Rifle accuracy/Shooter accuracy

[ozark]

For many years I worked with Army Marksmanship teams. I competed in maches, coached teams, built match grade rirles and observed and learned from what anyone would call super shooters. I was a few rungs down the ladder from these super shooters. With that serving as my introduction let me get to the nitty gritty of this article. Although I worked with Long range sniper rifles and Long range competitive rifles I restrict myself here to discussing only the M-1 and the M-14 Match grade rifles.
Both were semi-Automatic rifles that carried a bunch of parts hanging from it.
The criteria for accuacy was one minute of angle. We had a fully equipped shop with a large supply of extra NM parts. We bent, milled and buffed parts until we could put a rifle in a fixture and it would shoot 20 shots in a one inch circle at 100 yards. If a rifle met this standard it was put in a rack ready for issue. Triggers had to be creep free, clean breaking and set at 4.5 lb s. All had NM rear peep sights and square top blade front.Sights adjustable in half minute increments.
After shooting a few hundred rounds some improved in accuracy and some went the other way and had to be corrected.
Individual effort peaked almost instantly because if you made the team then you had no other duties. No field duty, no guard duty, no parades, inspections and spit and polish that the normal soldier hates. Failure to shoot consistently good score meant you would be cut. The pressure to make the team, wear the special jackets, hats and large patch was always there. If you were valueable enough it was a year round duty. Regular team members shot 50 rounds each weekday. Alll work was done in the mornings. Afternoons were devoted to Golf, bowling, or if you wanted you could practice on our indoor range.
The Match and practice was: 10 rounds standing from 200 yards, 20 Minute time limit. 10 rounds from standing to sitting at 200 yards to be fired in 50 seconds. a clip change during the string was required. The 200 yard target was 8 Inches. Same target at 300 yards 10 rounds from standing to prone in 60 seconds. Next would be 20 rounds in 20 minutes from 600 yards at a 20 inch bulls eye. This was called the National Match Course. Each hit in the bulls eye was worth five points. 250 Possible. Most shooters could stay on the team if they could hold a 245 average. We were not there to try to cut shooters. We were there to help them become better and better. You had to learn to read the wind value by using the mirage and scope, angle of raindrops. range flags. Much use was made of calling your last shot and during slow fire seeing what effect the wind had on it.
Now, I will stir opposition. It has been my experience that very few shooters are able to shoot a MOA using iron sights. Wits a good scope, a stable rest and an accruate rifle there are several who can but they are not thick. The deer hunter who can keep their shots in a four inch group under hunting conditions at 200 yards is a person I would look at closely for trying out for my team. Here is a bit of stuff few shooters know. There are marksman, sharpshooters, experts, masters, distinguished, double distinguished (Rifle and handguns). Many people thanks me for my service. Thank you taxpayers for the opportunity to shoot shoulder to shoulder with some to the worlds best. Ben

[Rifleman]

Ben I noticed a couple things different about the AMU program and the USMC program I was involved with. Our rifles, both NM rifles and the M40A1 sniper rifles were also built in-house at the Weapons Training Battalion in Quantico. Our rifles were all tested at 300 yds from a machine vise bench rest set up. The standard was starting with a clean cold barrel, shoot 10 shots in a 3 inch group in fairly rapid succession. Still the MOA standard, but also testing for POI shift as the rifle transforms from a cold clean barrel to a hot dirty barrel. To pass this test typically it would take a rifle that would shoot 1/2 that for a 5 shot group. Regardless we had confidence that when we were handed a rifle for competition, it was a shooter. I would not venture to say which way was better, just mentioning the difference for informations sake.

[ozark]

Dwight, there was a time difference between the times we served. Even one year after I left things could have changed. I know the services traded secrets like good neighbors. I have a question for you>> Have you ever tried squeezing the trigger during a slow exhale? It may be due to my weak lungs but I have been taking a normal breath and slowly exhale as I press the trigger. It seems to work better for me but with my age and health I couldn't say it is a better way. Thanks, Ben

[Rifleman]

Ben I have been known to shoot wrong all the time, but I know what you mean, no I don't think that will work for me. I was taught to shoot at the natural point of respiratory pause and when I am shooting well, that is still how I do it.

[littlejoe]

Rifleman, about 20 years ago I almost went to Parris island. However, I was too fat. My recruiter was a man named Richard Threatt, I believe he had been on the rifle team at Quantico. He taught me to shoot between heartbeats. When he first told me about it I didn't believe him. If you sit very still and wait you can actually feel your heartbeat in your trigger finger! It takes some practice, but it does work.

[Rifleman]

Yes it will work. But one needs to have alot of other things very right before one can apply this advanced technique. It also helps to have a very low pulse rate. When I was shooting on the team we ran and we ran and we ran. I had a resting pulse rate of 62, my coach had one of 57. He used to shoot between heartbeats in the offhand position. That guy had a pump for a heart! His position was so good you could see his pulse at the muzzle of his gun and watch him shoot in between beats. I was never that good, but I have seen it done.

[littlejoe]

I was shooting an old scoped romanian .22 miltary training rifle from a sand bag. I had to sit still for along time before I really started getting the hang of it. The only way I can do it is with a very steady rest and a light trigger. The Sgt. also told me that rifle team triggers and sniper triggers are two totally different things. I forget exactly what the difference is, but I wish I knew.If I remember correctly it had something to do with take up. I would definitely like the sniper trigger on a Rem700 Pacnor.

[Rifleman]

Most match guns had a 2 stage and were required by rules to be at least 4 lbs if I remember correctly. Sniper rifles have no rules, so most were set to break clean and crisp but poundage can vary.

[cfvickers]

Well, Ben, I am just going to thank you for sharing your experience with all of us. It has been invaluable to me and I certainly appreciate it. We don't always agree on things shooting, But I definitely respect and enjoy hearing your experience. And you are right, a 1 inch 100yard group with open sights is VERY difficult. I have fired a few 1.5 inch groups, never a 1 inch group with open sights.