MCRD San Diego -- Recruits of Company M, 3rd Recruit Training Battalion, fired their M16-A4 service rifles, testing their marksmanship skills during firing week aboard Edson Range, Weapons and Field Training Battalion, Marine Corps Base Camp Pendleton, Calif., Aug. 28.
During recruit training, all recruits must learn the fundamentals of marksmanship. Primary Marksmanship Instructors, who assisted the recruits during firing week, also gave classes the week prior on Marine Corps Marksmanship fundamentals ensuring the recruits comprehended the basics, during grass week.
“That’s why we’re here, to reinforce the fundamentals,” said Cpl. Suzanne S. Speed, marksmanship coach, Weapons Field Training Battalion. “Some of the main things I have to reinforce all the time is follow-through, and slow steady squeeze. Or during rapid fire, they’re usually afraid they won’t get all their rounds off, so they’ll completely forget the basics and just shoot.”
Follow-through is the immediate reaction after firing a shot. Slow steady squeeze is referred to when slowly squeezing the trigger as opposed to pulling it which would ruin the accuracy.
Marines are required to qualify on the M16-A4 service rifle qualifying in marksman, sharpshooter or expert. They are required to shoot from the 200, 300 and 500-yard line from multiple positions.
For some recruits, recruit training is the first time they have had to hold a rifle, much less fire one on the range.
“It’s a lot of fun,” said Recruit Stephen C. Beard, guide, Platoon 3266, Co. M. “I’ve never shot a rifle before. It’s definitely different than most people would think. There are a lot of fundamentals that come into play when trying to shoot well.”
So far, recruits of Co. M have only practiced shooting, but have not qualified yet. The last two days of firing week are qualifications and with marksmanship coaches supervising, Co. M recruits are all expected to qualify. Failure to qualify would prevent the recruit from moving forward with training.
“It’s a lot more difficult than most people would think,” said Domonic L. Fox, Plt. 3265. “It’s hard to apply the fundamentals, but when you have a coach that’s helping you, reminding you what to do, it kind of gets drilled in your head and then it just becomes muscle memory.”
Regardless of a Marine’s Military Occupational Specialty, or job, everyone is still expected to know the fundamentals in order to be a basic rifleman.
“I think rifle range is the most important thing you can learn in recruit training,” said Speed. “After all, every Marine is a rifleman.”