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AFTER ACTION REPORT
DESIGNATED MARKSMAN RIFLE - 2025
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Last weekend we had beautiful weather for our Defensive Carbine Elements class in Saint Anthony, Idaho. I think it's valuable to write up after action reports on these classes, and I encourage those who attend classes like these to write their own, if even for their own notes, but certainly posting them on forums, social media, or sharing them with friends can help attract more clientele.
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STUDENTS: There was a mix of new students and alumni in this class. I regard repeat students as a compliment, and there is value in taking the same class more than once.
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GEAR: Rifles in this class were sensibly configured and all ran very well. More than half the class was running Adaptive Defense Armory rifles or uppers. Barrel lengths varied from 10.3" (registered SBR's) to 18". Optics were mostly red-dots, one magnifier, and one LPVO. During the shooting-on-the-move portion of this class, it became clear that the red-dot shooters had the advantage. Even at 1X, the LPVO was a little more difficult to get hits while on the move. A few of the rifles weren't equipped with slings, but most had popular two-point slings and a few of the Adaptive Defense Armory guns were using our slings. Rifles were equipped with various triggers including GI, Geissele, Hiperfire, and Triggertech. Triggertech makes good triggers - I use them exclusively in my bolt-action rifles, but I personally find them a bit sensitive for semi-autos, especially carbines designed for more dynamic use. I have to comment on the Hiperfire - the rifle using this trigger ran great during class, but afterwards I inspected it and found it had been assembled incorrectly (more on this later). The hammer spring was installed backwards and the "cam-over toggle engine" mechanism wasn't installed at all! It is a testament to the quality of Hiperfire that despite this - the rifle functioned perfectly for the whole class!
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AMMO: Ammo was predominantly 55 grain ball. One student had an issue at the beginning with some reloaded ammo, but this was remedied when he switched to factory ammo. Being a handloader myself, I'm not opposed to shooting handloads, but special care must be taken, particularly when shooting in semi-autos like the AR. Primer pockets loosen up with repeated firings. In bolt-action firearms, a slightly loose primer pocket might not cause too many problems. In gas-operated semi-autos, those primers can find their way into the action and cause issues. This caused a serious issue in a student's rifle in this class last year. Reloads for use in these types of actions must be checked and primers must fit tight. Generally speaking, its best to stick to factory ammo for training. It's hard to assimilate new skills if you are fighting your gear.
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POSITION SHOOTING: Most informal range shooting seems to take place from those nice benches that ranges install, or from some form of offhand (standing) shooting position during run 'n gun fun shoots that most ranges seem to have on the weekends. The basic shooting positions of prone, sitting, and kneeling don't seem to get much practice and a lot of shooters tend to have difficulties with these positions during class. I am a believer in field shooting positions and can't emphasize enough the importance of developing skill in sitting, kneeling, and prone. Barricade drills really reinforce the importance of solid position shooting skills.
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We did a lot of barricade work in this class, and the new barricades I built are challenging. Rifle manipulation around barricades - particularly those with suppressors or longer barrels - can be tricky. Remember not to crowd cover when using barricades, keep some distance and find the target through the aperture before moving the rifle in and getting a position. It can be tempting when up tight into a barricade to swing the muzzle of the rifle to the left or right to get it around obstacles, I strongly advise against this for safety reasons. Move the stock up over the shoulder then push the muzzle straight forward into the aperture. When withdrawing, pull the muzzle straight back, again pushing the buttstock over the shoulder until the muzzle is clear and can be depressed straight down into the "safety circle" before moving.
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I'm very happy with the marksmanship and attention to safety I saw in this class. We covered a lot of ground quickly and everyone stayed "switched on" right up to the end.
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NEXT CLASS - DESIGNATED MARKSMAN RIFLE
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Back this year, our 1-day designated marksman rifle class will be held on Saturday, May 31 at Fremont County Sportsman's Club in Saint Anthony, Idaho.
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This class merges precision and dynamic applications and is designed to highlight the capabilities of rifles equipped with low-power variable optics in the 1-6x to 2-10X range.
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Designated Marksman Rifles, such as the Mk 12, remain wildly popular guns. Despite their additional length and weight, they are quite versatile and bridge the gap between carbine and precision rifle to give shooters the ability to accurately engage targets at intermediate distances. Hope to see you there!
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"MY BUDDY HELPED ME BUILD IT..."
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I mentioned the Hiperfire trigger in last weekend's class that had the hammer spring installed backwards and a missing toggle action. Sadly, this kind of thing happens more often than you might expect.
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I can't tell you how many times I've heard "my buddy was a SEAL/Green Beret/Ranger/Special Forces/JSOC/Recon Marine and he helped me put my rifle together..." before opening up guns that weren't functioning because they were assembled wrong. It's nothing against the military, but military armorers are usually trained on military weapons systems and after-market gear doesn't always work or install the same way. To be fair, I've seen some gunsmiths and manufacturers make some ridiculous mistakes as well. And to be really fair, I've made an occasional goof myself - like my friend's upper that got built without a gas tube. Yeah, that was embarrassing. But, I knew how to diagnose and fix the issue and I stand behind my products so we got that problem fixed quickly. Back to the point - every firearm action has its own peculiarities and AR-15's have more than their fair share. If you are assembling them and aren't 100% sure - feel free to get in touch with me and I can help check things out to make sure they are together correctly. I also recommend attending our armorer class - either online, or live. My next armorer class will be in August at Badlands Tactical in Grandfield, Oklahoma.
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AMMO SITUATION
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Ammo prices are pretty stable right now, eventually prices may drop, but for now, I think things aren't going to be changing much unless something weird happens and prices go up. For now, I'd say it's a good time to buy in moderation. Stock up a little bit at a time while the prices are what they are.
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