After Action Report: K&M Comprehensive Precision Rifle Course
Shooter: Mountainman308
Location:
K&M Precision Rifle Training, Finger Tennessee, USA
Event:
Comprehensive Precision Rifle Course (4 days, first two days are the basic class, the second two days are the advanced class)
Dates: 10/9/2021 - 10/12/2021
Rifle: DT SRS A2 covert, chambered in 6.5 CM. Barrel from ES Tactical, 20 inches w/ a 1/7 twist
Ammo: Hornady ELDM 140 Gn Factory. Chrono'd on site at 2639 FPS with an SD of 3.4 over 3 shots (not a good statistical sample size, I know, but ammo is expensive).
Note: As I am often the only DT shooter at events, I thought an AAR with some DT specific notes might be useful for the general knowledge base of other DT shooters.
Background: I have been shooting my DT SRS A2 since late 2019. I shoot small club matches with it regularly, hunt with it, and shot last year's GAP Grind with it. I believe I am fairly competent with the platform and know how to utilize it just as well if not better than any other firearm I own. It had 1040 rounds on the barrel entering the class, and left with 1508.
Narrative:
I arrived for the class at 7:00 pm Friday night, with class set to start the next day at 8:00 am. When I got to K&M I found the bunkhouse easily and got my kit unloaded. There were already 10-12 other students there, as the bunkhouse was opened at 6:00 pm for arrival. The bunk house was spacious, well appointed, and easily accommodated the 17 or so of us. The bunks themselves were set into bays, 3 bunks to a bay with each bunk stacked on top of the other. This means that you want the bottom bunk both for ease of access and because its guaranteed to be the most comfortable temperature.
We generally got up around 6:00 am every day so we had time to rotate through the bathrooms (there are 2 full bathrooms in the bunkhouse), make breakfast (you want microwave burritos, Jimmy Dean, or similar for breakfast and lunch), and go to the classroom. The first day's classroom time focused on the fundamentals of marksmanship , common terminology, and the foundations of a functional knowledge of precision rifle. The first day's range time was spent on K&M's 1200 yard range. We first checked/adjusted our zeros at 100 and then started shooting fundamental drills. We then broke up into groups of 5 and gathered data from 400 to 1200 yards after a brief classroom session on the basics of ballistics and techniques for using holdovers.
Day 2 was spent between the classroom and the range learning the fundamentals for shooting moving targets and using our reticles for range estimation. We were broken into two groups and turned out. Shooting 66% IPSC targets at 300 and 500 yards was a joy, and I saw marked improvement over my performance shooting movers at the GAP Grind. By the end of the movers portion I was making repeated hits at both distances, often landing between 4 and 6 shots per target exposure. Pro tip, whatever you set your magnification to for this task, lower it. I first tried to shoot movers at 24x and it was difficult. 14x seemed to be the sweet spot for me. After we finished with movers we went to the unknown distance range and practiced miling targets. I had zero experience doing this and barely fared better than a C in my maths courses at school, but with the high quality of the instructors I was able to make clear measurements and calculate ranges to enough of a margin that my solutions generated hits. Do not let the math scare you away on this one. The instructors will help you out. If my classmates from FDNY can do it, so can you. At the end of the day those only staying for the beginner courses were briefed out and sent home. I understand that time and budget are huge factors for people, but I would encourage you to stay for all 4 days regardless of your skill level. Anyone who went through the basic would have benefited from sticking around for the advanced class.
Day 3 and Day 4 were almost entirely done on the line. We rotated rapidly through various drills and ranges practicing modified prone, positional shooting, and engaging in more movement/dynamic shooting than we had in the beginner class. Positions included shooting from rooftops, out of connex boxes, off of towers, and from irregular surfaces like rocks, tires, helicopters, and car hoods/trunks. We were also blessed (or cursed) with a high wind day on Day 3. Wind gusts were measured in excess of 10 mph which is unusual for K&M. Even in this wind, we were able to get solid hits on small pieces of steel to extended ranges. Time constraints were also introduced as a way to add pressure and focus us a bit. Another pro tip, do all of your cleaning and packing at the end of Day 3. You will be tired after Day 4, and you won't want to sweep out the bunkhouse or wipe down toilets. Day 4 began with shooting out to 1200 and included the participation of the instructors. We shot as they train, with good natured ribbing any time a student got closer to the center of a target than an instructor. The end of day 4 is a surprise awaiting those who attend the training. I will not spoil it for you, other than to say that it was every bit as challenging as the hardest shooting at the Grind.
