CLOSE COMBAT SYMPOSIUM 2017 RANGE DAY NOTES

The most entertaining part of the symposium is the range day, held somewhere on Salisbury Plain in the middle of nowhere and with nothing to stop the winds which were very strong on this occasion. Fortunately, the threatened rain was brief and soon cleared away. Most of the companies providing firing points were there to promote their wares; suppressors and sights being popular. As usual, I tended to be slightly at cross-purposes with them as I just wanted to shoot the guns their gadgets happened to be attached to, but I am grateful to them for providing the opportunity. FN SCAR L and SCAR H. These were both fitted with thermal sights, but it was a bad day for them: no sun and lots of wind minimised thermal differences. My previous impressions of these two guns was confirmed: the 5.56mm L is a nice gun to use and I would choose it over an AR-15 (but not over an AUG or a Tavor). In contrast, the 7.62mm H has very sharp recoil characteristics which I do not like; SF might make good use of this but I don't think it would be suitable for general issue. With the dual sights attached (day scope with added TI) the H was very front-heavy and after struggling to see anything through the sights for a while (the fact that I was wearing ballistic glasses over normal ones didn't help as I couldn't get my eye close enough) my left arm rapidly became too tired to hold the gun steady, so I ended up shooting this one prone. All of the other guns I fired offhand from a standing position.

SCAR L SCAR H

COLT CM901. This convertible rifle (between 7.62x51 and 5.56mm, plus in principle anything in between) was a surprise. When I picked it up it was in 7.62mm configuration with a 13.5 inch barrel, so I thought I was in for another battering, but I actually had no problem with the recoil. I certainly knew I was shooting 7.62mm rather than 5.56mm, but it wasn't uncomfortable and if I were issued this as a personal weapon I'd be OK with it. I didn't notice the muzzle blast – but then, the Army's active ear protection was very good.

COLT CM901 7.62x51 with 13.5 inch barrel

IWI X95 (Tavor). This was the fun part: three different X95 in 9mm, 5.56mm and .300 Blackout. The 9mm and Blackout were suppressed. As a bonus, I managed a couple of magazines through the 9mm, mostly firing bursts. Very controllable, as you would expect. The other two I fired semi-auto only. The .300 Blackout was also easy to manage, with the subsonic loads being noticeably softer than the supersonic. The 5.56mm was a little gem. I was firing at a range of 100 m at a target representing the top half of a man, which went down when hit then bounced back up again. Once I got the hang of it, I amused myself keeping the target moving, knocking it back down before it could get fully up again. I felt I could have kept that up for a long time – no risk of tired arms with this gun, despite the fact that I maintained the sight picture throughout a mags-worth of deliberate semi-auto fire.

IWI X95 in 9x19

IWI X95 in .300 Blackout

IWI X95 in 5.56 mm

A couple of interesting points concerning the X95. All three were fitted with a new trigger option, which functioned like the optional one for the AUG: the three settings were safe, semi-auto and a third position which was semi-auto on the first pull but full-auto with a harder pull. I think that's probably the best configuration for an assault rifle trigger. Before I fired the 9mm I was warned that the trigger (initially set to semi-auto) was long and heavy so I concentrated on it and indeed it was, to a degree which would certainly be unacceptable in a DMR. However, after the first shot I adjusted to it and didn't notice it anymore. The other interesting point concerned the case deflectors at the back of the ejection slot (shown above). These are easily changed and there are various options allowing fine-tuning of the ejection path. If fired left-handed (assuming the gun is set up for right-hand ejection) the standard short deflector on the 5.56mm reportedly sends the cases right across the chin, grazing it on the way (confirmed by someone who tried it – I kicked myself afterwards for not trying myself, but the range day was over by then). In the same circumstances, the 9mm reportedly ejects well clear of the face, as does the .300 BLK with the angle-cut deflector which sends the cases downwards. BAPTY

The day ended with a display by Bapty Limited, suppliers of weaponry to the film industry, who had brought along a number of old machine guns, including Maxim, Nordenfelts, a .45 Gatling and a 37mm Hotchkiss. The Gatling and Hotchkiss were fired (using blanks, but properly black-powder loaded for that authentic pall of smoke) and this was of course the highlight of the day. Some pics below:

Above: Gardner Above: Nordenfelt .45 inch

Above: Maxim Nordenfelt .303 inch Above: Gatling .45 inch

Above: 37 mm Hotchkiss "Heavy" (37 x 120R)