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First a bit of a disclaimer.

I’m no expert. This article is a follow up to the Mammoth Sniper Challenge AAR I wrote a few months back and is intended to help point people in the right direction to start the process of long range shooting, and avoid making some common mistakes along the way. Folks have asked me to provide more info on how and what I did to get ready for the challenge and how they may be able to do the same thing. While I hope the following will be helpful, I take no responsibility for what those who may read this do with the information. Now if this inspires the next International Sniper Challenge winner, I’ll take all the credit they may wish to push my way.

Research

If your goals are to truly learn the craft of long range shooting and sniping, you need to obtain the resources in which to do so. While I feel there is a great deal of useful information on forum sites such as Snipershide.com, you must always keep in mind how much BAD information is also out there. It’s challenging because the Internet doesn’t require poor information be flagged as such – wouldn’t that be nice. Always try to back up forum knowledge with factual data if possible before taking it as the gospel. There are tons of factual data related to long range shooting out there and it’s readily available.

Definition of Terms

This was specifically requested by readers of the Mammoth AAR so here is a short list.

• MOA – Minute of Angle. 1 MOA is 1/60th of 1 degree.
• MIL – A milliradian is a unit of measure derived from the degrees of a circle (in a 360 degree circle, there are 6,283.2 milliradians, or 17.45 milliradians per degree). This means that a milliradian will subtend different amounts at different ranges.
• MIL’ing a target, ranging, using the MIL-DOTS in your scope to determine the distance to your target. Search the Internet for “Understanding MOA” and you will find tons of info including many NSSF sponsored videos with Ryan Cleckner. I found his videos to be easy to follow.
• Mirage – Heat waves that rise off of warm objects. You can use this to determine wind direction and speed.
• Trace/Glint/Trail – While trace and glint are reflections from light off of the bullet itself, trail or vapor trail is the actual disturbance of the air caused by the bullet. Yes, you can see this stuff when you train your eyes.
• Splash – What flies up off of the ground from the impact of your bullet.
• Zero – Adjusting your scope to hit exactly at your point of aim. 100 yards is a common “zero” distance.
• Dope – Data on how your bullet drops at distance as well as how it moves laterally due to wind.
• Solution – Like dope, is the data on how many clicks to input on your scope turrets to hit the target. A solution can be provided by your own mathematical calculations or be provided by a ballistic computer such as a Kestrel or data app on your smart phone.
• Environmental impact beyond wind and range – Temperature, barometric pressure and other weather factors affect your bullet’s flight.
• Wind direction on the clock – 12 is directly in front of you, 6 is behind you. “6 mph from my 3” describes wind coming from exactly right to left.

Research ranging, MOA and MILS on the Internet. Leupold has a fantastic .pdf on the subject.

Buy Once Cry Once

My good friend Brian got me into long range shooting after he had attended a precision rifle school with MacMillan. Truth be known, I already owned a tremendously capable Remington Custom Shop 40X Tactical in .308 with a Leupold Mark 4 16x MIL-DOT scope but certainly had not gotten serious about learning the craft. Looking back at things now, I lucked out getting good equipment without really researching things. Brian’s rig is custom made and laid out by MacMillan based on his request for a .308 rifle and topped with a Night Force scope. He is the guy who pointed out the phrase “Buy Once Cry Once” to me and he certainly lives by it.

It’s not hard to find a good precision rifle. There are many custom manufacturers, tons of production guns that shoot well and plenty of reliable forum information on them. But you will have to spend some money. Bolt guns are much easier to get into a precision rig and will in most cases be superior as far as accuracy. I currently have a LaRue Tactical AR based gun on order and it is very accurate, but I think most people will agree that a bolt gun is even more so.

Calibers are another consideration. I have chosen at this point to stick with military calibers but there are newer and very advanced cartridges out there purposely made for competing and sniping. Keep in mind that most competitions limit the velocity your bullet can travel as well as the caliber. Choices like .260 based rounds, 243WSM and others have ballistics superior to the 5.56 and .308. Cost per round and availability of commercial ammo are factors that have kept me to the military calibers. Continuity of ammo will also be a plus once I receive my LaRue OBR in .308 as my bolt gun is also .308.

Optics are critical and in my opinion should be darn close to matching the price paid for the gun. Saving a buck on your scope is money wasted. Quality factors don’t just apply to staying zeroed in after travelling or rucking with your weapon. Having a scope that adjusts precisely and consistently is imperative for bench or field shooting. Buying a $2500 gun and putting a $500 optic on it may work well for deer hunting but it will not pay dividends at 850 yards.

I feel that if you can’t afford a Leupold Mark 4, you can’t afford at THIS TIME to finish your rig – save and wait until you can. The Mark 4 is the optic I personally use and will reference as the baseline in price and quality. You can spend a heck of a lot more but in my opinion it is a worthy topping to any gun out there; competitors and the military agree.

Getting the right accessories is also very important. While some competitions limit what accessories you can use, having all of the right stuff is critical to getting off good shots and data on your gun. A solid bipod will cost over $100, a wind meter from Kestrel will be from $200-$800 as some come with ballistic computers built in. Basically, going the “cheap” route on any component, be it rings, bases, ammo, bipod or whatever, will always hurt you in the long run. This is a game of precision and durability in the roughest of conditions.

Train with a Purpose

Similar to any activity, to make progress you have to practice with a purpose. Set goals and fire every shot for a reason. Have your pencils, papers, reference materials and your mind together and ready when you get into firing position. With today’s ammo prices, who can afford to waste rounds? To maximize your training you would need to know the basics so make sure you do plenty of research prior to sending rounds down range.

The best way to spend your time and money is to train with experts. There are quite a few reputable precision rifle courses out there from folks like MacMillan, Rifles Only and many more. We all like to obtain knowledge on our own but that’s usually the hard way. Take a course and skip the mistakes you’ll make trying to do it all on your own. Sniper’s Hide is also a great resource for finding competitions and training.

Shooting at the range is way different than in competition. On the range you may drop off a target, roll back a couple hundred yards, whip out the laser range finder and let one fly. What happens when you miss? We may range it again, look at the scope dials and wonder if we went the right or wrong way, shoot a couple more rounds, crack a Dr Pepper and snack on a pack of nabs, walk the distance off to check our range finder, on and on. Competitions are all about first round hits or being close enough to have a quick follow up shot find its mark. Stages are almost always going to be timed and it will not be an ample amount. Know your equipment before you go out to shoot and take it seriously.

There is nothing wrong with screwing around on the range, plinking and having fun, but this article is about being a pro and doing work. I was lucky enough to have Brian bring back the knowledge learned from MacMillan and pass it on to me. Like most who will read this article, I’ve shot for years but precision rifle shooting is different. Brian addressed how I get behind the rifle, how and where I rest my right and left hands, breathing, trigger control, and many other detail related items. During our first practice the smallest lapse in any of those details caused a surprising deterioration in accuracy. Think about it, any deviation at the gun is multiplied over hundreds of yards!

If you are training for a field event like the Mammoth or Rifles Only events, practice shooting in a multitude of positions. Training prone with a rear bag all of the time will not help you at such events. Practice shooting with your gun braced against a tree, leaning over a barrel, traditional sitting firing positions and even with you gun on its side. You should practice getting hits at known distances when your vertical axis goes to horizontal as in the case of having to make a shot with your rifle at 90 degrees. That’s a challenge!

Sign Up!

Practicing to become familiar with your equipment and developing a range card (1 MOA Solutions Data Book sheet shown a few photos above) is important before going to an event but nothing will completely prepare you. The amount I learned at the competition was exponentially more than what I learned on the range. Our experience revealed that people in general were very helpful sharing tips with guys who didn’t pose a threat to them winning something. Of course, just like on the Internet, there were folks that thought they knew more than they did and after hours of giving out their advice, they didn’t end up ringing any more steel than we did. Search out and take advice from the guys making hits, not necessarily the guys with the most or fanciest equipment.

Gearing up for long range shooting is neither easy nor cheap. After reading this article, hopefully you can maximize your money and time spent by not wasting much of either. I have enjoyed learning and competing in environments that demand the use of my tactical, precision and physical skills and certainly look forward to staying on a steep learning curve as long as possible. Thanks for reading and hope to see you out in the field!

Editor-in-Chief’s Note: Jason is a small business owner in Virginia specializing in Physical IT Infrastructure and Electronic Security. He splits his free time between racing cars and all things tactical. Jason is very proud to have attended the Inaugural Muster event with ITS and we’re stoked to have him as a Life Member!

