San Diego -- The recruits of Company I, 3rd Recruit Training Battalion, were issued M-16 A4 service rifles with Rifle Combat Optics aboard Marine Corps Recruit Depot San Diego, Feb. 11.
Recruits are issued rifles a day prior to their first official day of training, also known as TD-1, signifying that training is about to begin. Throughout training, recruits will use their rifles to learn the fundamentals of marksmanship in order to qualify on the rifle range and learn discipline and obedience through basic drill movements.
“We teach them the parts of the weapon, how to break it down, how to clean it and its safety rules. You have to give it to them early on in training that way you can reinforce it all the way up until the recruits start shooting live rounds,” said Sgt. Brandon T. Cox, drill instructor, Platoon 3203 , Co. I, 3rd RTBn. “It gives them confidence in handling the weapon and knowing the weapon inside and out.”
Traditionally, every Marine learned marksmanship with iron sights, metal alignment aids in the front and rear of the rifle. Iron sights help Marines aim on a target and to make adjustments for wind age and elevation.
For the past several months, recruit training has transitioned from iron sights to RCOs much like the operating forces. RCOs are advanced gun sight scopes with amplification that magnify targets to four times their normal size-- making it an easier task to acquire and hit the target.
Marines qualify every fiscal year at the rifle range using rifles with RCOs to qualify. Thus, other reasons to get recruits accustomed to RCOs during training are for them to gain practice and confidence.
“The good thing about it is that RCOs are used in the fleet, so it should be what recruits are trained on,” said Cox. “It’s like sports, the more you practice and the more you know the ins and outs of it, the better off you are going to be.”
Regardless of the aids recruits are using in recruit training to fire their weapons, the fundamentals of marksmanship will still be the same.
“As far as the fundamentals of actually firing the weapon itself they are all the same,” said Cox. “The only difference the sight picture is going to be magnified. “Recruits still learn the fundamentals of “iron sights” which makes them a better asset to their unit.”
Although rifle issue is complete, recruits of Co. I still have a tough eight weeks ahead of them in recruit training. Whether recruits have had experience with weapons or not, they will have the help of their drill instructors to guide them in every phase of training.