Myth vs-reality-army-pros-dispel-common-marksmanship-misconceptions

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 dispel
common marksmanship
misconceptions
By: Michelle Tan, March 15, 2016 (Photo Credit: Brenda Rolin/Army)
HOME YOUR ARMY WASHINGTON DEFENSE NEWS BEST FOR VETS BENEFITS MILITARY L

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.

• 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

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

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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