This past weekend, I had the privilege of attending the Trident Concepts Combative Pistol Level One course in Bastrop, TX.

I’ll start this off by saying this was by far the most helpful block of pistol instruction I’ve ever attended. I mean that not to discredit any instructors I’ve trained with previously, but to say that this course was my “Ah hah!” moment in my pursuit to better my pistol skill-set.

Trident Concepts

Jeff Gonzales, President of Trident Concepts and our instructor for the weekend, asked each student at the beginning of the first day, what they were here for. He wasn’t looking for some blanket statement like I just made above “to better my pistol skill-set.” He wanted specifics.

My answer to him was to be more consistent with my shots and to hone my implementation of the fundamentals. I’ve taken quite a few shooting courses in the time since ITS was founded and even a few before, but in that time, the majority of my training has been with rifle.

I’m by no means an expert with a rifle, (I hate that term by the way) but I consider myself to have quite a bit more skill with a rifle that I do with a pistol. It’s been my goal for this year to change that. I’d been wanting to take a course from Jeff Gonzales, President of Trident Concepts, for quite a while now. I was thrilled when I bumped into him at SHOT Show and we had a chance to discuss coming out to one of his courses.

I’ll say right now that my driving factor to want to attend Jeff’s courses is not the fact that he’s a former Navy SEAL, but because of the professionalism and dedication I’ve always respected in everything I’ve heard about him both personally and professionally.

This month marks the 10th year that Trident Concepts has been educating the industry and it was great that our Pistol One course took place during the mark of their first decade in business. I truly don’t know why it’s taken me this long to attend one of their courses.

The Warrior Mindset

The first day of our two-day course started out with a good hour or so of fantastic lecture. It began with the basis for who TRICON is and where their curriculum came from.

Lessons learned from the battlefield and personal experience of their instructor staff makes up the foundation for what defines. They’re fanatical about standards as a tool to gauge progress. Without standards there’s not way to recognize if a technique is working or not.

Does it work? Is it necessary? Will it work under stress? Those are the three questions you should ask yourself during the evaluation process of any new technique, according to Jeff. I wholeheartedly agree. The last question “will it work under stress,” is key because of the high stress conditions you may find yourself in one day when confronted with a threat. Jeff stated that 80% of his job is to eradicate training scars (bad habits) and that was certainly true with me, as you’ll read further in the article.

Another poignant principle that Jeff follows is that he doesn’t care where you come from, all he cares about is meeting the performance standards. The question he told us all to ask ourselves was “What will you do to increase your lethality on the battlefield?” This brings us to warrior mindset, which as Jeff described, isn’t necessarily confidence. Confidence can be a false bravado, but competence equals confidence.

Proper mental conditioning is extremely important because who sees who first in an engagement can be the determining factor for the outcome. Some of you that are paying attention should hopefully be thinking about situational awareness at this point.

We addressed situational awareness by discussing the Cooper Color Code, which I’ve mentioned previously on ITS in Closing Distance: Personal Space and Body Alarm Response. While I won’t repeat the color code here, it’s a good thing to research and note that you can’t go around on high alert all the time.

Shock threshold was another interesting concept I haven’t heard much in detail about. From what I understand, it’s the measure of time from the initial shock of an event to the point at which you react. If you don’t train that aspect into your training, you’ll never know how you’ll react.

Factors that can affect shock threshold are physical fitness, age, experience (more familiar, less shock threshold) and genetics. Remember, strong people are harder to kill.

We also went over other threat recognition tools like the OODA Loop (Observe, Orient, Decide and Act) and the PADE Cycle (Perceive, Analyze, Decide and Execute), which Jeff seemed to favor.

• Perceive – Knowing what danger looks like.
• Analyze – Remove self doubt “We live in a good neighborhood, it could never happen here.”
• Decide – Your response selections should be kept to a minimum.
• Execute – Do so with coolness and without hesitation.

In turn, it’s important to remember the maxim followed in close quarters battle; speed, surprise and violence of action.

The Combat Triad was the next topic of discussion for our class and revolved around four points on a pyramid, taking into consideration that a pyramid uses three points as its base. On those three sides are manipulations, marksmanship and tactics. Mindset is the top of the pyramid and reigns supreme.

Essentially these four topics are what TRICON considers the most important aspects to bring to the battlefield. Without a solid base of manipulations, marksmanship and tactics, your mindset can’t be solid. This also goes right along with what was mentioned earlier, competence equals confidence. Confidence without that competence (solid base) is false bravado.

From there we moved into personal protective directives and that these need to be developed on your own. This is simply asking yourself the question “Am I willing to protect life by taking life?” This answer in turn should be communicated to your intimate circle; family, friends, etc. They deserve to know who you are and what to expect should a situation occur.

There will be three fights that you’ll have to go through in a gunfight. The mental fight that you should have already gone through with yourself, knowing how you’ll handle a situation. Next is the real fight and finally the fight for your civil liberties.

Jeff also shared his formula to creating a solid technique as a foundation. This includes having a maximum certainty of success, maintaining simple and economical movements, honing your situational awareness and minimizing your response selections.

This all goes back to training and why we’d all come to the TRICON course. Jeff mentioned that the reason The Teams are so effective is due to the effort they put into rehearsals; movement becomes almost instinctual. Remember the old adage that you don’t rise to the occasion, you default to your level of training.

Course Objectives and Equipment Used

Teaching the competence that will instill confidence is what TRICON’s Combative Pistol is all about. During the two days of instruction, we were introduced to what they refer to as “the combative fundamentals forging process for the tactical employment of a pistol in high-risk situations.”

I was grateful to receive not only a solid refresher on fundamentals from the weekend’s instruction, but an eye opening introduction to new concepts (to me) and why they were advocated by TRICON. These were reinforced with repetitions and drills to aid in forging correct technique and marksmanship.

We shot close to 1,000 rounds during the weekend at ranges of 3, 5, 7, 10, 15 and 25 yards. This was also my first class fully using a Glock 19 instead of my Sig Sauer P225 or P226 that I’ve been used to. I was truly thankful to not have to deal with double action shots and have come to appreciate that about Glocks lately.

During the course I ran the new Haley Strategic/G-Code Incog Apendix Holster clipped to my Liger Belt. I’ve been wearing the Incog daily for the past two months and it worked out great for the class. It’s not as comfortable for me to carry daily like the Raven Concealment VanGuard II, simply because there’s more material.

The Incog allowed me to reholster easily, although one initial thing I don’t like is that it’s not capable of being canted. I’ve tried adjusting the height on the clips a bit, but it prints more than the VanGuard for me because of its inability to cant. I do truly like the holster though and want to get more time with it before I put together a full write-up.

One thing I wanted to do with this course is to run it like I carry. What I mean by that is that I wanted to run apendix carry, just like I’ve been carrying lately and not have anything other than the essentials. I had an EDC Trauma Kit in my back pocket and used a combo of options for carrying extra mags, including cargo pockets. I’ve been questioning people’s motivation lately for wanting to run battle belts and other drop leg holsters when they train. I’m guilty of it it too in the past, but why not train like you fight? If you’re active duty Military or Law Enforcement, I fully understand running your kit like that. For me, I don’t put on a battle belt everyday, nor would I if anything went down. For me, it’s using a pistol to fight to a rifle and using that to fight to a better position. Sorry for the rant.

Drills and Lessons Learned

One of the initial drills we practiced is one where you have a buddy balance an empty casing on top of your front sight post while you have a clear and safe pistol fully extended. When your buddy removes their hand from the casing, you squeeze the trigger. Any deviation of your trigger press immediately causes the casing to fall and is a great visual tool to address not pressing the trigger straight back and improper follow through. As Jeff described, you’re pushing past the point of detonation.

We also practiced this same drill, but after we achieved pulling the trigger while the casing stayed put on the front sight, our buddy would remove the casing, rack the slide and replace the casing again. We’d then reset the trigger and squeeze again. This two-step drill had to be completed in both stages completely five times before we moved on.

What Jeff stressed is follow through after the shot, recovering the gun, putting your sights back on target and then and only then, resetting the trigger. That tip helped me out quite a bit too. Another great tip was to remember that the trigger is just a lever. Being a lever, pulling on the lower 1/3 of the trigger flat and straight back will give you better leverage and require less effort.

Some of the bigger lessons that I took home from Jeff’s instruction, were his description of shoulder placement. I’ve never noticed before how much my shoulders shrug when I extend to shoot a pistol. Jeff said to picture your shoulder blades trying to pinch a dry erase marker to create a solid shooting platform.

