Last Saturday and Sunday we attended Kalashtober 2022 “the oldest, original and longest continuously run annual AK training, competition and community event in the country”, led by Ken Allen, the head of Ken Allen Training (https://kenallentraining.us/), along with 30 other shooters, 10 vendors and lots of support staff. The fall New Hampshire weather was almost perfect – with just a little rain on Sunday.

The event was a hands-on, live fire course for shooters that know a considerable amount about shooting and want to improve their tactical skills. Although Kalashtober is primarily an AK event, it was open to AK, AR, Galil, SCAR, KP9, and RPK participants. In fact I would estimate that 60% of the shooters had AKs and the other 40% had AR’s. The focus was really on the shooting techniques and not the specific firearms; which was a good thing since no two weapons on the range were the same due to their types and customizations (e.g. grips, optics, slings, Cerakote patterns, flashlights, magazines, etc.,) that everyone had made.
 
The two-day event ran from 8:30 AM until after 9:00 PM each day – with time built in to talk to the vendors and visit with other participants in the community during the lunch breaks and even at dinner on Saturday night.
 
Although I’m not solely an “AK-guy”, since I like to learn new shooting techniques, improve my skills and challenge myself - I try to take various classes throughout the year. This was a good one since it really focused on higher-level skills utilized in activities that require significant range setup and attention to range safety procedures. I primarily used my Kalashnikov KR-9S during the training – with my Norinco MAK-90 as a secondary weapon.
 
The range training focused on moving, thinking and shooting from a wide variety of distances (from 5 yards to 50 yards), utilizing various shooting positions (prone, kneeling, sitting, standing), shooting different target types (paper silhouettes, steel plates,  3-D torsos, deer silhouettes) in a variety of real world situations to include:

• Accurately sighting-in your firearm and understanding the zeroed offsets from various distances
• Shooting from distance after running
• Shooting from behind barrels for cover (utilizing techniques that minimize your visible profile)
• Quickly differentiating “good guys” from “bad guys” - and only shooting the right targets
• Shooting after crawling through tunnels
• Reloading while moving and covering yourself / team
• Shooting in smoke
• Shooting from a car
• Shooting while carrying other equipment
• Moving and shooting in 2-person and 4-person teams

 
Although the majority of the time was spent on shooting, on Sunday morning the participants were broken into three 10-person groups and each group spent an hour on the following:

1. Learning some practical knife attack self-defense techniques from Defend Me
2. Learning how to treat massive hemorrhage bleeding by applying a tourniquet and wound packing
3. Shooting the “Gauntlet” with Ken Allen’s team

​The vendors that attended the event included:

• Ammo Supply Warehouse - https://www.ammosupplywarehouse.com/
• Century Arms - https://www.centuryarms.com/
• CMC Triggers - https://cmctriggers.com/
• Defend Me - https://www.facebook.com/defendmellc/
• Granite State Indoor Range - https://www.granitestaterange.com/
• Nocturn Industries - https://nocturnindustries.com/
• Sureshot Armament Group, USA - https://www.sureshot-usa.com/
• Samson Manufacturing - https://www.samson-mfg.com/
• USCCA / Delta Defense - https://www.usconcealedcarry.com/
• US Law Shield - https://www.uslawshield.com/

​Here are a few photos of what Kalashtober 2022 looked like on the range ​(click on any photo to start the slideshow):

​Here’s a short video showing what running the Kalashtober 2022 “Gauntlet” looked like:

If you have a chance to take any of Ken’s courses at his home base in New Hampshire I would highly recommend that you sign up since his classes will definitely help you improve your shooting techniques and tactics.
 
You can find out more about Ken Allen Training, and the classes that they offer, on their website:
https://kenallentraining.us/

​As you can see on our Shooting/Carbines page one of the firearms that we have is the Kalashnikov KR-9S; a 9mm Carbine which is very accurate and fun to shoot. However, we’ve found that if we use it for the entire day at the range the skeletonized Vityaz-style triangle folding stock can get a little sharp - since it is a metal triangle poking your shoulder all day. Luckily we are evidently not the only ones that have noticed this - so ​Kalashnikov-USA has made a rubber butt pad that fits the KR-9S stock. 

​Designed to reduce recoil from the firearm, the butt pad is a slip-on sleeve design that is easy to install, and its reinforced lip improves the pad’s hold on the buttstock of the KR-9. Made from durable black rubber, the pad has been designed to maintain the rifle’s position while you fire. This butt pad will also fit KP-9, KR-103, KR-104, and Kali-9 firearms with similar stocks.

If you want more details about the KA KR-9 stock butt pad you can find it here:
 
https://kalashnikov-usa.com/product/rubber-butt-pad