What's Your Definition of a Rifleman?

A man with a rifle who knows enough to make it do what he wants. Simple answer.

A man with a rifle. No skill level involved.

A person who, under field conditions, can hit multiple man sized targets at up to 200 yards or a single man sized target at 300 yards in a reasonable timeframe, and can hit multiple head sized targets at up to 50 yards or a single head sized target at 100 under a reasonable timeframe, with any rifle theoretcally capable of accomplishing the task.

I was looking for something a little more specific, but thanks for playing anyway.

Click to expand...

Okay, a person who is skilled with a rifle, knows the lay of the land, (woodsman is synoomous) and preferably knows proper safety procedures. Can't think past this.

EDIT: Oh, and can hit what he is aiming at, to a certain extent.

A rifleman by assumption is a man with a rifle. By definition, a rifleman has qualified expert on the AQT.

A true rifleman can hit what he can see, roughly translated to a man at 400 yards with iron sights minimum.

I'd consider a rifleman to be your basic "combat effective" shooter, able to engage man-sized targets out to a reasonable distance (250-300 yards?) with irons.

If we're going to 500 yards or something, I'd start calling that a "marksman." There are just not that many guys who can accurately and repeatably hit something a quarter-mile away. Whether that's due to lack of training or lack of ability I don't know; haven't shot much past 200 myself.

I'll say "Capable of controlling the Riflemans quarter mile" ie 4 minutes of angle out to 500 yards.

Want to learn how?

Come to an Appleseed shoot

www.appleseedinfo.org

Wheeler44

Aw, a fella who can get all married up to an old rifle and honestly know that anything inside of 500 yards belongs to him.

Someone who practices in real world scenarios(weather conditions) not just range time, quick target aquisition, mutiple follow up shot ability, good estimation of range and windage, Some outdoor knowledge and skills, and does some hunting to bring them all together. I would say proficiency with any long arm 'cept a shotgun, which is only limited by range in yards with an accurately placed shot.

Chuck Connors

There are all different kinds of rifles for all different kinds of shooting so I don't think there's a set standard of performance or accuracy that could honestly lock down what a rifleman is. I guess what I'm trying to say is that what makes a rifleman is more qualitative than quantitative. To my way of thinking a rifleman is someone who has mastered his own personal rifle to the point that he can shoot it to the limits of the cartridge's ability and the rifle's mechanical action in terms of speed and accuracy.

The cartridge and type of rifle dictate what sub-type of rifleman the person is. I have owned, shot and trained on others but I have paired my battery down to two rifles, an AK and a 91/30. The AK is a rifle that can fire a lot of rounds with a fair degree of accuracy in rapid succession at the shorter ranges that are the reality of the woods and urban areas around where I live. It is good for hunting, defense and recreation so its use would also encompass skills relative to those pursuits. My 91/30 is a tough, reliable field grade rifle with a much slower rate of fire than the AK but it is easier to hit with at longer ranges and is significantly more powerful. My AK would be a poor substitute for my 91/30 and vice versa. That's where I get my idea that there are all kinds of riflemen just the same as there are all kinds of rifles.

I think of it as a lifelong journey rather than a goal reached when you hit a particular level of proficiency. I know I have a long way to go before I'm pushing the limits of the cartridge and mechanical action of my two rifles.

Webster's defines; Rifleman- 1. A soldier armed with a rifle. 2- One skilled in shooting with a rifle.

Earning one of these makes one a Rifleman.

In Distinguished Company

not me, yet.

After a while searching, I came up with 2 results.

1- A Distinguished Rifleman

2- A combat rifleman

Distinguished is when you are basically a sharpshooter, compete, and win the medal posted above.

Combat seems to have the definition of that you are trained in the knowledge and Use of combat rifle satisfactory to minimum marksmanship specifications accepted by the Army.

I'd say if you can consistantly hit a man sized target at 300yds (without glass) you are a rifleman. That is not as easy as it sounds considering difference in elevations and wind that occurs in realistic situations. 300 yards isn't any easy shot when made at unknown distances.

I'm with Tarvis on this one. AQT target proficiency, being able to hit man-sized targets out to 400 yards.
For a really good weekend of GREAT shooting, try an Appleseed shoot.
Learn more about one here: www.rwva.com
I attended one and earned my Rifleman patch on day two....not so easy.

The appleseed standard ignores time and multiple targets and field terrain and positions other than prone.

also, they do all their shooting at 25 meters.

A man with a rifle and a knife that can live of the land fix anyhting shoot anything and is able to do it with out the help of others .