My huge ah hah! moment was when I overheard Jeff telling another student to try squinting his left eye to acquire the front sight faster. Something that this course and Jeff helped me identify on the first day was that I chase my focus on my front sight. My brain just seems to have issues quickly acquiring focus on the front sight without shifting focus to the rear sight and the target I’m shooting at.

By simply squinting my left eye (I’m right eye dominant) quickly, my brain immediately recognizes where I need to focus. It’s weird to write it out, but for me, it just works. I’ve never really tried that before and have always heard to keep both eyes open to avoid tunnel vision and maintaining situational awareness, I look at it like this. Those things are very important too, but I’m ultimately responsible for each bullet and where it goes. To me quickly closing and reopening my left eye and getting a crisp sight picture before firing, is worth the brief possible loss of the other things.

When I compare the way I was shooting on day one versus using the squinting method I was using on day two, there’s no comparison. It was a night and day difference for me.

Many other drills we practiced throughout the weekend were variations of drawing from the holster and the low ready at multiple distances. We worked on malfunction clearances, reloads and even shot some steel on the last day. The culmination of the course was a few different graded evolutions that comprised the final score at the end of day two. We also had a cool competition towards the end where we raced another student for hits on an 8″ steel circle target at 15 yards.

Notes

While this AAR could go on for pages more, I’ll end it here and let you know that if you’ve ever considered a course from Trident Concepts, or even if you haven’t, I wholeheartedly recommend looking into attending a course.

As I mentioned in the beginning, out of all the pistol instruction I’ve been too, I hold this course at the top of my list. Through Jeff’s ability to diagnose issues and offer suggestions, I was able to fix some problems I’ve always had when it comes to fundamentals and put me on the track to success with my consistency. That is worth more to me than I can ever put into words.

Remember to ask yourself what your goal is and how you’ll achieve and measure success.

Rifle Dynamics is one of the most innovative rifle manufacturers in the in the industry; continuously pushing the boundaries of what’s capable with the AK platform and designing purpose built firearms that become highly valued for their craftsmanship, functionality and attention to detail on every level.

However, Rifle Dynamics is much more than the great firearms they produce. They’re a company that I highly respect for their passion, integrity and ingenuity in a platform of firearms that’s largely ignored when compared to the popularity of the AR-15.

There’s a certain level of mystery surrounding how to work on AKs, at least to me. Perhaps this is due to their extreme reliability in nearly every environmental condition and the low maintenance they require. I’ve owned an AK for over 10 years and put a few thousand rounds through it, but have never had to do much more than keep it well fed.

I feel this and the stigma of the AK being the “enemy’s weapon of choice,” has largely hindered its popularity. This mindset is changing and has been for the past few years. With our troops having faced this weapon in the battlefield and the recent resurgence of the platform, more people are starting to notice the once forgotten AK and appreciating it for its merits.

From my perspective, the resurgence is due to a few things. The first is with our military needing to understand the platform on the battlefield, including it’s capabilities, operation and pitfalls. Battlefield pick-ups are a reality and the need has never been greater for our military’s familiarization. The next reason for the growing popularity, in my opinion, is due to companies like Rifle Dynamics, who have be advocating the AK for it’s reliability and performance while uniting the industry with good information. Finally, I feel that ammunition costs and the availability of 7.62×39 and 5.45×39 (until recently) have helped the resurgence as well.

AK Builder Invite

I’ve become very fond of the AR platform in recent years and spent countless hours learning and building my own. Recently, I’ve wanted to expand my firearm building skill-set and dig deeper into the AK platform. Visiting Rifle Dynamics last year was my tipping point. Getting the opportunity to meet Jim Fuller, Billy Cho and the entire RD staff was an eye opening experience.

Words can’t describe the pulse of their shop in Las Vegas, NV. The overall feel of metal clanging and the magic of seeing the level of detail that Rifle Dynamics pours into everything they do, is something I really geek out on. Their passion is projected with each turn of a wrench and is visible every time you look at a Rifle Dynamics AK.

When Jim and Billy asked if I’d like to attend their first public AK Builder Course at Rifle Dynamics HQ, I was all over it! (They’ve run one other open-enrollment course on the road but, this was the first at RD HQ.)

Before receiving the invite, I’d recently taken up the task of building my own Krink in a DIY series on ITS. I realized the best way to learn how to build an AK was to do it myself through trial and error and share my lessons learned.

Needless to say, I was stoked at the chance to learn directly from Rifle Dynamics and not only be able to share that information with you, but learn how to avoid pitfalls that would surely be inevitable when building my Krink.

True Craftsmanship

Having finished the AK Builder Course, my perspective on the AR platform has changed. While I’m in no way discrediting the skill required in building an AR-15, I now look at it as a cookie-cutter assembly, much like legos.

By that, I mean that each part has a specific place, a measure of torque, an easily obtainable tool to put it in place with. Not so with the AK. There’s certainly skill involved in putting together an AR, but not the same kind required when building an AK.

You can easily find information on the Internet on how to put together an AR, we’ve even walked through each and every step in our ITS DIY AR-15 Build Series. Not as much with the AK. Sure, there are plenty of forums and articles about the steps to assemble an AK, but it’s extremely easy to screw things up quickly.

An AR is assembled, an AK is crafted. I mean that with all sincerity too. An AK is an under appreciated work of art and until you’ve built one from the ground up, you’ll never fully understand the meaning of that statement. I’m not saying with some sort of self-righteousness, I’m saying that from someone that’s seen the light and truly learned from the master craftsmen at Rifle Dynamics. Jim touched on the fact that “not many manufacturers in the US truly know how to put these guns together right” and that “there’s just a different mindset here in the West.”

The amount of fitting, manipulation, precision, feel and sweat that goes into building an AK, will make you truly appreciate each one you touch. Some may be reading this and say, “see, this is exactly why I like ARs. They’re easy.” That’s fine too, there’s nothing wrong with that way of thinking.

But why not step outside of your comfort zone and tackle something you don’t understand? That’s what life is all about, right? I thought I knew the AK, but after the builder course, I’m now confident in that statement. I know the AK and can not only troubleshoot problems, but fix them too.

The wealth of knowledge obtained from the Rifle Dynamics AK Builder Course is immeasurable. My brain is swollen with the amount of information I learned and it’s going to take me awhile to even process everything. Thanks to my multiple pages of hurried note taking, videos and photos, I can only hope to retain it all. My hope with this article, photos and videos, is to pass along as much as I can to you.

Something that really hit me during the course is just how passionate and dedicated Jim Fuller is to sharing his knowledge with as many people as possible. Jim is probably one of the most unselfish people I’ve ever met and even though I’ve met him on multiple occasions and consider him a great friend, after this weekend, I fully know Jim.

To give you an example, not only did Jim say that he hoped we’d all go back with the information we learned and teach others, he said he’d be thrilled if we all opened up companies building AKs. Why? Because after observing our skills, he was confident we’d be doing it the right way and that there are plenty of AKs out there that need those skills. Also because Jim is a living, breathing patriot that believes in our inherent right to bear arms and that those rights shall never be infringed.

Jim stated that he’s only got a short time on this earth and if he can make a difference in peoples lives by passing along what he’s learned through years of trial and error, then he’s done his job. That, folks, is what the world needs more of. Integrity, passion and giving back.

After you see what’s required to build an AK properly and just how much craftsmanship goes into each and every step, I hope that you can appreciate just what Jim and Rifle Dynamics have done by offering the AK Builder Class to the public.

Course Curriculum

When I showed up at Rifle Dynamics HQ on the first of three days, we made the rounds with introductions and filled out some paperwork while staring at the luminous cardboard box placed before us.

Luckily I wasn’t intimidated when I opened the box and saw a disassembled AK, having that Krink kit that I started really helped me to learn more about the AK and to be able to identify parts.

Jim described that these were Romanian Military AKM Kits and that they’re higher quality than the Romy “G” kits typically found. AKM, if you remember from our AK history article, means AK (Avtomat Kalashnikova) Modern, another way to say that they’re a modern AK-47 (7.62 x 39mm) variant. My kit was marked as being originally manufactured in 1975.

I’m a sucker for a traditional looking AK and I was excited to see the wood furniture in the box. Jim mentioned that the wood hand guard had been cut and sanded down by Rifle Dynamics to remove the fore grip.

