From: Gale McMillan <" gale"@mcmfamily.com>
Newsgroups: rec.guns
Subject: Re: military accuracy?
Date: 24 Mar 1997 08:30:11 -0500

Toni Hilakari wrote:
# 
# Jack Story wrote:
# 
# #..... I must point out though
# # that many soldiers (at least in europe) were qualifying on 25 yard
# # ranges with paper targets.......
# #
# # Jack
# 
# Hi !
# 
# While I served in Finnish army in early 90's we had to qualify at
# variety of ranges. We shot our SAKO RK-62 assault rifles at ranges of
# about 25 to 300 meters. The type and size of targets varied according to
# purpose of practice (combat or target shooting). The one range everybody
# had to qualify to pass military training was 150 meters, we shot lying
# down, kneeling and standing at still and turning targets. The lying down
# target was still paper target representing a figure of mans shoulders
# and head. In that target an area from figures nose to chin was 10, a
# ring of 2.5 cm (1 inch) outside that was 9. I shot 93 points out of 100
# with my 1972 made Sako in that test. The gun had been in active service
# for allmost 20 years but it still shot well enough to serve its purpose.
# 
# In the real combat situation the acceptable target area is much larger.
# Ammo used in modern rifles is very effective and will usually hinder
# enemys advance if he is hit in the body.
# 
# Full auto fire is mainly used in close combat or suppressively. Single
# shots are much more effective. Ofcourse heat changes in your weapons
# barrel make life more difficult but that is something one must live
# with.
# 
# Armies don't chance their ammo type very often, when they find a
# reliable one they stick with it. So there is not so much problems there.
# 
# Greetings
#
# TH

I was in the military back when marksmanship was rewarded by a little
extra in your pay envelop each month.  You were always trying to get
more time on the range to better your rating and you could fire every 90
days to improve your ratings.  The day that that all ended was the day
the Chinese over ran the First Marine Division at the reservoir.  I ran
a firing range before that time and after and I can tell you first hand
that from that day on the word was fire power.  The training went from
every 90 days to once a year for a familiarization 50 round 25 which was
full auto.  We quit scoring when the vast majority couldn't qualify.  It
has been many years since I was in but during the time I was I saw a big
change.  There was a time when 40% shot expert with all weapons he was
authorized the remainder shot sharpshooter except for maybe 5% who shot
marksman and if a man couldn't qualify he lived on the range 7 days a
week until he did.  By the time I left the service any one with less
than 5 years couldn't hit his.  It was this way of thinking that brought
on the assault rifle concept and the M16.

Gale McMillan