1/27/17, 9(44 AMmyth-vs-reality-army-pros-dispel-common-marksmanship-misconceptions

Page 1 of 8https://www.armytimes.com/story/military/careers/army/2016/03/15/m…lity-army-pros-dispel-common-marksmanship-misconceptions/81544236/

The experts at the U.S. Army Marksmanship Unit

shared with Army Times some of the most

common misconceptions they see or are asked

about in the Army.

Myth: “Wind has no effect on where my rounds

strike because bullets move too fast.” (Yes, some

soldiers really believe this.)

Myth vs. reality: Army pros dispelcommon marksmanshipmisconceptionsBy: Michelle Tan, March 15, 2016 (Photo Credit: Brenda Rolin/Army)

HOME YOUR ARMY WASHINGTON DEFENSE NEWS BEST FOR VETS BENEFITS MILITARY LIFE

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Reality: Wind, temperature and humidity all have

an effect on the strike of the bullet, with wind

having the biggest effect of all. As a bullet leaves

the barrel, gravity begins to have an instant

effect. As the bullet begins to run out of energy

and slow down, wind has an even greater effect.

In general, the higher the wind speed or the

farther out you shoot, you have to compensate

for the effects of wind or you will surely miss

your target.

Army Times

Army tackles marksmanship

shortfalls with new training

course

Myth: “I always make sure my soldiers train in

body armor because that’s how they are going to

fight.”

Reality: Learning the fundamentals requires an

undistracted mind and an unstressed body. Body

armor interferes with those conditions. Only

once a soldier can routinely execute the

fundamentals should the level of difficulty

increase by integrating individual combat

equipment into dry firing and live-fire exercises.

* * *

Myth: “He is shooting all over the place. I told

him to watch his breathing.”

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Reality: Shooters place too much emphasis on

breathing, and it probably has very little to do

with most of the problems observed on the

range. It’s important to discuss breath control

and natural respiratory pause during

marksmanship instruction, but don’t

overemphasize it. A person firing a rifle has a

tendency to fire while they’re in their natural

respiratory pause and the rifle isn’t moving. It is

impossible to determine what a shooter may be

doing wrong by analyzing a shot group on a piece

of paper. The only way to accurately determine

what is going wrong is through careful

observation of a peer coach who is actively

watching the shooter throughout the entire firing

process.

* * *

Myth: “I always make my soldiers put the tip of

their finger on the trigger and the tip of their

nose on the charging handle. That is the way I

was taught.”

Reality: We’re all made differently, so the cookie-

cutter approach to shooting positions is not the

best approach when teaching others. When

teaching shooting positions, consider these key

points:

• A person has to be reasonably comfortable to

make well-aimed shots.

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• A soldier’s shooting position must allow them to

achieve proper sight alignment consistently from

shot to shot.

• The position of the firing hand is critical in

controlling the rifle, applying proper trigger

control, and managing recoil for follow-up shots.

The firer’s hand should be high on the pistol grip,

and their finger should naturally lie on the

trigger. The trigger is a lever. It must be moved

straight to the rear. Forcing someone to place

their finger on the trigger in an unnatural

position will lead to poor trigger control habits

and misplaced shots downrange.

Army Times

Inside the Army's new

Marksmanship Master Trainer

Course

Myth: “I am an infantryman and will be issued an

ACOG or M-68 for my rifle. I don’t need to train

with or learn how to use iron sights.”

Reality: You must still master your iron sights so

that if your optic becomes inoperable, you can

still successfully engage targets. Nearly all

shoulder-fired weapons in the Army’s inventory,

as well as the weapons of most other countries,

come equipped with iron sights.

In addition, knowing how to apply the

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fundamentals of marksmanship with iron sights

will make you much more proficient when using

optics.

* * *

Myth: “A 200-meter zero is the best battle sight

zero one can have on their rifle because most

combat engagements happen inside of 225

meters.”

Reality: In most, if not all, cases, the farthest

distance a soldier might shoot an M4 carbine

with an ACOG is about 550 meters. So a 300-

meter zero is the best zero for the complete

operating range of the rifle, covering potential

engagements from arm’s distance all the way out

to 550 meters.

The best practice for any zero, regardless of the

desired distance, is to obtain an initial zero at 25

meters. You can then fine-tune your zero at the

actual desired distance.

* * *

Myth: “I went to the 25-meter range and my rifle

is zeroed.”

Reality: How do you know? Did you check it at

actual distance to see where the bullets were

impacting? There is a big difference between a

so-called “nearo” and a zero.

If you zero your rifle to Army standard, you are

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placing five of six shots in a 1.5-inch circle. What

you may not realize is that a 1.5-inch circle at 25

meters is equivalent to an 18.5-inch circle at 300

meters.

You should always confirm your zero at actual

distance.

* * *

Myth: “I have my rifle zero recorded in my

notebook, so I can put it on any rifle that I use.”

Reality: It doesn’t work like that. When you zero

a rifle, you are aligning the sights with the barrel,

and the barrel with your eye (by looking through

the sights). The zero that works for one rifle isn’t

going to work on another.

* * *

Myth: “AMU can teach me advanced

marksmanship.”

Reality: There is no such thing as “advanced”

marksmanship. There is only marksmanship that

is taught correctly. The fundamentals, when

learned and applied correctly, work in all

situations.

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