T-1 Aimpoint sight mounted way out front, peripheral vision was excellent and the rifle was fast to get on target.
Scoring double-taps on a steel plate at 50 yards was child’s play and engaging multiple targets was equally fast. The FSM4 was the fastest handling AR weapon I’ve ever used and I certainly wrung it out from all available firing positions.
I wouldn’t change a thing. The only reason the FSM4 carbine in my hands wasn’t the absolutely slickest, fastest rifle in the class was because another student was using one.
