Had the opportunity to attend the Semper Paratus armorer course this last weekend in Scottsdale. A little background on me: I have already attended the Colt Armorer course. I am a full time firearms trainer and instructor for a large county Sherriff's department in Las Vegas, Nv. My department has approx. 1300 rifles out on the street. The brands vary, as Officers are allowed to use personally owned rifles as long as they are on the approved list. We have brands from Colt, Noveske, Rock River, Bushmaster, Smith & Wesson, and DPMS. I've been a firearms instructor for 11 years, and a full time instructor for a bit over a year.
The class was, in a word, fantastic. I was looking to expand my knowledge past what was taught in the Colt school. Not that Colt doesn't do a great job, they do. I just wanted more. More as to gas port sizing, buffer weights, and different length gas systems and how they interact with port sizing etc. The Colt class doesn't go into this for several reasons: Colt owns the TDP, they don't build mid length guns, and they don't over gas them. The issues associated with many of the "commercial" guns do not plague Colt. Since we, as an agency, have multiple different manufacturer's rifles being fielded, I wanted to know how to keep them up and operational. This class was just exactly that. It was perfect for the type of info I was looking for.
Will starts out with a brief intro as to who he is, and his background. Suffice it to say that he has ALL the qualifications to teach this class. As a former contractor working overseas for Dyna, Triple Canopy, Blackwater, etc., and spending time at BCM building rifles for Paul, he knows what he is talking about. When Will tells you something, he has seen it, worked on it, and fixed it. This isn't a guy who did his learning on the internet. The info was delivered with a solid understanding, but not dry or boring. After the intros were out of the way, Will started on the meat and potatoes of the course. The first day was spent on the bolt and bolt carrier group. We took everything apart and Will dissected all the parts and what they did, how they did it, and why. We then spent most of the first day on the lower.
The second day we spent time on the upper. We talked about barrels etc. the type of steel used, why it is used, and twist rates. We learned torque settings and why they are there. The ones that are important, and ones that aren't so.
I have to say that Colt taught me how to build rifles, Semper Paratus and Will taught me why, and more importantly how to keep rifles up and running. We learned that most commercial guns are over gassed, what the use of sub spec'd parts will do to a gun, and some band aids to get those guns working and serviceable.
The class was absolutely worth the cost and time to go. I traveled from Vegas to Scottsdale Az for the school. I spent my own money, not Department money to go. It was worth it, and I would do it again. Will has a VERY solid understanding of the system, and teaches it in a super understanding and easy to follow format. It goes over things that a factory sponsored school does not. I now feel MUCH more knowledgeable about the rifles I work on, and feel far more comfortable in my knowledge base. Thank you Will and Semper Paratus.
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