Well my boot camp days were a few months ago. This would be me on the 500 meter line in the prone, yes, I qualified shooting left handed. That was May 1969. We trained with the M14 and I came to love that rifle. I was shooting many years before the Marine Corps, the Marine Corps simply taught me the correct way to shoot.
The rifle range was a full two week adventure for us. The first week was "snapping in" which amounted to sitting in 100 degree heat and dry firing at tiny black dots on white barrels in sand pits.
The second week was live fire practice leading to qualification day. We fired at 200 meters offhand, 300 meters sitting and kneeling rapid fire with magazine changes and 500 meters slow fire in the prone position. Sights were sights and they were all the same, standard peep sights.
Was talking to a friend of mine's nephew about 3 1/2 years ago. He just graduated boot. I was blown away about the rifles and being able to use RCO / ACOG. He made it sound like they had the option on qual day?
I ended up in Vietnam in '72 and was handed a M16. Wonderful as I had never handled a M16.
All of this long before optics.
All in all I spent almost 10 years in the Corps followed by another 10 years DoD. No shortage of Marines in the family.
So exactly what is the range all about today? Distances? Targets? Total range time?
Today I still very much enjoy shooting my M1A and my Colt SP1 rifles.
Ron