Force Mod Friday: The CaneBrake Zeroing Tool and the Importance of Zeroing Properly at 25 Meters

 

For Force Mod Friday, we are going to be discussing a current capability gap of zeroing at actual distance as required by TC 3-22.9, change 2, dated August 2017.

Appendix E, TC 3-22.9 states that at a minimum, you confirm your zero at actual distance. The reason for zeroing at true distance is it will reduce the amount of deviation that is present in a 25 meter zero. Keep in mind; a bullet hole is approximately 1 minute of angle in diameter at 25 meters. Which means unless the rounds of the group are touching each other, the soldier’s zero is not going to be precise enough to be on target at 300 meters. And as we’ve discussed in previous posts, if you accept your mean point of impact being an inch off at 25 meters, you will be 12 inches off at 300 meters just based off where the center of your mean point of impact is.

Zeroing at true distance can be a challenge. Posts have constraints on the use of steel ( they can’t be set within 350 meters on a range on Fort Bragg). Then there’s the amount of time it takes to zero a large group of people with Known Distance (due to KD being ten- or twenty-point ranges). Add to this the availability of KD ranges, as they commonly conflict with other ranges on Fort Bragg due to personnel being required downrange in the ‘pits’ to pull and mark targets.

If Known Distance is not available, and we have to zero at 25 meters, what can we do to ensure that our zero is as close as possible? The answer lies in knowing what your ballistic offset should be.

A material solution exists that will establish a more precise zero at 25 meters: the CaneBrake zeroing tool. Three capability gaps disappear using this tool. One: Paratroopers can now get closer to what a zero at true distance would be. Two: the zeroing tool lets the NCO or coach know whether their Soldiers are maintaining the standard for grouping (a 4 Minute of Angle group size). Third: when deployed and zeroing in-country, ranges at true distance are not always available, but 25-meter ranges generally are. The CaneBrake zeroing tool will allow the Soldier to establish a ballistic offset at 25 meters under the atmospheric conditions in their combat theatre. The Paratrooper gets the maximum precision out of a 25-meter zero, providing a higher probability of hit when it counts: in combat.

The CaneBrake zeroing tool also can be used with any target or even just a one-inch square on a clean sheet of paper. You establish the offset when you make your adjustments to your point of impact to the appropriate zero distance location.

If units want true “Advanced Rifle Marksmanship,” having the majority of their company being able to place a shot on the target at 300 meters would be an excellent start. The only way to do that is to get more efficient at zeroing our weapons.

Long story short, the CaneBrake zeroing tool is a material solution that can fill a current capability gap that exists (zeroing at true distance). It will ensure that coaches have a method of ensuring their Soldiers are maintaining the zeroing standard of 4 MOA. And it will allow for a more accurate zero in theatre when Known-distance ranges are not always available due to population and terrain restrictions. We have mentioned this product before, but we will keep bringing it up, as it is an excellent, inexpensive piece of kit that makes our soldiers more lethal and precise overall. The Master Gunner Cell has put together a video demonstrating the use of this tool, and why it is so important to zero precisely at 25 meters.

https://drive.google.com/open?id=13ShpjNviWtIZNlNL5OXn2fVnYy0pvjyw

 

The website for purchasing the CaneBrake Zero Tool is below:

https://www.amazon.com/Canebrake-25-Meter-Zeroing-Tool/dp/B077H8JTBP

 

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