Police Training Week highlights how agencies can build training programs that reduce risk, improve performance and save lives. In this article, we review the T4E TC 68 Caliber Rifle — a force-on-force platform designed to deliver safe, realistic and cost-effective training for law enforcement. Police Training Week is sponsored by T4E – Training for Engagement.
Reality-based scenarios are among the most effective ways to create immersive training that mirrors real incidents. Scenario training is highly flexible and can be scaled to fit the needs of individual officers, agencies and communities — from a simple traffic stop to a full-scale active shooter response involving law enforcement, dispatchers, fire and EMS. Instructors can tailor scenarios to specific skills or broader tactical decision-making.
There are products on the market to help create more realistic scenario training including many force-on-force products designed to simulate duty weapons. Choice and competition are good, but some of the marking cartridges, conversion systems and dedicated weapon systems can quickly tick up the cost factor.
More importantly, there are different measures of safety built into the use of these force-on-force products. Some brands use actual duty firearms that are converted by instructors or students to using marking cartridges. On the face of it, this could appear to be a positive feature because it may be more representative of the tools officers carry on the street. However, this has led to tragic results when someone introduces a duty weapon and live ammunition into the training environment. Even without live ammunition, the use of blank cartridges and other items in training create risk and a hazard that is easily avoidable.
Training for Engagement (T4E)
Training for Engagement (T4E) has separated itself from the rest of the force-on-force products available for law enforcement training. Some common training platforms can run as much as $1.50 per round. T4E’s markers cost under $.10 per round. The company really lives up to its slogan, “Train more. Spend less.” Even small departments and security agencies with modest budgets can afford to train more often and more effectively.
Recently, T4E sent me its new T4E TC 68 Caliber Rifle that looks and feels like a short-barrel AR-15 patrol rifle. All the controls are exactly where they should be so reloads, working the selector switch and the weight balance of the rifle are a perfect replica of most patrol rifles. This is one of the reasons why this is the perfect choice for force-on-force training.
The T4E TC 68 Rifle has been designed for total personalization just like a patrol rifle.
The rifle is well-equipped and designed right up to the premium M-LOK rail handguard giving users the ability to equip their training rifle exactly like their duty rifle. The M-LOK handguard provides seamless attachment options for common patrol rifle accessories like foregrips, lights and lasers. There’s a length of Picatinny rail on the upper receiver for red dot optics, low-power variable optics or iron sights. It even comes equipped with a removable barrel that can be changed to different rifle barrel lengths to meet specific needs. The T4E TC 68 Rifle has been designed from the get-go for total personalization just like a patrol rifle.
Power source and ammo
The T4E TC 68 Rifle is a .68 caliber paintball rifle that has three power source options ensuring adaptability to a variety of training environments. You can use the high-efficiency 88g CO2 canister, a set of 2x12g CO2 canisters (with included adaptor), or an aftermarket HPA Paintball Tank (with included adaptor and stock) for maximum performance. This flexibility also gives trainers the option to adjust projectile velocity based on the scenario. Increase the velocity up to 480 feet per second (fps) for scenarios where longer engagement distances are anticipated and decrease the velocity down to 240 fps for closer distances. Whatever your intended tactical scenario, the T4E TC 68 Rifle has you covered.
The ammunition used in the T4E TC 68 Rifle is what separates it from other force-on-force training weapons. Instead of relying on conversion kits that use ammunition similar in size and shape to live ammunition, T4E uses .68 caliber balls that absolutely cannot be mistaken for live ammunition. The bright orange paintballs make hits easy to see, but there are .68 caliber black rubber balls and blue and white balls filled with white powder to make cleanup easier.
The T4E TC 68 Rifle is fed by a 20-round magazine, but for those who prefer higher capacity, a hopper feed attachment is included. This allows users to mount an aftermarket standard paintball hopper. Again, this training rifle is adaptable and flexible to meet your training needs.
Painting steel
After loading a magazine with paintballs and using one of the CO2 canisters, I did some basic accuracy testing. I mounted an EOTECH HWS EXPS3 optic on the upper receiver. I was impressed. From 30’, the T4E TC 68 Rifle put five paintballs into one hole. I went back to 60’ and put five paintballs into a three-inch group on a steel plate.
I also did some shooting at combative speed using the T4E TC 68 Rifle. I was able to get good split times using the .68 caliber paintballs averaging around 0.16 seconds between shots. The recoil impulse and sound are like a suppressed rifle while wearing hearing protection, and the rifle fed reliably with zero issues.
A complete system
Safety should be a priority when doing scenario training, so T4E included a pair of the exceptional DYE i5 facemasks. Like the T4E TC 68 Rifle, the DYE i5 facemask is the next evolution in face protection technology. It’s an ultralight weight mask, offering more protection, more venting, better comfort, better sound processing and better coverage for more safety. The 290-degree anti-fog thermal lens gives you unparalleled optical clarity with both vertical and horizontal peripheral vision. Along with the soft touch multi-layer foam, the GSR Pro-Strap gives you the most secure and most comfortable fit of any facemask I’ve ever worn.
For those departments looking for a complete system using the same platform, T4E offers marking pistols that fire .43 caliber rubber balls, powder balls and paintball marking rounds while offering the same authentic weight and feel of our duty handguns. In addition, they offer a selection of training guns for the “opposition,” including shotgun and revolver options that fire .68 caliber marking rounds.
If you’re ready to improve safety while increasing realism, think T4E for high impact, realistic and cost-effective force-on-force training tools. T4E training equipment provides departments and law enforcement trainers with the ability to train more, train safer, and spend less compared to other scenario training weapons and marking ammunition. Improved safety means a better outcome for everyone, and less cost means more money for training and building officer effectiveness.
This article is part of Police Training Week, sponsored by T4E – Training for Engagement. Explore the full lineup of content here.
Tactical takeaway
The T4E TC 68 Rifle combines realism, safety and affordability, giving agencies a reliable way to expand force-on-force training without straining budgets.
What obstacles do you face in making scenario training both safe and realistic for your officers?
Police1 readers respond
- This is a great improvement over the blanks and muzzle cover we used in Security Police training in the Air Force. The T4E TC 68 Rifle is a revolution in almost real world training.
