[frostfire]

Originally Posted by The Reaper

"It’s teaching, not just training; the difference is soldiers learn why things work the way they work,” Haskins said. “The culture has to change. Our needs have changed.”

Here are three shooting tips trainers are stressing as part of Fort Benning’s new approach to marksmanship:

1. Rest your magazine on the ground when shooting from the prone. This goes against years of training guidance that said this would lead to ammunition feeding problems. Not true, say professional shooters. If your weapon jams, something else is causing it. Resting the magazine on the ground while in the prone steadies the weapon as well as any sandbag, without harming the magazine or the weapon’s cycling of rounds.
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2. Practice follow-through and reset. This is the marksmanship fundamental that follows steady position, aiming, breath control and trigger squeeze. After you shoot, hold the trigger to the rear, reacquire your target and reset the trigger by letting your finger come forward until you hear a metallic click.
Why is this important? Accomplished shooters have learned that the recoil of the weapon causes most shooters to let their finger come off the trigger after each shot. This creates a slightly different trigger squeeze every time. A consistent trigger is the key to accurate shooting. Using this technique gives the shooter more consistency and control when taking multiple shots at a target.
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3. Use a natural point of aim. Don’t twist at the waist when sighting in on a new target from a standing position. It throws you off balance. Instead, pivot at the feet and shift your weight to a comfortable firing position.

Gene Econ Sir, seems the big army is finally catching up with your training philosophy and methodology, eh?

Originally Posted by Gene Econ

Guys:

I have been thinking on this thread for a few days in fact and perhaps my observations can be of assistance concerning malfunctions drills for the issued M-16 series of weapons.

I have had the unique opportunity to watch a wide variety of soldiers go through some unique weapons training we have been conducting for two Stryker Brigades at Lewis. I have observed soldiers perform immediate action on their M-16A2s and M-4 carbines. My observations and conclusions are relatively simple but it took a while for me to figure them out and this was based on talking with said soldiers following their training.

Soldiers will perform a malfunctions drill according to their self training. 'SPORTS' is a basic drill -- most of which is unnecessary if the soldier knows what happened when it happened. One thing I will say about this drill is that it defies human nature and thus it does nothing more than cause confusion within the soldier and results in a decrease in confidence as opposed to an increase. Why does this defy human nature? Because Americans are, by our culture, very much focused on critical thinking and the first step in such a process is to 'see' the problem. Thus soldiers hesitate when being told to 'Slap, and Pull' prior to 'Observe'. Human nature is to look first and when you see someone out of AIT hesitate when he has to reduce a stoppage etc., it is because what the bureaucrats teach isn't human nature at all. Joe understands that to undo a problem, he must first know what it is and this is normally by seeing the problem prior to acting. I have noted three categories of shooter in our little world.

One is out of AIT and for him, doing what the Army taught him is primary. When what the Army taught him doesn't work, he gets seriously confused as he has never been taught to think in Basic or AIT. Cold War bureaucracy at work.

The second has some experience and isn't concerned about how someone sees him perform. However, this category lacks the confidence to critically think then act so he hesitates before he unfucks the problem. Many of the guys we have had in this cagetory have significant combat experience. Unfortunately, they have never really drawn any conclusions from this experience nor have they bothered to learn their trade in terms of setting some professional goals for themselves and then achieving those goals.

The third type is far different. These guys have significant combat experience PLUS they have learned how their weapons work. Combat experience does not necessarily relate to common sense guys. However, combine the experience with a guy who can critically think and who has spent the time to learn his profession --and you have 'The Next Level'.

Why can't I give any solutions to malfunction issues? Because guys on different levels of mental performance will do things differently. The AIT grads will do SPORTS even if the rifle is plain empty. The second classification will look then get confused for a second, then try parts of SPORTS, then fix the problem. The third level ('Next Level' as we call this) of guys hears and feels what happened based on noise and recoil and they will probably look to confirm their subconscious understanding taken in by feel and sound -- then will take the correct action and do so in a very short period of time. They went into the course of fire or drill totally aware and thus are like lightning when a problem occurs.

OK -- how can you train someone to get to the 'Next Level' in these terms? Well, if you want to spend some time and very little resources -- you can train the guys to do the right things very quickly and perfectly. Focus them on what a rifle feels and sounds like when it locks back on an empty magazine. Use various types of dummy cartridges to replicate double feeds or other failures to function and let the guys feel and hear what this is. It won't take long for them to come to some conclusions -- however we have found that you have to let guys develop their own sense of trust in what their senses are taking in.

I will say two things about the Army doctrine of SPORTS. First, it works in technical terms. Second, it fails in terms of critical thinking, cognitive development, and human nature.

So I don't know the best way to do this simple action and we don't try to influence soldiers on any best way. What we do is to ensure the soldier knows what thngs sound and feel like and then train them to trust themselves.

Esoteric? He, he, he. It works far better than incessant drills with no thought involved.

Gene

Originally Posted by Gene Econ

Some guys jam the magazine into the ground and use it as a kind of monopod. Some don't. It isn't any sort of doctrine from what I can tell.

Some say that placing pressure on the magazine in this manner makes for malfunctions. I don't think so as I have seen more than a few guys use this position and haven't seen any more malfunctions with them as with guys who keep the bottom of the magazine off the ground. A 30 round magazine protrudes so much that it is almost impossible to keep the bottom of it off of the ground when shooting from the prone.

Our top shooter in a course we are running right now uses his magzine as a rest on the ground when he goes prone unsupported. Haven't seen one malfunction.

I kind of look at this issue like this. The rifle and magazine were made for combat conditions. No way both could be that sensitive to the magazine being jammed into the magazine well that any extra upward pressure would cause malfunctions. Doesn't make sense to me in terms of intended purpose of the rifle and magazine which is combat.

Gene

Originally Posted by Gene Econ

I shot prone with the magazine jammed into the rocks and dirt as a monopod type of set up. I tried to induce a malfunction but had no malfunctions, no matter how hard I pulled back or pushed forward on the magazine.

The group size was right at 3 inches -- string after string. Very circular group but the PMJ ammo we have been shooting seems to lack those wild shots found with the Lake City M-855 so you get more of an honest assessment of accuracy with this particular PMJ ammo. I have no clue who PMJ is either.

I used a couple of techniques with the magazine firmly jammed into the rocks.

I grasped the forend in a traditional manner and pulled it back strongly into my shoulder while exerting significant force downward on the stock with my cheek and upper body. This one used a immense amount of isometric force on the carbine. I didn't envy the magazine or magazine release. That one worked out real well and I would go with it using the magazine rest technique. The dot would rise about two inches on the target directly to 12 oclock on every shot and settle right back into the aiming area. No lateral movement what so ever. This very hard position also allowed me to work that monstrous trigger pull very consistently and smoothly. Also very quickly.

Well, I shot strings while trying these various positions and got no malfunctions and saw no zero change so I figure it is a technique. I also figure it beats the crap out of the carbine's magazine release and the magazine.

I am not willing to bet money that this technique is the heat. I will have some DMs try it out a couple of times under various conditions and by doing so will get a better statistical analysis in terms of accuracy, zero changes, malfunctions, ergonomics, etc.

And that is my report for today.

Gene

Is/was there any conclusive results from having the DMs try that final technique?