On day 3 we concentrated on former Soviet bloc marksmanship weapons like the SVD and FRK (PSL) as well other foreign weapons such as the Moison Nagant, SKS, .303 Enfield, G3, and FN FAL. The SVD isn’t a sniper rifle by any stretch of the imagination. It just isn’t built to the accuracy level needed for true sniper operations but it does offer a more accurate alternative to the standard AK.

As usual the day began with lectures and hands on practice. This time with the RPG-7. Unfortunately, due to the availability of rounds, we were unable to do any live fire. This block of training was followed by Russian marksmanship weapons in addition to various .30 weapons from around the world.

Later in the day, at the unknown distance range, we employed the guns we went over in class as well as a couple of others. We also had the opportunity to fire the BHI-15 with SureFire mini suppressor. The video is of the FRK also know as the PSL. Think of it as an AK blown up to 7.62 x 54R. It kicks pretty hard.

The day ended with a great deal of weapon cleaning and individual testing which consisted of a huge pile of parts laid out on a table. Students had to assemble the weapons and perform a function check, all the while answering questions regarding ammunition and nomenclature.

Today the class will meet on the range to conduct some weapon drills followed by a final Practical Examination which is the culmination of everything we have learned. They’ve kept us in the dark about what will happen but I’ll tell you more in my next installment.

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Yesterday, I had a rare opportunity to live fire a DShK (dush-kah) which is a Russian produced heavy machine gun. Blackheart International offers the only hands on, live fire instruction for heavy foreign weapons in the United States.

Day 3 of the BHI Foreign Weapons Course was all about Machine Guns…big, dangerous looking, Soviet Machine Guns. Over the course of a career, you might get to handle foreign weapons and maybe even shoot an AK, but rarely if ever do you get the opportunity to not only get into the nitty gritty of how to use and maintain them, but actually fire them as well. It’s training like this that promotes adaptability, going beyond simply demonstrating a capability to a student. Blackheart ensures you know how to do it.

Once again, we began the day with lecture paired with hands on application. Using the same methodology as previous days, our instructors gave us history of each weapon followed by a demonstration on how to make it safe, load it and maintain it. Due to the variety of machine guns we completed the lecture portion before starting a round robin with students rotating between the RPK, RPD, PKM and DShKM. In addition to the weapons themselves we also learned about accessories such as the tripods and cleaning kits. Below are examples of amazing cleaning kits provided to Russian troops with these weapons. Not shown is the DShK kit which includes a hammer!

PKM Cleaning Kit

RPD Cleaning Kit

Employment tips would come later in the day, at the range. We had one left to do before we could head out the door. After loading our DShKM links with specially produced 12.7 x 108mm ammo, we headed to the live fire range.

Once we set up the weapons, we were given the opportunity to load ammo belts and magazines and then put them to good use. The range was an unknown distance affair with various targets out to 800m. This meant that we would employ the range settings on the sights of the various weapons we had learned about during the morning’s classroom portion. Everything Blackheart does builds on what is learned previously and reinforces it.

Firing the RPK

Firing the PKM

Firing the DShKM

We all also fired the RPD.

Then, we headed back to the classroom and cleaned the machine guns. This not only provided critical maintenance but once again reinforced the day’s lessons. Due to the length of the training day, we capped it off with a written quiz on weapons nomenclature and calibers after a quick briefing on some of Blackheart’s other training courses and technologies.

Once the class arrived back at Sugar Creek Lodge, the class was surprised with a home cooked meal. Prepared by BHI’s very own Miss Carolyn, it was delicious and really hit the spot. Big thank you from all of us! It really means a lot to attend a course and be able to go back to a homelike atmosphere with all of the amenities. In addition to a great view of the West Virginia countryside, the lodge even has a workout room in the basement. Service like this allows you to concentrate on the training.

Today, we familiarize ourselves with the RPG and get some hands on time with the SDV, Moisin Nagant, and SKS.

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Yesterday was day one of Blackheart International’s five-day Foreign Weapons Course. Bottom Line Up Front – Excellent. Once we got going, I quickly realized that this is not only a great course for trainers, advisors and shooters, but also for intel guys (both collectors and analysts) to acquaint themselves with the weapons in order to prepare more accurate reports.

Blackheart offers a very comfortable bunkhouse for students with full facilities including kitchen. Upon arrival, I settled right into my room. In the morning we arrived at their training facility and grouped up into Army and Navy tables. This is a class of mixed units so it is small. Usually, unit classes are much larger. Everything was very organized yet casual and you could tell that the instructors are well versed in their craft.

Right off the bat, we started off the course with a quiz, identifying weapon and associated caliber as well as a visual ID test of our knowledge of ammunition. Remember, this is a Foreign Weapons Course so for several of us (me included), the quiz was challenging. While I knew most of the calibers, I wasn’t familiar with what some of them looked like, particularly when paired next to each other.

We then set about going over pistols and SMGs, discussing origins, characteristics, loading, unloading, and maintenance. Each of us had our own weapons to practice with right along with the lecture. Remember those Army and Navy tables? When the primary instructor brought up the SIG family, the Army table hadn’t handled them much and when the subject turned to the Beretta, the opposite was true.

After a working lunch we hit the 50m range and got to familiarize ourselves with the various guns, demonstrating proper handling from the morning’s classroom portion of training. During the range work, instructors would quiz us on handling and caliber of the various weapons which included the Tokarev, Makarov, PPSh-41, PPS-43, and Sten, among others.

Here’s a clip of me firing the PPSh-41. I don’t know if I enjoyed it or the Sten more but I can tell you, anyone who carries a Sten into battle has big brass ones and string thumbs. Sten mags are a chore to load. Although it was rainy, the temperature was comfortable and it let up for much of our two hours of shooting.

After the range we headed inside for weapons maintenance and were afforded the opportunity to break them down and give them a good going over (including magazines). Once all of the weapons and magazines had been squared away we each took our turn in the barrel with an end-of-day quiz. The instructors took all of the weapons apart and placed them in a pile along with dummy rounds corresponding to each weapon. One-by-one, we then had to assemble the weapons, answer any questions during reassembly, find the associated ammunition, properly name it and complete a function check. All of this repeated hands on helped really sink the material in. Today is a big day…AKs. I can’t wait.

Due to the duties of my fellow students there were few opportunities for pictures.

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