One thing I also noticed when checking out the box of parts in front of me, was that the barrel already had the rear sight tower and front sight block pinned on. The reason for this was that the course would have to have been extended another day to a day and a half if we all needed to fit these ourselves. Not to say that it takes that long, but in a class of 20 people there’s limited resources available.

The goal of the 2.5 Day AK Builder Course was to reproduce exactly what the Russian’s did with the AKM. A completely assembled 1mm stamped sheet metal receiver properly riveted with leaded rivets and guaranteed to run forever with the same 4 MOA capability as an out of the box AR. Yep, the AK is just as capable as an AR, despite the common myth that they aren’t.

Video Walk-Through

Below is the 3-part compilation of the Rifle Dynamics AK Builder Course I filmed during my time with Rifle Dynamics, there’s a lot that this article doesn’t cover contained in the videos and vice versa. For a comprehensive look at the entire experience, I’d recommend reading the article first and then coming back to watch the videos. It’s certainly your choice though, just merely a suggestion.

Parts Considerations

Most AK parts kits you come across are demilled, which means that the firearms are imported to the US and taken to a bonded BATFE chop-shop, where they have their evil parts removed per BATFE regs for import. After inspection, they’re released to US importers. Demilling is essentially cutting up the barrel and receiver, while leaving the integral parts intact. Here’s a photo of my Krink parts kit for an example of what a demilled kit looks like.

All you “should” need to do to assemble one of these kits, is to remove the cut up parts, add a barrel, a receiver and the necessary rivets. This of course all depends on the quality of the parts kit and that you don’t screw something up. These Romy kits have already had all the existing parts removed by Rifle Dynamics to ensure we were starting with a clean slate.

Something to remember is that AKs aren’t rigid and firm like US guns, they stretch, move and flex like jello. Everything is hand fit, there’s no CNC Machining or Mil-Spec on the AK. One of the results of this flexible design is the need for leaded rivets. Not just any rivets will suffice and the reason leaded rivets are used on the AK is that they stretch like a rubber band right along with the gun.

Regular pop rivets will shear right off and you may get off a round or two before the gun falls apart or you get physically damaged when the front trunion falls apart. Same goes with screws and don’t even think about welding an AK together. Build it properly from the beginning and it will run forever.

The US made barrels that we utilized on these builds were from Green Mountain Rifle Barrel Co. and the US made receivers were NDS-1′s from NODAK Spud. The “US made” part is important and will be a bit clearer why when we get into 922r compliance. Just remember, not all receivers are made equal. This is especially true with the recent surge of 80% blanks, flats and other non-complete receivers that don’t require an FFL transfer to acquire.

Heat treating on a receiver is crucial because of the twisting factor and the fact they’re made of 1mm stamped steel. If you don’t properly heat treat a receiver, or try to use one that’s not even heat treated, minor pressure can cause it to warp and over time the hammer/trigger pin holes will stretch. Some receiver manufacturers attempt to counter this by only heat treating these holes, which is just as bad as not heat treating.

It’s also possible to heat treat a receiver too hard, which can cause it to crack along the sides where they’re bent when formed. It makes it a nightmare to drill into them and they’ll eat up cobalt bits all day long. The correct heat treating on AK receivers is between 38-40 on the Rockwell C scale. The NODAK and 74uLLC are a few of the receivers Rifle Dynamics recommends.

Tools/Parts

You’re going to see some custom tools that Rifle Dynamics made to assist them in multiple assemblies, but everything you need to assemble an AK can be sourced commercially. I’ll provide some links during and at the end of the article where you can pick up these tools if you desire. Everything can be purchased for about $600-$700 and while that cost doesn’t make sense if you’re building just one, pitching in with buddies can make that expense more tolerable.

With the exception of a few things, the main tools needed are an AK-Builder Rivet Tool, AK Trigger Guard Riveting Jig, Barrel Press Kit and a 12 Ton Press. The AK Jigs can all be purchased through AKBuilder.com and the 12 Ton Press can be purchased for about $125 from any Harbor Freight. You can also add in a Drill Press if you can afford it. Add in some go/no go headspace gauges (don’t skip these), drill bits and miscellaneous tools you’ll see throughout the article and videos and you’re good to go.

When I continue the DIY Krink Build Series, I’ll get a comprehensive list together of the tools required, just like we did on the DIY AR Build Series.

Trunion and Trigger Guard Assembly

The first thing we did in the AKM assembly process was to rivet in the trigger guard using the AK Trigger Guard Riveting Jig. The front four rivets are pressed in at the same time and the rear single rivet is pressed by itself.

One thing I’d like to note here is the difference between the standard AK rivets and AK swell neck rivets. This identification is an important thing to learn if you’re building your own AK and you purchase a rivet kit.

Swell neck rivets are nearly identical to standard rivets but instead of sitting flush when pressed in, they have a curve or “swell” under the head of the rivet. This is to fit into a dimpled hole; dimpling adds shear strength to a rivet hole. For instance, instead of having four rivets on each side of the front trunion for strength, there are two regular rivets and one swell neck rivet.

Next up is riveting in the front trunion to the receiver using the AK-Builder Rivet Tool. A tip here is to start with the rearmost rivets, as this is the centerline of the front trunion and things are easier to adjust later if needed. With each rivet installed, it’s also important to check that the front of the receiver is still square and the front trunion isn’t protruding and throwing things off.

Another check at this point is to also ensure that the interior of these four rivets aren’t going to interfere with the barrel being pressed in. After the four regular rivets are pressed in, you may need to chase the swell neck rivet holes.

Chasing the holes, means to drill out the receiver sheet metal so it lines up with the hole in the trunion. Even if there’s a slight offset after this procedure, it will get covered when the rivet gets pressed in.

Since these remaining two rivets in the front trunion assembly are swell necks, these holes need to be dimpled first. This is done with an added attachment that’s included with the AK-Builder Rivet Tool.

The last step is riveting the rear trunion in with the two long swell neck rivets. These four rear trunion receiver holes will also need to be dimpled first. Just be sure here that you don’t dimple the hole that the safety inserts into. These long swell neck rivets are also pressed with the AK-Builder Rivet Tool assembled in a different configuration.

What’s interesting about this step is that as you press the rivet, the end forms a rivet head with the forming die. Check after the first rivet is pressed that the holes for the remaining rivet don’t need to be chased.

Barrel Assembly

As mentioned previously, our barrels already had the front sight block and rear site tower assembled. Starting with this configuration, the first step is to apply a small amount of lithium grease around the barrel. There’s way too much in my photo below and I wiped about half of that off before pressing my barrel.

The good thing with having the rear sight tower in place already is that it guides right along with the front trunion and helps in the alignment. At this point, we added a modified slant comp that threaded on the barrel and acted as a thread protector. You press directly on the top of the barrel, so it’s important to protect those threads.

During the barrel pressing, we had one 12 Ton Press running a custom Rifle Dynamics barrel press tool and one running the AK-Builder Barrel Press Kit. The gist of this process is that the Barrel Press tool supports the front trunion while the barrel is being pressed.

It’s important not to press the barrel in too far or too shallow. One reason being that the hole won’t line up in the front trunion for the barrel pin. This also affects headspacing; here’s how AK headspacing works:

If the bolt can’t close on a go gauge, then the barrel is pressed in too far, if it can close on a no-go gauge, it needs to be pressed in further. WASRs are notorious for being improperly headspaced, not being able to close on a go gauge.

After checking and adjusting headspace, we used the barrel pin attachment from the AK-Builder Barrel Press Kit and pressed the barrel pin in.

Before we move on, it’s important to note that you can’t just buy any AK barrel and expect it to fit your front trunion. There are a few different sizes of front trunions, so be sure you get the right match if you’re replacing a barrel.

Hammer/Trigger/Safety and Bolt Assembly

I found the bolt assembly to be pretty interesting and as Billy also explains in the second video (above), there’s a lot of pin alignment that needs to take place. It’s definitely more complicated when compared to the assembly of an AR bolt.

Installing the Hammer, Trigger and Safety weren’t in themselves that difficult, but one step in this process really got me and was the only point in the build I said a few choice words to my new AKM. To start this procedure, we began by filing down the hammer face to remove the sharp edges and bevel that came on the US Made TAPCO G2 trigger.

In the second video, Billy demonstrates how to to properly file, sand and polish the hammer. This ensures the bolt carrier doesn’t get stuck when charging. Be very careful here, because if you take too much off the hammer, you’ll get a dead trigger and the trigger won’t reset properly.

