Us Army Fm Revision of Combat M-4

8/3/2019 Us Army Fm Revision of Combat M-4

1/18

2010 US ARMY REVISION OF THE STANDARD

BRM-FM FOR M16A2/ M16A4/ M4 CARBINE

SHOOTING METHODS

Presented by 946th FST.

SGT Kyle Carpenter

Major Aaron Gopp


2/18

OLD STYLE PRONE POSITIONBody canted at 45 degrees, barrel/receiver resting on sand bag.

This position requires resetting rifle position after each shot, and puts

upward pressure on barrel of the gun, resulting in shots landing higher on

target.

THIS POSITION IS STILL APPROPRIATE FOR LONG RIFLES WITH SOLID STOCKS


3/18

OLD STYLE KNEELING POSITION

AGAIN, HAND POSITION SWITCHED FROM PRONE. ( NOREPEATABILITY)

LEAD HAND IS PUTTING UPWARD PRESSURE ON

BARREL/RECIEVER.

MAGAZINE IS WEDGED INTO THE SOLDIERS LEFT FOREARM.

RESULT: SHOT HITS LOWER


4/18

NEW HAND GRIP Due to the design of the M16-A2 and M14 assault rifles, using traditional long rifle

holds on this system has proven noncompatible. The upper receiver is connected to the

lower unit with two sliding pins. The bonus and problem to this system is it allows theupper receiver and barrel to be one free floated unit, also allowing it to move in various

directions if touched by the shooters hand or pulled by the sling.

The Marksmanship unit identified this issue and therefore the new technique involves

holding the rifle in such a way as to hold it firmly from shot to shot without moving the

upper receiver through various shooting positions or situations.


5/18

PRONE SUPPORTED AND UNSUPPORTED LEG POSITION

Due to the force of recoil and subsequent body reaction , the most accurate

follow-up shots result when the shooters body is as close to the ground as

possible, creating a skeletal lock on the rifle, relieving any muscle tension

that would other wise hold the shooter and rifle steady. Elbows are at 90

degrees and adjustments should are made for shorter length of pulls.The body is placed in line with the weapon for more stability with

the new hold technique. With IOTV armor and ACU helmet , the system

becomes very stable and much easier to shoot. Tucking the rifle butt into the

inner collar liner in the armor will allow the shooter to simply lie their head

forward and look up. This will naturally place the dominant eye in line with the

sight system, without unnecessary movement. This eliminates muscle fatigue.

Eye and neck muscles will naturally assume new position, no longer is

craning the neck to get a standard cheek weld required. This lengthens the

sight radius, drastically reducing sight plane error.


6/18

MAGAZINE WELL HAND POSITIONLeft right hand is placed around the magazine with the thumb

either tucked in or in the upright free position. For left hand

firing, the right thumb is placed under the dust cover to avoid

burns. The non-dominant hand is to have a firm rearward grip

to stabilize the fore-end of the rifle and maintain constant

pressure on the rifle. Avoid touching the upper receiver in any

fashion.


7/18

PISTOL GRIP HAND POSITION

The new firing hand position eliminates

unwanted movement and allows the shooter

to hold the weapon firmly throughout its

recoil and reset.The ring finger is placed above the grip

notch, and the middle finger is placed

between the guard and ring finger. This gives

a higher hold and firmer grip.

The trigger finger is inserted completely

into the trigger well and is used as a vise tocontrol the 6.5+ pound pull required to shoot


8/18

Initial Set Up for Firing

The first object to this form in shooting the rifle is getting it

lower to the ground. If an object is available close by orshooting out of a drainage ditch or simply off flat ground it isbest to have the magazine pushed forward against a stableobject. In this picture the Sergeant is placing the rifle so it willrequire less muscle to control it, pinning it between hisshoulder and the sand bag.

*REMEMBER: for every shot make a conscious effort toposition the body, and the rifle the same exact way, althoughhe did not fire the weapon with his left thumb pushing the topreceiver. This is a good example of a common problem.


9/18

Initial Body Alignment and Rifle Positioning

Body is aligned horizontally with the rifle, the rifles

magazine is placed against the sand bag and the stock is

firmly against the shooters collar bone, or shoulder. This

allows the shooter to relax all of the muscles in the body while

the rifle is remains upright and steady.


