As some of you may know, I started a thread a few months ago asking about the weapons i'll be using while at Infantry OSUT, you can find the thread Here. I was told to dig up the tread when I returned, but I want to start a few one. I want to try and keep this SOMEWHAT short, as I could go on forever about my experience there.
So I left for Ft. Benning on January 28th, and am very happy to announce that I graduated on May 16!! I had an absolute blast (literally) with all of the weapons training I had there, in fact, I'd say it was my favorite part of basic training. At around week 2 we were issued to my surprise M4 Carbines. I thought we would get M16s, but we didn't. We dove right into familiarization with the M4, and learned general safety (ie not pointing it at anyone). Another thing that slightly surprised me as well was the fact that the M4 had a burst function rather than auto, but our Drill Sergeants told us at the beginning that we would NEVER use anything but semi while there, which we did exactly. I didn't know much about the AR15 platform before I came there, but I caught on very quickly in how to disassemble and reassemble it, as well as do a functions check, plus everything else. I was absolutely amazed however at just how ignorant some of the other recruits in my platoon were when it came to handling weapons and disassembling/reassembling them, which I guess I can't blame them seeing as most had never even touched a weapon at the time. But still, some were trying to jam parts in places that they OBVIOUSLY wouldn't fit, even assembling the M4 with the front pin in the rear pin hole if you know what I mean.
At around week 3 we jumped into BRM (Basic Rifle Marksmanship). We started by sighting in the M4 at 25m, with the M68 Optic. Next we were gradually introduced to targets that were further away, and also more than one timed target at a time. After weeks of practice came qualification day. We had to hit a total of 40 targets ranging from 50m to 300m, and 23 hits was the minimum to qualify. We shot 20 rounds from the prone supported position, 10 from the prone unsupported, and 10 from the kneeling position. I was pretty confident and sure of myself that I could qualify as at least sharpshooter (32+ I think), but I actually ended up qualifying as expert!! I hit 37 out of 40 targets. I missed the 300m twice while in the prone unsupported, and the 200m once while kneeling. There were actually two recruits in my company who hit all 40.
A few weeks later we were introduced to the M249 and M240. We were given a brief overview of disassembly and reassembly, as well as how they function, then we moved right onto shooting them. We shot a total of 100 rounds each, at various targets ranging from 100m to 600m. I really enjoyed shooting the 249, its fairly lightweight, and the recoil is minimal and easy to control and keep on target. The 240 was fun, but I actually found it a bit difficult to keep the muzzle from climbing too high. I'm not the biggest person around, so the 240 is a bit of a handful for me, the 249 however seemed to be the perfect size for me. Another thing about the 240 is that it sure makes a racket! Even with earplugs in, it's quite a noisy weapon to say the least.
Next we were introduced to the AT4 rocket launcher, and the M2 .50 Cal MG on the same day. This was definitely the most fun weapons training day I had. We started out with dummy AT4s and got familiar with how they function, then we moved on to training ones that actually fired 9mm tracer rounds. Only one person was selected to fire a real AT4 (not me unfortunately), and all I could say after it was fired was WOW! It was quite amazing to see and feel the blast the AT4 makes when fired, and when the rocket hits the target. Now for the Ma Deuce, which was easily my favorite weapon while at BCT. We were again given basic instructions on how it operates, then jumped right into shooting it. We shot about 50 rounds each. We shot belts of ammunition that was organized so every 5th round was a tracer, so that was pretty cool. When I first, I guess pushed not pulled the trigger, I couldn't help but have a big smile on my face, just because of the massive amount of firepower that was at my thumbs. I had though the 240 was loud, but this thing was CRAZY loud. Another interesting thing I noted was that there is so much gas the comes out the end of the barrel, it leaves a massive black carbon spot on the ground under the muzzle, now that's how you know you know it has a lot of firepower! When all 10 of these things were being fired at the same time, I couldn't hear ANYTHING besides the MGs.
Now for the explosives. We got experience with frag grenades, claymores, and various IEDs, although frags were the only non practice explosive we got to use. As far as claymores we got basic instruction on how they are used, how to arm and plant them, and how to trigger them. With IEDs we were taught the basic components, and how to avoid them basically. Now for grenades. We practiced A LOT with fake ones. They had a very specific way they wanted us to throw them, which our Drill Sergeants said we would probably never use in real combat, its just how they teach us. When it came time to use real grenades, we got to throw two. That was an amazing experience to say the least. The amount of power that's contained in that little thing is amazing too. I must admit, it was a little nerve wracking pulling the pin when in hand, but I guess it's just motivation to throw it further haha. Of course it doesn't actually arm until the spoon comes off, but still. They are much louder than I had imagined too, they even shook the ground!
That's about all I can remember as far as weapons training, I don't think we used anything else. Although I forgot to talk about one of the coolest things we did with our M4's, nighttime firing with night vision! I had always wanted to see what night vision was like, and it's quite amazing. We had lasers we mounted on the top rail of our M4's, then just pointed the laser at the target while looking through the night vision on our helmets and fired. I was amazed at how easy it was to engage targets at night while pitch black.
I'm not going to talk as much about the MANY other aspects of BCT as this is a firearms forum of course, but I will say it has definitely changed me for the better. I feel more confident, sure of myself, and I'm in the best shape I've ever been in. There is always room for more improvement though, which I will do when I start doing drills with my NG unit, and on my own. The first few weeks were very though, mainly because the drill sergeants would scream in our face about practically everything, but also because it was hard to adjust being away from home, and the civilian things I enjoyed. I eventually adjusted to life at basic training though, after about 4 weeks the basic training life became the norm. I friend of mine in the Army told me before I joined that it's the most fun you'll never want to do again, and that it sure was. I couldn't be happier that I graduated and left that place for good though, that's for sure. If I forgot anything, or if anyone has questions I'll make new posts.