The next step is to set the spring onto the hammer and hope that the cobra doesn’t bite you! The legs of the AK spring are like a cobra ready to strike after you finish wrapping them on the hammer. A neat trick here is to take an empty shotgun shell and place it over the hammer and “set” legs, so it doesn’t get you if it strikes when you’re installing it.

Once you have your hammer spring set, install the trigger disconnector, disconnector spring and sleeve. You’re now ready to install the hammer and trigger. If you notice, the hammer/trigger pins have a groove around the entire pin, which was originally used to rest a wire on to hold them in.

Advancements have thankfully come around and we now have things like the Krebs Retaining Plate, which do a better job of retaining the hammer/trigger pins and are easier to install. There’s nothing wrong with using the wire, other than it being a pain in the ass to install. I had an issue with the Krebs plates I used and had to default to the wire, which is why my choice words came out during this step.

It’s easier if you install the hammer into the receiver before the trigger, as there’s more room to get it to fit correctly. Once it’s in place you may need to tap the pin with a hammer to get it to seat properly. Next put the trigger in place and insert the pin before adding the wire or retaining plate.

The last thing is releasing the mouse trap hammer spring on top of the trigger and ensuring the wires are resting on the trigger correctly. The Recoil Spring assembly is also an important step that Rifle Dynamics has a neat trick for. Billy demonstrates in the video below:

Furniture Assembly and Polishing

Assembling the furniture on the AK is almost the easiest thing to do. There’s two large screws that hold the stock on and another two that hold on the rear stock plate that features a trap door which houses the cleaning kit. I’ve always loved the feature on the stock that stores the cleaning kit until it’s needed. Yet another reason why I like AKs with their original wood furniture.

I did run into a few problems installing the top section of wood to the gas tube. You basically take a large wrench and spin the wooden cover 180 degrees into position. You can split the wood here if you’re not careful, so don’t force it.

The pistol grip is fairly self explanatory as well. There’s only one way the nut will fit inside the receiver and you’ll know immediately if you have it in the wrong way. Then it’s just a quick adjustment with a screwdriver to tighten it up.

At this point, we assembled the bolt carrier group and recoil spring and got to see if the bolt carrier was sticking. On my AKM, it was sticking in the rearmost position when racking the charging handle. This was easily fixed by some slight polishing with a dremel diamond wheel on the receiver rails and the area on the bolt carrier group that they interface with.

Front/Rear Sight Installation

The AK cleaning kit, which is probably one of the most versatile inventions, can be configured to handle almost any work you might have to do in the field to your AK. Jim demonstrates these configurations in the third video (above.)

One such configuration is using it as a front sight adjustment tool that can also install the front sight. The rear sight is a bit more difficult, as you have to depress the leaf spring with a flat head screwdriver while you slide the rear sight in.

We also utilized the Fuller rear sight modification, a custom filing done on the rear sight to draw the eye into the sight. Jim also explains this modification in detail in the videos.

Function Check, 922r Compliance and Test Fire

At this point, everything was coming along perfectly with my build and Day 2 was wrapping up. Jim pointed out that you could realistically assemble a complete AK in about 2 hours if you knew what you were doing. I don’t think that I’m there yet, but I’ll reiterate here how invaluable learning hands-on like this is.

This is also a good opportunity to mention 922r compliance. In the video on day three, Jim briefly goes over 922r, but I feel that this video below from my previous trip out to Rifle Dynamics spells it out a little clearer:

If you’re interested in reading the full 922r compliance specs, they can be found here: http://www.atf.gov/firearms/faq/firearms-technology.html

Day three commenced with a final function check to ensure our trigger groups were behaving before heading out to the range to test fire. The goal of the test fire was to burn through a mag first to look at the ejection pattern of the spent cartridges. Optimally these will launch at the 2 o’clock to 3 o’clock position and fly at least 10 feet away. If that occurs, it means your gas system is working properly. There could also be junk in the gas port that will more than likely blow out as you’re running that first mag.

The other things you’re looking for is how the gun feels, is the furniture working loose? Are the hammer and trigger pins staying in? Zeroing was also done at 25 yards and I was very impressed with how well my AK shot. There was hardly any adjustment at all needed.

Wrap-up and Future Course Offerings

During the time between the AK Builder Course and this article, Rifle Dynamics has already offered another class and I believe it filled up immediately. Here’s the announcement on Facebook for that course though if you’d like to inquire for available spots.

The best thing to do if you’re interested in getting in on a Rifle Dynamics AK Builder Course, is to watch the Rifle Dynamics Facebook Page. They’re using the page for announcements of these classes and you need to be quick if you want to get in on one.

I want to thank Jim and Karen Fuller, Billy Cho, Mark Flinn and the entire Rifle Dynamics staff for an amazing course, I feel honored to have attended the AK Builder Course and words can’t express what a tremendous opportunity it is to learn how to build an AK first hand from the RD staff.

If you have the resources to attend this course, it’s some of the best money you’ll ever spend, not to mention the fact you own the AK that you build during the course! This is craftsmanship at its finest and is a true trade that needs to be learned in the old way like this. There’s not enough of this kind of learning out there today if you ask me.

I’ll leave this with a great quote from Jim after the course was over that I think speaks volumes about what this course means and the caliber of company that Rifle Dynamics holds itself to.

“Another aspect of this class is “freedom and the American way.” We are a country that was founded on personal achievement and excellence driven by capitalistic offerings of services, goods and products. We have unfortunately moved away from that mindset today but we hope that these classes will inspire some of the students to go on to build their own AKs or even go into business building for others. We just want to make sure they’re doing it right for the sake of maintaining a standard of quality in American AK variants. Not to mention that the freedom you have to do something like this is important for our survival as a free nation.“

Links/Resources

• Rifle Dynamics – Information on production AKs, custom work and training
• AK-Builder.com – AK jigs, presses, rivets, parts, magazines
• Green Mountain Rifle Barrel Co - AK barrels
• NODAK Spud – AK Receivers
• 74uLLC – AK Receivers
• RGUNS – AK parts kits, barrels, accessories
• Krebs - Retaining plates, etc.

January 4-6 2013, I participated in the Mammoth Sniper Challenge at the Rockcastle Shooting Center in Park City, KY with my good buddy Brian. It was the first such event either of us had participated in and I hadn’t had any formal precision rifle training.

Brian attended McMillan’s Precision Rifle Course earlier in 2012 and brought some of that information home to coach me up over a couple of weekends prior to the event.  He shared good basic info, like how to get behind the rifle, how to range and what all the MOA and MIL thingys meant.

The Genesis

While attending the “Muster” skill building outing with ITS Tactical in late 2012, Brian and I really had our fires lit for tactical adventure. That’s where the adventure/tactical race ideas were first sown. Thanks to Brett with Triple Aught Design, Brian and I placed Survival Trial and 24 Hour Sniper Challenge on our list. I’ll won’t deny that my impeding 40th birthday in March had me a little “concerned” about my overall shape and health, but adventure has always been a part of my life. The past 4-5 years spent racing cars can attest to that. But, in car racing you don’t have to be in great shape. This new plan would demand a high level of physical shape.

Physical training for me started immediately after Muster. Brian was already in good shape and serves as his group’s fitness officer in the Navy. Our goal was Survival Trial but it seemed so far away. I don’t remember who found Mammoth, but like with most things we do, it took zero provocation to get the both of us registered. This would be the perfect event, an opportunity to sharpen our shooting skills and get some serious PT along the way. We would be entering the Extreme Tough Man Division which required teams to stay outside on the property and walk between stages at a pace no slower than 20 minutes per mile. That doesn’t sound like a very fast pace and we certainly were never in jeopardy of missing our mark, but as you’ll read later on, there were some heartbreaking failures in the group.

The Event

Rockcastle Shooting Center is a fantastic place and the perfect venue for such an event. The event coordinators set up an extremely difficult course with 7 shooting stages. The event offered two divisions, regular for those who wanted to sleep in a bed and drive to the stages and the Extreme Tough Man Division. The field consisted of a few hacks like us, top notch civilian shooters, Law Enforcement shooters, Army, Army Special Forces guys from 3rd and 5th Group, Army Rangers, Military Sniper School Instructors, Army B4 Snipers and probably some guys who were from divisions not yet known to the common man. Brian’s chief instructor from McMillan was also there, a former SF guy and sniper.

