The AK family of weapons were the subject of day 2’s instruction. As soon as we took our seats we jumped right into two-and-a-half hours of lecture and discussion on the history and variants of the AK family of weapons. All the while, the instructors would quiz us on what we had just learned, further reinforcing the information with anecdotes. I began to see the significance of encountering certain variants and what that might imply. This block of instruction further instilled my thoughts that this is a great course for intel personnel as well as EOD. Oftentimes, they are the go to guys for info on munitions but not necessarily on the actual weapons.
Once we were exposed to the different models of AKs and their naming conventions we moved to hands on work. First, the instructor demonstrated how to handle and maintain the most commonly found model; the AKM. Then he contrasted various differences between the models. Next, with each student working with a different weapon, we practiced loading and clearing them and then broke them down and put them back together. Then, we swapped weapons so that everyone got a shot at a couple of different variants.
Once we were on the range, teaching didn’t stop. Here an instructor discusses the AK’s unique sighting system.
The BHI instructors took every opportunity to show you details on the weapons. While rare, stoppages were used as teaching points as well, helping us to earn about the root causes of malfunctions. We had ample opportunity to familiarize ourselves with both 7.62 x 39mm as well as 5.45 x 39mm AK variants in a variety of models and from a variety of manufacturers. For example, here I am, firing an AK-74.
After about an hour of familiarization, the steel targets came out and we moved back to 100 yards for some distance firing. After we were satisfied with our progress, we moved back once again to 200 yards and reengaged. This really demonstrated how the combat setting on the iron sights works and what is going on with the projectile.
Once back in the classroom, we once again broke the weapons down for cleaning with further reinforced the day’s instruction. After we were satisfied with our efforts, the Practical Exercise began. As with the day before, each student encountered a bench with a pile of parts, magazines and dummy ammunition from various weapons covered over the past two days. The point of the exercise was to separate the parts, build them into the proper weapon and associated magazine and ammunition and preform a function check. The student was expected to also be able to identify the proper nomenclature of the weapon and its ammunition and answer any other questions the instructor might have.
The constant reinforcement through verbal quizzing and hands on application is very effective and I am gaining a great deal of confidence in my ability to work with these weapons.
Today, we break out the DShKM. I can’t wait.
