In Recruit Training, how much time is given to the recruit to practice shooting the 200m, 300m, and 500m targets before the actual qualification day? Do the recruits get any time to 'warm up' ON qualification day?
One week, "grass week", is given to practice shooting styles, stances, etc. After that I remember having 3 days to actually shoot live ammo before Qual day. For those 3 days you do the entire Qual course. On Qual day you get 3 rounds to sight in on. After that its 'go time'.
If you apply yourself and listen to the instructors and coaches, you will have more than enough practice. The Drill Instructors will have you practicing in the evenings also. Pay attention and you will be fine.
Originally posted by SCMerle: If you apply yourself and listen to the instructors and coaches, you will have more than enough practice. The Drill Instructors will have you practicing in the evenings also. Pay attention and you will be fine.
+1 Always had recruits at Edson Range who wouldn't listen to the coaches / PMIs, thinking they knew better because they shot a couple times before and then they'd go unq. Few things will put you on the skyline faster than going unq or being a safety violator.
I had never fired a rifle before Edson Range. I listened and applied what I was told and got expert. Its not tough, just apply yourself during dry firing.
Alright, sounds good. The reason I asked is because I have never fired a gun before either and I really want to get expert. I talked to a Marine at my school a couple of months ago and he said that people that have never shot a gun before are more likely to get expert. I hope thats true.
Look I hate to come across as a nay-sayer, But the only reason I qualed expert WAS the fact that I ignored the range coaches.
I was at the 500 yd line and my range coaches were telling me to go/up down with the front sight post. Well that crap wasn't getting me anywhere but in the white, so I secretly started using Kentucky windage. Black....every time. That was just me though.
Up and down with the front sight post at the 500 yd line ???? That's hard to believe. If that did happen you should have reported those idiots to the range officer because they have no right carrying a weapon let alone being a range coach !!!! In fact, get them the hell out of the Corps !!!!
Follow Apollo's lead and adjust your shooting to what works for you. Their way just wasn't working for me either so I too found it easier to look over the top of my weapon as it recentered on target and then zeroed in thru the sites. That technique served me very well overseas and really came into play where I always got first round strikes with the old M79 grenade launcher.
Training is always good but you've got to adapt to what works best for you because in the final analysis you're the one looking down the business end of someone else's rifle and you dare not miss because you're betting your life he won't. Train hard and stay with what works.
If you had never fired a rifle before I would sugest listening to the instructers and doiong what they say. When you get to the fleet you will have more then enough time to adept your own techniques on what works best for you.
If the WM's can qualify the same way male Marines do then you should have no problems. Very few go unc. I don't know about now a days but we had one in our platoon go unc even after rehab week.....
<<<former PMI Dont sweat it and dont worry about what you did before. Trained all kinds male female never shot before to NRA medalist (not the best usually). Just listen youl be fine yeah there are some strange coaches out there escpecially new ones trust your PMI's theyll usually keep you on track. And 500 yds aint that far.
If you haven't shot before or very much, then listen to the PMI and coaches. Yeah there a couple coaches that aren't that great but the PMI's know who they are and assign the "easy" recruits to them. I had recruits who didn't listen and went unq and then "woke up" and listened in the afternoon and qualified. Regardless of your experience you still need to apply the principles you learn from the PMI during grass week. And if anyone tries adjusting your front sight at the 500m / yd, they need to be drug tested!
Originally posted by Mike1620: In Recruit Training, how much time is given to the recruit to practice shooting the 200m, 300m, and 500m targets before the actual qualification day? Do the recruits get any time to 'warm up' ON qualification day?
I'm a former PMI. Don't sweat it. By the time you have to qualify, you will have all the knowledge and skills needed to become an expert shooter. Thousands of recruits have done it before you and thousands more will do it after you. Just listen to your PMI.
