, want to describe how they taught you? Like to see the differences in the methods from the 60s through the present. Neighbors son recently returned from basic and said he qualified on a indoor computer range with a rifle that simulated recoil?
I also wonder what the different qualifications are from then to now. Scores,targets,ranges and what not.
Just curious on the methods.
Here's a rundown of some of the training used by the Army at Fort Dix back in 1989:
Classroom BRM (Basic Rifle Marksmanship) - Lots of classroom instruction on BRM, to include sight picture, breathing, and trigger pull. We were issued weapons, and learned how to disassemble/reassemble, maintain, and function check. We also did about 1,000 pushups a day because knuckleheads in the platoon insisted on calling the M16A1 a gun rather than a weapon!
Weaponeer Training - A machine that simulated recoil and showed where your shots would have hit. We used this prior to live fire in order to practice BRM skills. (This was the older simulator that only showed a silhouette, unlike the video version used later.)
Live Fire - We learned how to zero the M16A1, and practiced on a 25 meter range, trying to keep groups as small as possible. We then moved out to longer ranges.
Pop Ups - We fired on pop up target at ranges between 50 and 300 meters. The targets were torso shaped, about 18" wide and 30" tall. (That 300 meter target was small with open sights!) When you hit them, they would drop back down. At one range there were dummy rounds loaded randomly into the magazines. When we pulled the trigger and heard the click, we had to clear the non-firing round and reengage the target.
Qualification - We had to engage 40 targets at ranges between 50 and 300 meters with 40 rounds. The first 20 were fired from sandbags in a foxhole, the second 20 from unsupported prone. Targets were all on a timer, with longer ranges visible longer than shorter. Your ranking - expert, sharpshooter, or marksman - depended on the number you hit. As I recall, it took 38 hits to be considered expert.
In "down" time we also practiced skills such as proper trigger pull by balancing a dime on the barrel and pulling the trigger without shaking it off.
As an aside, this was back in a time where the M16/AR15 still had a bad reputation in the shooting community, unlike today when it's the most popular platform going. That M16A1 I used in basic ("Serial number 260448, Drill Sergeant!") was a rickety piece of equipment rebuilt a bozillion times over its life, but it never jammed on me and could still reach out to that 300m target with surprising accuracy!
