What's Your Definition of a Rifleman?

I wouldn't go so far as to imply any skills or qualifications to the term "Rifleman"
The early revolutionists in our country weren't experts, just able bodied men with rifles.

The idea of being a rifleman shouldn't be limited to organizations that hand out medals. I plan on training my boys whether or not they compete or join the army.

No matter how good you are, you can always improve. My guard unit took 70 people to the range, and only 22 of us qualified. All of them are people who had qualified before.

I will call any enthusiast who has reached minimum proficiency, knows how his rifle works, and can shoot to get better a rifleman. Minimum proficiency isn't necessarily 1 moa or better.

to me it means, someone who under filed conditions, can succesfully employ a rifle and engage targets out to and including 300 meters. with iron sights not an optic.

My dad is what I call a rifleman. He sees something he wants to shoot and then shoots it.

IMHO , a good rifleman should be able to put 5 rds. standing , iron sites,offhand, no sling, on a paper plate at 100 yards -- not just once but maybe four out of five times.

Rifleman, n.; A rifleman is a person who can tactically deploy with a rifle to engage a hostile or evil force and soundly defeat it or a hunter who can successfully stalk, shoot and bring home food for the family. A rifleman can also be, to a lesser degree, a competitive shooter who uses a rifle to win competitions, medals and awards.

A rifleman is anyone with a rifle that knows how to use that rifle, regardless of what it's used FOR.

From this, you can get a lot of specific definitions, that may sound contradictory to each other, but are ALL correct.

Lots of good descriptions. I like the idea of dominating anything around you--because you know you can hit it--for 500 yards from a field position.

I once heard the average American rifle shooter (note, NOT "rifleman") referred to as a "riflebumbler". After watching some hunter sight-ins, I had to agree. Scary.

Dienekes, you'd probably agree with Tamara's rather negative views of the "average" American gun owner--as expressed in her own unique style.

Always remember the "seed" in Appleseed. It's a beginning, not an end. Prone at 25? Hey, ya gotta start somewhere, and folks having fun will likely stay with an endeavor--and grow.

To me, part of being a rifleman means being able to guesstimate distances "on out there" pretty accurately. Growing up as a hunter gives an advantage over somebody who has always used a target range with known distances. It all looks different in the boonies.

A rifleman is one who is trained to use a sling and can engage targets out to 1200 yards. He can use very specialized metalic sights or preferably a rifle telescope. He is capable of taking headshots out to 600 yards and sometimes beyond with a sling in the prone position. The x-ring on 1000 yard target at Camp Perry is 10-20 inches across if I remember correctly. Not every marksman is a sniper. Not every sniper is expert with a slinged rifle. A few men are both - Carlos Hathcock was one such man.

This is from Wiktionary, is a simple definition and works for me:

"Noun

Rifleman

Singular
rifleman


Plural
riflemen

rifleman (plural riflemen)

1. A soldier trained to use a rifle as their primary weapon.

The riflemen had not been issued their weapons yet, and hence they trained with wooden mock-up rifles.

2. A person especially skilled in the use of a rifle.

She was quite the rifleman and could pick off a squirrels with a .22 from across the field with amazing accuracy."

Regards,

Dave

The simplest definitions are often the best. A person (remember: in unadulterated English, '-man' is gender neutral) capable of reliably striking a human target out to a quarter-mile from field positions with an iron-sighted rifle with which he is familiar.

So, basically, the 'rifleman's quarter-mile': 1/4 mile shooting 4 MOA or under

I have no idea if I can do it or not. The longest I've ever shot is 300 yds. I'm hanging at 300 (if you keep me off the clock, at least), but I dunno about 400. I have plenty of room for improvement.

Mike

And, btw, to my mind, "rifleman" is different from "sniper" or "marksman" or "sharpshooter". To me, "rifleman" implies a sort of practical, well-rounded skill with good accuracy using a basic tool. Sniper, et al, would imply specialized tools and greater precison under more specific circumstances.

So, I agree with ParaElite on that.

I will keep it simple and general. Anyone who is willing to teach me or learn from me, handle it safely, and work to improve. I think we need to embrace anyone who is willing to try it, not imagine a class with stars on our bellies who are the REAL riflemen.

watch quigley down under

A rifleman is an infantryman that doesn't carry a carbine, machinegun, or submachine gun. He carries the standard rifle.

British Army Annual Personal Weapons Test (APWT)

APWT is a test that every soldier must take once a year and reach a certain standard. Shots fired at the every popular Figure 11 and Figure 12 "Charging Commie" target





Shots are fired from a variety of ranges and firing positions (standing, sitting, prone, supported etc) at 100, 200, 300, 400m.

For the standard test 50 rounds per are used, need to obtain a minimum score of 42/50, 30 minutes or less

Not sure I know the correct definition of a Rifleman....but I'd know one if I saw it (Alvin York).

Ah, yes, the infamous Figures 11 and 12 (Mad Russians). They get a little hard to see with iron sights out there. Sometimes all you can make out is the knee patch and go from there.

I wonder if the Soviets had "Decadent American" targets? neener And what their qualification courses looked like...

Some time back when perestroika was on we got the idea to invite the Soviets to send a 4-man team to a US-Canadian military match. I sent a letter to the military attache in DC but never heard back.

To me a rifleman is someone that can use his choosen weapon to make the first shot count at whatever range he is competent at shooting.

The true mark of a rifleman is when he holds off making a shot because he is not certain of making a clean kill with the first round no matter what the range.

Shooting or not shooting is all about self control. Skill, accuracy and the right to call yourself a rifleman will follow.

He can take my MN 44 and hit a 14-inch target at about eighty yards, multiple times, standing with only iron sights, whether the bayonet is folded or extended.

Compared to me, this is a rifleman.

Carbines forever, whether Commie-designed or Ruger etc.

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 .

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That sounds like a REDNECK

my best friend harley... is a rifleman!!

The true mark of a rifleman is when he holds off making a shot because he is not certain of making a clean kill with the first round no matter what the range.

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IMHO This seems to be the best description.

I'd say there's more then one level of a rifleman. Things to include would be:
Understanding and memorizing sight adjustments, whether iron or scope.
Understanding windage and elevation.
Besides knowing your favorite firearm, being able to adapt from one firearm to another when shooting targets and figure it out.