FORT BENNING, Ga., (March 11, 2015) -- After three weeks of instruction on basic rifle marksmanship and short-range marksmanship, students in the Master Marksmanship Training Course advance to Level III - mid-range marksmanship.
MRM focuses on engaging targets with an M4 at distances of 300 to 600 meters and builds off the foundation laid during the first two levels.
"We use the pistol as a tool to drive home sight alignment and trigger control," said Staff Sgt. Brian Schacht, assistant team chief for AMU's instructor training group. "That short sight radius magnifies any error you may have in your fundamentals. So, as they transition to a longer range from 300 to 600 meters, they will have more repetition on a short sight radius, so when they go to a long sight radius, it all comes together."
Day 1 of Level III provides an introduction to MRM, including the use of the advanced combat optical gunsight.
"We show them how to properly use it to estimate ranges and observe a target with magnification," Schacht said. "We want them to understand how to use that optic properly."
Part of the introduction dispels the misconception that shooters cannot accurately engage targets past 300 meters with an M4.
"With solid fundamentals, you can reach out up to 600 meters and hit a 18-inch shoulder-to-shoulder target accurately and you can provide an effective fire on the battlefield," Schacht said. "Shooting is shooting. It doesn't matter if it's advanced marksmanship or basic marksmanship. If you have the fundamentals and you're solid in them, you're going to shoot well."
However, there are some factors that become more important during MRM.
"We dive a little bit more into ballistics, and the effect of the weather," Schacht said. "Anything past 300 meters, you really have to start paying attention to what the wind is doing. So, we show them indicators you have in nature to estimate wind. It's a very unique skillset that many people don't have unless they've been to Sniper (Course) or a designated marksmanship program."
U.S. Army Marksmanship Unit Command Sgt. Maj. Isaac Ragusa said it is vital that MMTC students have an understanding of these atmospheric factors.
"You have to understand why the weapon does what it does," Ragusa said. "You have to understand the ballistics, the effects of weather, wind, atmosphere, pressure, elevation - you have to understand what all those do to effect the bullet once it leaves the weapon. You have to learn from every bullet that leaves the weapon."
The next two days of Level III are spent on grouping drills using the ACOG and engagement of moving targets.
The fourth day is a known distance qualification during the day and a night fire with night observation devices.
Day five focuses on engaging targets at unknown distances, which requires students to call upon the skills they have learned not just during Level III, but during all of MMTC.
"It is really a culminating exercise in which they have to use all of the skills we have taught them in the past four weeks," Schacht said. "They have to be able to detect targets, estimate ranges, take into account wind and weather and remember their fundamentals at various distances."
Level III marks the end of the on-range portion of MMTC as students prepare for a week of classroom instruction during Level IV.
Schacht said by the end of Level III, students should be able to ensure proper marksmanship is being taught in their units.
"We really harp on their ability to go out and teach this skillset to their formation, but what it also does is it hones their fundamentals and their ability to shoot," he said. "So, they walk away as a really good shooter with an innate ability to train marksmanship and create better shooters. They can ensure that marksmanship is being taught and help standardize that teaching across the units. ... You'll have a subject matter expert who can put together the range and the course and shoot what they are teaching."
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