Another great month with two great Warfighter classes! We are proud that our government chooses us to train snipers so much that we have to overlap classes just to keep up with the demand!

In one of these pictures, you can see Government snipers engaging high angle targets while additional training is being conducted in the background at one of our two flat ranges!

In the other picture, you can see SOCOM snipers engaging camouflaged 9×15″ unknown distance targets past 600yds! This group is learning a valuable lesson as they try to effectively find and engage targets while they face into the sun. It is harder than it looks!

GPS Defense Sniper School staff taught three separate and overlapping 10-day Warfighter Sniper courses to two separate SOCOM units and a group of Government contractors.

This allowed us to test the logistics of using our new additional range facilities and staff.

The photo below shows a SOCOM unit in week 2 of our Warfighter Sniper Course briefing before heading out on stalk while Government contractors in week 1 of our Warfighter Sniper Course engage unknown distance targets to 600+ yards.

At GPS Defense, we have the ability to see many different skill level snipers operating many different weapon platforms. We noticed one problem with the stocks that one group of snipers had on their rifles HERE and noticed a scope ring problem on the very next class of SOCOM snipers.

These units have a near unlimited budget and are unfortunately being stuck with equipment that was not designed properly. We urge you to use the most effective equipment on your rifle, not necessarily the most expensive.

This second group of SOCOM snipers had two-piece rings on their scopes and rifles. The actual ring was attached to the quick detach base by a dovetail and roll pin system. When it comes to parts on a rifle such as this, simplicity is best. The more parts there are, the more likely there is a chance for something to fail.

These rings were “quick-detach”. We have never seen the need to get our scopes off of our rifle in a hurry. One of the students mentioned that it would be helpful in order to use their iron sights if the scope broke. This could be a benefit, but these rifles (along with many we see) didn’t have back up iron sights installed.

The dovetail section of the ring allows the upper portion of the ring to slide left and right if the roll pin is not installed. Even with the roll pin installed, it eventually will compress and allow movement in the system. This is bad.

There is no reason for that overly complicated section of the ring (that should just be one solid piece) to be there. It only allows for problems like we experienced.

The shooter was engaging unknown distance targets with reliable data that he had gathered on his system so far throughout the course. Out of nowhere, he was missing a target 10 feet to the left and then 10 feet to the right. We had been instructing this sniper for a few days now and knew that he could shoot much better than that. We stopped him from continuing and immediately checked for equipment problems. Sure enough, the unnecessary roll pin had compressed and allowed the two pieces of the scope ring to slide back and forth rendering the entire sniper weapon system useless.

Our Sniper Training facilities provide an impressive amount of training opportunities. Our facilities offer true 360 degree range fans in an inclusive training environment that allows for unit seclusion while maintaining a practical distance from Phoenix. Our location offers a perfect balance of remote training and proximity to urban amenities.

Our Sniper Training facilities are also set up to allow unique training scenarios as each class may require without removing structure. Anyone can go out, park in the desert, and shoot. Our shooting ranges are actually carefully planned and laid out sections of land that allow us to train from multiple locations around our property, including established and covered firing lines within steps of our air conditioned classroom for our multiple unknown distance steel target ranges.

Our Sniper Training facilities are separated into two major sections. The “back side” of the property allows for a 100 and 200 yard range, “Iraqi” village, moving targets, multiple unknown steel target ranges, high angle shooting, numerous stalk lanes, and urban training in any one of many houses. Our new “front side” allows for a 100, 200, and 300 yard range, a multiple room shoot house, a 25 yard pistol/carbine bay, high angle shooting, moving targets, and more! Many of the functions of both sides of the property are similar, this is based on our need to train multiple military and government units at the same time due our popular training program.

GSA awards open government contracts to registered contractors who can provide documentation of the government’s need for their service. In order for a contractor to be on the GSA schedule, the contractor must:

1. Provide a minimum of 12 awarded government/military contracts that were won through the open bid process.

2. Provide contacts from each agency customer for a 10 part PPE (Past Performance Evaluation). Each agency is then contacted by Duns & Bradstreet and the contractor must earn an 80% or better score. (click here to see our rating)

3. Provide all financial records to prove these contacts were customers under actual paid contracts. The contractor must show both sufficient income and assets in their own name to finance future government contracts.

4. Provide the years in business and all staff member’s experience, resumes and certification must be documented for verification.

When you are looking for an established organization with a long history of documented service, this may be a good standard to help you choose.  View our GSA info HERE.

We have been so busy training snipers out on the range, we haven’t had much time to update the photo gallery. Class pictures for the past 7 classes have been added. Click Here to view the Sniper Training Gallery.

With the ever expanding role of the military sniper, it is important for snipers to train in close quarters combat along with their standard sniper training. Military snipers are encountering scenarios which require assaulting skills in order to get into their sniper position. In this video, you can see some of this auxiliary sniper training as we teach these snipers how to engage close targets after being knocked down.

Adam Viniatari, four time Super Bowl champion, came out for a private sniper training experience on Super Bowl weekend with his brother.

In one afternoon, they were both able to hit out to 550 yards on a half size IPSC target, and out to 920 yards on a full size IPSC target. Note the difference in size between the half size IPSC target they shot and the Military Standard E-Type Silhouette.

Imagine our surprise when SOCOM Snipers showed up to one of our Warfighter courses with rifles that could not function properly. On day one of the course, we ensured that each rifle was set up properly for the respective shooter. The snipers had adjustable “tactical” stocks on their SR-25s (AR-10s) and we started to adjust their adjustable cheek rest when we saw a problem.

With the adjustable stocks they had on their rifles, it was impossible to raise the adjustable cheek rest without interfering with the ability to charge the weapon. Although the weapon would still fire when using the adjustable cheek rest, the weapon could not be loaded, unloaded, nor could a malfunction be cleared with the charging handle.

Here’s a free lesson, whenever you add the newest “cool” feature to your weapon, make sure it allows you to still operate your weapon!

Here are some pictures: Note the distance the charging handle needs to travel in the first picture and the bolt not being far enough back to feed a round from the magazine in the second picture.