Finnish Brutality 2021 Day 1: Featuring The Infamous Trench Stage!

Finnish Brutality took place on October 23 and 24 of this year, at the Loppi shooting range north of Helsinki. It was run by Varusteleka, the largest and definitely the awesomest military and outdoor supplier in Europe – in collaboration with Sako, Mil-Safarit, Sisu, InRangeTV, Bloke on the Range, Polenar Tactical, and Forgotten Weapons.

It was the best Brutality match yet run, with some really outstanding stage challenges! The weather hovered right around freezing the whole time, with intermittent rain, snow, and wind. The organization by Varusteleka was truly a model to be emulated, with sufficient Range Officer staffing to allow both days to run perfectly on time (actually, we finished slightly early on the 24th!), without the shooters being required to do any set up, reset, scoring, or other ancillary work aside from shooting the stages. This despite it including two armored vehicle props, one moving vehicle to shoot from, a water hazard, and a blind stage.

I used my WWSD2020 carbine and a Bul Armory M5 (9mm double-stack polymer-framed 1911) for the match. I started off with the brilliant idea to wear a Finnish camouflage kilt, having not quite recognized how cold it was going to be. I stuck with that plan through the infamous trench stage, and then switched to dry pants with some of Varusteleka’s merino wool long underwear (and lots of layered merino wool up top to match) and was nice and comfortable through the rest of the match.

This was truly the most mentally and physically challenging match I have yet shot, and it was a fantastic experience. Only Desert Brutality matches come close…but I hope more match directors will take note of the appeal of both the physically difficult elements and also the effort put into planning and logistics and make more matches like this turn up in the US!

13 Comments

  1. Yes, the organizers have a lot of imagination.
    What’s next, pants at the ankles and a roll of toilet paper around the shooter’s neck? ; -)

    • Finns wa hae, wi’ Häyhä bled,
      Finns whom Mannerheim ha’ led,
      Welcome tae yaer snowy bed,
      Forth a’ victory!

  2. OFF-TOPIC so ignore if you wish
    According to https://boards.4channel.org/k/thread/51127217
    >I have received confirmation from an industry source that GD-OTS / Lone Star / True Velocity are now out of the NGSW competition while Textron has voluntarily exited the program. This leaves SIG as the only remaining contender. Second, there now appears to be widespread acceptance within US Army / NGSW circles that the 6.8 mm ammunition standard is overpowered and reintroduces many of the disadvantages that 5.56×45 mm NATO standard sought to overcome. Consequently, the US Army is now looking at a compromise requirement with the ability to penetrate level IV body armour to 400-500 metres instead of 600 metres.

    >RDECOM/ ARDEC had previously developed EPR projectiles in 6 mm, 6.35 mm and 6.5 mm. It seems that these will be re-evaluated in new case designs. The 6.5 mm EPR-style bullet had already been used by SOCOM for its T&E of 6.5×49 mm Creedmoor. So it is straightforward to establish this as a new NGSW baseline standard, adopting a necked-down version of SIG’s hybrid 7.62 case. Versus SIG’s 6.8×51 mm standard, the new round will be lighter and with less recoil. No official confirmation of any of this yet, nor information on chamber pressures, muzzle velocity and muzzle energy.

    >The SIG MCX Spear will also be updated. The revised ammunition can be fired with little more than a barrel change, but the weapon needs other modifications to improve handling and efficiency. I understand that the gas system and bolt carrier will be modified.

    >It is not yet clear whether a revised ammunition requirement will force a reset or simply be the next logical step in the program. Given these developments, the US Army is likely to be under pressure to make an announcement.

    My questions:
    Why they need so much time to figure that newfangled 6,8 mm cartridge for NGSW is too much for individual solider? Do they this in order to emulate OICW result, i.e. they hope someone will appear with working weapon and accept it saying promptly “that is stop-gap” and do not change it for like half of century? Is now ammunition for machine guns and for automatic rifle to be not compatible with each other?

    • NGSW: Ensuring that the future will have no shortage of Forgotten Weapons

      Did SIG ever ship any civilian .277 Fury?

    • The US Army tends to develop small arms based on theoretical doctrines. Then finding out the thing has problems in the real world and abandoning the project.
      Having rifles and machine guns use the same ammunition is only of benefit in manufacturing. The US issues rifle ammunition on 10-round stripper clips and machine gun ammunition on disintegrating link belts of different lengths. So same caliber, or different caliber, it’s just as much work for supply to manage.

    • “Why they need so much time…”(C)

      It’s simple.
      First, an analysis of market demand is carried out.
      Then, solutions are considered that LOOK LIKE a solution to this need.
      Then (of course, with the corresponding economy of brains) the least expensive option is chosen. The money saved is spent on advertising and “gifts for good people.”
      Under this decision, a government grant is obtained or (in extreme cases) it is sold on the civilian market, for any little-understood “weapon enthusiasts”.
      The costs are reimbursed, the profit is received.

      Do you see at least one of the words “usefulness” or “necessity” here? 😉

  3. Thank you Ian for NOT going commando
    Saw the upskirt still on Varusteleka‘s …Facebook maybe, can’t remember now,

  4. The kilt is an English invention. The TRUE Scot wears a filibeg. Dyed saffron. He puts it on by laying it out on the ground (12 yards if he can afford that much cloth) and, starting at one end, rolling himself up in it. If he doesn’t take it off for a month or so, you can see why.

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