What are the 8 fundamentals of marksmanship?

Ruh-Ro!!!:D

Other purposes = to simulate malfunctions and train in malf clearance and to trigger a transition to another weapon.

Two drills I like.

The "Busy Hands Drill" where you start with a cup in your hand, or a shopping bag, or a satchel over your shoulder, and then drop the cup/ bag/ satchel, draw and fire.

"BG and Buddies Drill" set up two or three targets at different distances. One can be almost contact distance. Draw and fire at closest target and then more distant targets. Move to line up BGs, so they'd have to shoot through the other to get you.

I gotta learn to type faster. There were five replies while I was typing my last.:eek:

If you google "fundamentals of marksmanship," you get lots of different lists with different numbers of fundamentals. Sorry if I am being ignorant (I am), but I would like to know what is on NDD's list. Just trying to learn! :munchin

OK!!

It is when you are in a Target Rich Environment, with Multiple Targets Presented. Everyone gets served once, before anyone gets seconds!!

With full auto weapons, it is much easier to get multiples on each threat, but with a pistol, you're needing to get as many guns "Out of the fight" as fast as possible.

Later
Martin

If you've got a training buddy, you can have a lot of fun with variations on the "BG and Buddies Drill", we used to make hoods from grocery bags (the brown paper ones), cutting half circles on the sides and duct taping the edges so that they's stay put on one's shoulders. You put on the hood, your buddy arranges targets, taping "knives" and "guns" to some. He then comes back, turns you around a few times and lifts off the hood.

You now have to orient yourself to the targets, shoot them in order of threat, and not shoot any that aren't "armed". Fun for the whole family.

1. Stance
2. Grip
3. Sight Alignment
4. Sight Picture
5. Trigger control
6. Breathing
7. Recovery
8. Follow-through

Thanks, doc.

Another really useful, and kinda fun thing to do, though not really a drill, I guess, is knock down targets.

Take a 4"x4" and cut it an inch shorter than the height of an IPSC or IDPA cardboard target. Wrap the 4"x4" in duct tape. Staple the cardboard target to the 4"x4" such that it runs down the middle of the target ending an inch from the bottom. Staple a second target to the back of the 4"x4". If you've done this right, it will now stand upright with the bottome edges of the targets serving as sort of runners and the 4"x4" roughly simulating the vitals.

Make a waist high pedestal using another length of 4"x4" and a couple of pieces of plywood. The pedestal should stand on it's own and be fairly stable.

Set the top of the torso, the targets stapled to the 4"x4", on top of the pedestal.

Hits to the "vitals" will topple the torso. Poor hits will pass right on through. This is a great way to condition "shooting to stop." If the target hasn't gone down it's still a threat.

RL:

Not being a wise guy here so please -- no law suits.

The eight fundamentals went out of use about twenty years ago. Thank God. SFAUC still uses them and the results are evident. No one knows which one of the eight he needs to work on to be better, and no one can do eight things perfectly at once.

Today there are only four fundamentals by Army doctrine -- about two or three too many IMHO.

I use two or maybe one for some folks. Fire the shot when the barrel is pointed into the middle of the target. It works pretty well in fact and there is little confusion about cause if shots go astray. Either the pointing or the pulling of the trigger is the culprit.

Pointing can be a vision issue or a zero issue. Trigger pull is a human issue.

I have tried to write a three hundred page manual on shooting but can't seem to get past one sentence. 'Train the eyes to see and the finger to move. '

Gene

You are a Zen Master, Yoda Gene.

That is the most succinct summation of marksmanship that I have ever read.

TR

Gene, what drills do you recommend for novice shooters?

Are you saying SFAUC guys can't shoot or I am mis-reading? I only know one, and he shoots very well.

We still use the 8 - to verying degrees depending on what we are doing. For example, I don't worry about breathing when I'm hammering.

I disagree about not being able to do 8 things at once - not at first of course, but eventually you don't have to think about them anymore. They have to become ingrained, but they are still there.

Instructor Slut!