Demonstrate Rifle Marksmanship Skills 2

Rifle Combat Optic (RCO)

(also known as the ACOG) is a day and night dual source illuminated telescopic sight with a tritium illuminated reticle pattern designed for the M-16 family of weapons.

Benefits of using the Rifle Combat Optic (RCO)

- Allows individual to quickly estimate range of targets. - Acquire partially camouflaged targets at ranges beyond 300 meters. - Allows individual to see into and through shadows, windows and foliage. - Acquire targets in low light conditions. ID enemy vs. non-combatant vs. friendly. - Reduce potential for fratricide. - Enhance combat exchange ratio in our favor. - Allows for accurate fire support. - Reduce ammo expenditure.

Long-range Engagements

- At greater distances (i.e., over 100 yards), correct sight alignment and sight picture are essential for accurate target engagement and should not be compromised. - As the distance to the target increases, the front sight post covers more of the target. Since you must see the target to engage it, there is a tendency to lower the tip of the front sight post to acquire the target because it is natural to aim at what you can see. This will cause your rounds to impact low on the target or even to miss the target. You must make a conscious effort to aim center mass.

Factors affecting a zero

- Placement of support hand - Placement of the rifle buttstock in the pocket of the shoulder - Grip of the firing hand - Firing-side elbow - Stock weld - Eye relief - Sight picture - Muscular control - Breathing - Trigger control - Sling tension

Weapons Presentation as an Aid to Achieving Sight Alignment/Sight Picture

- Presentation should help you achieve proper and consistent stock weld and eye relief. This will aid in getting sight alignment quickly. Do not move your head down to meet the stock of the weapon. Hold your head as erect as possible to allow the aiming eye to see directly through the sights. - If the butt of the rifle is placed correctly and stock weld is correct, you should be looking through the rear sight as your rifle is presented. As the rifle levels, pick up the front sight and establish sight alignment and sight picture. With practice, this becomes so automatic that it requires minimal effort to align the sights. - In combat, you will be looking at the target as you are presenting your rifle. As the rifle settles, shift your focus back to the sights to place the tip of the front sight post on the target and obtain sight picture. As you become more skilled through practice, sight alignment and sight picture will appear to come together simultaneously.

Short-range Engagements

- Proper sight alignment is always your goal. However, as the distance to the target decreases (i.e., 100 yards or less), perfect sight alignment is not as critical to delivering effective shots on the target. - At very short ranges, a deviation in sight alignment can still produce accurate results as long as the tip of the front sight post is in the rear sight aperture and on the target. - A mental adjustment must be made to place the aligned sights on the target, creating an acceptable sight picture as the trigger is pulled. Time, distance to the target, and personal ability will dictate what this acceptable sight picture is. Each individual must define an acceptable sight picture within his own capability. As you become more proficient, your sight picture will become more precise to center mass.

'0-2' Rear Sight Aperture

- The '0-2' rear sight aperture is designed for close range engagements under 200 meters and at night. The '0-2' sight has a larger aperture for rapid acquisition of targets because it allows for a wider field of view. Therefore, the aperture can make aligning the sights more difficult due to its larger size. However, at very close ranges, sight alignment is not as critical to accuracy. Flipping the larger '0-2' aperture up will automatically give a zero at 200 yards when the elevation knob is set on the 300-yard setting (8/3).

Trigger Control

- When a combat target appears, it must be engaged as quickly as you can accurately fire. You must stay within your capabilities and strike a balance between speed and accuracy to deliver well-aimed shots on target. Firing quickly but inaccurately is ineffective and will give the enemy time to respond with his own fire. The goal in combat is uninterrupted trigger control. You must be aggressive in applying uninterrupted trigger control. Trigger control in combat is achieved by the following: - Maintain a firm grip on the weapon to increase stability and counter the effects of recoil. Even with a tighter grip, the trigger finger must be able to operate independently from the gripping hand so the trigger can be moved straight to the rear without disturbing sight alignment. - As presentation of the weapon begins, the safety is disengaged and the trigger finger begins moving toward the trigger. - When the trigger finger contacts the trigger, slight pressure may be applied. - As soon as the sight picture is achieved, the trigger is moved to the rear in one continuous movement, taking care not to disturb sight alignment.