At the conclusion of the course we were given diplomas, top shot honors were awarded, and we discussed our thoughts on the course with Shannon, Mike, and Jarrod.
DT Specific Notes:
As usual I was the only Desert Tech shooter in the group. Additionally I had the shortest barrel by at least two inches. Others in the group were running the gambit from AIs to MPAs, GAPs, to Remington 5Rs and Tikkas. My DT held with and often outshot guns that weighed more, had longer barrels, lighter triggers, more traditional ergonomics, or were in the newest 6mm cartridge. I was able to run the DT as fast as or faster and as accurately or more accurately than any other student on the line, including running reloads. I experienced one rifle related malfunction over the 4 days and nearly 500 rounds, though that was caused by me improperly manipulating the bolt after realizing that I had to move bolt open, and trying to rectify the situation. I cleaned the bolt, raceway, and lugs/chamber face once at the midpoint of the class, though it probably didn't need it. The magazines held up well and fed reliably. I ended up using an expended 6.5mm case as a magazine loading assistant because I was skinning my fingers trying to load 10-12 mags a day. The only thing I would change about the system is the magazines. A tall bipod was also helpful given the height of both the pistol grip and the 10 round magazine, especially as we began to reach out to longer ranges and adopted unconventional positions. I was running a Versapod (more on that later) and found the height to be right. The shorter Harris type bipods would not have worked for the class given the previously stated factors. Also having a quick detatch spigot type bipod was very helpful, as this gave me more real estate to work with between the Covert hand guard and my game changer bag. Obviously being right handed the chirality of the rifle didn't hurt me at all, but we also didn't do any weakside shooting. The compact nature of the SRS, even with a suppressor, meant that I was much more maneuverable generally, faster getting into and out of positions, especially within the confines of a connex box or the helo, and I felt that I could track the movers more easily than I would have been able to if I had to swing a 25 lb 5 ft+ long rifle around.
Failure Points:
I experienced an adjustment failure with my ERA-TAC base when I added 5 mils to the base to reach out to 1200 without having to hold over and the result was a 6+ mil adjustment that left my data no longer matching my scope settings. The mount returned to zero after being reset and fired 5 times, with each shot getting closer to my previous zero until it had completely returned. I have not experienced this failure before, so I need to circle back and do some diagnostic work with it.
My Versapod, which had previously held up ok at the Grind, failed over the course of the 4 day class. A massive amount of slop developed between the bipod and the spigot, and the spigot and the rail section. I ensured the rail section was tight, and isolated the slop to only the Versapod parts. No matter how much I tightened the pan knob I could not take any more slop out of the system. Large wear spots had developed in the interface between the legs and the body of the bipod. I will be looking for something else to replace it. Perhaps Blk Lbl will release an SRS bipod after their MDR bipod last year? If not, I will be looking at TBAC, Elite Iron, etc.
Lessons Learned:
#1: Pack light. You don't need as much gear as you think you do. Below is the picture of what I packed to use at the course (tripod not pictured):
I made a point of segregating the gear that I used at the course. Below is a picture of all of the gear I ever took to the line.
Shannon tells you to pack light. It can be done.
#2: Listen to the instructors. I completely retooled my positional shooting, and substantially changed how I shoot prone, and I saw dramatically improved results, both in terms of group size at 100 and hit probability and capability at range. My confidence with this rifle is now both greatly increased and proven.
#3: You are the limiting factor, not your rifle. Especially with a DT that printed groups between 1/4 and 2/3 minute multiple times a day over the course of 4 days. Build solid fundamentals and your gear will deliver.
#4: The DT is just as capable of playing in the PRS arena as any of the other guns. We ran a lot of scenarios that were similar to or a copy of PRS match stages. I heard a lot of people say that I would be handicapped by a short barrel, relatively heavy trigger (2 lbs), nontraditional ergonomics, and "weird" mags. I was not. I would not have traded my rifle for any other rifle in the class. I also had a number of other students come up to me and ask about the platform, including a shooter with an AI.
Final Take Aways:
Go get training. If you can afford it, go get training at K&M with Shannon. I've attended courses and clinics at Raton, Ridgeway, and a number of other locations. Shannon and his team provided the best instruction I have ever shot under. The facilities, instructors, and course material is worth every penny. Stay for the advanced class, even if you don't think you are an advanced shooter. This course made me a measurably better rifleman.
Best,
Mountainman308