young Private First Class Frank Galli, after graduation from 3rd Battalion.
Without missing a beat, he said, “He can stay.” Of course, there were conditions to my acceptance. I had to jump through a few more hoops than the average guy. I was, of course, the House Mouse, which meant I had to clean the Drill Instructors Hooch. In addition to being at their beck and call, I was on double rations so they could stack a few pounds on me. None of this was a big deal, I was used to working hard. The twist was the punishment part of the equation.
If anyone else in my platoon got in trouble, I was in trouble. Don’t wait to be told, if someone was ordered to quarterdeck for individual physical training, I better be there first, ready to go. I left boot camp the same height, but 10 pounds heavier, all muscle tone.
Boot camp was not really a big deal for me. I enjoyed it. In my mind, regardless of all the talk, I knew they were not going to hurt or hit me, and, growing up, my dad had no problem with disciplining us. The day it clicked for me was my last day. We were just a few hours from graduation, getting our dress uniforms ready, preparing the squad bay for our departure. One of the mainstays of the squad bay was the Zit Juice, as they used to call it, a giant jar of aftershave everyone used. This jug of blue juice was being given to an incoming series and I was designated the delivery boy, or delivery mouse, in my case.
The author shown on patrol in Okinawa. He reports the nice part about being in a Surveillance and Target Acquisition (STA) Platoon in the 1980s was the relaxed dress codes. Team members were moving independently and usually dressed for speed and stealth.
You’re still in recruit mode right up until they let you leave. So, the sense of accomplishment never really kicks in until they turn you out officially. This day was different for me, thanks to my House Mouse role. I carried the Zit Juice over to the new series, requested permission from the other Drill Instructor to deliver my package and accepted the orders to drop the container on the table. After doing so I turned sharply to make my exit. Understand, on this day I was in my Class A uniform preparing for graduation. I made it halfway past the new recruits standing at attention in front of their racks when I heard the familiar command to freeze.
Immediately, I froze at attention. Then the Senior Drill Instructor commanded the series to place all eyes on me. He let their gaze set in a few seconds before announcing, “He is a Marine, worthy of your respect and honor,” adding, “some of you will never know that honor.”
Ouch, that stings.
I left there walking a few inches taller that day.
3
The Fundamentals
of Marksmanship
Setting up the rifle is the first step in building a solid foundation. When we buy a new car, we adjust the seats and mirrors prior to driving. The rifle needs to be addressed the same way.
Detailed fundamentals are the building blocks of all great shooting. There are plenty of good-bad shooters, as I like to call them, out there. Shooters who have learned to adapt their bad habits into successful shots. Most people focus on results, but the results don’t always tell the entire tale.
Properly executed, the fundamentals make the difference between a hit and a miss when it comes to long range precision shooting. There is no voodoo when it comes to engaging targets at long distances. But it does require that you know and focus on the fundamentals of marksmanship down to the millisecond. All shooting is a game of milliseconds and how you control the time between each one matters. Our journey begins here.
Build the trigger mentally from the trigger back, and not the grip forward. The placement of the firing hand needs to support the firing task.
It’s important before we begin covering the fundamentals of marksmanship, we take a few minutes to discuss setting up your rifle. This can be the difference between success or fatigue. The closer the rifle is tailored to your body type, the more comfortable you will be behind it. The rifle doesn’t care if you are comfortable, it will do the same thing every time based on your actions behind it. In fact, we demonstrate this every class with a tripod. Setting the rifle up on a tripod, pointed at a target downrange, just manipulating the trigger will get us a hit every time. So, if the rifle will do it on command, why can’t everyone?
It’s a mindset thing. We execute these tasks subconsciously.
Setting up the Rifle to the Shooter
Many shooters are limited by the equipment they can afford. The closer to a bare-bones rifle you get, the fewer adjustments you will find. This is OK. Many a good shooter can do very well with a budget system. But understanding the ways to properly fit the rifle to your body will help you progress in your journey. There is nothing wrong with adding a bit of padding and duct tape to your stock to help with the fit. Looking at the images of Marines and soldiers in combat, you see a lot of tape helping them fit the rifle. They don’t have a choice; they are given an issued system and are forced to make it work. Adding a stock pad and using tape are all acceptable methods of fitting the stock to the shooter. Modified is a good thing. Don’t shy away from it.
The Proper Length of Pull
Everybody hears a different answer on the proper length of pull, and for different disciplines there might be more than one acceptable answer, however we are covering tactical shooting. If you are strictly a prone shooter, the length of pull can be a bit longer. This is not uncommon. Positional shooters want the measurement to be a bit shorter. So, where we measure from is the real question.
Length of pull is used to place the trigger finger in the correct position.
Measure length of pull from the inside of the arm, at the crook of the elbow, with the finger mating to the trigger shoe.
Different styles of shooting create different positions behind the rifle. Alternate positions require a shorter length of pull versus strictly shooting prone.
In the past, the mantra was to place the buttstock of the rifle in the crook of the elbow. Then, with our ninja knife hand extended, we measure to the tip of the trigger finger. Today, I recommend a slightly different approach.
Use this same method, but adjust the trigger to a 90-degree angle and measure to the trigger shoe of the rifle. This confirms you can properly manipulate the trigger without disturbing the lay of the sights.
Picking a Stock for Long Range Shooting
Stocks are a personal choice. Some are expensive, others are less expensive, compromising features for weight and simplicity. Whichever stock you choose, try it to get one that will adjust to the individual shooter.
When