10/18

CORRECT BODY POSITION AND HAND POSITIONFOR PRONE

The rifle is positioned very firmly on the ground and

pressed into the shooters shoulder and head.

Magazine is wedged against sand bag. Elbows are

firmly planted and set at ninety degrees, resulting in

optimal consistency.


11/18

PRONE UNSUPPORTED POSITIONNOTE HAND POSITION HAS NOT CHANGED. BARREL/RECEIVER

POSITION HAS NOT CHANGED. TRIGGER GRIP HAS NOT

CHANGED. LEFT ARM IS PINNED AGAINST EDGE OF SANDBAG,

STABILIZING WEAPON. (MAGAZINE IS ACTUALLY CLEAR OF

THE SANDBAG)


12/18

KNEELING/SITTINGThis is one of the more difficult positions to shoot from, mainly because natural

sway in the human body is far more noticeable the higher the rifle is from the

ground. While keeping the hands in the same position, find the position that

bests fits your body type.

In this photo, Sgt Carpenter is firmly seated on his right foot, left foot is firmly

tucked into the crook of his right ankle and the left elbow rests on the non

dominant knee. This results in a very stable platform that requires very little

muscle use, i.e. skeletal support. This position requires a lot of flexibility,

several variations can be used with the same outcomeStability.


13/18

TEST SUBJECT- FIRST TRYNOTE: SAME HAND POSITION AS PRONE. DUE TO THE

VARIATIONS IN BODY COMPOSITION IT WAS BEST FOR THE

SOLDIER TO REST THE RIFLE ON HIS KNEE. THIS IS PART OF

GOOD MARKSMANSHIP. TAKE YOUR TIME AND FIND WHAT

EXACT BODY POSITION GIVES YOU THE MOST SKELETAL

SUPPORT WITHOUT EXCESS MUSCLE CONTROL.


14/18

RESULTS SPEAK

FOR THEMSELVES

LOWER GROUP SHOT 1ST

USING OLD METHOD.

UPPER GROUP SHOT LASTUTILIZING NEW METHODFOR THE 1ST TIME.

(10 SHOTS PRONE, 5 SHOTS

KNEELING)Required sight adjustment tothe Right


15/18

SECOND TEST SUBJECT: 1ST TRY

PHYSICIAN: SCORED 40/40

OF NOTE: SOLDIER IS SHOOTING LEFT HANDED FOR

1ST TIME..PREVIOUSLY TRAINED RIGHT HANDED,

THOUGH LEFT EYE DOMINANT


16/18

WHATS HE DOING RIGHT?

EVERYTHING!!!! AT FIRST SOLDIER HAD THE MAGAZINE RESTING ON HIS KNEE BUT

THROUGH SHOOTING AND GETTING MORE COMFORTABLE AND LEARNING THAT

STABILITY WAS MOST IMPORTANT THROUGH LONG DURATIONS THIS WAS HIS FINAL

SHOOTING POSITION AT KNEELING.

SCORE=40/40.. NEVER SCORED HIGHER THAN 32/40 PREVIOUSLY


17/18

WHATS THIS SOLDIER DOING

WRONG?

VERY SUBTLE: HE IS LEANING BACKWARD. THIS MINIMIZES

SHOT TO SHOT REPEATABILITY. OTHERWISE EXCELLENT

HAND/RIFLE POSITION.

Score 1st try 39/40never previously scored higher than 34.


18/18

All Credit for this shooting technique belongs to

the USAR Marksmanship Team in RC East, Ft.

Dix. The soldiers of the 946th Forward Surgical

received their instruction in October 2010, Sgt.Carpenter, Kyle B. carried this knowledge to

Afghanistan where he carried many groups to

fire at the range under this new style of

shooting. All improved shot placement,

qualifying scores, and understanding of the

M16/ M4 Carbine Combat Rifles.

This new technique is a breakthrough for the

Soldier and should be taught with patients and

understanding. Haste is our worst enemy when

training the Combat Soldier. Ranges should be

held often.

Although the names their names are unknown,

many thanks go to the USAR Marksmanship

Team in Ft. Dix.

Documents

Us Army Fm Revision of Combat M-4