Devonai
Member
I just got back from four months of Basic Combat Training and Advanced Individual Training at the Infantry school at Fort Benning. I'm now an 11B and I'll soon report to my unit, C co 3/172 INF (MTN) of the New Hampshire National Guard. I thought some of you might be interested to hear about what the Army boys are playing with these days.
M16A4:
This is the rifle issued to most trainees in the Infantry Training Brigade, although it is being phased out as you read this in favor of the M4 Carbine; two of the six companies in my battalion had already switched by the time I left. The M16A4 is identical to the M16A2 except it has a removable carrying handle/rear sight and quad accessory rail handguards by Knight's. Initially during training we used the standard rear sights; after qualification we switched to the Aimpoint M68 red-dot optical device. Additionally, a mount for the "PAK-4" infrared target laser (I never did find out the exact name of that thing) was placed on the top handguard just behind the front sight post.
My rifle was reliable under all conditions, including blank fire, but not every private in my platoon was as lucky. The rifles we were using were nearing the end of their service lives even though they were only five years old. We shot the heck out of those things, however, so it's not surprising they're wearing out so quickly. My only gripe with the A4 was the fixed buttstock which made firing with Interceptor Body Armor difficult, especially with the ceramic plates inserted. Obviously the telescoping stock remedies this, so it's no surprise the M4 is becoming so popular.
M203:
We received one day of training on the M203 40mm grenade launcher, firing practice rounds. The best two privates that day got to fire five live rounds each. I didn't like the weapon system at all; I found it difficult and awkward to use. Hopefully I'll get more training with it once I get to my unit.
M249/M240B:
During Basic we received one day of live-fire training with the M249 5.56mm Squad Automatic Weapon and the M240B 7.62mm General Purpose Machine Gun, and then during AIT we got eight SAWs and two Bravos per platoon. I eminently preferred the SAW to the Bravo for obvious reasons even though the Bravo was much more fun to fire with blanks. I found both easy to use during live fire and as you might guess it is incredible fun to knock down targets with them.
M2:
We received one day of live-fire training with the M2 .50 Machine Gun. I found this weapon easy to shoot, but since it was simply mounted on a tripod it was impossible to get a feel for the weapon. All we had for targets were several old M113 Armored Personnel Carriers out at 300 meters, so we couldn't get a sense for the damage we were doing.
Mk 19:
We only received familiarization with the Mk 19 40mm grenade launcher, which was disappointing. It sure looked like fun, though.
M67:
We received one day of training for the M67 fragmentation grenade. We used practice grenades all day, then each soldier threw two live grenades. I discovered I'm terrible at throwing and I just barely qualified that day. If you're ever in charge of handing out frags, don't give me any yet. I plan on purchasing some dummies as soon as possible as I desperately need the practice.
AT-4:
We received one day of training on the AT-4 anti-tank rocket and launcher. This was a fun day as we fired many 9mm tracer training rounds at M113 APCs. The best private at the end of the day fired one live rocket, which was one of the most impressive things I've ever seen in my life.
M18A1:
We trained with the M18A1 Claymore mine quite a bit, but we only saw one live mine actually detonated. They're a pain in the rear to set up but absolutely brutal on the target.
So, who else wants to join the Army?
M16A4:
This is the rifle issued to most trainees in the Infantry Training Brigade, although it is being phased out as you read this in favor of the M4 Carbine; two of the six companies in my battalion had already switched by the time I left. The M16A4 is identical to the M16A2 except it has a removable carrying handle/rear sight and quad accessory rail handguards by Knight's. Initially during training we used the standard rear sights; after qualification we switched to the Aimpoint M68 red-dot optical device. Additionally, a mount for the "PAK-4" infrared target laser (I never did find out the exact name of that thing) was placed on the top handguard just behind the front sight post.
My rifle was reliable under all conditions, including blank fire, but not every private in my platoon was as lucky. The rifles we were using were nearing the end of their service lives even though they were only five years old. We shot the heck out of those things, however, so it's not surprising they're wearing out so quickly. My only gripe with the A4 was the fixed buttstock which made firing with Interceptor Body Armor difficult, especially with the ceramic plates inserted. Obviously the telescoping stock remedies this, so it's no surprise the M4 is becoming so popular.
M203:
We received one day of training on the M203 40mm grenade launcher, firing practice rounds. The best two privates that day got to fire five live rounds each. I didn't like the weapon system at all; I found it difficult and awkward to use. Hopefully I'll get more training with it once I get to my unit.
M249/M240B:
During Basic we received one day of live-fire training with the M249 5.56mm Squad Automatic Weapon and the M240B 7.62mm General Purpose Machine Gun, and then during AIT we got eight SAWs and two Bravos per platoon. I eminently preferred the SAW to the Bravo for obvious reasons even though the Bravo was much more fun to fire with blanks. I found both easy to use during live fire and as you might guess it is incredible fun to knock down targets with them.
M2:
We received one day of live-fire training with the M2 .50 Machine Gun. I found this weapon easy to shoot, but since it was simply mounted on a tripod it was impossible to get a feel for the weapon. All we had for targets were several old M113 Armored Personnel Carriers out at 300 meters, so we couldn't get a sense for the damage we were doing.
Mk 19:
We only received familiarization with the Mk 19 40mm grenade launcher, which was disappointing. It sure looked like fun, though.
M67:
We received one day of training for the M67 fragmentation grenade. We used practice grenades all day, then each soldier threw two live grenades. I discovered I'm terrible at throwing and I just barely qualified that day. If you're ever in charge of handing out frags, don't give me any yet. I plan on purchasing some dummies as soon as possible as I desperately need the practice.
AT-4:
We received one day of training on the AT-4 anti-tank rocket and launcher. This was a fun day as we fired many 9mm tracer training rounds at M113 APCs. The best private at the end of the day fired one live rocket, which was one of the most impressive things I've ever seen in my life.
M18A1:
We trained with the M18A1 Claymore mine quite a bit, but we only saw one live mine actually detonated. They're a pain in the rear to set up but absolutely brutal on the target.
So, who else wants to join the Army?
) instead of SAWs. Never used a 240 back then, but I haven't used one since, so I don't mind that much.
I was only there for 3 weeks, but it left a lasting impression on me. Some of them fond, some not so fond.
