Marines; Sighting in Rifles

[nomadicdread]

A former Marine told me that in boot camp, they sight in using feet, not yards or meters. I challenged him on this because I've never heard of anyone using feet to sight in. Can someone clarify this for me?

 

[returningliberty]

I've seen 25m targets, not 82 1/4ft targets.

 

[JBP55]

The distance used to be measured in meters.

 

[cableguy]

Still is meters. However; scores are made harder to make expert if only yards are available (some Army facilities).

 

[Tim67]

A former Marine told me that in boot camp, they sight in using feet, not yards or meters. I challenged him on this because I've never heard of anyone using feet to sight in. Can someone clarify this for me?

If this former Marine is in his late 60s or older, his info may in fact be correct for his period of service. I'm not sure exactly when the US armed forces began measuring in metric, but I'm reasonably sure it was sometime between WWII and Vietnam.

 

[sgt z]

I can't really remember sighting-in in Boot Camp at Edson Range but do remember getting my rifle data book, writing BRASS/call with a dot/plot with a number on every page. Putting the rifle to mechanical zero before firing. Marking the rear sight (M16A1) with fingernail polish after 200yd zero was obtained, I think I shot KD yards. Shooting a 245 on prequal day and barely shooting expert on qual day.
In Army basic training in 82 with Hydramatic M16A1 we shot 25m target for zero, grid was clicks, 25m almost same as 200m. All shooting 55gr bullet. You can probably download the target on line.

 

[nomadicdread]

This former Marine is 40 years old. I think he just really forgot the facts on this one because, he did state the 25yd/200yd sight in guideline but, he did so in feet.

 

[charlie12]

Don't know about Marines but when I went into the Army in 1972 it was meters

 

[Hitman]

Maybe your buddy is just stupid or pulling your leg.

I mean whose ever heard of a dumb 'boot' before?

 

[TomTerrific]

If this former Marine is in his late 60s or older, his info may in fact be correct for his period of service. I'm not sure exactly when the US armed forces began measuring in metric, but I'm reasonably sure it was sometime between WWII and Vietnam.

When I shot the kd range at ROTC Camp Ft. Hood 1960, we shot at metric distances, 100, 200, 300, and 500 meters.

You could see the old yard firing positions but they were overgrown.

We also shot those distances when I was there on active duty a couple of years later.

Sometimes you have to take veterans' accounts with a grain of salt.