Pro Guns, Gear, Tactics, Training, Mindset, & Discussion
Raymond Miller 
As part of our previous discussion on control, I’d like to bring up one of the primary points Paratroopers of every MOS need to be aware of; that of their mindset when handling a weapon. If you were to believe what you see in the news, you might think a weapon can go off without … Read more
We are going to be discussing the first few components of the element of Control. Training Circular 3-22.9, Change 1 dated January 2017 states that control is: “all the conscious actions of the Soldier before, during, and after the shot process that the Soldier’s specifically in control of.” In other words, the Paratrooper is responsible … Read more
We are going to talk about lessons learned from the DRE this week. Specifically, we will be discussing a system that is underutilized in the arms room; The Laser Bore Sight. The Laser Bore Sight is used to develop a ballistic compensated zero for optics, lasers, and thermals. It is a more precise method of … Read more
Understanding Surface Danger Zones We are starting a discussion on Surface Danger Zones. Specifically we will discuss what the different types are, and the different parts that make up an SDZ. The reference for this is DA PAM 385-63 dated April 2014. What Is a Surface Danger Zone? A Surface Danger Zone, or SDZ as … Read more
Time to start a new discussion about Machine Guns. Specifically, we will start to address the specific ballistic considerations that come into play when employing machine guns. We will be having a discussion about the Maximum Ordinate of the round, what the beaten zone is, what the cone of fire is, and danger space. All … Read more
How movement, weapon cant, protective equipment, visibility, firing position, and overlapping variables affect aiming and accountable rifle engagement.
Due to the importance of dry fire, we are continuing our discussion on dry-firing. We have established what drills we need to do at a minimum according to doctrine, where to find them in TC 3-22.9, and what they are. Now we will be discussing how to get dry-fire on the training calendar. The analogy used … Read more
We will now be continuing our discussion on the Range Facility Management Support System, or RFMSS. For those not familiar with the two-week calendar format it is set up in, here is the previous article to learn more about it. For Now, I am going to assume you have read that post, and are interested … Read more
This one was primarily written by Mike Lewis who was the 82nd Airborne Small Arms Master Gunner before me. He worked with Ash Hess , John Brady , and Paul Meacham on developing the new zero target that will be discussed today…. Purpose and Development of the 25m Zero Target Hello, shooters. I’m SFC (Retired) Mike Lewis … Read more
We are continuing our discussion on the Integrated Weapons Training Strategy (IWTS), specifically, we will be addressing how to use it for planning and resourcing our training. Considerable thought and planning need to go into how we schedule our small arms ranges. An Experienced NCO is usually the one to do this in the ABCT … Read more