Frag Out! Magazine

better target identification. We have tested different configurations of optics, including PCO MU-3 night vision monocular or L-3 WTM Thermal monocu- lar installed in front of HWS or behind it. Ultimately, we ditched such ideas. Returning home from Afghanistan we were far more experienced but we still had to wait for additional uppers. Finally, uppers arrived and we had to overpower our brains again looking for best con- figuration. For uppers with 14.5" barrels we decided that HWS with magnifier or Elcan Specter DR will be primary optics. For the 11" barrels we went with HWS alone. In the meantime the unit provid- ed us with other sights, such as the Tri- jicon MRO which were installed on some "shorties". Again, such sights had their pros and cons. Low weight and mounts with adjustable height were definitely an advantage - the higher mounts are far more comfortable when shooting with NVGs or gas masks. The 2 MOA red dot reticle was disadvantageous for shooting on longer distances. Still, MRO is a nice sight for CQB/DA operations and it was used with H&K MP-5 SMGs. Another subject of our studies were the B&T Rotex III suppressors. There were two variants in our armory - short (for 14.5") and long (for 11" barrel). Sup- pressors are awesome, no doubt. They look great and are just cool. But they in- crease the length of the rifles, add weight, change the balance, decrease the relia- bility, increase temperatures and pres- sures and your gun gets dirty way faster. If you're not using subsonic, they are not suppressing the noise or flash. Suppres- sors heats up very quickly and become clearly visible in thermals. And they affect your zero. From our experience we can confirm that every time you place/take off the suppressor from the barrel you should check your zero. We started looking for a muzzle device which would meet our requirements. As you know, there are multiple of them: compensators, flash hiders, blast diffus- ers, etc. We needed one tool to rule them all. After trials it became obvious that such a device does not exist… We always believed that if there is something we are looking for, first we must check how Yanks solved the problem.We found the Surefire products very convincing. After some testing we have decided to choose Warcomp flash hider paired with Warden blast diffuser. In our opinion, Warcomp is a great combination of recoil reductor and flash hider for use in the open areas and excellent for close quarters when combined with Warden which directs the concussive blast of the fired round for- ward of the weapon system without vent- ing gas to the sides. The kit is lightweight, easy to assemble and does not increase the length of the rifle significantly. There were some problems with Warcomp/War- den: it affects the point of impact (no one cares in CQB), it was not compatible with our Rotex III suppressors (with A2 bird cage attachment). Warcomp requires Surefire suppressors and for two uppers you would need at least two sets of these devices. Finally we had a complete kit with two different upper receiver groups for use in different missions and plenty of matching accessories, muzzle devices and sights. Now it was a time to find the best setup using our knowledge and combat ex- perience. For some ops we were using long barreled guns with suppressors and Elcan sights and for others we took short- ies with EOTech HWS or Trijicon MROs paired with "long" Rotex III suppressors. Depending on the op or function of the operator, configuration could be easily swapped. By the book! Then we saw that LVPO's (Low Power Variable Optics) are trending on the US SOF guns. Usually these were 1-6x. "Mat- ka" wouldn't be himself without launching his R&D program. After multiple tests our team sourced examples of LVPOs to ver- ify the ideas. Americans weren't wrong. The LVPO on the 14.5" upper was literally "bullseye!". "Matkaquickly listed all pros and cons of variable optics and created his own program. Just to let you know, after dozens of years in the SOF unit, with knowledge and experience under our belts, we were able to learn new stuff quickly, without additional courses or classes. We were scouting for new gear and were developing SOP's on our own. Often we were the first to introduce new equipment and solutions into POLSOF. The handgun mounted MRDS are great examples. The JWK was the first unit to deploy pistols fitted with MRDS - the oth- er units were still experimenting. Our unit was first to develop SOP's to counter the "green on blue" threats which we faced in Afghanistan. There was a time when more Allied troops were killed in such incidents than in combat. We had no time for class- es, we had to act. Our training allowed us to develop tactics after quick assessment of threats. We developed TTP and shared them with Polish and Allied forces. 31 www.fragoutmag.com FIREARMS

• Cover