So I left for Ft. Benning on January 28th, and am very happy to announce that I graduated on May 16!! I had an absolute blast (literally) with all of the weapons training I had there, in fact, I'd say it was my favorite part of basic training. At around week 2 we were issued to my surprise M4 Carbines. I thought we would get M16s, but we didn't. We dove right into familiarization with the M4, and learned general safety (ie not pointing it at anyone). Another thing that slightly surprised me as well was the fact that the M4 had a burst function rather than auto, but our Drill Sergeants told us at the beginning that we would NEVER use anything but semi while there, which we did exactly. I didn't know much about the AR15 platform before I came there, but I caught on very quickly in how to disassemble and reassemble it, as well as do a functions check, plus everything else. I was absolutely amazed however at just how ignorant some of the other recruits in my platoon were when it came to handling weapons and disassembling/reassembling them, which I guess I can't blame them seeing as most had never even touched a weapon at the time. But still, some were trying to jam parts in places that they OBVIOUSLY wouldn't fit, even assembling the M4 with the front pin in the rear pin hole if you know what I mean.
At around week 3 we jumped into BRM (Basic Rifle Marksmanship). We started by sighting in the M4 at 25m, with the M68 Optic. Next we were gradually introduced to targets that were further away, and also more than one timed target at a time. After weeks of practice came qualification day. We had to hit a total of 40 targets ranging from 50m to 300m, and 23 hits was the minimum to qualify. We shot 20 rounds from the prone supported position, 10 from the prone unsupported, and 10 from the kneeling position. I was pretty confident and sure of myself that I could qualify as at least sharpshooter (32+ I think), but I actually ended up qualifying as expert!! I hit 37 out of 40 targets. I missed the 300m twice while in the prone unsupported, and the 200m once while kneeling. There were actually two recruits in my company who hit all 40.
A few weeks later we were introduced to the M249 and M240. We were given a brief overview of disassembly and reassembly, as well as how they function, then we moved right onto shooting them. We shot a total of 100 rounds each, at various targets ranging from 100m to 600m. I really enjoyed shooting the 249, its fairly lightweight, and the recoil is minimal and easy to control and keep on target. The 240 was fun, but I actually found it a bit difficult to keep the muzzle from climbing too high. I'm not the biggest person around, so the 240 is a bit of a handful for me, the 249 however seemed to be the perfect size for me. Another thing about the 240 is that it sure makes a racket! Even with earplugs in, it's quite a noisy weapon to say the least.
Next we were introduced to the AT4 rocket launcher, and the M2 .50 Cal MG on the same day. This was definitely the most fun weapons training day I had. We started out with dummy AT4s and got familiar with how they function, then we moved on to training ones that actually fired 9mm tracer rounds. Only one person was selected to fire a real AT4 (not me unfortunately), and all I could say after it was fired was WOW! It was quite amazing to see and feel the blast the AT4 makes when fired, and when the rocket hits the target. Now for the Ma Deuce, which was easily my favorite weapon while at BCT. We were again given basic instructions on how it operates, then jumped right into shooting it. We shot about 50 rounds each. We shot belts of ammunition that was organized so every 5th round was a tracer, so that was pretty cool. When I first, I guess pushed not pulled the trigger, I couldn't help but have a big smile on my face, just because of the massive amount of firepower that was at my thumbs. I had though the 240 was loud, but this thing was CRAZY loud. Another interesting thing I noted was that there is so much gas the comes out the end of the barrel, it leaves a massive black carbon spot on the ground under the muzzle, now that's how you know you know it has a lot of firepower! When all 10 of these things were being fired at the same time, I couldn't hear ANYTHING besides the MGs.
Now for the explosives. We got experience with frag grenades, claymores, and various IEDs, although frags were the only non practice explosive we got to use. As far as claymores we got basic instruction on how they are used, how to arm and plant them, and how to trigger them. With IEDs we were taught the basic components, and how to avoid them basically. Now for grenades. We practiced A LOT with fake ones. They had a very specific way they wanted us to throw them, which our Drill Sergeants said we would probably never use in real combat, its just how they teach us. When it came time to use real grenades, we got to throw two. That was an amazing experience to say the least. The amount of power that's contained in that little thing is amazing too. I must admit, it was a little nerve wracking pulling the pin when in hand, but I guess it's just motivation to throw it further haha. Of course it doesn't actually arm until the spoon comes off, but still. They are much louder than I had imagined too, they even shook the ground!
That's about all I can remember as far as weapons training, I don't think we used anything else. Although I forgot to talk about one of the coolest things we did with our M4's, nighttime firing with night vision! I had always wanted to see what night vision was like, and it's quite amazing. We had lasers we mounted on the top rail of our M4's, then just pointed the laser at the target while looking through the night vision on our helmets and fired. I was amazed at how easy it was to engage targets at night while pitch black.
I'm not going to talk as much about the MANY other aspects of BCT as this is a firearms forum of course, but I will say it has definitely changed me for the better. I feel more confident, sure of myself, and I'm in the best shape I've ever been in. There is always room for more improvement though, which I will do when I start doing drills with my NG unit, and on my own. The first few weeks were very though, mainly because the drill sergeants would scream in our face about practically everything, but also because it was hard to adjust being away from home, and the civilian things I enjoyed. I eventually adjusted to life at basic training though, after about 4 weeks the basic training life became the norm. I friend of mine in the Army told me before I joined that it's the most fun you'll never want to do again, and that it sure was. I couldn't be happier that I graduated and left that place for good though, that's for sure. If I forgot anything, or if anyone has questions I'll make new posts.
