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View Full Version : AAR: MATR/Blackheart SPR class, 11-12 Aug 07 (Philippi WV)



Boss Hogg
08-13-07, 22:16
I attended a 2-day SPR course at Mid Atlantic Training Resource (www.ma-tr.com) in Philippi, WV on 11-12 August 2007. The course far exceeded my expectations and seriously improved my <300 yard rifle shooting.

MATR is run by recently retired Special Forces personnel and the student:instructor ratio was phenomenal. These guys know what they are doing, are serious about it, but don't let ego take over. Range safety briefing was extensive- students confirmed age, weight, and known allergies. Emergency drivers, navigators, and medics (primary and backup) were designated before we went hot.

MATR has their own bunk house with bedrooms, showers, kitchen, TV room, etc that is clean, quiet and well-maintained.

Day One
Mike P. gave an extensive classroom overview on what the SPR is, ballistics and drops, actual vs. perceived recoil, what works and what doesn't with AR-15/M-16 family, etc. Recoil springs and buffers are often overlooked, as are individual parts of the bolt. MATR's affiliate BHI offers a bolt upgrade kit that purportedly offers huge increases in reliability in 14.5/16" carbine length gas systems. (Google " BHI Enhanced M4 SOPMOD Bolt Upgrade Kit")

We then went to the range and shot from fixed positions at 25-200 yards. Once we got dialed in, we went to the hilltop range to shoot steel- scattered through pretty dense vegetation- from 50-200 yards. This included low-light shooting after 8:30pm. muzzle flash really blinds you when looking through an optic at night. Evening humidity and smoke also wreak havoc with your optics.
Approximately 450 rounds shot.

Day Two
Mike P. gave an overview of malfunctions and how to deal with them. The worst one- empty brass wedged between the bolt and bolt carrier- can be dealt with pretty quickly. He shows you how. We then moved onto the range for some timed drills and shooting from moving and/or stationary vehicles.
We also got a chance to shoot some of BHI's PKM machine guns on steel from 100 yards. Scary powerful but very controlable. I'll post some YouTube video of that later.
Approximately 275 rounds shot.

Gear
After running a Specter chest rig at Larry Vickers' AK class, I decided to go with a Rolly Polly and a 2-mag belt pouch. That's plenty for a course. PMags (7/07 manufacture) worked well for me EXCEPT when loaded with 30 rounds. The bolt did not go into battery. When loaded to 29, they worked fine. I brought a hand towel to wipe off the sweat and it's a good thing to drape over optics and black metal surface areas that heat up in the summer sun when you're not shooting. We made a point to hydrate as often as possible. Your mind works much better and it's important to keep the eyeballs lubricated also.

Oakley G30 lenses worked beautifully for me, even in bright light. I had a problem with Revision Sawfly clear lenses fogging up at night.

Rifles used:
Stag upper/lower with 16" Mike Rock/ABS barrel. 4x32 NSN ACOG with 4MOA JPoint instead of fixed rear sight. No malfunctions except full PMags.
Backup/alternative: Colt "M4gery" 16" barrel with Aimpoint ML3 2MOA. No malfunctions. I liked another student's LaRue pivoting mount for the Aimpoint 3X magnifier but $400 + mount is not cheap just for a magnifier.

Ammo used:
I went primarily with PMC .223 55 grain and some Prvi Partizan 75 grain. No ammo malfunctions. It's very important to sight your optic WITH THE AMMO THAT YOU ARE USING. The photo below shows 4 groups from 4 different makes of ammo shot sequentially from the same rifle at 50 yards. The best distance to zero seems to be 50 or 200 yards.

What I'll be buying after taking this course:
Shooting Stix- they make shooting from seated and/or kneeling positions MUCH easier and weigh next to nothing.
More LLBean Coolmax or Nike DryFit t-shirts. Woolrich lightweight Elite pants and Dahlgren alpaca socks did well.
Ocean Potion sunscreen works like a champ.

Overall: 10 out of 10.

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