basic shooting - training

Alan Rushing

Does anyone here, know how many rounds with the rifle were normally fired during basic training of the US Army? Would all of the services have been comparable through basic? Has there been any change with this over the years? Thanks

70-101

Not many, six or eight magazines at the most, when I went through basic in Sep-Oct of 1968 at Ft. Bragg. I recall our DI's and cadre teaching us how to zero an M-14 was a huge issue with them, three rounds then you checked your target and adjusted the sights accordingly. Then we spend several days at the range over the course of a week or two shooting at pop-up targets in a hilly wooded area. We also shot Daisy BB guns at targets a buddy would toss into the air, before we lived fired.

kimi

During the 1960s to the 1980s and beyond, Marine boots fired 250+ live rounds of ammunition with their rifle during Monday through Friday of qualification week. Now, prior to this week there would have been one week of snapping in which would have meant the simulation of firing several hundred well aimed rounds per day. Also, during qual week, in the afternoon and early evening hours, more snapping was taking place. The end result of this type of training was that any Marine could take out the enemy up to 500 yards if they could be seen. Marksmanship wise, this is what was expected, at a minimum, of a basically trained Marine with their rifle during this point in time.

ltcdoty

At Amarillo Air Force Base in July 1968, we spent two days at the range. One for safety training and dry firing from the three positions, and another day of live firing. You fired sixty rounds from an M-16 at one hundred yards..if you scored fifty-nine or sixty out of the sixty, you were considered an expert![:)]

Not a high priority for the Air Force since almost everybody ended up in a technical skill.

Interestingly when I was assigned to the United Kingdom, we re-qualified with M1 carbines.

70-101

Looks like Air-Force recruits received the M-16 before Army recruits did. In 1968 everyone wanted the M-16, then after receiving it, no one wanted it...[:D]

rivethook

I joined the Air Force in 1962 went through weapons training using the M-1 Carbine, I think we shot 60 rounds total. I went through another weapons training course before going to Vietnam in 1966 with the M-16, I don't remember how many rounds we shot.

11echo

I was at Ft. Ord Feb-April 73 we shot affair amount at ranges 15 & 17 zeroing the rifle (M16) and getting proficient with it, and then we shot for qualification. Next we went in to shoot full auto for about 1 or 2 days ...and I'm not even talking about shooting the M60 or the M203. I'd "guess" we shot about 200 to 300 rounds (5.56mm)

Txs

quote:Originally posted by 70-101
Looks like Air-Force recruits received the M-16 before Army recruits did.That's because the Air Force adopted the M16 in the very early 60's.

The Army fielded them on a limited basis from around this time, but they didn't become standard issue until '67.

peabo

The first M16's I saw was in August 1964.
We were in the (at that time) Belgium Congo.
One day they shipped in a couple of crates of M16's.
We opened the crates, inspected the weapons and put them back in the crates and that is where they stayed. No one even wanted to fire the plastic Matel rifles with that small caliber ammo.


Thanks---Peabo

bobski

in 74/75, i shot exactly 30 rounds of .22 thru a mossberg 144us bolt gun at ntc san diego.

i was so mad to think that i was a serviceman....and that i didnt even get to shoot real guns.

it really was my motivation to learn on my own, by hanging around the weapons dept and marines all thruout my carrier. then i finally scored a direct hit and got on the navy shooting team. i was in heaven. for a navy guy, that was a big deal.

kimi

quote:Originally posted by bobski
in 74/75, i shot exactly 30 rounds of .22 thru a mossberg 144us bolt gun at ntc san diego.

i was so mad to think that i was a serviceman....and that i didnt even get to shoot real guns.

it really was my motivation to learn on my own, by hanging around the weapons dept and marines all thruout my carrier. then i finally scored a direct hit and got on the navy shooting team. i was in heaven. for a navy guy, that was a big deal.


I got a good laugh out of this bobski...thanks! [:D]

Bergtreffer

I did Army basic at Ft. Leonard Wood, MO in 1962. We had the M-1 Garand. Thinking over your question I guess that I may have shot perhaps 60 or 80 rounds of .30-06. Not nearly enough to my liking, as I really liked the M-1's heft, feel, handling, and the great .30-06 round. Over in northern Japan in 1964 they pulled our M-1 and issued new M-14 rifles. Next we were marched to a mini-range to qualify with the '14, and only shot about 5 or 6 rounds with it. Again, that was awfully poor training but it was good enough for qualification, and that is all the Army wanted on record. That was my first and only time on a mini-range and I did not like it at all. Sort of a poor excuse for a arcade game; the the real thing at all.