Again, Muster really prepared us for the ETM division of this event. With the weather being as cold as it was and the trails between shooting stages being as difficult as they were, packing light and having the right gear would be imperative. Even with a 2’ x 2’ x 2’ box being provided and moved between campsites for us, we held an advantage over the other civilian competitors in terms of fighting weight. Our Triple Aught Designs gear performed incredibly and I will venture to say we sold a few pieces for TAD during the event. Most competitors were in and out of outerwear all day while Brian and I stayed warm and dry from head to toe with all of our gear on and no Gortex or Thinsulate on our feet. The event was cold, 20’s at night and 30’s in the day and the terrain was above average in difficulty; some stretches were very steep and supported only foot or ATV travel.

Both Brian and I started the event with a combination of Capilene base layers coupled with TAD Ranger and Stealth Hoodie LT’s. They proved to be a fantastic combination, but our equipment advantage ended with our clothing and gear. As the primary shooter, Brian was shooting a McMillan TAC .308 bolt gun with a NightForce scope. Hardly a slouch on the battlefield, but compared to the custom .243 WSM, .260’s and the like, out-gunned. As the secondary shooter, I was equipped with my M4 based 5.56 AR. Before the event I had purchased a 16” Rock River precision upper by PK Firearms and coupled that with a Leupold Mark4 3.5-10/LaRue mount combination. The hardware used at this event by many competitors was amazing. We knew going in that we would be out-gunned and were fine with it. The goal was to learn and PT. We did both.

Thankfully the organizer put the SF guys in the same group. Our group was mostly civilian with one Army team. That would be critical, because the first team to arrive at the next stage would choose the shooting order for that stage. Brian and I wanted to show well physically and we really gave 100 percent in the stage to stage movements. The Army team consisted of a couple of 20 something kids that were fully capable of beating us between stages. They knew we wanted to win the rucks and they didn’t want to get beat by a couple of 40 year olds. As you will read later in this report, it didn’t always work out for them!

Day 1

We were up at 0530 after trying hard to sleep. Last shower for 3 days done, we headed to the zero range at 0600. We were required to be at the start area at 0730 to start packing our camping boxes. With zeros confirmed we headed to the starting spot. We were amazed when we saw the sizes of the boxes. I just didn’t understand how big 2’ x 2’ x 2’ was! We were totally prepared to ruck ALL of our gear and that’s how we packed. After putting camp only needed gear in the box, we’d used about 40% of its volume. We had brought some stuff that we planned on leaving in the car, like tools, cleaning equipment, spare compressed fuel, etc. It all went in and we had no issues getting the lid closed. Even with the ample storage space, most in our group had their packs heavily laden. Brian had his Eberlestock pack with sheath to hold his gun; I was sporting a LBT 3-day Assault pack that was easily the smallest pack in the group. On to stage one.

With the intent of winning the ruck between stages we set out at a good pace out front. Within 100 yards the 20 something Army boys ran by at a ridiculous pace. Oh well, we decided to still go as hard as we could and arrived about 2 minutes behind them and still way in front of the rest of the group. Second to these kiddos wasn’t awesome, but understandable. First Stage was “Cowboy Town” which consisted of tennis balls hung from string at distanced ranging from 140 to 7 yards. An added twist was that primary and secondary shooters switched places which meant our first shooting stage ever would have us shooting a gun we had little practice with. Fun.

We learned two things on this stage. First was that the 8 minute time limit would go by like seconds. Second was that I would rarely shoot from a supported position; both of which I was unprepared for.   Shooting a tennis ball with a scope set on 10x at 7 steps is hard. Standing with no support makes it harder. At this stage we couldn’t touch the scope for any reason so you had to set it before starting. Even with us getting through half of the stage before time expired, we scored enough points to put us in the middle of our 7 team pack.

Brian’s first shot of the weekend was a hit on a tennis ball at 135 yards with my gun; a fact that he didn’t let me forget all weekend. Before we left this stage we fired up and enjoyed a hot lunch while the rest of the squad looked on in envy, chewing their energy bar lunches like cows and cud. The meal would serve us well as we set out for our next stage.

Red Barn was up next and on the opposite side of the property, which would be the second longest ruck of the weekend. We set out behind the Army kids going as hard as we could. Within minutes, the boys had stretched out far enough that we couldn’t see them and well before the first required turn. Near the end of the ruck we turned down a gravel road that led across a field that was at least 1000 yards. We STILL couldn’t see them and thought to ourselves, damn, these kids are fast. As we arrived at the barn the RO announced his congratulations for us winning the ruck. The Army boys had taken a wrong turn!  Awesome, we were one for two and damned happy about it.

The RO’s went out after the boys and eventually got them on the right path. They had to flat out run to make the time limit and did so with only seconds to spare. Being in charge of the shooting order, we considered making them shoot first but decided against starting a full scale war on the second stage. These boys would certainly pick the shooting order at most stages so we decided to extend the olive branch.

The stage briefing revealed a challenging stage with targets ranging from 350 to 850 yards with no known distances. We were given 15 minutes to mil and range targets. As the secondary shooter, I would have to shoot through a wooden frame with the gun at 90 degrees (sideways) while on my knee, while not touching any part of the frame with my body. This was also at targets no bigger than 8” across at 400 yards.  Second shooting position was prone but had to be through the frame which was certainly going to end up being higher than my tripod. Joy.

Brian started the stage, firing at the targets in order. With a few hits and me not being able to follow any trace or splash, we finally moved to the longest target located on a hill. Finally a splash!  I walked Brian into the last target from his point of impact and we scored a hit. It was clear that inexperience spotting would hamper us. We quickly learned that with targets placed along tree-lines we wouldn’t be seeing splash. It would be 36 hours before I acquired the ability to consistently see trace.

My turn. After a 100 yard sprint to the target, I placed the gun on the frame sideways and let three rounds fly. It was a requirement to shoot at least once at each target from that position and we wanted to get that out of the way as soon as we could and get to the prone shooting. As I feared, my bipod wasn’t tall enough. I used the rear bag on one leg of my bipod to clear the frame and tried to bring my reticle to rest on a 6” plate at 385 yards. No points scored. At this point I’ll tell you that out of 150 rounds or so I fired for the entire event, 30 came from a solid rest of bipod and bag, 20 of which were from Brian’s gun. The administrators set out to mentally challenge me and at this point had the upper hand. We set out for our first camping spot driven by anger and disgust.

First camp site was a solid ruck but we lost no one in any of the ETM squads. We found the provided burn barrels and got to work setting up tents and starting some wood burning. It was quite a sight to see over 30 tents pitched. As is my personality, I “moseyed” through the area chatting up teams and potentially scavenging a sip of whiskey. I can honestly say that 95 percent of the guys were absolutely awesome. The 5th Group SF boys set up tent directly behind Brian and I and were awesome to hang with. Did I mention they had Jack Daniels? I made sure to locate their tents at the next camp site!

It was damned cold that first night, 22 degrees by my watch. I had left my rifle uncovered and the next morning it was iced up pretty good; it was dubbed “Snowflake” by my squad mates the following day.  There were more than a couple of guys huddled by the burn barrel when we got up at 0500. It seems they had kept the fire going all night and some hadn’t slept at all. Brian and I were snug as bugs in our gear that night and hit the trail to our first spot well rested.

Day 2

Our first stage was Front Ridge. It was only a mile ruck but the administrator warned us not to dally, the last 500 yards were straight up. As was protocol for the weekend, Brian and I jogged the downhills and pushed the uphills as best we could. The final stretch was undersold as gruesome. Embarrassing to admit, I had to stop once for a couple of seconds while I managed to push the pain further back in my mind.  We arrived second again to the Army boys and crashed into our packs to rest. This stage almost got 2 of our teams, but we cheered them on to finish just seconds under the time limit.

The stage briefing revealed an awesome stage shooting from one ridge to another, primary targets with a central known distance of 852 yards and secondary targets at 250 and 300 yards. Brian would have solid rests and of course, I would have to shoot seemingly with one hand tied behind my back. Seriously, I would have 3 prone targets and then reengage standing with partner assisted support.

After enjoying a hot breakfast, coffee and listening to some of the other guys shoot, we got our turn. Once again, spotting trace or splash was made extremely difficult on the primary targets by the backdrop and the sunlight. Brian did get a couple of hits on target and we moved to my position. I was able to get a couple of hits from prone and went to the standing position with Brian bracing against a tree offering me a rest. I let my last round fly just a fraction of a second before time was called and it hit its mark. That was a nice finish to a mediocre-at-best stage.

