Marines face new system on range
MCAS Yuma
Story by Pfc. Brian J. Holloran

MARINE CORPS AIR STATION YUMA, Ariz. (Sept. 9 2005) -- Every year Marines need to grab their rifles from the armory, and bring it out to the range with them for re-qualification. However, Marines going to re-qualify after Oct. 1, may be in for a few surprises.

The main change for the Annual Marksmanship Training is that Marines will now qualify with whichever weapon is issued to them.

“I think it makes perfect sense to have Marines qualify with their issued weapons,” said Sgt. Terrance A. Beadles, primary marksmanship instructor for the Marksmanship Training Unit. “Why make them proficient in a weapon they never use? It just wouldn’t make sense.”

The changes will affect the 200-, 300-, and 500-yard line firing the field-of-fire portion of the marksmanship test.

The entire process has been broken down into four stages. The stages are used for different Marines. The first stage is the standard AMT, from 200, 300 and 500 yards, which every Marine must pass. Stage two, which is for non-infantry Marines who are not being deployed, consists of the new 25-yard field-of-fire stage in which Marines will engage moving and standing targets 25 yards away. Stage three is geared toward units that plan to deploy and involves advanced techniques, such as room clearings and night firing. Stage four is for infantry Marines who deal with their rifles daily. They shoot a more advanced field-of-fire.

Marines will also be allowed to use a three-point sling and kneepad inserts, if they were issued them. This gear will be allowed in the new system because this is what Marines in Iraq are using, said Beadles, a native of Phoenix.

Also, Marines will no longer have to retain empty magazines during rapid-fire stages or during a reload.

“They can just drop the empty magazine on the ground,” said Sgt. Corey A. Justice, a primary marksmanship instructor with MTU. “They just have to pick up the magazine when they leave the firing line.”

The last change to the AMT is that there will only be five rounds fired from the kneeling position.

“The kneeling position is very unstable,” said Beadles. “You have very little support in that position. You can’t really rest your arm on anything. The position is good for mobility, but you don’t have to be mobile for rifle (qualification).”

The basic AMT is not the only portion of rifle qualification that is getting upgraded.

“The field of fire is getting changed to help make Marines more proficient in applying the fundamentals of marksmanship to their shooting,” said Beadles.

The new field-of-fire stage will impact the Marines’ overall rifle score, and be scored on a percentage rate.

“Marines will need to hit at least seventy-five percent of their shots on target to pass,” said Beadles. “They will need to hit sixty out of eighty rounds, otherwise they will fail.”

Currently, if a Marine fails the field-of-fire portion of the qualification, they will need to return and try again until they pass. On Jan.1 that will also change. After Jan. 1, any Marine who fails the field-of-fire portion will automatically receive the lowest passing score for qualification.

“The field-of-fire portion has targets set twenty-five yards in front of the Marines, as opposed to the two hundred to five hundred yard ranges for the AMT portion,” said Justice, a native of Phoenix. “Most combat takes place around the twenty- to thirty-yard range. The only people who fight from hundreds of yards away are snipers.”

Since the majority of fighting takes place at close range, the training should shadow that, said Beadles.

“This new scoring method will be great,” said Lt. Col. Joseph H. Knapp, commanding officer of Marine Aviation Logistics Squadron 13 and a native of Tulsa, Okla. “Marines always learned to fire between two hundred and five hundred yards. This new field of fire will show Marines how close combat actually gets.”

“The main reason for this change is to help improve every Marines ability with the rifle,” said Beadles. “Every Marine needs to be able to apply the fundamentals every time they pick up that rifle.”

Ellie