This post was originally published on this site.
When Springfield Armory brought its new Kuna to our Athlon Outdoors Rendezvous, it quickly became a favorite. So, after the event, our parent company, Bleecker Street Publications, reached out to Springfield and organized a large order. Anyone who wanted one was able to be a part of the order and own a Kuna of their own. But it didn’t stop there. Bleecker Street Publications also organized a private PCC course with Spatha Training & Consulting to get us trained properly with our new Kunas. It was worth every minute.
PCC with Spatha Training & Consulting
Spatha Training & Consulting is owned and operated by Tom Alibrando. Tom’s accolades include law enforcement, SWAT, LE precision rifleman, special investigations, tours in Iraq and Afghanistan, Department of State/Blackwater, intelligence specialist, counter assault, sniper/counter-sniper operations, and more. He has utilized his experience as an instructor in all shooting disciplines and CQB instruction for years. In addition, he is also the lead instructor of the IWI Academy.
Although Tom runs training for professional personnel, he also operates classes for civilians. His classes include topics like Home Defense Carbine/Pistol, Introduction to Bullpup, and Precision Rifle 2. However, as I mentioned, he ran a private PCC course for our staff.
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Although his classes are typically a couple of days, the training he provided us was eight hours. Yet, he managed to pack a lot into that short window. By the time we were finished, we had run through over 400 rounds and many various drills. Not to mention, we were much more familiar and comfortable with our Kunas than when we arrived.
Becoming Familiar with the Kuna
As with most firearm training, we started the day with some classroom instruction. We are all experienced shooters, so we didn’t spend a lot of time on firearm and range safety. However, it doesn’t matter how much experience you have, it is always good to review the basics. Especially when it comes to safety, this is an area that can never be overemphasized.
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Tom then disassembled the Kuna and discussed its components and operation. Part of the point of this course was to get us familiarized with our new Kunas, and this was a great rundown. Armed with fresh knowledge of our PCC platform, we headed out to the range.
Before spending any time on drills, we had to sight in our Kunas. However, even this process included a drill for going prone. Tom didn’t waste any time on static activities. If we were going to do something, there was going to be a drill of some kind involved. This is the way.
We zeroed at 50 yards from prone using five-shot groups. When everyone completed their five shots, the line was called cold, and we all walked up to our target. Tom walked down the line and made adjustment recommendations, which were made before heading back to the line.
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We did this a few times to ensure that everyone was properly zeroed, and then moved up to the 25-yard line. From here, we used a different segment of the target and fired another five-round group to establish our optic’s offset. This would be useful later so that we would know the holds for our optic at different distances. It was very helpful, since we shot everything from 25 to 150 yards throughout the day.
Spatha Training with the Kuna
To continue growing more familiar with the trigger on our Kunas, the training started with trigger manipulation. Before loading, Tom had us run some drills to find the wall, break, and then reset. This is helpful information, so you aren’t over-manipulating your trigger, causing sloppy operation and poor accuracy.
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Then we loaded up and tested the recoil impulse of the Kuna. Again, with five-shot strings, we started with a slow cadence, producing respectable groups. Then, we moved to five-shot rapid-fire strings. Surprisingly, the groups didn’t open up as much as I expected. The Kuna is a very easy-to-handle platform with a mild recoil impulse. It is very manageable.
Time to run some drills.
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Tom started by running us through various ready positions: low ready, high ready, and entry. When we were comfortable with the ready positions, Tom ran us through some drills on steel. He would call out the ready position and course of fire—“Low ready. Three shots on your target, two shots on someone else’s target.” (etc.)—and then yell “Threat!”
He instilled the importance of hits. Not that every shot had to be a hit. But that we had to keep shooting until we got the correct number of hits. When the threat is coming, he isn’t going to stop because you fired five shots. He is going to stop because you hit him five times, regardless of how many shots it took.
However, he did stress that it take the least amount of shots. Five shots, five hits is the ideal.
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Throughout the rest of the day, we performed running drills, pivot drills, short-to-long range engagement transitions, etc. Everything we did was very dynamic and engaging. It was a lot of fun and really gave us a good understanding of how maneuverable the Kuna really is.
Preparing for the Worst, Hoping for the Best
No training would be complete without a discussion on malfunctions and how to clear them. So, Tom took us through some of the various malfunctions that are possible with this type of platform. Then he showed us how to recreate those malfunctions and run some drills.