The characteristics of a Rifle Combat Optic (RCO)

-Rifle mounted aiming system -Length 5.8 inches -Weight 15.3 ounces -Magnification 4 times -Objective Aperture 32mm -Eye Relief (Distance from the eye to the eye piece) 1.5 inches for optimal picture -Exit Pupil (Size in diameter of the eyepiece you look through) 8mm wide -Allows for rapid target acquisition -Allows for considerable eye latitude -Field of View 7.0 degrees at 100m (12.7m across) -Chevron Width 19 inches at 300m -19 inches is the average width across a person's chest.

Perform zeroing procedures to achieve Point of aim (POA)/Point of impact (POI)

A zero is the elevation and windage settings required to place a single shot, or the center of a shot group, in a pre-designated location on a target at 100 yards/meters, from a specific firing position, under ideal weather conditions (i.e., no wind). Zeroing the RCO is conducted at 100 meters/yards. A zero is not established by simply getting a pre-zero sight setting. A zero established at 33 meters/36 yards is not nearly as accurate as a zero established at 100 meters. To zero the RCO: Place a suitable target with an aiming point 4 inches in diameter contrasting with the background (e.g., '5V' ring of an 'A' target) at a range of 100 meters and determine an aiming point. Use the 100-meter aim point on the reticle: Tip of the chevron center mass on the target. Fire five rounds to obtain a shot group. -Triangulate the shot group to identify the center. -Determine the vertical and horizontal distance in inches from the center of the shot group to the center of the target. Adjust the reticle to move the center of the shot group to the desired point of impact. 3 clicks move the strike of the round 1 inch at 100 meters for both windage and elevation. Fire five rounds to obtain a shot group. Adjust the reticle to move the center of the shot group to the desired point of impact. Fire five rounds to confirm the zero. The rifle is considered zeroed when a shot group is inside the 4-inch aiming area of the target. Record zero in data book.

What fire mode do you NEVER use in combat?

Burst

Sight Alignment and Distance to the Target

During combat, the fundamentals of marksmanship must be applied in a time frame consistent with the size and distance to the target. As the distance to the target increases, sight alignment becomes more critical for accurate target engagement.

How many rounds must be fired to obtain a shot group?

Five

Sight Alignment/Sight Picture

In combat, the fundamentals are applied simultaneously in a compressed time so sight alignment and sight picture are achieved as the shot is fired. Although the target must be quickly engaged in combat, sight alignment is still the first priority.

Breath Control

In combat, your breathing and heart rate will often be increased due to physical exertion (e.g., running) or the stress of battle. Therefore, you must interrupt your breathing cycle to create a pause (i.e., hold the breath) that is long enough to fire a shot.

Follow-Through/Recovery

In fundamental marksmanship training, you practiced follow-through to avoid altering the direction of the round by keeping your rifle as still as possible until the round exited the barrel. In combat, recovery is important to get the rifle sights back on the target for another shot. Recovery starts immediately after the round leaves the barrel. Applying a consistent amount of muscular tension within the position throughout the shot process will allow you to automatically recover the sights back on target. Applying recovery techniques ensures the sights are on target as quickly as possible to fire another shot.

Eye piece

Located at the back of the RCO. It is used for magnification and protection of the RCO.

Fiber optic light collector

Located forward of the elevation adjuster on top of the RCO and is used for gathering light for the RCO.

Objective lens

Located in the front of the RCO. It is used for magnifying and protection.

Roof prism

Located inside the RCO in between the eye lenses and the elevation adjuster. It is used for reflecting the image off of the objective lens, to the eye lenses, to the human eye.

Windage adjuster

Located on the right side of the RCO as you are looking through the eye lenses. It is used for adjusting right and left.

Elevation adjuster

Located on top of the RCO. It is used for adjusting the elevation.

The TA31RCO (AN/PVQ-31B)

The RCO/ provides the shooter with quick target acquisition at close combat ranges while providing enhanced target identification and hit probability out to 800 meters utilizing the Bullet Drop Compensator (BDC).

Zero

The elevation and windage settings required to place a single shot, or the center of a shot group, in a pre-designated location on a target at 100 yards/meters, from a specific firing position, under ideal weather conditions (i.e., no wind).

The ultimate goal in quick engagement

To achieve sight alignment and sight picture simultaneously, and to fire the shot at the moment sight alignment and sight picture are acquired.