"Ernie's" Final Exam

Meet "Ernie"... "go ahead... make his day!"  ...deadly in the hands of the expertly trained Marine.

OK, so this one is "Ernie" on steroids

In fact, the Colt M16A4 Rifle is the fourth generation of the M16 weapon system. The M16A4 Rifle still represents the world standard by which all other weapons of this class are judged. Its combat proven performance is verified by the fact that over 8 million M16 weapon systems have been produced and placed in military service throughout the world. With a record that is unmatched by any other weapon system, it is no wonder that the U.S. Marine Corps considers there to be “… no finer service rifle in the world today”.

Since being issued her M16A4, our Recruit,Sara has become intimately familiar with her service rifle.  She has disassembled, cleaned, and reassembled her rifle multiple times and knows the details of each part.  Sara has "zero'ed" the rifle firing a 21cm group in the grouping exercise so she has a good understanding of her initial sight settings, or "dope" to set.

The pinnacle of the past two weeks training comes Friday of this firing week where she will qualify on the Table 1 course of fire, or the Known Distance (KD) course.

Here is a probable Known Distance Course that Platoon 4024 will Qualify on:

STAGE ONE:
Distance        Time        Rounds        Type of Fire Position
200 Yards    20 Min    5 Slow Fire        Sitting
                                   5 Slow Fire        Kneeling
                                   5 Slow Fire        Standing

Notes: During this stage of fire, Sara and her compadres are only allowed to load 5 rounds at a time before making a complete safe weapon and changing positions. The total time is 20 minutes for all 15 rounds.

A sling is allowed for all positions except for standing. During the standing position Sara may choose to either have a tight parade sling, or take it off the weapon.

STAGE TWO:
Distance        Time        Rounds        Type of Fire Position
200 Yards     70 Sec    5/5 Rapid           Standing to kneeling

Notes: 5/5= a tactical reload. Sara is only allowed to load 5 rounds in each magazine. Therefore, she has to reload for the second magazine. Makes for some interesting groups if your not careful to get that natural point of aim back.

A rapid fire means just that; Firing rapidly. (You only have 70 second to get them all out!)

STAGE THREE:
Distance        Time        Rounds        Type of Fire Position
300 yards      5 Min      5 Slow               Kneeling

STAGE FOUR:
Distance        Time        Rounds        Type of Fire Position
300 Yards     70 Sec    5/5 Rapid           Standing to kneeling

The position change from standing to kneeling is one of the better parts of the range. This is going to test Sara's ability to adjust her firing position quickly, just like she might when engaging an enemy. Drop to the ground and fire.

STAGE FIVE:
Distance        Time        Rounds        Type of Fire Position
500 Yards     10 Min    10 Slow             Prone

This yard line is often referred to as "gravy points" because she will really get to take her time here.

Range Scoring

The scoring for the range runs like this:
Expert: 40 -65
Sharpshooter: 35-39
Marksman: 25-34

Allright Sara... we are all pulling for you.  Give it your "best shot!"

Marine Expert Rifleman Medal circa 1908

 
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