While waiting for the rest of the squad to finish, we shared stories with the law enforcement team from Pigeon Forge, TN. These guys were great and ended up being friends we have kept up with since. My partner Brian had seen combat and received wounds in Afghanistan. One of the policemen had engaged and terminated a bad guy in a justified shooting in the line of duty. For once I kept quiet and listened to these two share their stories and draw support from each other in doing so. OK, not totally quiet, but I can say this was but one of the many times I felt honored to be participating in such an event with great Americans.

Next we set out for Thunder Ridge and Tobacco Barn, these two stages would dominate our team mentally and physically. We arrived behind the Army boys and again, well ahead of the rest of the squad. In order to get to the staging area we had to walk across a field that was at least 1030 yards long. Yes, Brian had that shot. Also, we had to walk past an area that Barrett had set up with suppressed .338 and not suppressed 50 cal rigs. What I will tell you next will blow your mind and speaks to our mental and physical status at the time – neither of us accepted the offer to fire either or both guns. Crazy I know. We set up at Thunder Ridge and got our briefing.

We would have to crawl down the dirt between cedar trees for about 50 feet under rope and then take position on a small flat-bed trailer. Most of this I didn’t get from the briefing rather repeated to me by Brian and other competitors. We were all fairly cooperative with each other and it was a nice weekend from that stand point. We again were almost last which took over an hour. My difficulty in comprehending and accurately ranging targets alerted Brain and I that I was getting dehydrated, he was too. We came up with a rehydration plan and did the best we could prior to shooting.

When it was our time, we rolled out and down the hill, up onto the trailer and into position and I proceeded to miss every target. Bad. Brian followed and blanked as well. It was tough as hell and neither of us were seeing any trace or splash. When time was called the RO asked in a condescending tone “where was the wind call?” Not a good move on his part and I expressed my displeasure with his poorly timed comment and lack of compassion on a green horn. I lost my grip on things for a few minutes partly from blanking the stage, partly from poorly timed comments and mainly because of dehydration. After the stage was done the RO walked up to me and apologized and I did too, all was good. Now to get my act together.

Rehydration and some nutrition was going to take a while and we all knew the evening’s ruck was going to be the defining one of the weekend. After Thunder Ridge, our next stage was literally 200 yards down the hill, past the Barrett setup. We walked over, got our stage briefing for Tobacco Barn and sparked up the JetBoil for lunch. The plan: secondary would shoot first from inside the Barn and roll over to underneath the Primary to get after the multitude of targets he had. This stage required Brian to run in and climb a makeshift three level platform to get to his position. I shot from the ground and was required to be off the ground on Brian’s platform before he could fire.

Of all of the stages, I felt like I should have done better here. By this time I doubted the zero on my gun, doubted myself and broke just about every other mental rule in the book. I rushed shots, rushed my dope sheet and blanked the stage again. Regrettably, Brian did too. Two blanked stages in a row. Our momentum had been lost, but with some help from our LE buddies, I got my head out of my butt and got motivated for the ruck back. I mean, we knew we would stink at shooting; we came to represent and PT, right?

It’s hard to hydrate in the cold and I wasn’t prepared for it. I learned that you have to drink water regardless if you’re thirsty, have to eat your scheduled calories hungry or not. We were playing catch up. Alas, ITS Tactical saved the day again, I pulled a pack of Oral IVs from my bag and Brian and I downed one each along with the water we were consuming in mass quantities. I can promise you that the Oral IV units had a huge hand in getting us right. For this ruck, we staged with Group 3 which was the group made up entirely of military badasses; they had been shooting Thunder Ridge right next to us. It was announced that the winners from each squad would be awarded space in an abandoned bath house at the night’s campsite.

We had to remind ourselves that we weren’t competing against Group 3 guys, just our group. Good thing, because those guys were insane. We started out in front and that lasted to the first slight incline. The Rangers went by walking at a speed that was a medium run for us. My 5th Group whiskey buddies cruised by at a slightly slower speed but much faster than us still. These guys were chiseled warriors, mid-twenties and do this stuff for a living. In retrospect they did provide plenty of motivation as we tried to keep them in sight as long as we could.

The ruck was long, 4.7 miles and back across the property. It included the worst hills and an extremely steep portion of the access road that was at least a mile long. Good news, we had worked hard to hydrate and build up some nutrition stores. Better news was one of the Army boys in our group had decided racing us 40 year olds was overrated and had dropped back, much to the chagrin of his partner who was still in front of us. The climb was insanely difficult but we kept going thinking of how sweet victory would be. We made it to the line first in our group, behind one of the Army boys but in front of the other. It really was a great achievement for us, one we needed for morale. Things in camp got interesting soon after we got settled in. As the ruck cut-off time neared there were multiple teams still out. More than a few of us gathered at the finish line to cheer on struggling teams. A couple made it, a couple did not. It was hard to watch, we didn’t want to be one of those guys tomorrow.

Our prize was a bombed out and depleted bath house with half a roof; not even a diamond in the rough.  More than one guy walked in with toilet paper in their hands asking where to go to the bathroom. It did have block half walls that we used to make a clothes line, thanks Muster again for taut-line hitches and bowline knots. It also came equipped with wooden structures we could use as tables to set our stuff out on and sit. I took this opportunity to change underwear and base layers as well as took a backpacker’s shower with sanitary wipes. I noticed Brian was a little less than responsive, the day had taken a toll on him as well and he was down on fluids and food. As I went out into camp in search of my 5th Group SF buddies (and their whiskey,) Brian stayed behind to eat and drink.

Out “on the town,” I met and talked to the some of the Rangers as well as some fellow “regular” guys. This was a fantastic group of people that included ammo manufacturers, a guy who worked for Remington, as well folks representing other parts of the gun industry. Good times. I made it to my buddies and the whiskey before it was gone and they were asleep. While bad things happened earlier in the day, it sure as hell finished on a better note.

Day 3

Up and at ‘em at 0530. We broke down camp, packed our box and were ready to go. Instant Starbucks and Mountain House eggs were the initial fuel for the day. We had lost quite a few teams the night before, about 25% if I remember correctly, but it was time to push on. Our first stage was the golf course, all downhill from camp down Mt. MoFo (use your imagination,) the hill that had taken out our buddies the night before.

Before I started racing cars my passion was golf, so I really felt comfortable at this stage. The yardages made sense, there were flags still in the holes for wind indicators, it just felt right. Of course the briefing revealed that I would not be shooting from a decent rest. Surprise, surprise. I would be shooting from behind a swing, gun on the swing platform not touching the support chains, nor any of my body touching the swing. Brian did have a good shooting platform for his first position and had to shoot over a barrel on his second. Half of the primary targets were known distance and two out of the three of mine were as well.  The one unknown target for me was a 2” x 8” ruler at about 300 yards. Yeah, really.

Brian started off getting a couple of hits and more importantly, I started seeing his trace!  I was able to walk him down into a couple of targets. Brian also saw mine as well as some splash behind targets, things were looking up. I managed to get a couple of hits off the swing, including one on the 8” diamond at 458 yards. We were happy with our improvement.

The final stage, Back Ridge, would be the greatest 8 minutes of the weekend, maybe the month. The ruck was short, less than two miles but like the Front Ridge, Back Ridge finished with 500 yards of near straight up hill. Hydrated, well fed and riding momentum from the first stage, we cruised on up. This stage again involved shooting from one ridge to the next. Most of the other stages had a three or four shot maximum per target with only one hit counting. This stage was different in that Secondary had 15 shots at 3 targets, one relatively large. Primary was the same with 20 shots and a larger known distance target at 715 yards, hit a target as many times as you want. Let’s clarify large; at home practicing for this event, large was 24” x 36.” At this match, large was 12” x 18”  at 700+ yards.

We had 20 points for the match. Some teams had more than 20 points in a single stage and we were behind to say the least. Our plan for this stage was to hone in on the largest target and try to get as many hits on it as possible. After the first hit on target, each shooter was allowed three misses. We had to switch positions too, Brian on my gun as Secondary and me on his as Primary. Brian would shoot first from a position behind some rocks, standing and resting on a large rock and I would try to get behind a log for my shots in a position we both felt would be very good. Brian’s targets were unknown distance so he created a card with my dope for 200 to 400 yard ranges to MILS. The plan was to run up and MIL the target. He would tell me the size and I would read off the dope from the card.

