USMC Marksmanship Video

[Cosmoline]

I picked up a four hour marksmanship DVD from Midway that's essentially just showing the training of Marine recruits. The fundamentals are well demonstrated and could be applied to any rifle, not just the AR platform

It's a great refresher course for those of us who have gotten sloppy with the basic positions and been sitting at a bench too long. And it would make a great introduction video to show newbies before you go to the range.

Though it is real Marine Corps training this appears to be the "friendly" part of the training, not the "Full Metal Jacket" part. The DI is clear and not playing any tricks. Each answer is restated and confirmed, each point demonstrated and illustrated.

http://www.amazon.com/Marine-Corps-Marksmanship-Sean-Casey/dp/B0001DB6GI

 

[Fred Fuller]

C,

This will probably fare better in Rifle Country than S&T...

lpl

 

[Cosmoline]

I learned one I had never used before--the low kneeling. Surprisingly this aging lawyer's fatbody was able to do it, and with another week of flexibility work I should have it down pat. Very stable.

There are a lot of other little pointers I'd either never learned or forgotten over the years, such as placing the back pad behind the elbow in contact with the knee. I'm anxious to use these maneuvers hunting for longer shots. Off hand is inherently limited.

 

[brianr23]

They might be showing you the PMI's (Primary Marksmanship Instructors) not the DIs. As I remember it (I was trained at Paris Island 23 years ago...) we were handed over to the PMIs but the DIs still lurked around in case you got out of line. After a few hours in the morning the DIs got us back and had fun then we went back to the PMI's in the afternoon. It was 2 weeks of training the first week spent "snapping in" and the second week on the range with a pre-qual on Thursday and qualification on Friday.

 

[Blasphemous]

It never hurts to have a little refresher course. During my time; I was a 5th award expert, rifle coach and one of the best shots in my Wing.

 

[MTMilitiaman]

Yeah, marksmanship training was like classes and such--we were handed over to our PMIs while the DIs hovered around to insure people were awake and paying attention--right-hand right-knee, left-hand left-knee...

Sgt. Lardizable was my PMI. I still remember him stressing over and over again, "Clear sight tip, blurry target!"

 

[blitzen]

Being at the range was like being on a two week vacation in the middle of anything but. What a nation of shooters we'd be if everyone got to do this. At least there is us FEW.

Cosmoline: The off hand position is inherently unsteady, and nothing can really change that but if you spend enough time snapping in, (dry firing) you will learn to break the shot as the front sight tip is in the center of the bull as it does its fig 8 around it.

 

[bomb dropper]

or the boot string charging handle for snapping in

 

[inherentical]

Being at the range was like being on a two week vacation in the middle of anything but.

Yeah, I went through PI in '92 and I recall the time at the range fondly. The back of my neck burnt to a crisp, but it was really a stress-free time. Well, compared to the rest of boot camp at least.

 

[Matt-J2]

Thanks for the link, this is actually the sort of thing I'd been thinking about picking up.

 

[Cosmoline]

Thanks for that clarification, I don't know my PMI's from DI's and wouldn't have lasted two days there back in my own youth. Still, it would be nice to have something available beyond the video along these lines for non-military shooters. Something that bridges the training gap between introductory level NRA or CCW courses and the more advanced training facilities. I've picked up bits and pieces of the techniques from other shooters, but nothing as rigorous and consistent as the Marine training.

 

[phrogpilot]

I'm out of the Marine Corps 25 years this month and miss it every day. What is so special and distinguishes USMC marksmanship training from the other services is the high level of skill imparted to all recruits; they are able to reproduce excellence decade after decade.

 

[Blasphemous]

I'm out of the Marine Corps 25 years this month and miss it every day. What is so special and distinguishes USMC marksmanship training from the other services is the high level of skill imparted to all recruits; they are able to reproduce excellence decade after decade.

I couldn't say that any better. I wish I'd never have gotten out. Did it for a woman :banghead: and now when I wanted to get back in, they wouldn't take me because they didn't want any prior enlisted. So, I settled for the Nat'l Guard and I'm going to college. By Joseph, I'll re-enlist as an officer

 

[EyebrowZing]

Still, it would be nice to have something available beyond the video along these lines for non-military shooters. Something that bridges the training gap between introductory level NRA or CCW courses and the more advanced training facilities. I've picked up bits and pieces of the techniques from other shooters, but nothing as rigorous and consistent as the Marine training.

I went into the Corps being nothing more than a casual plinker, and was surprised by how simple the instruction seemed to be, but I believe what made it so good was always highlighting the little details with all the fundamentals. The only technique that was a surprise to me was the concept of Natural Point of Aim, something I had never seen anyone mention on the forums here until a year or two ago.
The best resource I had during boot camp after the PMI (one instructor for 80 recruits, you don't get much personal attention if you're halfway decent) was our range data book, which had a basic curriculum overview as well as our shooting record for tracking our sight adjustments, windage, and shot calls. Really helpful in determining sight adjustments and gauging consistency and improvement during the days.
I found an older copy online, but there's a new one out now covering BZO'ing of the detachable carry handle and ACOG windage holdovers.
http://www.6thmarines.com/USMC Rifle Marksmanship Data Book.pdf

 

[gdcpony]

I'm out of the Marine Corps 25 years this month and miss it every day. What is so special and distinguishes USMC marksmanship training from the other services is the high level of skill imparted to all recruits; they are able to reproduce excellence decade after decade.

Heck, I got off active and went reserves and I still miss it!!! I want back active so bad, but the wife.... not so much. Hard choice, but at least I get to deploy!

 

[Blasphemous]

That was the best I could get from the wife here also.

 

[usmc1371]

I was a pretty avid shooter befor boot camp but I picked up some good tips from the PMI's. What they were teaching must have set in, I managed to shoot a score of 241 out of 250 in basic on the edson range (west coast) wich was good enough for company high. In Okinawa I talked a bunch of trash about how I was well better than all my friends so on range week I shot lane 50, the far right side, and the fith relay. I tried to qual on thursday when there was no wind and I shot a 61 out of 65 but since I was a LCPL they said I had to wait until friday to qual. My target blew out of the carrier twice during the 500yd slow fire and I managed to shoot a 55, still company high but not what I was looking for.
Seemed to me that the guys who couldn't shoot that good always wanted to shoot the first relay early in the morning (no wind) and wanted to be in the middle of the range not along the berm. To them I said if you can shoot it won't matter where or when.

 

[Blasphemous]

Funny story when I was in boot camp (I'll keep it short).
One of the guys in my platoon was a state champion (several years) in target shooting. He was all of the DI's favorite when we headed to the range. Needless to say, he failed to qualify with us and had to go through remedial training and then BARELY qualified. He was an AIR RIFLE target shooting champion, which no one found out about until AFTER the fact.