sinister
02-18-07, 10:16
For the last month, Master Sergeant Bud Huston of the US Army Accessions Command has been training Soldiers during scheduled morning PT sessions to compete at the Army Rifle and Pistol Championships for the first time. These Soldiers come from various MOS specialties ranging from Military Police and Bandsmen to Drill Sergeants and Special Forces. Commands represented include Fort Monroe Garrison; Training and Doctrine Command Headquarters; Accessions Command Headquarters; the Joint Warfighting Center; and Special Operations Command Joint Forces Command. Ranks range from Private First Class to Lieutenant Colonel.
Of the 15 Fort Monroe Soldiers going to Fort Benning in March, 12 have never fired in competition. The sixteenth shooter rounding out four 4-man teams will be an embed journalist -- gun writer Mr. David Fortier of the Primedia Group.
Yesterday was the capstone practical exercise for the team, culminating all classroom and gym academic, position, and dry-firing sessions. The group drove to the Marine Corps 500-yard Known Distance rifle range at Fleet Combat Training Center Dam Neck, Virginia. Morning temperatures started at 19 degrees, bright and sunny with mild winds.
Shooters fire in their standard ACU uniform with MICH and web gear. Targets at 200 and 300 yards are the Marine Corps "D" target (a half-silhouette). All shooting is done with standard iron sights.
The team was arranged into two firing orders and shooting commenced at 300 yards for zero and a 10-shot standing-to-prone rapid fire string in 60 seconds (magazines loaded 2 rounds and 8 rounds). The relay moved forward to the 200-yard berm for a standing-to-sitting 50-second rapid fire string, followed by ten shots in ten minutes, standing.
The groups conducted a pit change and the second order fired at 300, 200, and 500 yards before another pit change and the first order finished their 20 shots at 500 yards, prone, against the Marine Corps "E" silhouette.
Four Military Policemen fired their standard M4 Carbines, the rest shooting standard M16A2 rifles. For those who had never shot in competition, 500 yards had seemed an impossibility before actually doing it (and doing it fairly well in a few instances). Many were surprised at the ability of the M4 to deliver that far with standard iron sights. The two high scoring shooters were TRADOC Band members.
Practice ammo was standard commercial Winchester Q3131A (IMI in Winchester white box) for the 200 and 300-yard lines, and 77s for the 500-yard line (virgin Lake City cases, Winchester primers, 23.5 Varget, Sierra 77 Match Kings).
The Fort Monroe Shooting team is backed by very supportive post and unit chains of command. The practice could not have been accomplished without the selfless and generous support of Chief Warrant Officer Bush and Staff Sergeant Stewart, USMC, and Doc Foster, US Navy.
"Any day you can drop a hammer on a live cap is a good day of training."
"There are only two kinds of Soldier on a battlefield -- marksmen and targets"
:)
Of the 15 Fort Monroe Soldiers going to Fort Benning in March, 12 have never fired in competition. The sixteenth shooter rounding out four 4-man teams will be an embed journalist -- gun writer Mr. David Fortier of the Primedia Group.
Yesterday was the capstone practical exercise for the team, culminating all classroom and gym academic, position, and dry-firing sessions. The group drove to the Marine Corps 500-yard Known Distance rifle range at Fleet Combat Training Center Dam Neck, Virginia. Morning temperatures started at 19 degrees, bright and sunny with mild winds.
Shooters fire in their standard ACU uniform with MICH and web gear. Targets at 200 and 300 yards are the Marine Corps "D" target (a half-silhouette). All shooting is done with standard iron sights.
The team was arranged into two firing orders and shooting commenced at 300 yards for zero and a 10-shot standing-to-prone rapid fire string in 60 seconds (magazines loaded 2 rounds and 8 rounds). The relay moved forward to the 200-yard berm for a standing-to-sitting 50-second rapid fire string, followed by ten shots in ten minutes, standing.
The groups conducted a pit change and the second order fired at 300, 200, and 500 yards before another pit change and the first order finished their 20 shots at 500 yards, prone, against the Marine Corps "E" silhouette.
Four Military Policemen fired their standard M4 Carbines, the rest shooting standard M16A2 rifles. For those who had never shot in competition, 500 yards had seemed an impossibility before actually doing it (and doing it fairly well in a few instances). Many were surprised at the ability of the M4 to deliver that far with standard iron sights. The two high scoring shooters were TRADOC Band members.
Practice ammo was standard commercial Winchester Q3131A (IMI in Winchester white box) for the 200 and 300-yard lines, and 77s for the 500-yard line (virgin Lake City cases, Winchester primers, 23.5 Varget, Sierra 77 Match Kings).
The Fort Monroe Shooting team is backed by very supportive post and unit chains of command. The practice could not have been accomplished without the selfless and generous support of Chief Warrant Officer Bush and Staff Sergeant Stewart, USMC, and Doc Foster, US Navy.
"Any day you can drop a hammer on a live cap is a good day of training."
"There are only two kinds of Soldier on a battlefield -- marksmen and targets"
:)