The dislocation structure of hydride vapour phase epitaxial thick GaN layers grown on sapphire is studied by analysis of the microdistortion tensor components. Symmetrical reflections (including reflections from planes forming large angles with the basal plane) with two modes of scanning (θ and θ-2θ) in two geometries (Bragg and Laue) are used to obtain the tensor components. The instant connections between the tensor components and major dislocation types are specified. Different types of dislocation distributions have been identified in the thick GaN films grown on sapphire without and with undoped and Si-doped metal-organic chemical vapour deposited templates.