As before, he would call out our ready position and the course of fire. Then, he would have us recreate a malfunction. Once we were all ready, he would yell “Threat!” and we had to attempt to fire, identify why it wasn’t firing, clear the malfunction, get on target, and fulfill the required number of hits.
When we were all getting comfortable with clearing malfunctions, he had us perform a “Blue Falcon” drill. In this drill, we picked a partner and then secretly created a malfunction with their Kuna. And they did the same to ours. The job was to create an unknown problem for the other guy.
After we were done causing problems for our “friend,” we stepped ten yards away from the line with our backs to our firearm. When Tom yelled “Threat!” we turned and ran to our Kuna, picked it up, and tried to fire (we could not assume there was a malfunction). When it didn’t fire, we had to identify the malfunction, clear it, and engage the target.
Between my partner Joey and me, Joey won (if it were a competition). I was on the far end, and there was a cone next to my position. Joey caused a stovepipe, placed an empty mag in my Kuna, and hid my loaded mag under the cone. I found it fairly quickly. But I think I was the last to engage my target out of the whole class. Well played, Joey. Well played.
Spatha Top Shooter
To finish out the day, Tom introduced the new Spatha Top Shooter award. It was a bracketed contest between attendees, with the last shooter winning the honor of Top Shooter.
Each attendee received a small diamond patch for attending. When you pass, you also get a top rocker with Spatha Training. However, the Top Shooter in class also received a bottom rocker with that designation.
The contest consisted of three targets at three ranges. At 25 and 50 yards, we placed 66% IPSC steel targets. Then, at 75 yards, we placed a 33% IPSC target.
We started with five rounds in our magazine, one in the chamber, and a full magazine in our mag pouch. It was a seven-round course of fire. However, we had to get all hits on a target before moving to the next.
Shooters started facing up range (backs to targets) in the entry position. When Tom yelled “Threat!” We pivoted, faced the targets, and engaged the first target (25 yards) with three shots. Then, we engaged the second target (50 yards) with three shots. Finally, we reloaded and finished with the final shot on the last target (75 yards).
It was a tough field, but it came down to me and Charles Anderson, the CEO of Bleecker Street Publications. Yes. My boss.
We had a hard-fought best two of three, but I edged him out in the third round.
I am honored to be the first recipient of the Spatha Top Shooter award.
My Kuna
We all had our own personal Kunas at the course, and it was cool to see the different variations. Everyone had a different optic, and Holosun made a solid showing. However, one of the guys was running the Kuna iron sights and did an outstanding job, even at distance. Kudos, Nathan.
For my Kuna, I had the Holosun DRS-TH. I know what you’re thinking. “That’s a big optic for such a little gun.” And you would be right. However, it did amazingly.
It created a really unique balance at the pivot point, and I was able to get on target really quickly from all of the ready positions. Not to mention, the large window and 65 MOA circle with 2 MOA dot was fast and easy to find. The Kuna is a great home-defense weapon, and the thermal capabilities of the DRS-TH are ideal in that capacity. So, it stays.
I was a little worried about the weight for an all-day course. However, it really didn’t give me any problems at all.
Up front, I ran the Silencer Central Banish 9K. It was so light that it didn’t affect the balance of the Kuna at all. However, it really did a great job reducing the sound signature and dampening the recoil slightly.
Finally, I slung it with the Magpul MS1 Lite. By the end of the day, my shoulder was a little sore because the Lite is so thin and unpadded. But it wasn’t a deal breaker. However, I have since switched to the original MS1 because it is a little thicker and padded.
Parting Shots
I have always been a consummate student and will take training whenever I can, especially if it is a topic that interests me. Sometimes I will take training even if it doesn’t interest me, but it is a topic I find useful. The point is, if there is any opportunity to learn, I am interested. Even most of my reading material is typically instructional in nature.
The Spatha Training & Consulting PCC course was excellent, and I am grateful to Bleecker Street Publications for providing it. If you find a Spatha course in your area, you owe it to yourself to take it. Tom’s insights, experience, and delivery made for a well-rounded, robust training experience. It was both insightful and a lot of fun.
The post The Springfield Kuna at the Spatha Training & Consulting PCC Course appeared first on Athlon Outdoors Exclusive Firearm Updates, Reviews & News.