“Shooter ready? GO!” We ran down into the Secondary position. He got behind the scope and called out 1.5 Mils. I yelled back 2.5 MOA up. I was standing behind Brian, spotting with his rifle held freehand.  Not the most stable rest, but as he let the first one go I saw it splash right of the target. “Move half target left!” I yelled. The next shot was one of very most beautiful sights of the weekend and one we would see over and over for the next seven minutes. It shattered on the steel and the RO yelled “HIT!”. “HIT! HIT! HIT! HIT!” shouted the RO as Brian slammed round after round into the plate. The RO’s voice yelling “HIT!” was supplemented by me yelling “Pour it on her SON!” When his 15 rounds were spent he yelled out to move to the primary position and we moved out. He had scored 12 hits!

As I slid into position behind a nice and flat and fairly level rock, I looked at the time. Only two and a half minutes had passed, we had all day. I got the gun pointed up the hill, dropped the sand back under the rear of the stock and saw a beautiful sight. The gun was a rock, planted and stable with the first target in the crosshairs. At that moment I paused, then retrieved the spare magazines from my leg pockets and stacked them neatly beside my position. Brian barked “Let’s roll son!” but I knew I needed to take a breath, get my stuff together and take advantage of the best opportunity in three days to hit targets. All weekend we had been short of the wind. We had made the conscious decision for this stage to figure for the worst, 10 mph gusting to 20 from the 4 o’clock. We had dialed that in to Brian’s scope and he had dialed in the elevation from his dope. It would turn out to be just about perfect. First shot broke and Brian yelled, “Just Left!” as we both saw the splash. I held on the right edge for the next shot “HIT!” yelled the RO. “HIT! HIT! HIT!”

It seemed too easy; this is how it must have been for the experienced teams with good dope!  I swapped mags and let one go as the wind picked up. The splash was a couple feet high and left. I let another go, just as bad on the other side. The wind had changed badly and Brian told me to wait until it settled back down. On his call I broke the next shot “HIT!” Three more were hits with another miss in the mix. Then we waited with about a minute left and eventually I let the last round go that missed sorely in a completely different directions. The wind had become impossible as the time limit neared.

You would have thought we won the whole damned match, as we’d just hit 20 targets! 20 was our total up to that point for the entire weekend. It was an awesome feeling. The guys in front of us hit a bunch, but not everyone did. We’d gotten our act together on the last stage and rocked it out. Even as I write this, I can’t get the smile off of my face, it was a great few moments. In retrospect, the timing was perfect. Had we strung 40 points together through the weekend or worse, had made 20 hits the first day and ended with getting blanked twice, it would have been terrible. I’m glad it went the way it did!

Last Ruck

Needless to say, after the last stage our feet barely touched the ground on the way back. It was a medium length ruck of about 2 miles with some worse than average elevation, but it didn’t matter. We talked like giddy school girls the entire way. As we finished up, took some pictures and unloaded our gear, we kept our eye on the finishing timing line. Many teams were coming from the back side of the property and had long uphill rucks. It was heart breaking to watch and hear but the last team, a husband and wife, came up literally 20 feet short of making the finish. It was truly a terrible thing to watch, as it had been such a long a difficult weekend. They had made it to camp the night before and that was a tougher route in my opinion. But, we had made it and we had shown damn well in the footwork department winning exactly half of the timed stages. A tear was shed for the ones who failed and then on with the party!

Awards

If you’ve never attended one of these events, be informed that the prize table is awesome.  We had beaten 17 teams, it was easier to count from the bottom than the top and by the time we were called to go to said prize table we still were able to make off with $600 worth of gear. All the gear was top shelf; USA made tactical and shooting related stuff. The package we selected included a Tactical Tailor Rigger’s Belt, JP Precision AR firing system, AR Charging handle, ammo gift certificates and much more. Cool thing was that Brian really needed a Rigger’s Belt and was planning on getting the same one I had upon his return home. I also needed a trigger, as mine had failed prior to departing for the event. I had borrowed Brian’s AR trigger and installed it the night before the event. Talk about applicable prizes! The winning teams won rifles and there were prize packages worth thousands of dollars with Kestrels, US Optics scopes and all kinds of stuff. As bad as we finished, we still had more value in prizes than we’d paid in entry fees!

Conclusion

The goals we set for this event in relation to future adventure races, were to learn precision shooting in a dynamic environment and to physically train. Our goals related to performance at this specific event were to improve and finish respectfully in the shooting and leave a mark rucking, I feel like we accomplished those goals. The main factors in achieving the physical goals were packing light, having the right gear and training prior to the event. People who didn’t make it failed for many reasons. Most were unprepared, over packed, had brand new boots on with no break-in, poor hydration and nutrition, all of which tore their bodies and their minds down. Some spoke of wanting that bed and heater and the next morning tried to boast how comfortable both luxuries were. To Brian and myself, as well as others in our group, those amenities represented failure and we wanted no part of them.

We can attribute the lessons learned at Muster and subsequent relation with fellow members and administrators at ITS Tactical to our measured success. The right gear, the right preparation, the right fixes at the right time. The right mindset and also a couple of well-timed Oral IV doses!

Next Time

We will be back. This event was difficult, but was awesome. If you plan on competing, I can offer a few tidbits of advice. Read and learn about the environmental impact on your bullet, beyond wind. You should practice shooting on one foot balancing on a tricycle, especially if you are shooting the Secondary position. Pack light and right. Ruck in full gear for months before going. Trust your gun, when things go bad the first natural thing to do is doubt your zero. Trust me, it only makes things worse!

Special thanks from both Brian and I to ITS Tactical, Triple Aught Design, and our fellow Muster buddies. CHARLIE!!!

Gear List

Primary Rifleman

• McMillan TAC308
• NightForce 3-xxxxxxxxxx
• Harris bipod
• Black Hills match 175gr Match Ammo
• Eberlestock Pack
• MSR Cook ware and stove
• Mountain House assorted meals
• Merrel Moab Ventilator non-Gortex boots
• Darn Tough Vermont socks
• Patagonia Capilene 2 base layer
• TAD Vesper Sweater
• TAD Ranger LT Hoodie
• TAD Stealth LT Hoodie
• TAD Amphibious Cargo pant
• MechanicsWear gloves
• US Army issue 3 piece bag and Bivy
• MSR Hubba Hubba tent

Secondary Rifleman

• Bushmaster M4 based lower, Rock River Arms stainless 16” upper
• Geissele SSA 2-stage trigger
• Leupold Mark4 3.5×10 scope, LaRue mount
• Harris Bi-pod, Accu-shot mono-pod
• Black Hills Mk262-mod1 Match ammo
• LBT 3-day assault pack
• JetBoil
• Mountain House assorted meals
• Lowa Renegade LL boots
• TAD Ranger Hoodie LT
• TAD Stealth Hoodie LT
• 5.11 cargo pant
• Darn tough Vermont socks
• Patagonia Capilene 2 and 3 base layer
• WX gun fighter gloves
• REI 15 degree down bag

Visit the Mammoth Sniper Challenge website for more information on this event.

Editor-in-Chief’s Note: Jason is a small business owner in Virginia specializing in Physical IT Infrastructure and Electronic Security. He splits his free time between racing cars and all things tactical. Jason is very proud to have attended the Inaugural Muster event with ITS and we’re stoked to have him as a Life Member!

While reporting on the 2013 SHOT Show, we stopped by the Ruger booth to check out a kiosk they had set up. Basically, they came up with a very easy way for gun owners to send a pre-written letter to elected officials letting them know your stance on gun laws.

Once you input your information, it creates the message and selects all of the appropriate recipients. It chooses them based on your address and Ruger does not store your information. You can pick and choose who from that list receives your message as well if you didn’t want someone to receive the message.

After you submit your message, you get a confirmation email with the date and time and names of who your message was sent to. One small thing I thought of is that I would like to see a copy of my message just to be certain it wasn’t sent as: Dear (Recipient). Other than that, it’s a very simple process.

Here is a copy of the message that gets sent to the President, Vice-President, your Senators, Representative, Governor, Lieutenant Governor, State-Level Elected Officials and State Attorney General:

Dear (Recipient),

I am a law-abiding citizen and responsible gun owner.

I am saddened by the tragic events in Newtown, Connecticut, but I believe that efforts to impose new restrictions on me and other lawful and responsible owners like me are misguided. Did you know that violent crime with firearms has declined since the Federal “assault weapons ban” expired in 2004?

Your focus should be on strengthening mental health care and improving the quality of data supporting NICs checks (National Instant Criminal Background Check System). Do NOT pass more gun laws; instead, work to enforce the more than 20,000 gun laws already on the books.

I am your constituent and I vote. Please represent me.

Sincerely,

(Your Contact Information)

Visit Ruger.com to Take Action