Marksmanship Principles
Marksmanship Principles
Marksmanship Principles
Revision
Weapon Handling Safety Rules.
Aim
To teach the new cadet the 4 marksmanship principles, which are to
be applied for successful shooting.
Introduction
Successful shooting relies on the cadet / soldier being able to fire a
shot without disturbing their aim. To do this they need to apply the
marksmanship principles:
Key points:
• BUTT: Place the butt in the right shoulder and hold the rifle using
a relaxed (comfortable) grip.
• BUTT: The butt should be positioned high in the shoulder and
comfortable. It does not go under the arm / in the firer’s armpit.
• LEFT HAND: The hand guard of the weapon rests on the left
palm. The fingers are closed lightly around the hand guard – do
not grip tightly – only support the weapon and keep it steady. The
left elbow should be positioned as near as possible to directly
underneath the weapon.
• RIGHT HAND: The right hand grips the pistol grip firmly. You use
this hand for doing all the drills on the weapon. Rest your
forefinger along the trigger guard – don’t touch the trigger until
you actually fire the weapon.
• HEAD: Rest your right cheek on the cheek piece and look
through the rear sight aperture. Your eye should be 25 mm from
the aperture.
Key points:
• You aim the weapon correctly by lining up…
(a) Your aiming eye (usually your right eye)
(b) The centre of the rear sight aperture
(c) The tip of the foresight blade
(d) The point of aim (POA) on the target
• With practice you will be able to hold the trigger at the first
pressure, giving you a last opportunity for any slight adjustments,
before you take up the second pressure and fire the shot.
• Immediately after firing the shot remain in the aimed position for a
few seconds and watch the position of the foresight blade. The
foresight blade should settle back at the same POA if you have
followed through correctly.